Help with menu for bridal shower "Mexican Fiesta" Theme.......?

Question

Hi everyone....Im looking for a few good people that are good cooks as well as creative in decorating and a flair for entertaining......
my only daughters' bridal shower if coming up in a few weeks, and I am hosting ( I know, etiquette has it a mother of the bride never hosts a shower for her daugther-times have changed!!) anywho, I am hosting for approx. 20 very close family members & friends.
I have selected a "Mexican Fiesta" theme since she is going to Mexico for her honeymoon, and her hubby to be is also hispanic.
What should be on the menu? and what are some good ways of decorating a back-yard for this event?
Thanks everyone for your great ideas!!!!

Answer 1

Great theme !

I would ask on the invitations for everyone to write down their favorite Mexican Food Recipe and bring to the shower. Put the recipes in a sombrero for a party game. Draw out 2 or 3 for gadget giveaways, like taco holders, salsa dish, ect. (These are little things you can get at the dollar store!) Then the bride will have alot of great recipes from friends and family to start her new cooking venture!

As far a your menu, you can do tacos and place the condiments out so everyone (depending on their diet!) can fix their own. I am also including a recipe for King Ranch Chicken that can be made ahead and frozen...just heat and serve for a hot dish!
Drinks can be fresh fruit Liquado's which is just putting whatever fresh fruit into a blender with ice and mixing it ! (Kinda like a Slurpee or Icee) You can also make up a huge batch of Virgin Margarta's in a punch bowl with floating limes and green candles.
This looks very nice. Good Luck on the party.

King Ranch Chicken
3 - 4 lb. chicken (or 4? - 5? boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
onion
1 or 2 ribs of celery
salt
pepper
1 - 2 tsp. chicken soup base mix (since i use skinless chickens)

12 corn tortillas (i use white corn. and i usually break some so get extras)*
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup**
8 oz. grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 medium onion
chili powder
garlic-salt
1 can Rotel diced chiles and tomatoes

Put quartered onion, celery, and chicken in a big pot. Add salt and pepper to taste (i think i put 1 Tbsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper). If you are using skinless chickens, you might want to add a couple of teaspoons of chicken soup base mix (read the container to see what seems reasonable). Add water until it covers all. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done and tender.

Meanwhile, grate cheese and dice onion (keeping separate). Stir the two soups together. When chicken is done, shred with forks and reserve stock. Put tortillas in stock to soften (maybe 6 at a time). Carefully (with tongs) put one layer of sopping wet tortillas in 9x12, 9x13, or 8x12 dish (6 tortillas, slightly overlapped -- make sure they are sopping wet). Then put a layer of shredded chicken and a layer of diced onion. Sprinkle with chili powder and garlic-salt to taste. Then put half the soup mixture on and then a layer of cheese. Repeat: soften tortillas, and layer them (sopping wet) in dish. Then layer chicken, onion, chili powder and garlic-salt, soup, cheese. Pour Rotel chiles & tomatoes on top of the whole thing. The juice should come about halfway up the sides of the casserole. If it doesn't, add some stock until it does. Refrigerate for one day so flavors can blend (or freeze for up to 3 days).

Get it out of refrigerator about 15 - 20 minutes before you cook it. Put it in oven (uncovered) and cook on 375 degrees for 35 minutes -- no need to preheat.

Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes before serving so it doesn't slide all over the place. It's also good reheated.

Answer 2

Mexican Themed Bridal Shower

Answer 3

Fiesta Bridal Shower

Answer 4

"paid for food, favors, and travel because she insisted I have it in a city I live 3 hours away from" What is it about showers that causes people to forget the word NO?!? Honest to God, I'll never understand this! I've hosted several bridal showers, and if the bride was ever rude enough to tell me - the hostess - where the event would be held, I'd decline it so fast her head would spin. As for the other 2 showers, you should not have been invited to these, and just keeping it real, this is the fault of your best friend. When multiple showers are held, SHE is the one responsible for providing the guest list, and she is the one who needs to make sure people aren't invited to more than one. That's because gifts are mandatory at a shower. In fact, it's considered rude to show up at one without a gift. So there's your answer. If you attend these showers, you do bring a gift. The obvious solution to that is decline both showers. Like they say, an invite is not a summons, and being MOH has nothing to do with this. As MOH, all you're technically agreeing to is buying your dress and showing up for the wedding. Anything after that is what you choose to do. PS - Also, on hair/makeup/nails, if the bride is requiring this, it's her job to pay for it. Again, dress and maybe shoes is all you're obligated for.

Answer 5

Not a good event to serve a lot of Mexican favorites, because tacos, etc. can be a bit messy when everyone is dressed up. I would think Vera Cruz/Mexico City style Mexican for this occasion (meaning, a bit more city upscale rather than good Mexican country food, ok?). Mexican does not automatically equal taco bell... after all, not all Americans eat hot dogs!

Menu ideas: empanadas, grilled camerones with a mild salsa fresca for dipping, grilled carne asada and/or a vera cruz style fish dish, a lighter Spanish rice, a green salad with mexican papaya and queso fresca with a lime chile dressing. Serve with sangria or a good rioja. Decorating idea: luminarias make a beautiful backyard decoration if you are meeting in the evening, and flowers for centerpieces are always appropriate.

Answer 6

Set up a quesadia bar - have the seasoned meat, cheeses, peppers, etc. along w/ flour (whole wheat and white) tortillas. Guests place fillings inside then place in a george forman type grill and smush - easy and really good! Chips, salsa, nacho cheese dip go great with this. Most delis carry a layered mexican dip that is really good, too.

Check out www.orientaltrading.com for decorations, etc. They have a whole Fiesta section with all sorts of decorations and other novelties.

You could also ask your soon to be son in law what are some of his favorite traditional dishes. Or maybe see if his mother, sister, etc would be willing to prepare something traditional (good way to include them, too).

Answer 7

You should see that show on channel 50 called Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee comes on at like 5:30 she gives good decorating and themes ideas.How bout getting a pinata,mexican food,balloons and you know the basic supplies of.Look in the yellow pages to find a mexican food resturant to order food from.It might be kind of expensive but it's worth it.Remember everything has to be fiesta based.

Answer 8

10 years ago when my brother got married, a similarly themed bridal shower was held for my future SIL. Can't really recall the menu beyond tacos and margueritas...but for decorations and favors...among other things, we had a pinata stuffed with an assortment of condoms and treats and little mini sombraros I managed to find at a party decoration store which we added makeup samples to (my aunt was a MK saleswoman at that time, so that was easy to come by). I wish I could recall more from that party, but as I said, it was 10 years ago.

Answer 9

My mom and I have a catering business and one of our most requested dishes is called .......

Mexican Casserole' Ole'

2 lbs taco seasoned ground beef (cooked)
2 cans ranch style beans
2 pkg. of Spanish rice prepared
1 small can of green chilis (or 2 if you like)
1 or 2 pkgs of Velveeta shreds
1 can whole kernel corn

Combine all in a 13x9 dish and heat at 350 until hot and bubbly! Approx 20-30 min.

You can serve this on chips with queso (like nachos), in a flour tortilla or as a dip for chips!!

Hope this was helpful!!

Answer 10

I have a really cute "Mexican" themed appetizer.

Buy those little won-ton wrappers. You can get them at any store. They're just little sheets of dough, unbaked. And they're cheap.

Take a cup-cake pan- not the normal size ones, but the ones for tiny muffins. Put each of the wrappers in each of the little cupcake tins, the wrappers will be bigger than the tins, so arrange the sides so they stick out and shape a little star. Bake them for 5 minutes. When they come out, they're cute little won-ton stars, and they're also little cups to place whatever ingredients you wish inside.

Brown some ground meet, add onions, salt and pepper, then mix the meat with cheese, sour cream, peppers, and black olives....whatever you'd like. Place the filling in the little won-ton boats and put back in the oven for a few minutes so the cheese can melt. You have adorable, bite sized little taco stars!