Food For a Fiesta

While I love to cook and blog about my adventures, I LOVE playing hostess to my friends and family even more. In true 'Cooking With Kessner' style, I make food the focal point whenever I throw a party or host a gathering. Last night, my husband and I threw a small Cinco de Mayo party complete with a Spanish-music playlist, flowing margaritas and a make-your-own burrito station. I think it's safe to say everyone had fun and left full-- while some stumbled out, red-faced, after too many refills.

Next time you're throwing your own Mexican fiesta, or simply making a Mexican dinner, this is what you will need to lay out for your own dinner station :

salsa (Green Mountain is my favorite)
sour cream
refried beans (vegetarian: other brands contain hydrogenated lard. gross.)

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

guacamole (see my recipe in a previous post)

soft burritos or hard taco shells

chicken strips

sauteed onions and peppers

Since most of the above components don't require cooking, here are the recipes for the chicken and sauteed vegetable fillings!

Ingredients for Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 tsp mexican chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp adobo (which Puerto Ricans use in virtually everything)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Wash and pat dry your chicken before cutting it into strips. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Add your chicken and spices and cook until the the center of the chicken strips no longer appear pink.

(Rocket science, I know).

Wash and dry four pepper and four onions. Cut the peppers into strips and the onions into rings by slicing horizontally. Cook the vegetables the same way you did the chicken (double the spices if you cook the onions and peppers together). Let the vegetables cook until they have wilted down to about a third of their original size. You want to make sure you cook the onions enough to get rid of that strong 'onion' flavor.

and before you know it, your guests will be hovering.....