It’s late in the work week, so not exactly an ideal bar night. You took your best gal out to dinner Friday and Saturday and went out with the guys for Monday Night Football. In reality, your dinners of late have consisted of old standbys, like frozen pizzas. It’s time for a change. It’s time to make your gal a dinner that will impress her while being quick and easy for you kitchen-wary guys.
This meal includes everything from meat and spices to chips, dip and cerveza. That’s right; tonight you’re giving her a Mexican Fiesta.
Step 1: Music
Download a few Mexican songs. I’m not talking about the stuff you heard at Senor Frog’s during your spring break trip to Cancun. I’m talking genuine Mexican mariachi music. Put a bunch of these on your itunes and set it on repeat. She likely won’t notice and, if she does, it’s the thought that counts!
Step 2: Corona!
The Corona craze is gigantic in America; although, every time I have been to Mexico, Dos Equis was the only beer I saw at the bars. Coronas and a few sliced limes will give your evening the perfect kick-off. If she isn’t a beer drinker, grab a bottle of Yellow Tail wine. It’s not Mexican, but is really good and will go great with the meal.
Step 3: The Snack
Buy tortillas and salsa for two reasons. It shows you actually gave a little bit of thought to the theme and it’ll give you something to snack on while you cook dinner. Perfect.
Step 4: The Main Course
Tacos and Mexican rice. The rice is simple because Lipton sells Mexican rice that only takes 10 minutes. For the tacos (chicken or beef), grill two chicken breasts or brown about a pound of ground beef. When the meat is done, add taco seasoning (Old El Paso medium is a tasty one) to the skillet and let it simmer, stirring occasionally. Make sure to have hard and soft tacos on hand so that she can choose her favorite. Heat hard tacos in the oven per package instructions. Warm soft tacos in the microwave for about 20 seconds or in a hot skillet for a few seconds on each side. Chop lettuce, onion, peppers and tomatoes and put them each in a small bowl. Some Mexican shredded cheese and sour cream will complete your taco buffet.
Preparing the dinner takes only about 15 minutes, but it’s a fun meal that presents well, so you’ll be sure to impress. You could also invite her to come early to watch or lend a hand as cooking together is pretty romantic, especially when you add music and cerveza!
And dessert? Fried ice cream is a Mexican favorite, but you can leave that up to her.
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