Mexican food for 30

C

CathyZ

Well-known member
At work we just finished board meetings week. Every day the staff provides lunch. I decided to take on one day so I made Mexican-style food on Thursday for 30. It was supposed to be Friday (yesterday) but it got switched late Wednesday. Whoa. Scramble time. I couldn't start until after work- around 5pm. My DH helped me get underway. Nothing trendy or brand new in the menu, just T&T recipes that I knew would work together. I had just a few hours in the early morning to finish it up. Then I made a hot box (heated up my pizza stone, put down towels and insulated the food in the trunk of my car), a cold box (blue ice and insulation in another part of the car) and transported it all in my tiny car. Since I live in a humid and warm climate I was worried about the dessert but it worked great and I was able to put it into the freezer while everyone ate the main lunch. Everyone enjoyed the food and I am tired. Here is the menu and the recipes:

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican Rice

Orange & Onion Salad

Cathy's Mixed Bean Salad

Green Chile Cornbread

Frozen Margarita Pie

 
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I multiplied this recipe X 4 for the filling and filled 60 corn tortillas. This is by far my favorite chicken enchilada recipe- it originally came from the Pace Picante Cookbook but I added stuff:


CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (serves 5-6)
3 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 large onion, chopped
2 T butter
2 C shredded cooked chicken
2 C picante sauce (I like PACE Medium)
3 oz cream cheese
1 T ground cumin
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 C sliced black olives
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 C shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
10-12 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
chopped green onion for garnish
Cook onion and garlic in butter until translucent. Stir in chicken, 1 C of the picante sauce, cream cheese, green pepper, and cumin. Heat through, then add cilantro and olives. Add 1 C of the mixed cheeses, then set aside.
Soften the tortillas in the oil. Heat about 1/4” of oil in a 10” sauté pan at medium-high. Put each tortilla in the oil for 3-4 seconds on each side, then drain on paper towels.
Spoon some of the mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place in a 10x14" baking pan. Pour over the rest of the picante sauce, sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top, and bake about 15-20 minutes at 350°. Sprinkle with the green onion.

 
Mexican Rice

I doubled this recipe and it was plenty:


MEXICAN RICE
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups white rice
1 tbsp Cumin
1 can (10 oz) Rotel original chopped chiles and tomatoes (or 1/2 lb chopped tomatoes and a small can diced green chiles)
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
Melt butter with oil and brown the rice 5-10 minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute another 5 minutes. Add Cumin, tomatoes & chiles, green pepper and chicken broth. Cover and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes. Add Cilantro and correct seasonings.

 
Orange & Onion Salad

I tripled the oranges, dressing and lettuce, doubled the onions in this recipe- adding rosemary to the overall mix of herbs in the lunch worked perfectly:


ORANGE AND ONION SALAD
(serves 4-6)
4 medium oranges
2 small red onions
1 head of Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp salt
a generous pinch of rosemary - fresh is best, but dry is fine
Peel oranges and cut into sections, removing as much of the white stuff as possible. Peel the onions and slice them very thin. Chop the rosemary. Blend oil, juice and seasonings, and combine with the oranges and onions. When ready to serve, add the greens and toss.

 
Mixed Bean Salad

This is something I threw together years ago and still make a lot at my house. It changes all the time depending on what I have around. It is colorful and people seem to love it. I tripled the recipe and had some leftovers:

CATHY'S MIXED BEAN SALAD

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) small pitted black olives, drained
1 chopped green or red sweet pepper
1 chopped medium onion
2 chopped stalks celery
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 T oregano
1 T fresh basil chopped
2 tsp pepper
1 C medium hot picante sauce or salsa
1 C bottled zippy Italian salad dressing (I like Kraft)

Mix everything together and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

 
Green Chile Cornbread

This was so good- another T&T that I have made for years. I tripled it and baked it for about an hour in a 14X14X2" pan with parchment on the bottom. I waited until it was room temp to cut. I piled it on a huge platter and it went fast:

GREEN CHILE CORN BREAD

¾ c (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup yellow cornmeal
6 Tbsp sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp salt
1- 15 oz can cream style corn
1- 4 oz can diced green chilies
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Pre-heat oven to 375. Lightly oil 9” square baking pan. Beat butter, cornmeal and sugar in bowl with mixer until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add to batter and stir well. Mix in corn, chilies and both cheeses. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45-55 min. Cool slightly.

 
Frozen Margarita Pie

I tripled this and used more pretzels/butter for the "crust". I made it in a full sheet pan and decorated with sliced lime curls and sprigs of mint- it was the hit of the lunch menu:


MARGARITA PIE WITH PRETZEL CRUST
makes a 9" pie

1/3 lb corn oil margarine, melted
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly thawed
4 oz frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
2 oz Gold Tequila
1 shot Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 whole lime, juiced and zested
1 lime for garnish
fresh mint (optional)

Melt margarine. Crush pretzels in food processor or by hand. Stir crushed pretzels and sugar into melted margarine and mix well. Press mixture in a 9" pie pan bottom, pushing a bit up the side. Freeze 1 hour. Combine ice cream, limeade, tequila, Cointreau, lime zest and lime juice in a mixer. Whip at medium speed until well mixed and thick. Pile into the pie crust and freeze for at least 4 hours until firm. Garnish with thin slices of lime, lime peel curls and fresh mint.

 
WOW--impressive! And what a scramble--this definitely belongs in Menus! Great job!

 
WOW Cathy that's a lot of work! What a lucky crowd to have your wonderful cooking for lunch! Thank

for posting all the recipes. It all sounds so wonderful!

 
So impressive. Love to hear stories about dh helping,.... dh, friends, etc. Fun to hear

hear the stories, and live your menu through you vicariously. Sounds like a very a woderful menu and time with friends!!!

We are heading to a b-day party today.... Terrible weather, will be under a tent. Hoping for sunshine. My friend is from Alabama. So she is doing a hog fest of some description.

Just bringing wine and a present. Her hubby has it all coordinated. We are close to NYC, so Im sure you've heard the weather reports for the marathon. Will be interesting. I have never entertained outside, when everyone can suddenly come inside... (Except for my parents and inlaws)....

 
Nuts. I'm in Maui. Could have popped over to help. What fun we could have had!

Leaving Wednesday Nuts again

 
Nts is right! I could have used the excellent help and it would have been great to see you

and meet your DH!

 
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