Here’s a colorful, fun to eat appetizer that will wow all your guests at your next barbecue or summer fiesta party. It’s do-ahead convenient and so easy the kids can help. (Yield 18 appetizers).

INGREDIENTS

• 1, 8-oz. Bistro To Go Fresh Guacamole*
• ¾ cup seasoned, canned black beans; well-drained
• 1 cup Mexican-style canned corn; well-drained
• 1 cup salsa
• Bite-size tortilla chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place 18, 2-oz. shot glasses in a baking pan with sides.
2. Spoon guacamole into a plastic bag and snip off one corner to make a medium hole. Squeeze about 1 Tbs. into each shot glass.
3. Top with ½ Tbs. black beans, 1 scant† Tbs. corn, and 1 scant† Tbs. salsa.
   (Be sure to cover the guacamole with the additional ingredients as guacamole turns brown when exposed to air).

4. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Prior to serving, insert 2 bite-size tortilla chips into each shot glass. Serve with additional tortilla chips.

* Look for this product in the Produce department at Price Cutter.
† Just shy of 1 Tbs.

In This Menu:

• Spinach and Watermelon Salad
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Peach Bread Pudding

It is true. I like Mexican food. A lot. I just spent the weekend in St. Louis celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday. Happy Birthday Virginia, you’re the best! I was able to cook with my sister-in-law, Gloria, who is not too shabby when it comes to Mexican cooking (growing up there helps). Gloria is passionate about food, family, and entertaining and because of that, cooking with her is truly a joy! This is the long explanation as to why I did enchiladas this week.

I wanted to give you a recipe for enchiladas that is fairly quick and easy. The ground Smart Chicken is an amazing product and you should be able to get this dish in the oven in less than 45 minutes. It freezes well and if you are looking for a dish to take to a friend, this does very well in a foil pan. Salud!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 cups torn spinach
• 4 cups thinly sliced romaine
  lettuce

• 2 cups (1 inch) watermelon
  balls

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• ½ cup sliced cucumber
• ¼ cup thinly sliced onion, separated into rings

PREPARATION

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Set aside.
Combine spinach and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad, and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ears Olathe corn cut from cob
• 1 lb. ground Smart Chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1, 12 oz. can black beans
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 lb. soft, Mexican cheese grated
• 12, 8 inch corn tortillas
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• 8 oz. sour cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch cilantro, rough chop

PREPARATION

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, corn, and chicken and sauté, tossing frequently until chicken is cooked through. Drain meat, then place in bowl. Add black beans, ½ of the chopped cilantro, ½ of the cheese, and lime juice to chicken and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat vegetable oil on low heat. Dip tortillas one at a time in hot oil and set aside on paper towels to drain. Fill each tortilla with about ¼ cup of the filling, roll and place in a greased ovenproof pan, like a Pyrex.

Make sauce by mixing enchilada sauce with sour cream and salt. Pour sauce over enchiladas and bake for 45 minutes at 375°.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 fresh peaches, peeled and
  sliced thin

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 cage free eggs
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• Several slices of dense, white
  bread, crusts removed

PREPARATION

Slice peaches, place in bowl with brown sugar and set aside.

Beat eggs with next 5 ingredients and set aside. Butter a 8″x8″ Pyrex. Line bottom of Pyrex with peach slices, slightly overlapping. Top peach layer with a layer of bread to completely cover peaches. Repeat until pan is full. Pour custard over all and let the custard soak into the bread. Bake in water bath for about 90 minutes at 275° or until a toothpick comes out clean.

[Picture does not necessarily represent the recipe]

In This Menu:

• Chile Relleno with Shrimp and Goat Cheese
• Chicken Chilaquiles
• Flan
• The Perfect Margarita

INGREDIENTS

For the chiles:

• 4 poblano chilies
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 shrimp, cooked and diced
• 1 cup creamy goat cheese
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced red pepper
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic
• ¼ cup chopped, fresh, cilantro
• 3 eggs beaten with ½ cup cold water (egg wash)
• 1 cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

For the sauce:

• 6 tomatillos
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 cup heavy cream

PREPARATION

For the chiles:

Preheat oven to 400°. Rub each poblano with a tablespoon of the oil, completely coating. Place chilies on a cookie sheet sprayed with a food release spray, like Pam. Roast chilies for 10 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 10 minutes. The skin on the chilies should be blistered and light brown in places. Immediately place chilies in a paper bag or a heat resistant container with tight fitting lid. Allow chilies to steam inside bag for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and running under cold water, peel off skin, taking care to keep stem intact. Lay skinned chile on cutting board and scrape seeds from inside with a knife. Set aside.

In a small skillet, sauté onions, garlic and red pepper until onions are soft. In a small bowl, mix shrimp with cheese, onion mixture, and cilantro. Fill poblanos with shrimp mixture and roll into a long tube shape. Mix bread crumbs with chili powder. Bread as follows: roll in flour, then egg wash, then bread crumbs, then egg wash again, then bread crumbs again. Fry in either a pan with vegetable oil or a deep fat fryer until golden brown.

For the sauce:

Dice tomatillos then combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil until mixture is about one half of the original volume. Ladel a pool of sauce in the middle of a large plate and center the relleno on sauce. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large tomato
• 1 roasted poblano chile
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 T. olive oil
• 8 oz. fried tortilla chips
• 2 cups pulled chicken meat
• 1 cup quesa fresco (Fresh Mexican Cheese)
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup sliced radishes

PREPARATION

Place first five ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Place mixture in a heavy saucepan. Add oil, heat over medium high, bring to a boil. Reduce liquid by ½. Add chips to liquid until they begin to soften. Add chicken. Move to serving platter and garnish with queso fresco, sour cream and radishes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened
  condensed milk

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a medium saucepan over
   medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 4)

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2/3 cup Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or
  Triple Sec

• ¾ cup silver tequila

PREPARATION

Assemble all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake well to a slow ten count. Strain into the serving glass of choice (tumbler or cocktail glass if served without ice). If salting the rim of the glass, use only Kosher salt, never iodized. Just salt half the glass.