Fiesta Mexicana!

We had some friends over for dinner last weekend and everyone liked the meal so much that I'm going to put the recipes up here. I've made all of these things, with the exception of the dessert, several times and we have always enjoyed the meal. See allrecipes.com for the printable recipes. Happy cooking!


Ronaldo's Beef Carnitas

4 pounds chuck roast
1 (4 ounce) can green chile peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place roast on heavy foil large enough to enclose the meat. In a small bowl, combine the green chile peppers, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic and salt to taste. Mix well and rub over the meat.
3. Totally wrap the meat in the foil and place in a roasting pan.
4. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the roast just falls apart with a fork. Remove from oven and shred using two forks.
5. Serve with typical taco fixin's... tortillas/hard shells, cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, etc.
   

Mexican Rice III

1 cup long grain white rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cube chicken bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, halved

1. In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomato. Season with bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
   
   

Calabacitas con Queso

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 pounds Monterey Jack cheese, cubed

1. In a saucepan with a lid, combine zucchini, corn, onion, green pepper, tomato, and vegetable oil. Cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2. Gently stir in the sugar; add cheese on top, but do not stir. Cover, and continue cooking until cheese is melted. Stir, and add remaining cheese; cover, and continue cooking until melted. Serve warm as a side dish or in tortillas.
   

D's Famous Salsa

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed or diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canned sliced green chiles, or to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, green chiles, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Blend on low to desired consistency.
2. Hint: As I discovered on Saturday night, you can also use canned diced tomatoes with green chiles if you don't have the cans of green chiles on hand.
   

Pumpkin Cheesecake II

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground pecans
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/8 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
whole pecans for topping/decoration (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and the melted butter or margarine and mix well. Firmly press mixture into one 9 inch springform pan.
3. Combine 3/4 cup of the white sugar, the pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, ground cinnamon, ground mace, ground ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, and set aside.
4. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar and mix well. Add the whole egg, remaining egg yolk and the whipping cream, beating well. Add cornstarch and vanilla and lemon flavorings, beat batter until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
5. Top with whole and chopped pecans as in photo.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes. Do not overbake. Center may be soft but it will firm up when chilled. Let cheesecake cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate til ready to serve.