WEEKLY MENU 05.05.24
Start the Weekly Menu 05.05.24 with a Fiesta!
The Weekly Menu 05.05.24 kicks off with Cinco de Mayo! Around here, Mexican food vies with Italian food as the family favorite. Certainly, it takes the lead in late-night eating. (Shout out to Taco Bell!) (Affiliate links follow. See Disclaimer Page for Details.) We’ve been celebrating Cinco de Mayo for years, and you can check out a variety of menus and plans for the big day here:
CINCO DE MAYO
Cinco De Mayo is celebrated every year on May 5 to commemorate the victory of the Mexicans over the French in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. The term ‘Cinco De Mayo’ is a Spanish phrase that translates to “the fifth of May”. The day has become more popular in the United States than in Mexico, and it serves as a commemoration of Mexican culture in America.
Did you know that more than 37.2 million Hispanics of Mexican origin are living in the United States currently? It was around mid 20th century that Mexican immigrants in the United States started celebrating Cinco De Mayo with much fervour.
However, alcohol manufacturers and brewing companies were the one who further boosted the popularity of Cinco De Mayo through various lucrative ad campaigns.
The commemoration of this day in the US began in California in 1863 at the hands of Mexican miners who were residing here and wanted to celebrate the victory. Cinco De Mayo became known all over the country in the 1940s during the Chicano movement. However, it became really popular in the 1980s.
Calendarr
As a complete aside, while doing research, I realized that we are all completely missing out on another, possibly better, “fusion holiday”.
Cinco de Marcho
Next Cinco de Marcho Wednesday, 5 March 2025
All drinkers assemble as Cinco De Marcho (Not Cinco De Mayo!) will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 5 this year. It is the ultimate fusion festival that celebrates Mexican and Irish cultures- Cinco De Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day.
Cinco De Marcho is celebrated to train you and your liver for all the drinking to be done twelve days later on St. Patrick’s Day. This light-hearted made-up holiday is the perfect occasion to lighten your mood, embrace diversity, and go out drinking with your buddies.
Calendarr
It sounds a little like State Patrick’s Day that Baby Boy celebrated at the Pennsylvania State University every year.
STATE COLLEGE — From Friday, Feb. 23, to Sunday, Feb. 25, students flooded the streets of downtown State College to partake in the student-created holiday, State Patty’s Day. The Penn State tradition was created in 2007 when St. Patrick’s Day fell during Penn State’s spring break, stopping the students from celebrating the popular drinking holiday. In response, the drinking marathon was created.
Center County Gazette
We’re purists around here, of course, so we’ll celebrate all four of these “holidays” on their respective days. Ahem.
Weekly Menu 05.05.24
We’ll start out this most auspicious holiday with my favorite drink: The Paloma Cocktail. We’re purists here too – nothing too frou-frou is involved. This is classic Mexican goodness with a decent tequila and grapefruit soda. I like Fresca, but Squirt or Jarritos Grapefruit Soda work too, if you can find them.
The salsa link below is a dead-on copycat for the best of the Chipotle salsas. The recipe takes a little bit of work, but it’s worth it. Any good salsa can sub in, of course. And I don’t know how your grocery store is, but we have a consistent problem finding good, fresh avocados, so I usually buy Wholly Guacomole Minis from the produce section. Not all the boysies eat guac, so the small size works for me.
During the Weekly Menu 05.05.24, we’re opting for a “Taco Bar”! I’ll cook up some ground beef with taco seasoning and in a different pan, some chicken chunks, also heavily spiced. In our third skillet, I’ll make my classic breakfast potatoes which are simply russet potatoes I nuke until soft then cut into chunks and shallow fry in vegetable oil. The way to make them super-crispy is to leave them alone once they’re in the skillet. Let them be!
I’m not even going to look for cinnamon ice cream in the freezer section. I’ll add powdered cinnamon to a slightly softened bowl of vanilla ice cream and stir it vigorously. Super refreshing, no frying required.
Check out the recipe for the Pepperoni Pizza Burgers. It’s a new one to us, but it looks like a keeper. It’s a little fussy, step-wise, but I’m game!
WEEKLY MENU 05.05.24
