It’s tough to pass up an opportunity to celebrate a holiday with tasty food and drinks inspired by our neighbors to the south. But, if you’re like us you might find yourself wondering, “what are we actually celebrating?” Many people confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexico’s Independence Day, but this is not the case – you’ll have to hang on until September 16 to celebrate that one. It is actually a celebration of the Battle of Puebla, which took place on – you guessed it – May 5, 1862. It was here that the Mexicans defeated a much larger, better equipped French army to defend their city.
In comparison to their actual Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo isn’t nearly as big a deal in Mexico, except for maybe in Puebla itself. The United States actually makes a much bigger deal of the holiday, both Mexicans and Americans living here alike. To join in on the fun, we threw together a little fiesta of our own. Mya and Ashley handled the shopping and I did my part with the cooking!
Our main course featured fish tacos with homemade salsa and avocado. We went with tilapia seasoned with my own little mix of spices (which I will share as soon as I have it perfected). To mix things up tonight, we cooked it in coconut oil which gave a nice, subtle sweetness to the spiciness of the seasonings. The homemade salsa was a quick combo of fresh tomatoes, onions and jalapenos, finished off with a good portion of fresh cilantro and lime juice. For a solid foundation, we heated the tortillas on the stove top and then layered on the toppings!
The celebration wouldn’t be complete without a refreshing cocktail to wind down after dinner. We tried out a quick and easy mix tonight – La Paloma. You can get fancy with these and mix them up with fresh grapefruit juice, club soda, and lime juice; OR you can take our route and just use grapefruit soda (Squirt or Fresca). Mix 3 parts soda with 1 part of your favorite tequila over ice and enjoy! Ashley is a fan of the tequila sunrise, so she went traded out half of the soda for orange juice and a cherry – we’ll call it a Paloma Sunrise.
We hope you all had a great Cinco de Mayo, let us know what was on your menu tonight!
6 Comments
Melissa
May 6, 2014 at 6:12 AMVery fun! Nice work with the coconut oil. Did Mya get a massage out of it too? We had homemade veggie enchiladas.
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Ashley
May 6, 2014 at 10:20 PMSome savvy friends introduced us to the miracle of coconut oil. 😉 Our taste buds and Mya’s skin are in much appreciation to the Patro’s!
Alexandra
May 6, 2014 at 1:13 PMNice! We did shrimp burritos for Cinco De Mayo! Very similar to what you put together! Love it!
P.S. – Mya is the cutest! 🙂
Ashley
May 6, 2014 at 10:26 PMJust read your “Spicy Shrimp Burritos” recipe on your blog! Can’t wait to try them out… and your many other savory recipes. Your blog makes me so hungry, but because it’s late I’ll probably just settle for a PBJ.
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May 20, 2014 at 12:53 AMdo you have a twitter that i can follow
Ashley
May 23, 2014 at 8:20 PMWe do not have a twitter account yet, but plan to have one set up soon! We have a Facebook page: After the Kids go to Bed. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂