mexican night

spice your dinner table with different themes for the first theme Mexican night 

food menu:

1 . drink : mojito 

2. side dish : Mexican rice , guacamole 

 3. main dish :

Chicken Quesadillas, taco

so lets start 

start with the drink : 

Mojito

to prepare mijito drink which serves 10-12 people

you need :

12 Brazilian Limes

1/4 cup of sugar 

6 cups of water

mint 

2 cup of ice 

method :

mix all the above ingredinents 

 to serve your mojito  add choped Limes and   Pomegranate

side dish : 

Mexican rice

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces tomatoes , very ripe and cored
• 1 medium white onion
• 3 medium jalapenos
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , minced
• 1 lime

Directions:

1. 
   
   Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.
2. 
   
   Process tomato and onion in processor or blender until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess.
3. 
   
   Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno. Set aside.
4. 
   
   Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.
5. 
   
   Heat oil in heavy bottomed ovensafe 12 inch straight sided sautee pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over low-medium heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Be careful that the oil doesn't get too hot too fast or the oil will splatter.
6. 
   
   Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
7. 
   
   Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
8. 
   
   Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes.Stir well after 15 minutes.
9. 
   
   Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.
10. 
    
    Edited to add 6-15-05: If you can't get good fresh tomatoes you are better off using canned tomatoes. Don't use those awful hard and underipe tomatoes that are at most supermarket chains. Just be sure that the processed tomatoes and the one onion equals 2 cups. One the other hand- if you find that after processing your tomatoes and onions that you have less than 2 cups- simply add enough bottled salsa to make up the difference.
11. 
    
    Edited 8-21-06: Do not skip any of the steps. It may seem stupid- but rinsing the rice to remove the starch is very important if you want fluffy rice. It will only take two minutes of your time but it makes the difference.
12. 
    
    Edited 8-15-08: Leftovers are just as delicious the next day so this is a perfect dish to make ahead time for potlucks. This rice also freezes well. For Freezing Ahead: Cool, portion and freeze in a ziploc bag. To reheat from frozen: Place in a pyrex dish and warm in the microwave, stirring every 2-3 minutes until heated through.
    
    
13. You'll love this rice! Money back guarantee.

guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato 
• 2 jalapeño choped 

Method

1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

2 Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

4 Just before serving, add the chopped tomato and  jalapeño to the guacamole and mix.

main dish : 

before preparing it you need to make homemade Tortillas

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup hot water

Directions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, be sure to add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening till it is crumbly. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
2. With your hand or a large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest. Cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for about an hour or so.
3. Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
4. Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.

Chicken Quesadillas

• 3 1/2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken (from a 2 1/2-lb bird)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 oz coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese (with or without hot peppers; 2 cups)
• 8 (7-inch) flour tortillas

 preparing :

Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Cook onion with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute, then transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken to onion mixture along with cheese.

Put 1 tortilla on a cutting board and spread 1/2 cup chicken mixture over half of tortilla, then fold other half over to form a half-moon, pressing firmly on seam. Assemble 7 more quesadillas in same manner.

Heat lightly oiled grill pan over high heat until it begins to smoke, then reduce heat to moderate and grill quesadillas, 2 at a time, turning over once, until cheese is melted and golden brown grill marks appear, about 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer with a spatula to cutting board and cut in half.

taco

Ingredients

• 1 beef tongue
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• red beans
• carrots
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 Roma tomatoes
• 5 serrano peppers
• salt to taste
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 (10 ounce) packages corn tortillas
• jalapeño choped 

preparing

1. Place the beef tongue in a slow cooker and cover with water. Add the onion slices, garlic, and bay leaf. Season with salt. and add sweet corn and tomato paste
2. take one totilla bread and fill it with the beef mix and then red beans ,carrots , saled leaves m jalapeño choped  then top it with cheese mozzarella or cheddar

the recipes are taken from 

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes