Date Night...in Mexico

Okay, so it's really just here in good ol' Lindenhurst, but with a Mexican theme.

Since I had a personal request to have more date night postings (thanks...you know who you are) and since I'm feeling really up about my blog, (a friend who is not a follower told me how much she enjoys my blog. J, if you are reading this why aren't you a follower?) I thought I'd give the details of this evening's plans.

I'll even do it in order of consumption. Just for kicks, you know. I do kinda like to start with dessert, but we'll get to that at the end...like with dinner.

We'll start with Tequila gimlets. Like a Margarita but half the work. Just tequila and Roses Lime Juice.

I will be serving Quesadillas with the cocktails. My plan for these came from several recipes on Epicurious. I just want plain, cheese quesadillas but I did like the stove top method for preparing them. Basically, I'll brush the pan with a little (tsp?) oil, heat it on med-high heat, and add a tortilla covered with cheese. I'll top that with another tortilla and flip after 2 minutes. After another 2 minutes the cheese should be melty and they will be ready to cut up and serve. Since it's just the 2 of us, I'll make just one small one for us to share. I can serve it with the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole that I'll have for the fajita salad main course.

Okay, so I just told you what the main course is. Josh loves the way fajitas taste, but doesn't really like the mess of associated with assembling and eating them in tortilla. Thus, fajita salads are popular in this Saxe household. Again, this recipe came from Epicurious.

Skirt Steak Fajitas

• 2 skirt steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño pepper
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Cut the steak crosswise into 2 to 4 pieces and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the steak, turning it to coat well. Marinate overnight, covered, in the refrigerator, turning once or twice. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Preheat the broiler. Remove the steak from the marinade, scrape off any bits and place on a baking sheet. Broil 4 inches from heat source for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare meat. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice the meat thinly. (For easy eating, the steak strips should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.).

So, adjustments I'll have to make: I didn't find the recipe until this morning, so the steak won't marinate for as long as the recipe calls says. And I only have 1 1.17-lb steak, so I'll adjust accordingly. I also marinate in a gallon sized zip-top bag. Less to wash.

Now, on to dessert. I'm making brownies. From a box. I know, I know. My MIL would whip me for this. But wait until you see how I'm going to serve them. First, I'm going to add some cinnamon to the mix. I looked up Mexican Brownies on, you guessed it, Epicurious, and both recipes called for cinnamon...anywhere from 1/2 tsp to 1 T. So, I'll just add "some." Then I'm going to serve it with this:

Chipotle-Cherry Whipped Cream

• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped cherry preserves
• 1/4 teaspoon canned chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• Purchased brownies

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream with chopped cherry preserves, chipotle adobo sauce, vanilla extract, and almond extract until peaks form. Serve with brownies.

I may (nay, I WILL) serve dessert with Mexican coffee (decaf, of course or I'll be awake till Thursday). Of course, this means I have to whip 2 kinds of whipped cream. I think I'm up to it though. After all date night only happens once a week. We can eat leftovers and frozen pizzas for the rest of the week, right?

Mexican coffee

• 3/4 cup (4 jiggers) coffee-flavored liqueur
• 4 teaspoons firmly packed dark brown sugar, or to taste
• 3 cups freshly brewed strong coffee
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream to taste
• Cinnamon for garnish

Preparation

In each of four 8-ounce mugs, combine 3 tablespoons (1 jigger) of the liqueur and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar, divide the coffee, heated if necessary, among the mugs, and stir the drinks until the sugar is dissolved. Top each drink with a dollop of the whipped cream and sprinkle the whipped cream with the cinnamon.

This concludes the menu for this week's Mexican Date Night. Tune in next week for what may be Turkey in December. We'll see.