Cooking Fiesta

Ever since we were in elementary school, we have both loved being in the kitchen. From watching our dad throw spices into a steaming pot of soup without using a recipe, to helping our mom sprinkle sea salt on her famous chocolate chip cookies, to taking cooking camps and classes. There is something so special about following your first recipe and preparing your first family dinner, with the guidance of a few trusted cooks. We have both been fortunate enough to work alongside several talented chefs and bakers after working as culinary assistants at Marcel’s Culinary Experience in Glen Ellyn. From learning to perfect French macarons to a week of exploring cuisines around the world, we have learned many tips and tricks from helping with a few of the many classes Marcel’s offers. Inspired by the chef’s at Marcel’s to share our love of cooking and learning with others, we were beyond excited when a family friend asked us to host a cooking class for a group of 8-11 year old girls. 

Our fiesta tablescape!

When the girls suggested a Mexican theme, Mary and I were so excited to select some great recipes for one of our favorite cuisines. We both love Hispanic food and culture, and had a hard time picking out menu items from the many great options. An authentic Mexican meal wouldn't be complete without chips, salsa, and guacamole, so we decided to make a homemade pico de gallo salsa and homemade guacamole to start. It was so fun for the girls to practice their knife skills chopping up all the necessary ingredients. After finishing the salsa and guacamole, we prepared crock-pot chicken tacos with all the proper taco fix-ins. Cooking the chicken the night before allowed the chicken to soak up the flavor and created the perfect tenderness for the chicken to shred easily.

Excellent knife skills!

For a fun and festive "dessert," we made homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla chips with a strawberry, kiwi, and mango salsa. To make the chips, we simply cut flour tortillas into small chip-sized wedges, coated them in butter and cinnamon sugar, and baked the chips at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. 

Here are the salsa and guacamole recipes!

Homemade Salsa

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• 6 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 2 green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1 sliced jalapeno pepper with seeds removed (can use less if you prefer more mild salsa)
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 large clove garlic, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Finely chop veggies and pour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add canned tomatos, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and season with salt and pepper to taste and stir. Serve with tortilla chips. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.   *Remove seeds for less heat or omit pepper if you don't like spicy foods

Homemade Guacamole

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy 

Ingredients

• 4 ripe Hass avocados, seeded and scooped from peel
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
• 1 large Roma tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1-3 pinches cayenne pepper, optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Partially mash avocados with a fork in a large bowl, pour lime juice over top and continue to mash to reach desired consistency. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Run chopped red onions under cold water (to remove harsh bite from onion), drain well and add onions to avocado mixture, along with diced tomato, garlic, cilantro, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine.