Sunday, May 01, 2011

Cinco De Mayo Celebration!

We're getting ready to have a fun little gathering on Thursday to celebrate
It commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the
French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862.
It is NOT Mexico's Independence Day, as some people think.

These colorful flowers & their bright tissue paper wrappings
set the tone for the party.


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I turned the tissue paper into one big Mexican paper flower.
I made the table runner from some bright floral fabric
in my stash.
Super easy...IF you follow the directions correctly &
are able to convert metric measurements.
~insert rolled eyes~

My goof-up (see the narrow lime green strips?)
turned out to be a nice *design element* though.
I'll explain at a later date & include directions on how to do it correctly.
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I'm planning on serving hot mini-chimichangas in the round tortilla keeper.
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A few of my other planned appetizers have come from this book:


When Cuisine Kathleen showed off this cookbook last week
I quickly ordered a copy...only 75¢ on Half.com!
I just love any Junior League Cookbooks.
They are always tried & true recipes that you can count on being exceptional.
This one did not disappoint.

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It has several recipes in it that I tested for the party.
This one I'm nicknaming "The 5 B's" ...

for "Baked Blue Cheese, Butter & Bacon on Bread"

What's not to like???
Oh my goodness, is it gooooood, but only if you blue cheese!

Its difficult to spread when cold, so be sure to allow it to come to
room temp if you make up the spread ahead of time.


Printable Recipe here.


I whipped up a batch of my baby sister's
homemade salsa.
(The one who lives in Arizona)

It gets better the longer it marinates so by
Thursday, it should be PERFECT!

I know its easy to purchase bottled salsa
but trust me, THIS is the real thing!

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Arizona Salsa by Ruth E.
  • 1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz) Regular or Spanish flavor
  • 1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
  • 1 can Diced Green Chilies (4 oz)
  • 1 can EI Pato Mexican tomato sauce (Yellow Duck)
  • 1/2 Onion (diced small) Green onions are great, but others work too
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, dash of chili powder to taste
  • Splash of Tabasco (optional)
Break up the stewed tomatoes to your size preference.
Add all other ingredients to taste.
Cover bowl & chill.
It is even better the second or third day!
She said you could
add 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
but it will last longer without.

Great as a base for chili, too!


PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE



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Another recipe from the cookbook I tried was the Crab Louis.
I had everything in the house to make it...
cocktail sauce, hard boiled eggs, crab.
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I'll post that complete recipe for Foodie Friday
at the end of the week.



Super- easy Strawberry Margaritas will be available.
The recipe can be found HERE.

Don't forget...ya' gotta have lots of Mexican beer on hand too!
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I had to mix two different types of candy to get the colors right for this.
The green, yellow & orange are fruity flavors that come together.
The purple ones are licorice from a pink, white & purple mix.
I just took out all the purple.
I will be sure to warn folks of the differences
because they don't really taste very good together!
They look cute though, huh?

Have a Happy Cinco De Mayo but please
don't drink & drive?
Always choose a DD...designated driver ahead of time.
I'm joining the following parties this week:
for
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch
for
The Tablescaper, for her I'll share the recipe for the Crab Louis dip in time
for Foodie Friday with Michael Lee at

Thanks to all these wonderful ladies for
allowing us to gather & share our ideas & recipes.
Thank YOU for stopping by The Gazebo House!
I love it when you visit & you're welcome here anytime.
fondly,
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27 comments:

  1. You are so funny! I can't even remember how old that book is, at least 16 years ago. I have never made anything from it, got a kick out of the names and little anecdotes! You got a good deal, lol, I got mine in TJMaxx and paid 9.00!
    I remember your party from last year, it looked like so much fun!
    Looks like it will be an encore, with lots of fun and food.
    About the onions, very easy!
    Slice a large onion very thin. Soak in buttermilk 10 mins or so. Place flour with s, p, and whatever other seasoning you like, . I do it in a container, drop the rings in and shake around. Shake off the flour and drop into a lg fry pan. I use a large one with a thin layer of oil. The rings are thin so you don't need as much oil, and they cook very quickly! Drain, salt and serve. I must have ketchup, it is in my veins! :)
    Have fun, and shake those maracas! :)

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  2. So Much Fun Rett,
    LOVED your party BUT wish I could taste all those goodies too!!! YUMMY! Don't you "LOVE" the colorful combo of the celebration! So Much Fun!!!
    Have a wonderful week,
    Hugs,
    Donna

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  3. HI!!!
    I WANT to come!!
    How FUN!!!!
    one of my fav days!!!Living here there are cinco de Mayo parties on every corner!!!!
    I love them, love the music, the food and the celebration!!We do not love that so many Mexicans have come here illegally and do such harm or they are harmed, I call it modern day slavery. So very sad.
    Ok, onto the fun of the day!!!
    I like your party!!
    have fun!!
    hugs,
    jamie

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  4. I have never been to a Cinco de Mayo party in my life. It occurred to me reading this how fun it would be to throw one. Maybe next year!

    It all looks wonderful. I would love to come to yours.

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  5. Looks like a great time Rett! Your runner is very pretty and I love that you made a flower out of the tissue paper! Have fun:@)

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  6. I just love these colors and what a festive tablescape! I will definitely be trying your salsa recipe.

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  7. Happy Cinco de Mayo, Rett! You sure have the right atmosphere for it. This is so pretty, colorful and festive. I love your Mexican dishes. Thanks for the birthday greetings. I think my mom is ok because she is walking around the house all day long and eating very well....Christine

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  8. What a lovely post; I am not too familiar with this holiday; I am from way up north, but loved all the information.
    Happy Cinco De Mayo to you too!
    Rita

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  9. Oh, I love that cookbook from Charleston! We have visited there 19 times while staying on Kiawah Island nearby. I adore that city. Your blog is just so entertaining and creative. I am following you and will visit all the time! Thank you for your kind comments on my blog!!

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  10. And what time is the party????? Everything looks so colorful and yummy. I'm always a sucker for Junior League cookbooks too. Enjoy Rett!

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  11. Love your runner and the tissue paper flowers. The yellow dishes are gorgeous and the menu sound wonderful. Love it all. Such a fun party. Thanks so much for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  12. Rett, I'm checking in to say thanks so much for the prayers. They are helping as I feel better this morning, but I'm not going to push it. I've learned my lesson there. ;-)

    This looks like such a fun party, and I love the food and the decor, both. I'm with you on JL cookbooks, too. They are tried and true and made with love. I was a tester once, and that was really a job. I was tough, but Mr. Magpie was tougher. LOL! I have that Charleston book and love it, and that BBB recipe is delicious! Wish I was there with you to celebrate.

    And you told me something I didn't know. I was thinking that Cinco de Mayo was Mexican Independence Day so I learned a fascinating new fact. THANKS!

    Love you and hope you are having a great day. Have fun at your party!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  13. Oh how pretty this is! I just love the bright colors and I really love Mexican food. I don't know if we will celebrate or not...I'm taking things a day at a time with my daughter here. Tonight we get the little grands and my son is sleeping over too. I will finally have a houseful again...I may have to just sleep on Thursday!

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  14. cute set up, I did a cinco de mayo table that will post tomorrow too. And you are right, fresh homemade salsa cannot be beat. have fun!

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  15. Hi Rett,

    It sure sounds like a wonderful party! I love all your festive colors and those yummy treats!

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  16. I love reading your blog, it's always so happy...and COLORFUL!! I love your Mexican table setting and wish I could come to the party. My DS's birthday is May 5th, so we will be celebrating that instead.

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  17. What a fun celebration. I did a double take when I saw the cookbook - a friend from the South gave me that book years ago. It has some great recipes in it. But I've never tried the Blue Cheese Bacon Toasts - will have to remedy that soon!

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  18. Rett, all your bright colors set the stage for this celebration. Your tissue paper flower is so appropriate! And the mix of colored candy makes me thing of "jumping beans". Do you remember those? The food, well that goes without saying. Anything from your kitchen is always a wonderful treat. I know your guests are going to have a great evening. Love the shot of the Corona with the lime. You are so clever!
    Kudos for a festive post to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.
    ~ Sarah

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  19. Hi Rett~ What fun! All of the sudden I have an incredible urge for La Cerveza Más Fina and Chips & Salsa! Your other food looks tasty too, I have that cookbook, I need to revisit it~ Love your colors of your bright bouquet with your runner, especially with your lime green stripes, goof or not :-)
    Happy Cinco de Mayo & a very Happy Mother's Day to you!

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  20. So very lovely and that food looks delicious!!

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  21. You sucked me in the with fabulous colors, the beautiful setting, and those mouth-watering appetizers. I just ordered a copy of that book myself! Can't wait to get it. (I love Junior League Cookbooks myself) -- I'm SO excited!)

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  22. How fun and festive. Love your colors and table all set for Cinco De Mayo and the bonus recipes!

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  23. So festive! I so love that you made a flower out of that tissue! And the 5 B's are going to be a big hit at our house, thank you for that delicious idea :))
    xo, Andrea

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  24. Love your festive table...so vibrant...the tissue flower is my favorite...sometimes it doesn't take much to make me happy!

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  25. This is all so colorful and festive1

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  26. Rett, Thank you so much for visiting my abode. I appreciate your nice comments.
    I have been visiting your Cinco De Mayo celebrations and enjoying them all. I love the Tralavero (I think) pattern. It is so colorful. Looks happy. I am following you although I somehow thought I was already following. Anyhoo, I am now. Hugs, Ginger

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  27. This looks like soooo much fun!

    - The Tablescaper

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~