An Easy Recipe

Instead of heading to the bar, why not plan your own Cinco de Mayo blowout? It is a great excuse to indulge in delicious Mexican food, dress in colorful clothing and enjoy your favorite Mexican beverages. By planning your own party, you are in total control of the menu, the decorations, the entertainment, and the guest list.

Do not bite off more than you can chew! The key to successful planning is delegating. Have your friends and family bring dishes or condiments for everyone to enjoy. Another option if people are too busy is to have it catered. Make a list of striking dishes everyone loves to eat; quesadillas, individual flans and tamales. A taco and salsa bar set up with all kinds of yummy finger foods is easy. Remember to have enough thirst-quenching drinks for all ages. You should not only have margaritas and Mexican beer, some type of non-alcoholic option needs to part of the festivities. Look for agua fresco and horchata at your local market; these are suitable for all ages.

Decorations will help set the mood. Many party stores now carry supplies for Mexican themed gatherings. You can get brightly colored plates and cups as well as banners to hang on the walls. Strings of multicolor pennants are fun to string outdoors. Put up some red chili lights around the food table and hand out some fun sombreros or maracas to your guests to enjoy. Make some beautiful tissue paper flowers and use them to adorn your home. Hang streamers in the colors of the Mexican flag: red, green, and white. You can even go all out and hang up a piata.

Before putting together your guest list, you will need to figure out how many people your home can accommodate. Always add that the guest needs to RSVP on the invitations so you will be prepared. Give your invitation color and splash. Do not forget to get it out in a timely manner for all to respond.

Festive salsa and other types of Mexican music add to the atmosphere of the party. If you have the money, a live mariachi band can make any partygoer want to dance. Stop in to your local Mexican market and check out the CDs, you should be able to find enough there to keep your guests entertained.

If children will be at the party, add some games for them to play. Hang a piata they can break. Let them play pin the tail on the burro. You can probably convince the adults to join in with the kids for a fun Mexican-themed scavenger hunt.

Hosting Cinco de Mayo parties can be fun and rewarding for all. You might even make it an annual occurrence. The key to a great party is planning and delegation; you will not have disappointment when you plan for success.

Once the partygoers are gone, you can gauge how the party went for all of your guests and yourself. Did it look like people were having a good time? How did you enjoy it? Would you do it again? The true test is: did the guest ask when the next party will be?

One of the most misunderstood Mexican foods has to be tacos. The prefab U-shaped taco shells served in Mexican fast food restaurants bear little resemblance to authentic Mexican tacos. You can also make your own fish, meat, chicken or vegetarian tacos at home and homemade tacos will definitely delight your family.