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Sure thing Dog, but first let me finish with this event. I also like to smoke a cigar once in a while, so maybe we can do that at some bar, oh yeah, I forgot they baned smoking, darn. I am in Eagan so, we're neighbors. Maybe a bar in the Mall? Some time?
 
Sorry CharlieD, got off the web yesterday and never got back.

According to the Food Lover's Companion, and I quote:

mole
[MOH-lay]
From the Nahuatl molli , meaning "concoction," mole is a rich, dark, reddish-brown sauce usually served with poultry. There are many variations of this spicy Mexican specialty, usually depending on what's in the cook's kitchen. Generally, mole is a smooth, cooked blend of onion, garlic, several varieties of chiles, ground seeds (such as sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds — known as pepitas ) and a small amount of Mexican chocolate, its best-known ingredient. (Some Americanized mole recipes use bitter chocolate.) The chocolate contributes richness to the sauce without adding overt sweetness.

It is basically a very tasty (IMHO) sauce that one mixes with poultry.

The dish can be fairly simple, or can get complicated, which I will assume you do not want.

Just Google mole, mole mexican sauce, mole poblano, and you will get a bunch of recipes.

Don't be intimidated by the more complex recipes calling for ingredients from some place in Mexico that you have no chance of finding north of Mexico City.

There are fairly simple recipes out there.

It turns out like a poultry dish with a thick, tasty sauce.

I think it would be a hit. Sorry for the delay in getting back.

Good luck.
 
Sorry, hate to post again so fast, but CharlieD, sounds like you are caught between a rock and a hard place, so you have me thinking. That is always dangerous and usually leads to no good.

Have no idea if you can freeze Spanish rice. Would think that you could, rice generally freezes OK, but I think the fresh cooked stuff would keep in the fridge for a few days.

And I have made many servings of refried beans, yes, using the canned kidney or pinto beans and onions, and spices. And it can be done quickly.

Think that would be OK in the fridge for a number of days, and might freeze. Have never tried it because we can toss out a batch very fast and it goes.

This, of course, is based on a meat menu.

Could try to give you a dairy menu, but do not know how Kosher the cheese has to be and whether this is a viable option for you.

Am not a real fan of Tex-Mex food either, but sometimes we enjoy it.

Could not imagine trying to cook a cuisine I had little experience with for 100 people.

Could not imagine, for that matter, cooking anything for 100 people.

Best of luck.
 
CharlieD we are talking about quick and dirty refried beans here, but they might work.

And we do this by feel, so no measurements. But you can always try a small batch or so and see how it works out.

Take cans of kidney beans, or can use pintos, and drain them but reserve the liquid.

Take a skillet, cast iron preferably, and add a bit of oil and saute some diced onions for a couple of minutes.

Then add the beans with a bit of the liquid and then mash.

Add liquid from the cans as needed.

When things seem to start getting to the proper bean paste texture, add some raw diced onions, some chili powder and cumin. Adjust the spice to your taste.

And it is done. At least that is the way we have made it. You can find many other recipes on the web.

Except we should mention the hot sauce, something any Mexican cuisine needs.

Were it us, we would probably buy a few bottles of different kinds and just leave them on the serving table. There are a lot of very cheap varieties out there.

Some people like hot stuff and some do not. We are semi chili heads, and will add a few shots of the hot stuff to many dishes.

But many people do not, and a few bottles of hot sauce left about I think would add an interesting touch.

Oh, yes, I like the bit of a crunch of raw onion in the beans, but some might not.

And I love using both raw and cooked veggies in the same dish.

Just an opinion, but this is down and dirty refried beans.
 
You CAN have dairy AND meat, you just cant mix them I.E. Cheeseburger. It has something to do with a calf being boiled in its mothers milk in the bibile, Go figure. You must serve everything with different utensels and prepare them with different things, You cant cut cheese with something that has cut meat ever
 
CharlieD said:
At this point I have desided (doesn’t mean that the boss will approve)

Mexican chicken soup

Tortia bar with fixings for people to chose, i.e. ground meat, chicken and beef strips, sliced bell peper, onion, beans, tomatoes, salsa etc.

Chips, guacamole and salsa on the tables

Mexican rice for the side dish(that is at this point my biggest concern, as I wonder how to cook such large quantity, actually how much do I need for 100 people?)

Some kind of beans (not sure)

Some kind of corn (not sure)

Margaritas,

churos (maybe)



...I have to learn how to cook Mexican in the next week or so, but I also need to make up menu, tell them what and where to buy, and then deal with fact that they didn't buy or get me what I told them to.

I think all of these look great ... with the rice, I agree with AuntDot (I think it was her), it can be prepared and frozen. I would look at Sam's or Costco for the institutional size Spanich Rice-a-roni, doctor it up with onion and peppers, divide it into 2 or 3 tinfoil chafing dishes and freeze them until the day before your event. When you reheat them, be sure you have moisture in the oven with them and keep them covered with foil to ensure the top doesn't get hard (but don't press the foil to the rice because of the tomato and the potential for yucky flavor). You may also want to add a fresh can of crushed tomatoes to each pan to add a little flavor as well. When you buy it, look at the package to see how many servings are per box and follow that, buying enough to meet your 100. Even if you are making it from scratch (white rice, tomatoes, seasonings, onion, etc ...), follow how many 1 cup of uncooked rice will serve. As far as preparation ... find huge pots and cook away!

For your tortilla area, you can prepare your meat as much in advance as you would like and freeze it as well. Give it a quick saute to reheat and add back a little color and you should be good to go. As far as your fresh stuff, even if you were sauteing it all (for fajita's), it should still be done at least the day of your event. I would plan 3 per person if you are using the small (6") tortillas. For the actual tortillas, you can warm them and wrap them in foil in large stacks (like 15 per stack). That will help with keeping them warm during your presentation.

Save your guacamole for the day of so you reduce the risk of browning on the top (avacodoes do like bananas and get nasty brown when exposed). If you make a huge bowl of it, press plastic wrap onto the surface so there is no air and it should be fine. Your salsa on the other hand (if you are making it homemade), should be done several days ahead of time. The beautiful part about salsa is that if you have a large food processor (or access to one), you can just through your stuff in there and pulse away until you get to the "chunkiness" you like. Reserve some fresh cilantro to toss the day of and sprinkle on top of your bowl(s) each time you refill to give the appearance of newness. For this, I would plan 1/8 of a cup per person so you would need 12 1/2 cups of prepared guacamole OR roughly 13 large avacadoes. I'm not sure of your recipe but we use roma's (1:1 with the avacado), lime juice (1/2 per batch), salt and pepper.

I don't make homemade beans but might after Dots great looking recipes! But with the corn, small dice onion, red and green peppers and mix with the corn, then saute till warm and slightly browned ... at least that's how we eat them! I can't speak to their authenticity but quickness can't be beat! Any corn you prepare, I would either follow the servings on the can OR plan on about 1/2 cup per person (or a full cup if you know they are bigger eaters).

Do you have a mexican chicken soup recipe? I JUST (like 1 hour ago) made a new recipe using Leinie's Creamy Dark beer and it is wonderful! It has black beans, navy beans, jalepeno, onion and chicken and is delicious (I'd be happy to share the spec's if you are interested since I know you can buy Leinenkugels in MN)! Regardless, your soup is like the salsa. If your event is on Saturday, make your soup on Wednesday and let it "stew" in your fridge for the few days and the flavor should be devine. Plan 1 Cup to 1 1/2 cups per person.

To help with your serving and portions, find ladles that are graded. For your soup, find a smaller one so people can get 2 or 3 scoops. If they can do that, it will make them THINK they are getting more than if they had just one ladle full with a 1 cup ladle.

Hopefully that helps and it isn't too much. I'm sure it will be great!
Good Luck (again!)

(edited for an after though!)
 
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This an interesting subject. I have never known any Mexican Jews. But basically, all you have to do is eliminate the dairy products from the meat dishes.
Our oldest son has a Mexican fiancee who grew up in Mexico City, and she doesn't generally use sour cream anyway. Nor is her food terribly hot & spicy.
I also have a dear jewish friend who doesn't keep kosher, but he still shys away from using milk products with meat.

I think the person who pushed this should have been more considerate. But I feel sure you are up to the challange.

Here's a Spanish rice recipe that feeds 50. All you have to do is make 2 batches.

Spanish Rice For A Crowd
Serves/Makes: 50

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds uncooked rice
3 tablespoons chopped onions (dry)
1 pound diced green pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can (#10 size) diced tomatoes
4 ounces bacon bits
2 tablespoons salt
2 1/3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cans beef broth

Directions:
Saute rice, onions, and green pepper in oil until golden brown. Combine tomatoes, bacon bits, salt, sugar, pepper, chili powder, and beef broth with rice mixture. Portion 4 1/4 quarts into 2 (12 x 20 x 2 inch) steam table pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 55 minutes.
 
This is the most fun I've seen for awhile. I'd never considered Kosher Mexican food. I, personally, would have gone for a buffet and let everyone sort out what they'd eat for themselves (Mex buffets are easy to make), but no truly kosher person would eat anything in my house (separate dishes, etc) anyway.
 
Big success! :) Party went very well, of course, there were some screw ups, but I really have to brag about my self, people loved the food. And even though party was kosher and thus the limitations that came with that, people who came, majority of people, do not keep kosher on the regular bases and eat out, so unlike me they know the taste of real Mexican foods. Everybody liked it. The biggest praise came from this couple he is from Puerto Rico and she is from Ecuador, okay they are not from Mexico, but their taste buds are probably closer to it than any Minnesotans. There was about 150 people and most everything went. The only thing that was really left was beef fajita meat, but we had it too much of it anyway, (by mistake the original order of meat was supposed to be half beef and half chicken, it all came as beef, so I made everything, who knew that they would get more chicken) and honestly it was not as good as chicken or ground beef. The biggest flop was guacamole, which I was supposed to make fresh right before party, of course, there is always a good soul that wants to help, that decided that she can make the guacamole so I wouldn’t have to wary when I come and could just relax and enjoy my family, how could I get mad at some body like that. So, nobody ate the guacamole. No big deal. The biggest success was Mexican chicken soup, the one I was told nobody would eat, huh, they did not have enough soup bowls (if you can believe it) so people were using cups, it was so goooood.

Anyway, enough bragging. I would like to thank everybody on line and off line who contributed their time and knowledge to make this party great. Thank you my friends. I hope to put pictures in latter, not sure if they came out well, I doubt.
 
Charlie- I am so glad this all worked out for you- It sounds like you had a pretty wonderful night- I'm glad you enjoyed yourself as well as had a great sense of accomplishment!!!!!Much Congrats all around !!!!!Love and energy, Vicki
 
Have to brag some more. One of the organisers just called, apparantly one of the guests was A mexican guy, form Mexico, on a visit here. He came to them at the end of the event and said ask where they found such a good Mexican chef, when they told him it wasn't noe a chef, and definitely not Mexican, he said "that guy really knows how to cook Mexican food". Wow, I am so happy, not even for my self but for the fact that people got to eat good food. :blush:
 
BRAVO! Hey, I, too, love to brag when a party is a success, and I've never attempted that many people (the most I've done is maybe 50). How did your friend mess up guacamole? It is so easy (the biggest problem being that it has to be done pretty much at the last minute, when you're busy with everything else). Or did your guests just not like avocado?
 
CharlieD,
I have just found this forum while, of all things trying to find a recipe or site that will help me calculate how much meat I need for tacos to feed 125! We are having a Mexican Fiesta this weekend and I cook Mexican and cook for crowds all the time but for some reason have never put the two together.

A do-it-yourself Taco bar is one of the easiest things to do because you just have to cook the meat ahead and have it in the steam tray along with the shells which you have crisped in the oven (go have hard and half 6-8 inch soft shell flour tortillas). I am seeing that you should allow 1 1/2 to 2 ounces of cooked meat per taco and 2-4 tacos per person.

Condiments include shredded lettuce, shredded cheese (a tex mex mix of cheddar, monterey Jack and Mozzarella is good), diced tomatoes and salsa. Extras can include sour cream, guacamole, sliced black olives, green onions and/or chopped bell peppers (red and/or green).

I am making my meat mild and then putting out salsa, hot sauce and crushed chilies so people can set their own heat.

I am also making Mexican rice (can give you my recipe) and putting some salad as well as it has been requested.

For dessert we are just serving ice cream buffet style as well, with sprinkles in fiesta colours, chocolate chips, etc. and 3 homemade sauces.

Hope this helps.

Laurie
 
Okay, sorry, I came in in the midst of this, saw that it was Feb 22, missed the 2006 and thought is was today. Oops! Sorry about that. This is what happens when you are a newbie to a list!
 
No big deal, I'm still here. What was your estimate for ground meat? I'd say 20 - 25 lb should be enough. You have all other ingredients.
 
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