May 1, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 05.02.21

One of our favorite celebrations happens during the Weekly Menu 05.02.21~ Ole!

The Weekly Menu 05.02.21 encompasses Cinco de Mayo – a celebration we enjoy so much that we have multiple menus to choose from! Check out the Cinco de Mayo! post for two different choices to serve for a party. We’re having a little bit of both this year, mostly because it’s on a Wednesday, which is not a traditional party night, at least around here. We will be starting out with my favorite cocktail, despite it being a school night.

There’s always room for tequila.

I’ve waxed poetic about tequila before. We’ve got Palomas on the menu, but pretty much any tequila drink will do. Hell, a taste testing would be ideal. There’s just something about this clear liquid that makes my mouth water. And it’s good for you too.

Blanco tequila – the colorless variety – is one of the purest liquors in the world, therefore, supposedly, hangover-free. Here are 7 other reasons why tequila is the best and should be celebrated everyday – not only on Cinco de Mayo.
1. It’s the go-to choice of celiac sufferers and the gluten-obsessed. When tequila is made from the blue agave plant, which most classy brands are (think 1800, Patron and Don Julio), it avoids the wheat problem that keeps people with an aversion to gluten from indulging in other liquors.
2. It will elevate your mood. Unlike other alcohol options, tequila is said to be an upper, not a downer.
3. Tequila lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.
4. It boasts minimal hangover powers. Again, this isn’t all tequilas, but the “blanco” or “silver” varieties don’t contain sugary syrups and aren’t aged in wood; therefore, they don’t contain congeners – the chemical impurities that are rough on your system and exacerbate hangovers.
5. Tequila numbs pain. When it enters your system, tequila dilates the blood vessels and helps transport blood to all of your body parts, lessening pain. We’re willing to bet it works with emotional pain, too.
6. Less calories, more taste.
7. It cures the common cold. That’s what doctors in 1930s Mexico said, anyway.
NY Daily News

All that and easy!

The Paloma is basically tequila and pop. (Soda for the non-midwesterners out there.) I adore Fresca, but Squirt is more traditional. If you aren’t feeling grapefruity, how about checking out one of the many Mexican Sodas? Our grocery store stocks them in the Mexican food aisle. I’m not sure they have ALL of these, but the varieties are fun.

Tequila for the Weekly Menu 05.02.21 — ^{“If it tastes like anything, Jarritos Jamaica tastes like prunes. This is not a drink kids would enjoy, though it may do well in retirement communities. Further investigation revealed that the flavor is in fact hibiscus, from the stamen of the hibiscus flower.” Esquire}

Tequila drinks during weekly menu 05.02.21

Tequila Drinking during Weekly Menu 05.02.21

Grab some darling Mexican Hand Blown Shot Glasses to celebrate with. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for Details.) I’d use these gorgeous Hand Blow Margarita Glasses for the Paloma – not necessary, but who doesn’t love drinking out of a margarita glass? Plus you could use them for everything, they’re so cute. Serving ice cream? Boom. Margarita glass. I wonder how lime sorbet would taste with a shot of tequila poured over it. I bet it would be amazing. I’ll let you know.

The non-drinkers can enjoy sans tequila ~ Party!

What are we doing until Wednesday (besides heading to the liquor store)? Sunday dinner on the Weekly Menu 05.02.21 includes a little different take on chicken. Bert and I were at our favorite seafood restaurant the other day (eating the best Lake Erie Perch known to man) and they had “Chicken Paprikash” on their specials menu. I though it was a little odd, considering the restaurant we were in, but it inspired me, meal wise. Planning meals week in and week out requires some outside input from time to time!

We have an awesome Hungarian inspired beef recipe (Hungarian Beef Goulash), but the chicken is lighter. We’re subbing in kluski noodles for the spaetzle on the special board to make dinnertime less stressful. And we’re rounding out Sunday dinner with a Hungarian cookie that looks remarkably like a nut horn, which we make a lot at Christmas time. Apparently appetizers aren’t a big thing in Hungary, because I looked and looked and couldn’t find anything appetizing. So we’re going with a classic instead: Dill Dip. We’ll have toasties and veggies with that.

Movie night on Saturday means appetizers for days – all set out in front of the couch to munch on while viewing. Fingers crossed for a good movie. The last one we all sat down for was so bad we actually quit it, which is unprecedented for us. (Avoid Coming to America Two – if you’re anything like us.)

WEEKLY MENU 05.02.21

Pshew! That’s a lot of recipes for the Weekly Menu 05.02.21. The Chicken Paprikash is from Unsophisticook. I found the Kifli Cookies on Mildly Meandering. The Oven Baked Fish and Chips are via Mary’s Whole Life. The Green Beans are from Dinner at the Zoo. We’ve used the Copycat Chipotle Salsa time and again. That recipe is from Hot Rod’s Recipes. The super easy Baked Churros (they use crescent dough!) were found at Balancing Motherhood. And the tasty Zucchini Chips are from Cooking LSL.