Hola amigos! Happy Cinco de Mayo. How are you celebrating today?
In case you didn’t know why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, let me share a little history with you.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s unexpected victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is NOT Mexican Independence Day which is Sept 16th. The conflict between the two countries had begun in 1861, after Benito Juárez, then the president of Mexico, suspended the nation’s foreign debt payments, and Napoleon III responded by sending French troops to invade.
The victory in Puebla galvanized the Mexican forces but turned out to be short-lived, and France later occupied the country, installing Maximilian I as emperor. Not until 1867 did the new Mexican Republic finally expel the French, execute Maximilian I and regain control of the country.
Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely victory occurred, although other parts of the country also take part in the celebration.
Our Cinco de Mayo Dinner
I set everything up on the island in the kitchen. I added festive place mats and my Happy Everything platter for serving. We enjoyed chips, soft tacos (mine were veggie), churros with chocolate sauce, and margaritas with a special mix that we wanted to try. Alexa was playing some Mariachi music as an added festive addition to our celebration.
To make the Churro’s:
- 1 cup water
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup sugar
- Combine water, butter, salt, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring pot to rolling boil. Reduce heat to low.
- Add flour and stir until mix forms a ball. Remove from heat and let rest for 5-7 min. Add eggs, one at a time and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Heat oil in medium skillet or 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until temperature reaches 350˚F.
- Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with large star tip (I did not have one so I rolled the dough into strips). Pipe 1-inch strip of dough over saucepan, cut with knife, and drop into hot oil. Repeat until churro bites fill saucepan with room to fry.
- Fry churro bites until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer and drain churro bites on paper towel.
- Mix sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss in churro bites until coated. Place on serving plate and serve with favorite dipping sauce.
To make the Margarita’s:
- The Resident Chef’s Margarita mix
- Patron Tequila
- Limes
- Mix 1 cup of the mix with 2 cups of Tequila.
- Add 6 cups of water.
- Add the juice of 1 lime.
- Place in the freezer until slushy or serve over ice.
- Enjoy.
I hope you enjoyed a nice celebration too!