Cinco de Mayo is one of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab’s favorite holidays! Fun, festive and full of flavor and color, we can’t resist but share some of our best recipes with our friends at KTVU using some of the best tools of the trade, too. Here just a few suggestions to get you feeling like you want to say, “Ole!”
From fajitas and quesadillas, to guacamole and empanadas, you can never go wrong with recipes that add a bit of sizzle and spice to a party.
Quesadillas: You’ll just need cheese and tortillas. At the Design Lab, we use the IMUSA Quesadilla Maker because it cooks up golden brown quesadillas in just 4 to 5 minutes. Easy to use and efficient, this gadget prepares the popular Mexican dish without any mess. The Quesadilla Maker features non-stick cooking plates, an excess drip tray, locking lid, as well as ready and heat indicator lights.
Once made, to keep tortilla warm, we use the IMUSA Tortilla Warmer because it serves as a traditional and decorative presentation piece for your Mexican-themed meal. Tortilla warmers are essential in the Mexican kitchen, used to keep tortillas hot, soft and fresh while gathered around the dinner table.
Guacamole: Using authentic tools like the IMUSA Lava Rock Molcajete, we can extract essential oils from herbs and spices – dried and fresh. It not only makes the chef’s prep job much easier in a cooking frenzy, but it makes for beautiful presentation, too. The weight of the authentic stone provides stability and makes pounding a cinch, while the rough surface provides a distinct texture to salsas and dips. One of our favorite recipes is right here.
Mango Guacamole:
Ingredients
- 3 ripened avocados 3
- 1 ripened mango
- ¼ cup lime juice ¼ cup
- ½ cup cilantro ½ cup
- ½ cup white onion ½ cup
- 3 teaspoons salt
Preparation
- In your IMUSA Molcajete, add half of the diced mangos and mash with the pestle into a pulp.
- Then add one avocado and mash into a pulp with the mango.
- In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients, including mango, and add more lime juice if needed.
- Fold mixture with pulp inside Molcajete and serve with tortilla chips.
Cocktails & Mocktails: Whether it is a traditional Mexican cocktail such as a margarita, or a “mocktail”, guests will want to quench their thirst with a fruity blend. Using the IMUSA Citrus Squeezer, this colorful and stylish hand-held press has an ergonomic design for comfort, and a bright red exterior finish to add a pop of color to your kitchen. The squeezer juices lemon or limes quickly, without the seeds or mess.
Slim and Sparkling Margarita:
Ingredients
- 3 oz Lemon Lime Sparkling ICE
- Splash of fresh squeezed orange juice
- Juice from half a lime
Directions:
- Shake juices from the orange and lime
- Pour into a chilled rocks glass rimmed in salt
- Top with Sparking ICE
- Garnish with lime slices
Table Décor: What would a party be without vibrant decorations? Luckily traditional Mexican tablescapes offer a ton of color and interest for your friends and family to eye. The IMUSA Multicolor Salsa Dish is a festive and decorative serving piece, perfect for appetizers, dipping sauces, guacamole, and salsa. To provide softness and pattern, Coyuchi’s Agrarian Stripe Napkins lend a splash of color to the bar, on their own or with the matching runner and placemat. The prewashed cotton is soft and absorbent, and the yarn-dyed, woven stripes look great no matter how you fold them. Cotton is 100% organic, and sourced and woven in India. Coyuchi’s placemats are as practical and versatile as they are beautiful. Prewashed for a soft, slightly rumpled hand that’s as relaxed and welcoming as your backyard entertaining style.
For a kick of color, Ten Thousand Villages’ Jaipur Tile Trivet in Yellow/Green is handmade in India and resembles true Mexican decoration – perfect to use as coasters. Made from 80 percent ground quartz, along with ground glass, fuller’s earth and kathira gum. Metal oxide paints and other glazes create the painted surface colors.
Flower Mandala Condiment Set is handmade in Vietnam. Perfect for chips and dip and a beautiful centerpiece. Hand-painted by artisans in Bat Trang, Vietnam, a village on the outskirts of Hanoi long known for its ceramics. The piece is formed in a mold, and then hand-painted with glaze.
Now go enjoy some ole!
