hello! loved all your short stories from yesterday. there were some good ones.. especially the ones about basset hounds. call me partial, that’s ok.
last night we had our first of many traveling family dinners. this one was at my brother’s house and the theme was mexican. the way our family dinners work is the host family makes the main course and everyone else brings some sort of contribution to the meal. yesterday’s main dish was pulled pork taco salads!
lettuce, chips, pulled pork, and lots of toppings.
momma b had asked me to bring some “healthy chips” and i found two kinds at whole foods…
baked chips and popped chips. of course there was a healthy chip showdown.
the results were mixed.. half of those who tried the chips preferred the baked, the other half preferred the popped. i personally liked the baked, so that’s what i went with for my taco salad.
there were a couple festive beverages at the fiesta.
margaritas & pina coladas made to order in the blender. virgin, of course, except for the one year olds. their tropical drinks contained rum.
and then there was the horchata that i made from scratch, based off this recipe.
to make enough horchata, i did two batches. for each batch, i combined 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (uncooked) with 3 cinnamon sticks (about 3” long each) and 7 cups of water in the blender. i blended this mixture for about 3 minutes on high, then put it in the fridge overnight. i repeated with another batch.
the next morning, i strained the mixture using cheesecloth and a sieve (extra, extra strained! this was marshall’s idea.) i strained BOTH batches into the large pitcher together. once it was strained, i added 3 T mexican vanilla, 1 cup half & half, 1 cup skim milk (it’s all we had, i would have used whole or 2% here if i had it), and ~1 cup evaporated cane juice (you could use white sugar here, too.) i gave it a good stir and then set it in the snow to chill until we headed to dinner. horchata is meant to be consumed cold, so i served it over ice cubes.
i tested it out on the one year olds.. even though it contained no rum. that was a letdown, i am sure.
they gave it a try, despite the lack of booze.
um, i think it was a hit. wouldn’t you agree??
goofball.
no fiesta is complete without dessert. i was in charge of that and made alton brown’s tres leches cake.
i followed the cake recipe exactly. alton brown’s recipes are always a hit in my kitchen, so i figured i better not mess with a good thing! i did omit a bit of the sugar in the whipped topping and i added strawberries for a little extra pizzazz!
tres leches cake is basically sponge cake that is soaked in three types of milk overnight, then topped with whipped cream.
it’s as ridiculously tasty as it sounds. the milks started seeping out right when i cut into the cake.
you can see how dense the cake is and it’s completely drenched in the triple dose of milks. this creates the perfect texture.
my niece, izzy, wasn’t sure she would like the cake.. so she started with a sample.
yeah.
it was good.
thanks to doug and linds for having us all over for dinner! next month it is at our place.. can’t wait to have everyone over! i am trying to get some ideas for what to serve.. which brings me to my question!
what main dish would you serve for a family dinner?
oh, and in other news.. i have come down with some sort of sore throat/cough/cold thing. i haven’t worked out since last thursday and i feel like butt. speaking of butt, yeah i had my colon hydrotherapy session on saturday. it went well. i am not quite ready to write about it yet. those sort of posts take a lot out of me.. and it’s a lot easier to write about cake. so that’s what you get for today :)
xo. janetha g.
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I love tres leches cake, but I’ve never actually made it at home. Thanks for the review of alton brown’s recipe. :)
What a fun and fantastic evening! I hope you feel better!
This cake would have been perfect for our “heritage” day at work tomorrow.. Since I’m 1/8 Spanish. Instead I’m baking shortbread cookies for my scottish gene.. Next time! Looks like a great time! Your nieces and nephews are adorbs
My grandparents and mother lived overseas in Saudi for 16 years so when we would have ‘family’ dinners, there would be lamb dishes with rice, couscous, zucchini dishes, and several types of curry, but we’d all go straight to the baklava dessert.
Maybe middle eastern theme? Or gyros are always fun…you could do ‘grill’ night, and grill the veggies on skewers, and corn on the cob over the grill…best. It’ll be fantastic whatever you do. Can’t wait to read about it ;)
You could do hummus, and felafel as side /appetizer – and baba ganoush with baked pitta bread and veggies for dipping too. . . Just ideas. Lol
The horchata, as I mentioned to you yesterday, I made some over the weekend, too. I made mine differently than yours though…it’s like brownies or choc chip cookies. Seems there are many ways to do it and come up with the same/similar result.
That tres leches. Omg it looks crazy good. All juicy and oozing goodness from the sides/bottom. I want it!
Loved those pictures! Judging from those reactions, these are some recipes I will have to try. Last time we hosted a themed dinner we went Greek … starting with mousaka. It was mah-velous!
A little jealous of your family dinners…and also jealous of tres leches! YUM!
That cake looks AMAZING!!
I’m lactose intolerant but perhaps a combo of almond, rice, and coconut milks would do the trick?!
So fun! Mexican is always a crowd pleaser, but so are chilis with tons of topping choices. My mom usually makes a few types of grilled chicken (bbq, mustard glazed, etc) and gets dollar rolls for sandwiches. Served with a big spinach salad and fruit salad.
I’ve always wanted to try horchata, never had it before none the less homemade at that!!! That cake looks phenomenalllllllll too girl. Can I come over to your next dinner party ummm please?!?! ;)
If you ever are interested in an adult version of horchata, track down some Rum Chata at the liquor store. It’s omgamazing and tastes like oatmeal cookies.
And uh, your niece is 100% adorable!
Our family dinner’s involve my mom cooking and the rest of us stuffing our faces.
I must admit – I came here today to here about your poop. Don’t let me down again tomorrow.
Glad you chose to write about the cake instead of the other thing! Tres Leches Cake sounds delish.
This is like my ideal meal ;). I love taco salads- they are SO darn good. I’ve never heard of horchata…I’m intrigued! For a family dinner, I’d probably do big salads with all sorts of toppings (a la the above) plus multiple kinds of proteins (beans, steak, chicken, shrimp,etc)
What a fun family fiesta! Horchata sounds delicious, as does the tres leches cake! I seriously want to be adopted into your family. :)
That meal looks soooo good! I decided for my birthday in January that I wanted to try tres leches cake (had never had) so I made one and topped each piece with maraschino cherries – it was soooo delicious!
Family dinners are the best! I kinda wish I was a part of your family – looks like y’all had a blast!
We usually make lasagna or falafels when all of us are at home at the same time!
Chili is a good crowd pleaser since you can’t really make a small batch. I like lots of toppings…..sour cream, chobani, cheddar cheese, cilantro (amazing!), jalapenos, etc. The hubby likes macaroni noodles with his chili too and I’ve got to have corn bread muffins. Love the reactions to dessert…..I’ll have to make some.
i LOVE the idea of the rotating family dinners each month. way fun!! and your nephews are getting so big (i remember reading when they were born – time flies!).
feel better soon, j!
Your family looks like so much fun! I wanna come to dinner!! ;) I have never had tres leches cake, but that looks ridiculous! I may have to try that one!! xoxoxo
The cake looks soooo good. Please send me a sample?
It was a success! Great food and even better company -:)
I do believe your cake was the hit of the night – so rich and SO delicious!! It is true I was for sure in a tres leches coma!
Hope your readers know if they are ever in our neck of the woods they are welcome to stop by for dinner with us oh and a rousing game of boggle!!
xoxo
haha, adorable pictures! What a fun night. I especially love the photos of the tres leches cake consumption. That girl knows a good cake when she tastes one! :D
Your cake looks so good and your niece’s expression is priceless!!! When I’m cooking to feed a family I usually do something that I can prepare in advance. I’ve made coq au vin quite a few times and it is always a big hit! I guess that would fit into a french theme so maybe a souffle for dessert??? Chocolate souffle’s are the bomb.
Oh my, the pictures of the little ones made me laugh! Love how expressive they can be! I’ve been debating testing Alton’s Tres Leches, now I think I must!
Date: 3/8/2011 | Hwy 59 from bottom of Intracoastal Canal Bridge to Main Beach Gulf Shores. Price: Free to pulibc.Laissez les bons temp roulet! (Let the good times roll!) Parade kick off at 10:00 a.m. Get ready to shout, Hey, Mister! Throw me a Moon Pie! Future Mardi Gras Dates: March 8, 2011, February 21, 2012, February 12, 2013, March 4, 2014 and February 17, 2015.
I have been eating so many pulled pork taco salads! Plus, every Thursday is Taco Salad Thursday at the cafeteria next to my building, so its pretty much required.
CUTE! Your niece and nephew are too cute! Love their responses to the horchata and tres leches! :) We usually do lasagna for family events or burgers because both are easy and a huge hit :)
Wish I could have been the taste tester! :( When is our turn to host?!
Loved reading this post…
Part that stood to me:
“…had my colon hydrotherapy session on saturday. it went well. not quite ready to write about it yet. those sort of posts take a lot out of me.”
ha!
**stood out**
That cake sounds awesome! What a cool idea for family dinners :)
Mexican food is my favorite! Everything looks delicious especially the cake. I’ve always wanted to try a tres lesches cake. Yum!
The pictures of your neice and nephew are too cute! :)
ohmigosh janetha pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease make tres leches at blend! i’ll be staying at my house and you can TOTALLY come over and i’ll just eat the whole thing. sacrifice, you know ;)
on my goodness that cake!!! it is torturing me through the computer screen this morning.
ive never made a tres leche cake, but i just pinned altons- his recipes don’t let me down either!
I would make a big pot of chili or our famous crab chowder. Mmmmm. So warm and comforting.
Hmm, I’ve made white bean chicken chili, spaghetti, or turkey pumpkin white bean chili for family gatherings. There are so many options, though! I do like the assemble-your-own ideas, like the pulled pork taco salads. YUM!
Speaking of YUM, I’m going to have to try my hand at a tres leches cake soon. That looks simply fantab.
Hope you feel better soon, Janetha!
We had enchiladas and Horchata last night for dinner at MY mom’s!!! xo
Pulled pork is the best taco filling, period. It really doesn’t get better than that… well, maybe fish- that would be a toss-up.
My mom is obsessed with tres leches cake. She insists on making her own for her birthday every year! It is good stuff- I get it. :)
Impressed by the horchata! I’ll have to give that one a try!
Love that you fam keeps thing on the healthy side, with room for indulgences like that amazing cake.
Hmmm, main dish for large family gatherings? I think of things that can be made in mass quantities, like chili, stew, brisket, casseroles, or maybe meatballs.
Feel better!
Wow, the Tres Leches Cake looks awesome. You’re right about Alton–his recipes never let me down.
And horchata! I drank my weight in the stuff when I lived in Mexico for a semester during college. Thanks for the recipe link; it would be a fun beverage to make for a party!
How bout shishkabobs, or hibachi? Build your own pizza. Breakfast for supper.
I really like the idea of your potluck/family dinner idea. I may actually have to introduce this into our family. It is really awesome!!
one year olds and rum….just can’t keep em away from it :D
You’re hilarious and always make me laugh :)
You could host an Italian night? Or German night? Or something themed like that? OR do something like whole foods night or TJ’s night or fiber-packed night (for your colon and all) hah ;)
Glad to hear it went well on Sat!
ahahaha love it
best cake ever! move over angel food cake. i love that you stuck with the theme.
I absolutely LOVE the pictures of the kids. Tehe they are awesome, especially with your captions.
Glad dinner with the fam went so well. I have no clue what I would serve since I”m the only veg head. =/
PS feel better!
i made the pioneer woman’s tres leches cake for my mom’s surprise birthday last month and it was a huge hit! it was my first time making (and maybe eating??) a tres leches cake and i was amazed at how easy and foolproof the recipe seemed.
hope you’re feeling better!
Your family dinner sounded awesome! You guys ate some of my favorites! So as a HUGE mexican food lover it is hard for me not to always suggest mesican food. I am the one that sent you the crockpot carnitas recipe!! BUT an easy theme dinner for a family I think would be italian! You and Marshall could make the lasagna. Someone can bring garlic bread, salad, tiramisu for dessert and then some kind of appetizer. Brushetta maybe?? Well darn now I am super hungry talking and reading all about this food! :))
Yummy. Makes me wish I could have dairy LOL. You should do mini meatloafs in muffin tins and then potatoes both sweet and regular. Go all old fashioned family dinner!!
Burrito [or Mexican] night is our fave for family night! We usually have all the fixings minus dessert- we totes gotta add in and give tres leches cake a try!
P.S. The pics of your niece are adorable!
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