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

CASA GUACAMOLE

Avocados contain healthy fats and are considered one of the "super foods". They are packed with vitamins and minerals and are a good source of fiber and potassium.

4 ripe avocados, flesh scooped from shells

Zest of one lime

Juice of one lime

1 T lemon juice

½ t chipotle chile powder (this adds a really nice flavor)

1 clove garlic, pressed

6 scallions, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

½ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

Sea salt

In a large bowl coarsely mash the avocados with a fork. 

Add the rest of the first ingredients and stir to combine.

Season to taste with sea salt.

Serve immediately.

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
1 ½ lbs flank, skirt, or top sirloin steak

2 T Southwest Seasoning

2 T honey

2 T avocado oil or peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press

2 T Tequila (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 small orange

8 flour tortillas

2 T avocado oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced
4 bell peppers, various colors, cut into strips

Pierce steak with a fork all over and place in a re-sealable plastic bag.

In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour into the bag over the steak. 

Flip over a couple of times, to distribute the marinade and refrigerate for 4 hours.

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 bell 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 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.

Divide evenly among the warm tortillas and top with peppers and onions.

Serve with Casa Guacamole, black beans, and lime wedges.  

Serves 4

CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB CAKES

I love Maryland (aka Chesapeake Bay) crab cakes and I can get the crab meat fresh here in Eastern Virginia. Here is a traditional recipe for Maryland crab cakes with Tartar Sauce.

1 large egg

¼ cup mayonnaise
1 t Coleman's Dry Mustard

1 t Old Bay Seasoning

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1 t prepared horseradish (optional)
Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1 T chopped parsley
1 t freshly ground black pepper

½ t sea salt

12 butter style crackers or saltine crackers, finely crushed 

1 lb fresh jumbo lump crab meat

In a large bowl, whisk the egg until frothy, then whisk in the mayonnaise.  

Whisk in the rest of the ingredients except the cracker crumbs and crab meat.

Gently mix in the cracker crumbs and crab meat.

Cover and let sit in your refrigerator for 15 minutes.

With wet hands, gently form into 4 crab cakes and place on a platter, cover and refrigerate for about an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place crab cakes on a baking sheet, sprayed with a little cooking oil.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise                                     

1 T capers, drained and chopped                                 

2 T minced sweet pickle or pickle relish

2 T minced red onion 

1 t lemon zest

1 t Dijon mustard

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 t dill weed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste                                      

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days.

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.