Margarita & Taco Fiesta

What better way to celebrate the New Year and my hubby's birthday than with a margarita & taco fiesta. Sombrero's, taco's, limes, margarita's, Ole!

It was another occasion of cooking for several days beforehand, buying too many sombrero's, juicing what felt like 100's of limes, and feeling pretty shattered by the time the party came around. Hello being pregnant in summer!

So what was on the menu?

It was decadent and delicious - even if I do say so myself! It was definately a feast if not a fiesta and I think everyone enjoyed the margarita's, swimming in the pool and chill-axing on New Years Day.

So, what were the superstars of the day? The goat cheese and roasted pepper quesadilla's, the chipotle pulled pork and the the desserts. Martha Stewart came to the rescue when hubby said he wanted a chocolate cake whilst we were at the supermarket shopping for all our supplies - I had planned on making my tried and true Scandinavian almond cake with cream and berries. So I googled and chose the Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cake from Baked Bakery in NYC as it was described as satisfying "every chocolate lovers appetite". It took me a good 3-4 hours to make, set back my other food preparations a fair way, and was responsible for some swollen cankles. But it was well worth it!

My sister-in-law made the amazing Death by Chocolate dessert which comes from Symon's Suppers TV Show. It was rich, decadent and delicious. Jess substituted Heath Bars for Crunchie Bars and omitted the wafers. I think I could feel my arteries clog up a little as I ate it and it is best served in small portions! Amazing!!

The goats cheese and roasted peppers quesadillas came from my hubby's "Authentic Recipes from Santa Fe" cookbook and are pretty straight forward to make. Simply scrumptious!

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
250g grated monterey Jack cheese (I used Coon tasty cheese)
200g crumbled goat cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted & cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted & cut into thin strips
1 or 2 New Mexican green chiles, roasted & peeled, deseeded & cut into thin strips (I substituted large green chillies)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil or oregano (I forgot about this ingredient)

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Sprinkle tortillas with jack cheese and 1 tablespoon of goat cheese.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook until just golden. Add the bell peppers and the chile. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide among tortillas and top with additional goat cheese.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Cut into 4 pieces, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve warm.

Hubby was responsible for the chipotle pulled pork, and that remains his secret. I was in bed the night before the party when he began making and cooking that little beauty. It involved a pork shoulder, lots of marinating ingredients and a lot of slow cooking. It was divine!!

Happy Birthday Nathan!!