Fiesta. Fiesta.

Cinco De Mayo. One of my favorite holidays!! I threw a little family fiesta this year and the menu was as follows {all food was homemade, from scratch...obviously}: bean dip, mango salsa, shrimp quesadillas {made by Sharonie}, grilled lime corn, tacos, sopapilla cheesecake, fresh fruit {gracias Pablito!}and sangria {i know, i know, this is from Spain, but whatever! They speak spanish there!}. Here are my recipes:

Mango Salsa:

1 mango

2 red onions

3 tomatoes

2 red bell peppers

1 jalapeno {or more if you like it hot}

juice of 2 limes

small handful of cilantro

2-3 cloves of garlic

*dice it all up, drizzle some olive oil on there, little bit of pepper, and a few generous shakes of salt - voila!

Grilled Lime Corn:

corn on the cob, in the husk {however many you are going to eat}

chili powder

chipotle pepper powder

butter

cilantro

lime

cheese: contija or other mexican cheese. contija looks similar to parmesan sprinkle cheese. you could also substitute feta if you'd like.

*soak the corn in cold water for an hour. fire up the grill on med-high and put on the corn. it will grill for about 20 minutes...more or less depending upon your grill. turn frequently. the outside of the husks will turn golden brown. when they are done, take em off the grill and pull the husks down. you can separate the husks in two and tie them so that they make a handle almost. now time to dress the corn: rub butter on them, sprinkle with chipotle pepper powder and a dash of chili powder...dust with some cheese, squeeze 1/4 of a lime over the corn and then sprinkle with some diced cilantro. BOOM. so delicious.

Sopapilla Cheesecake:

2 packs of cream cheese

2 packages of crescent rolls

pat of butter

cup of sugar

cinnamon

- 9 x 13" baking pan

* preheat the oven to 350. warm cream cheese to room temperature. spray the baking pan with non-stick spray. unroll crescent rolls inside bottom of pan. use 1/2 cup of sugar and mix with cream cheese. spread cream cheese/sugar mixture over crescent dough. unroll second crescent roll dough over top of cheese. melt the bit of butter and brush it over the top layer. mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and sprinkle over top. bake uncovered for 30 minutes. this should ONLY be eaten for cinco de mayo, considering that the calories and fat in it are through the roof! once a year kinda-dessert.

Sangria:

1 big bottle of red wine

2 cans of ginger ale

1/2 cup of contrieau

fruit

*pour wine into large pitcher, add contrieau and fruit. i used an orange, a lemon, a lime, blueberries, strawberries, and

an apple. the orange, lemon and lime i sliced into thin circles because it looks cute in your glass like that! anyways, put that in the fridge and let sit over night. pour the ginger ale in right before you serve it - and serve over ice!

pablito and me.

aunt ciss, jeff, paulie, shar and dad feasting

sharonie and mom enjoying my grilled lime corn

the "boys" table: dad, my brother and jeff pace.

sharonie says the sangria is GOOOOOOD.

Cinco de Mayo is NOT just about sopapilla cheesecake and salsa:

(wikipedia says...)

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico.^[1][2] The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[3][4] The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had not been defeated in almost 50 years.^[5]

Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.^[6][7]

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.^[8] A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day,^[9] which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish),^[10] the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.^[11]

the battle of the spotted zebralions