Taco Party Extravaganza!

We had a taco party the night before my *ahem* 29th birthday....I made the best taquitos in the entire universe (I added the recipe...they're that good!) and chicken and carne asada tacos.















We had a HUGE spread of food and the kids entertained us with their Rock Band skills. It was so fun.


Plus, my hubby got me a meat cleaver AND a hot pink 16GB iPod Nano for my birthday...which made turning "29" sting just a little bit less. _______________________________________________________
No Can Beato This Taquito

Recipe from Guy Fieri

Foodnetwork.com


(* these really are the best taquitos I have ever eaten. They are pretty time consuming, but I made the filling a day ahead and then just rolled and fried the taquitos before the party. I even froze some unfried taquitos and fried them up a week later and they were just as good. I forgot to buy the red peppers at the store but they were delicious anyways. I can't wait to have an excuse to make these again!)



Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 jalapenos, diced and seeded
2 medium red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
3 ounces your favorite tequila
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
24 corn tortillas
Directions
Guacamole, recipe follows



In medium saute pan over medium to high heat, add oil, onions, red bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, potatoes, garlic and chicken. Saute until chicken is cooked and vegetables are soft. Add the oregano and cumin and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Deglaze with tequila and the lime juice and let simmer until liquid is almost evaporated.
Remove from heat. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and let cool. Stir in the cilantro.
Wrap tortillas in paper towels and microwave for 2 minutes to make tortillas pliable. Place about 4 tablespoons of chicken mixture on 1 tortilla, roll tightly and close with a toothpick.
In large cast iron skillet, heat 1/2-inch of canola oil to 350 degrees F.
Add rolls to hot oil, placing toothpick seam down. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown and turn to other side.
Remove and drain on paper towel. Remove toothpicks and serve with guacamole and salsa.


Guacamole:
3 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 bottle of your favorite beer
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 lime, juiced
Small handful cilantro leaves, about 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.