{"id":77963,"date":"2021-05-05T13:42:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T17:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=77963"},"modified":"2024-05-02T11:28:25","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T15:28:25","slug":"a-cinco-de-mayo-menu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/a-cinco-de-mayo-menu.html","title":{"rendered":"A Cinco de Mayo Menu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find delicious recipes for food and drink. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Today is Cinco de Mayo, which means it\u2019s a good excuse to have some Mexican food for dinner tonight. Need some new recipes or ideas? There are so many options, but the following recipes from GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> are great ones to consider and add to your dinner repertoire.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: dancers at the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Washington, D.C. Credit: dbking; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beverages<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a beverage. Now I know you\u2019re probably thinking margaritas, and that\u2019s one idea \u2013 but what about trying Horchata? Horchata is a rice-based drink, served cold. My description of this drink won\u2019t do it justice, but it\u2019s a sweet, cinnamon milk-like drink. Just try it. I promise you it\u2019s good. A recipe can be found in the newspaper article below and in some cases, you can purchase it already made at some Mexican restaurants or grocery store refrigerator cases.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Huntsville Times (Huntsville, Alabama), 21 April 1982, page 17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And of course, if you want to make margaritas, this newspaper article includes a recipe.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Huntsville Times (Huntsville, Alabama), 21 April 1982, page 17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Appetizer<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you sit down at a Mexican restaurant you are usually greeted with a small basket of tortilla chips and salsa. So why not start off your home Mexican menu with the same? I especially like this 2002 San Francisco Chronicle<\/em> article because it provides a variety of salsa recipes that vary in spiciness (or heat). All of these recipes, except for one, calls for tomatillos. Tomatillos are small, green tomatoes that have a thin papery husk (however, sometimes they are sold in the store without those husks).<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 25 September 2002, page 57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 25 September 2002, page 57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 25 September 2002, page 57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 25 September 2002, page 57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 25 September 2002, page 57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A chipotle salsa recipe, San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article 25 September 2002<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Remember: if you decide to try one of the hotter recipes, wear gloves when handling the chiles and their seeds. I can speak from experience that after chopping chiles, no matter how much you know it\u2019s not a good idea, your instant reaction seems to be to rub your eyes!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that chips and salsa are great, but you may want to make it special by including some guacamole. In this article by cookbook author James Beard, he provides a recipe for guacamole and suggests adding a chile or two if you prefer yours on the spicy side. In my opinion, that\u2019s a must \u2013 but it\u2019s not for everyone. Guacamole is simple to make, but it can be customized with extras like tomatoes, onions, and chiles.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 27 September 1970, page 101<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Entr\u00e9e<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the easiest entrees you could set up for your dinner is a taco bar. This allows each person to customize their tacos according to their taste, and to sample a variety of tacos. And preparation is easy.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: various taco ingredients. Credit: jeffreyw; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A taco bar could include:<\/p>\n