MANGO MARGARITAS

If you love margaritas and mangoes, you will love this recipe. You can buy tajin chile powder in some grocery stores that carry Mexican ingredients. If you can't find it, just use salt mixed with chile powder.

You can substitute the frozen mangoes with peaches and the grapefruit juice with orange juice.

1 cup silver tequila
½ cup Cointreau or Triple Sec
¼ cup lime juice, about 2 limes
1 cup pink grapefruit juice, 2 to 3 grapefruits
¾ (16 oz) bag frozen chopped mangos
Lime wedges, for garnish
Tajin chile powder mixed with coarse sea salt, for rims

Pour tequila, Cointreau or Triple Sec, lime juice, grapefruit juice and mangos in a blender and blend until smooth. 
Run a wedge of lime around the rims of 4 glasses 
Dip rims of glasses in a small bowl of the chile powder and salt mixture.
Equally divide the margarita mix between the 4 glasses and add a slice of lime.

Makes 4 drinks

SIZZLING STEAK FAJITAS

Fajitas are a Tex-Mex favorite and contain grilled meat or seafood, served on flour tortillas. They first became popular in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and southern Arizona. You can grill the meat on a BBQ grill or cook it in a cast-iron skillet on the stove.

Marinade

3 T olive or avocado oil

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 medium orange

2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed

2 t ground cumin

2 t Southwest Seasoning or chile powder

1 t dried oregano

1 t smoked paprika 

Sea salt and black pepper

1 T Tequila (optional)

2 lbs flank, skirt, or top sirloin steak, pierced with a fork, all over

Mix above marinade ingredients together and place in a re-sealable plastic bag.

Add steak and marinade in the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours.

8 medium size flour tortillas

2 T avocado oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced

1 poblano pepper, cut into strips
4 bell peppers, various colors, cut into strips

Cut limes and chopped cilantro, for garnish

Brush tortillas with a small amount of oil.

In a large cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat, brown tortillas on one side. Place in a tortilla warmer or wrap up in aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven until ready to eat.

In the same cast-iron skillet, heat the rest of the oil. 

Add onion and peppers and cook over medium-high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, just enough to get a little char on the peppers.
Keep warm until ready to eat.

Remove steak from bag and grill over hot coals until medium rare, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Discard marinade.
When steak is done, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carve steak diagonally into thin strips.

Place in a large cast iron skillet along with sliced steak and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Take to the table and let everyone make their own fajitas.

Serve with Restaurant-Style Salsa, Casa Guacamole, black beans, and lime wedges.  

Serves 4

HUSH PUPPIES

When you're in a restaurant in the south and you order fried fish or BBQ, you usually get a side order of hush puppies. They are so easy to make at home. Ideally you need a deep fryer but you can make them in a cast-iron pot with about 3 inches of peanut oil. You can omit the minced jalapeño pepper but It adds an extra kick to the little puppies!

1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

¾ cup corn flour
1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t sea salt

½ t finely ground black pepper

2 T granulated sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 T unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup minced onion

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced (optional)

Peanut oil, for frying

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and minced onion in a smaller bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients.

Mix together with a wooden spoon.

Cover and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes while heating the oil.

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a deep cast iron skillet or fill a deep-fryer with oil and heat oil to about 365 degrees F.

Drop batter into hot oil with a small ice cream scoop, which works perfectly or with a generous teaspoon full.

Cook in batches until they are medium golden brown, usually about 3 to 4 minutes. 
Don't overcrowd the pot or they will stick together.

Place on a paper towel lined baking sheet or a rack fitted in the baking sheet and keep warm in a 225 degree F oven while cooking the rest of the hush puppies.

Serve them hot and as soon as possible.