Need help with Mexican food.

[Edonidd]

Personally I hardly ever eat Mexican food, mostly because my parents who raised me absolutely despise Mexican food. When i do eat it, it is either at a restaurant or ground beef mixed with a packet of taco seasoning. Thats the extent of my mexican cooking abilities. But I somehow got put in charge of a big family party for 4 different people's birthdays, just because my daughter is one of the 4. And those 3 other people convinced my daughter they want a Mexican themed party/dinner.

So far my plans;
Fresh deep fried tortilla chips. I don't know why, but making them fresh impresses people, and they taste a tiny bit better.
I have somebody bringing fresh salsa, and I'm making a chili cheese dip thing.

For dinner I'm thinking a fajita bar by making strips of steak and chicken. I'll probably just do a really basic marinade unless somebody has something that works especially well. As well as strips of veggies, bell peppers and onions. I'm also making just regular white rice (I know 95% of the people there wouldn't touch beans and rice) and I have a jar that says fajita sauce on it. I haven't read it, or eaten enough fajitas to know if that is supposed to be separate, or the meat and/or veggies cooked in it.

I'll also probably set out a plate of lettuce and tomato, for those who insist on eating a chicken or steak wrap rather than a fajita or taco or burrito or whatever it is I'm technically serving.

What else am I missing?

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

A bowl of fresh Guacamole would be nice a few salsas/pico de gallo's with different heat levels as well...That's off the top of my head

 

[outofyourmind]

For dinner I'm thinking a fajita bar by making strips of steak and chicken.

Maybe have some flour tortillas in case people want to make a burrito. Easy and good.

I'm also making just regular white rice (I know 95% of the people there wouldn't touch beans and rice)

This one I'm not sure about. I'd do some mexican/spanish rice and refried beans. Who doesn't like those??

A bowl of fresh Guacamole would be nice

Guacamole excellent idea. Has to be fresh and homemade, so maybe practice some before the party.

Some kind of 7 layer dip would go over pretty good. It's pretty easy to put together.
7 Layer Dip Recipe - Food.com



Some people really like a Taco Salad in a crispy tortilla bowl

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

Maybe have some flour tortillas in case people want to make a burrito. Easy and good.



This one I'm not sure about. I'd do some mexican/spanish rice and refried beans. Who doesn't like those??



Guacamole excellent idea. Has to be fresh and homemade, so maybe practice some before the party.

Some kind of 7 layer dip would go over pretty good. It's pretty easy to put together.
7 Layer Dip Recipe - Food.com

View attachment 35825

Some people really like a Taco Salad in a crispy tortilla bowl
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Can never go wrong with "practicing" making Guac Seven layer dip can be pretty damn good too, depending on the seven layers you use. I love olives, just not in a dip like that for some reason, not sure why...

 

[beardown07]

^^^^This stuff is actually pretty awesome if ya wanna easy flavoring

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

a bowl of Cotija cheese, maybe some onion(white/red depending on preference), some fresh chopped cilantro, some chopped chilis(roasted or not, I prefer roasted), some lime wedges. some salt, I can keep going

 

[outofyourmind]

Was Ed's party this weekend. He never said.
Hope he comes back and tells us how it turned out and what he did.

 

[outofyourmind]

Just a hit and run thread I guess.
@Edonidd

 

[Edonidd]

It was the weekend that I asked. I waited until the last minute.

My boring family pretty much all avoided anything resembling mexican food. I did strips of beef, chicken and veggies in 3 separate containers. The veggies were just white onion strips and bell peppers. I think I was the only one to even touch those. Half the people did regular wraps with meat and lettuce/tomato. Another 1/4 just took meat by itself. The last quarter mixed the meat with rice.

I used the sauce beardown07 posted before I even saw him recommending that. I thought it was good.

Anyways I ended up with leftovers for days. My family is boring meat and potatoes, I don't know why they even asked me to do anything else.

Fresh tortilla chips were a hit though. I just served them with a queso dip that somebody ended up offering to bring, and pretty much nobody touched the salsa or quacamole

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

People that actually don't like mexican food? Thats a first for me

 

[outofyourmind]

It was the weekend that I asked. I waited until the last minute.

My boring family pretty much all avoided anything resembling mexican food. I did strips of beef, chicken and veggies in 3 separate containers. The veggies were just white onion strips and bell peppers. I think I was the only one to even touch those. Half the people did regular wraps with meat and lettuce/tomato. Another 1/4 just took meat by itself. The last quarter mixed the meat with rice.

I used the sauce beardown07 posted before I even saw him recommending that. I thought it was good.

Anyways I ended up with leftovers for days. My family is boring meat and potatoes, I don't know why they even asked me to do anything else.

Fresh tortilla chips were a hit though. I just served them with a queso dip that somebody ended up offering to bring, and pretty much nobody touched the salsa or quacamole

I have to ask where you live, and is it common for people in that part of the country not to have a clue about mexican food???

 

[Edonidd]

Michigan. And I wouldn't say common, but it's probably the least represented ethnic food in this area. And what there is tends to be mom and pop spots that appeal to people that already really like that style, not many places with a wider mass market appeal.

 

[outofyourmind]

Michigan. And I wouldn't say common, but it's probably the least represented ethnic food in this area. And what there is tends to be mom and pop spots that appeal to people that already really like that style, not many places with a wider mass market appeal.

That's kind of what I was thinking.
Down here, there's a dozen or 2 within a couple miles of my house

 

[Davis_Mike]

That seems strange to me to think of mexican food as ethnic.

Mexican food is a way of life.