Mini Fajitas

mmmm....Mexican food! Tomorrow night my best friend Jen and her husband Garry are having their post-wedding party. They married in Mexico a few months ago and are having a party here in Calgary. So, what a great opportunity to make some Mexican food (and of course, drink some rum!) Since the party is in the evening appetizers will be served rather than dinner. We have a really fun menu (which I can't wait to eat!):

• Tomato based salsa, and pineapple salsa with chips
• Chicken Mole with Kahlua and Pistachio (this is a neat dish: the chicken is cooked in Kahlua and the sauce is a savoury, spicy, chocolate sauce. The chicken will be skewered with the sauce on the side)
• Layered bean dip
• Veggies and dip - with a Mexican twist - colourful bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchinis, and mushrooms. A dip comprised of sour cream, mayo, cilantro, garlic, diced jalapeno, diced green onions - - and maybe more, this will be a dish with whatever looks fresh and whatever inspires.
• And my favourite - Mini Fajitas:

• Get a hunk of cheap beef, like chuck, and cook it in a crock pot until it is tender enough to fall apart, with some Mexican inspired flavours: you could use beef stock with store-bought taco seasoning, some people like to use things like Coke (which helps break down the connective tissues in the meat, making it tender), jalapenos or other chilies, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cumin, lime juice, the list goes on. You could do this the day before, that way you can give it a chance to cool and it will be easier to work with and also because it takes awhile to cook this, about 8 hours. The beef should shred easily when you take a fork to it.
  
• Buy those "Scoops" chips, or cut out rounds or squares from tortillas and bake until they are toasted (you just want to give them some support to hold the beef, and also to not allow the beef to make your chips soggy), at 350º for about 5-6 mins, make sure to keep an eye on them.
• Place a small pile of shreeded beef on the chip
• Thinly slice onion and place a little on top of the beef
• Thinly slice bell peppers and place on top
• Shred some cheese and pile a little on top (whatever you like - there is a nice Mexican cheese called "Asadero". This is a smooth, yellow cheese with more "tang" than other milder melting cheeses. This cheese is ideal for baking because its stronger flavor adds to the appeal of a baked dish. http://www.specialcheese.com/queso.htm)
• Bake in a 350° oven for about 8 mins, or until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.
• Serve with salsa and/or hot sauce on the side.

For those of you in Calgary visit Boca Loca, located at 1512 - 11th Ave SW, they sell fine Mexican Foods. I'm not sure if they sell Asadero, put they do carry Manchego, a very popular Spanish cheese made with goat's milk. They also carry all sorts of fantastic chilies that are hard to find elsewhere and fresh tortillas. If anyone happens to know of another store or source for these ingredients, please share!

Sobey's also carries a great variety of chiles - I found Anaheim, Serrano and Poblano chiles there.

Enjoy! And have a great weekend - it's Willie Nelson tonight for me!!