Happy Cinco de Mayo. For years I was not sure what Cinco de Mayo was. Probably because I was living in the UK. You may not know what it is either. Now that I am living back in North America, I thought it was about time I learned about it!
Cinco de Mayo happens every year on the 5th of May. It is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's victory at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, the day is a popular celebration in the United States. And what better way to celebrate than to eat delicious Mexican food?
I may not be Mexican or American, but I do love Mexican food and any excuse to eat seems like a great idea to me! In honor of it I thought I would share my favorite Tex Mex recipes with you today. All are delicious or I wouldn't be sharing them. Who knows, you may discover a new favorite of your own!
ENCHILADAS CALABAZA - These are my favorite enchiladas. Totally vegetarian the filling is made with roasted butternut squash, cheese, spring onions, etc
The delicious filling is then rolled in corn tortillas and then topped with some tomato salsa and more cheese before baking. These are quite simply fabulous!
MEXICAN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI - I really REALLY love this dish. Not only does it contain pasta and chicken, two of my favorite things, but it is also one of those recipes that cooks all in one pan. No fuss no muss!
Add to that really fabulous Tex Mex flavors and you have a winner winner chicken dinner! (Sorry could not resist!)
CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE - This is a simple and quick recipe to make, which involves layering chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce between layers of corn tortillas, along with some onion and green chilies.
I also include a recipe to make my own from scratch homemade enchilada sauce. Its really simple to make and very delicious.
EASY CHILI MAC & CHEESE - This is quick, easy and really delicious. Its a store cupboard meal that is a bit of a cheat but nobody seems to mind.
Boxed mac and cheese, canned chili, salsa and plenty of cheese. Simply yummilicious!
BEEF BARBACOA TACOS WITH SWEET PICKLED ONIONS - Something I came up with to use up leftover cooked roast beef. These are delicious to say the least!
You can make the onions up the day before if you wish. They will keep for quite a while. If you don't have any leftover roast beef, you can use ground beef and just cook as per the recipe.
CHIPOTLE LIME CHICKEN FLATBREAD TACOS - A baked taco with a fabulously tasty chicken chipotle lime filling. Just fill and bake in a casserole.
Delicious served with your favorite toppings. I created a lush chipotle sour cream sauce to serve on top with some guacamole and spring onions! Very tasty!
MEXICAN CHICKEN CLUB FLATBREADS - This is like a Tex Mex, Latin American Open Faced Chicken Club Sandwich. This is a flatbread topped with a layer of saucy black beans, melted cheese, topped with some zingy chicken, my own special sauce, crisp bacon, another drizzle of sauce and garnished with guacamole and sour cream. Whew!
Now that's one tasty mouthful of fusion cooking at its best!
BBQ FLAT CHICKEN TACOS FOR TWO - Blistered wheat tortillas slathered in a rich spicy BBQ chicken, topped with plenty of cheese, sprinkled with red onions and baked.
I like to serve these with a saucy coleslaw which adds color and crunch!
TIJUANA TACOS - Blistered flour tortillas folded around a delicious spicy beef filling with refried beans, onions, peppers, crushed tortilla chips, olives, etc. Served with sour cream, spring onions, cheese and more crushed chips for crunch.
Deliciously simple and a great way to use up the bits and bobs in the refrigerator at the end of the week!
GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ENCHILADAS - I make the filling with plenty of chopped cooked chicken, grated cheese, some spices and seasonings and green enchilada sauce. Wrapped up in wheat or corn tortillas, placed into a casserole dish, slathered with more sauce and cheese and baked.
Delicious served hot with sour cream and a splash of green tabasco. You could also use pork instead of chicken if you wanted to This is a small batch recipe that is very easily doubled to feed more.
CRISPY TWO POTATO TACOS - for the vegetarian in your life, but so delicious even the carnivores will be fighting over them!
These vegetable tacos are fabulously tasty with both white and sweet potatoes, and plenty of zip. Serve with your favorite taco accompaniments for a real family pleaser!
CHEESY TACO PUFFS - I have never had anyone turn their noses up at being presented with one of these fabulously tasty hand pies.
No small wonder with a crisp flaky biscuit/scone type of pastry filled with a spicy beef filling and cheese. Baked until crisp, they always go down a real treat! Children love them also!
CREAMY WHITE CHILI - This is my absolute all time favorite chili recipe. This is an incredibly flavorful version of a white chili filled with hearty beans, tender juicy pieces of chicken, green chilies and a delicious variety of spices.
With some crusty rolls, or tortillas on the side and a mixed salad, it makes for one beautiful weeknight supper! I like to serve it with some white rice and cheese for sprinkling on top.
QUICK AND EASY CHILI - Its simple. It uses store cupboard ingredients. Its quick and easy. Most important of all, its DELICIOUS! With beef, beans, tomatoes, etc.
Quick, easy, delicious. It doesn't get much better than this! With some cornbread or garlic bread for sopping up all that tastiness, it makes for a fabulous rib sticking meal.
And finally dessert, because it makes every meal that little more special!
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES - These lush chocolate puddings are meant to be enjoyed warm, with or without a scoop of ice cold vanilla on top.
The perfect ending to any meal Trust me on this. Moreish.
And there you have it, some of my absolutely favorite of the favorite Tex Mex dishes. It is by no meals all of the Tex Mex recipes on my page. I could have kept going forever, but . . . to be honest, if you can't find something to whet your appetite amongst this bunch, then there is no hope. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
DEVILED HAM SPREAD - This is rich, tangy, a touch sweet with a bit of heat. In short, delicious. Ready to spread on crackers or crisp breads or to fill a sandwich. This is perfect. I love this and could eat it with a spoon.
HAM & CHEESE CASSEROLE - ham, noodles and green beans in a rich and cheesy sauce. A bit of cracker crumbs and cheese provide a nice crunchy topping. I love a crunchy topping on a casserole, don't you?
CABBAGE & HAM SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS - You can't beat a delicious bowl of soup with some cheesy dumplings on top. This is especially tasty. Its one of my favorite soups to make with leftover ham.
PROPER HAM & EGGS - Thick slices of ham, the fat all crisp and golden brown, eggs with crisp ruffled edges and runny middles for dipping. All fried in beautiful butter. You can't go wrong. Breakfast for supper? Why not!
HAM & CHEESE BRAID - Quick, easy to make and using only 4 ingredients. This is a great way to use up leftover ham. Its delicious! I used a can of crescent roll dough, but you can also use pastry, puff pastry or even biscuit or scone dough. Its fabulous any which way!
CHICKEN & HAM PIE - Don't knock it til you try it. This is one very delicious pie with layers of a creamy chicken and creamy ham filling, and three layers of a delicious onion pastry. Its a real favorite!
SLOW COOKER HAM & POTATO CHOWDER - This is a hearty soup with beautiful flavors. You get the creaminess from the cream. Saltiness from the ham. Herbiness from the use of thyme and rosemary, and then lets not forget the garlic and the onion. Both are not only flavorful but very aromatic as well.
HAM HOCK, PEAS & CREAMY NOODLES - In the time that it takes you to cook some pasta, you can have a delicious and filling supper on the table. Your family will love this quick and easy supper!
HAM, LEEK & POTATO GRATIN - A tasty gratin that makes great use of leftover baked ham, boiled ham, or cooked ham hocks.. Its delicious! All you need is a salad or a vegetable on the side and dinner is served!
CHICKEN & HAM LASAGNE - Not your traditional lasagne. Deliciously different and makes good use of leftover cooked chicken and ham, layered with cooked spinach, cheese and a lush sauce. This is fabulously tasty!
.JPG "Hawaiian Ham & Beans")
And just for you here today a whole new recipe to be using with some of your leftover ham. Hawaiian Ham & Beans. It doesn't photograph very well, which is why I haven't dedicated a whole post to it, but don't let the fact that it doesn't photograph beautifully put you off, these baked beans are fabulous. Its amazing at what you can do with a few store cupboard ingredients and some leftover ham!
Hawaiian Ham & Beans
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 1/2oz/425g) baked beans, undrained
- 1/2 cup (105g) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1/4 cup (75g) diced roasted green chilies
- 2 TBS minced onion
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 TBS molasses
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 cup (135g) diced baked ham
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Butter a 7 by 11 inch shallow casserole dish.
- Stir together all of the ingredients in a bowl and then pour them into the casserole dish, evening everything out. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until bubbling, heated through and slightly thickened.
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I was saying the other day how very much I love to have a good cake in the house. There is something so special about being able to sit down with a nice hot drink and a piece of cake. The world around you can be in chaos but if you have a piece of cake and a drink in front of you, somehow things seem to be a little bit more tolerable.
I am no stranger to cake on here, and over the past thirteen plus years of running this recipe page, I have baked many, many cakes. All of them are delicious because well . . . cake. I tend to only show the recipes that I feel are highly successful and what I think you, my readers, will enjoy.
I do have my favorites however, and these are cakes that I return to bake time and time again. These are the ones that I love above all others. I thought it would be fun today to share my top ten favorite cakes with you and why, so here we go!
RASPBERRY YOGURT CAKE - I love cakes which are made with sour cream and yogurt. Adding sour cream or yogurt add moisture and makes for a lovely tender crumb. This is a beautiful cake, with a lovely moist crumb. Its light in texture and filled with pockets of sweet tart raspberries.
QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE - We are especially fond of this old, old recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake. I don't expect there is a Canadian community cookbook without a version of this in it. It goes way back.
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