Last night, I had a couple of work friends over for dinner. They finished some professional development near here, and then headed over, armed with their appetites and two jars of salsa.
The first thing I brought out was a bowl of homemade corn tortilla chips. So delicious!
Cut corn tortillas into wedges and arrange them on cookie sheets. Then brush with a 2:1 ratio of lime juice to olive oil. Sprinkle on cumin and a little chili powder.
Then bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. So good!
They have a fabulous crunch and great flavor, and they’re strong enough to hold a lot of salsa (or guacamole or artichoke dip or whatever you like).
Then I mixed up a batch of margaritas. We sipped and munched and chatted and sort-of played Taboo (but not keeping score, just taking turns).
When it started to get around dinner-time, I popped some taco-shell bowls into the oven and started browning the ground beef for taco salads. I had already cut and washed the lettuce and tomatoes, so they went together pretty quickly. The meat was done at the exact same time as the shell-bowls. Go me!
After we finished the taco salad, we sat around for an hour digesting and chatting more.
Last night, I had prepared flan, so it had been chilling in the fridge all night. It was ready to go! I used this flan recipe from Allrecipes , but added cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg to the mix. I also found out that you really need to bake it at 350 rather than 325, or you will be baking it forever!
You start out with some brown sugar in the bottom of the ramekins. This carmelizes when it cooks, and becomes a delicious topping for the flan.
Fill ‘em up with the flan stuff (I halved the recipe) and put them in a baking dish with some water. Pop them in the oven!
And in about 40 minutes (if you bake it at 350) you’ll get this:
Pop them in the fridge overnight, and plating them is a breeze.
I drizzled some caramel on the dishes, then ran a knife around each flan so that I could drop them upside-down in the center. I added a plop of whipped cream and a ripe strawberry. Voila!
Everything went smoothly and tasted delicious. Of course, the company was fantastic, and we had a great time, too.
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and stay at home mom of two beautiful children. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate my home on a budget, and keep a happy household. I tandem breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, practice elimination communication, homebirth, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
[...] I baked some corn tortillas I had, leftover from making homemade tortilla chips. Just stick them in the oven till they’re [...]
[...] Homemade tortilla chips again, and margaritas. So yummy. (Not photographed: Cheese quesadillas) [...]
Cindy, what a sweet comment! I’m so glad you were able to come. I really enjoyed your company!
I was one of the happy guests at the Mexican dinner party. Everything was amazing. The chips were fabulous and the salads were fantastic. The flan was to die for. Our hostess is an excellent cook. She had the mood set with Mexican music playing in the background as well. She kept us very entertained and amused. Thanks again.
Helmut, you definitely should try it. They’re so easy and delicious!
Let me know how it goes, ok?
Hmmm… I may have to try that tortilla chip idea. They looked seriously yummy! Your taco salad looked great too. Looks like I’m going to have to have a Mexican night some day soon.
Thanks, Molly! I didn’t make the tortillas themselves, just made store-bought ones into chips. Definitely try the lime juice. It adds a nice background flavor that I love.
The flan did turn out really well. I think if I hadn’t added the extra spices though, it would’ve been pretty bland. So if you try it, don’t leave those out!
Everything looks fantastic. I love home made tortillas but I’ve never used lime juice and now I’m dieing to try it. The flan looks amazing!