What to Bring to a Cinco de Mayo Party

What to Bring to a Cinco de Mayo Party

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican celebration that commemorates the day the Mexican army defeated the French army in the battle of La Puebla. Many people believe Cinco de Mayo celebrates the independence of Mexico, but that's wrong. Although it is a celebration of pride, Cinco de Mayo is only honored in La Puebla, where the battle took place. This date is not a national holiday in Mexico, and many places don't celebrate anything.

However, the date is widely celebrated in the United States, mainly in the areas where there is a higher concentration of people with Mexican origins. The celebrations in the United States are a bit different from the ones in La Puebla. In the US many people throw a party to commemorate the day, which sometimes leaves the guests wondering what they should bring. If you're one of these people and are not sure of what to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party, don't miss out this article. Here we're going to give you some ideas so you'll get it right.

Food to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party

One of the best things to bring to any party is food. In this case, for a Cinco de Mayo party the best thing is to bring typical Mexican food. Don't worry if you're not a great cook or if you don't know much about Mexican cuisine, there are some delicious dishes that are very easy to prepare.

Bowl of pico de gallo

Pico de gallo is a traditional Mexican sauce perfect to eat with tortilla chips. To make a pico de gallo you'll need:

  • Tomato
  • Red onion
  • Cilantro
  • Fresh jalapeños
  • Lime
  • Salt

To prepare it, chop the tomatoes, onion and jalapeños very finely and put them in a bowl. Then, add the cilantro, the juice of the lime and the salt. After, leave it in the fridge overnight and you're ready to bring it to the party. Remember to bring tortilla chips as well. This recipe is very easy and tasty, you'll only need to prepare enough for the people at the party.

Easy chicken enchiladas

Enchiladas are another delicious tasty food perfect to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party. To make chicken enchiladas you'll need:

  • Tortillas
  • Black beans
  • Mexican sauce (the one you prefer)
  • Chicken
  • Onion
  • Green chile
  • Mexican cheese

Once you have all the ingredients, spread the Mexican sauce on each tortilla, then add some black beans, then the chicken, onion and chopped green chile, and finally add the cheese. Then roll them up and place them in a large baking dish. After, pour some more sauce on top of the enchiladas and add more cheese. Put them in the oven at high temperature for 20 minutes and they'll be ready! You can sprinkle some cilantro after to make them even tastier.

Sauces

We all like to dip tortilla chips in sauces, so why not prepare a good Mexican sauce for a Cinco de Mayo party? For instance, you can easily prepare guacamole. To do so, choose some ripe avocados, peel them and mash them. Then, add some chopped red onion and mix with the mashed avocado. Finally, add some drops of lime to taste and the guacamole is ready!

Taco salad

Again with tortilla chips, you can prepare a salad that will be everyone's favourite. The ingredients you'll need for this taco salad are:

  • Beef hamburger
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Tomato
  • Lettuce
  • Black olives
  • Cilantro

Place the tortilla chips on a plate, cut some lettuce and put it on top of the chips. However, leave the sides without lettuce (so people can see that the base of the salad is made with tortilla chips). After, cook the hamburger meat in a pan until it's no longer pink. Break the hamburger so you have pieces of meat. Season it to taste (with pepper or other Mexican sauces). After, put it on top of the lettuce. Then, cut the tomato, black olives, cilantro and cheese and add it to the salad.

Dessert for a Cinco de Mayo party

If you have very sweet tooth, there is a perfect dessert to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party. This is the Pastel de tres leches (Three milk cake). This sponge cake is made with three different kinds of milk, whole milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk.

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 can of condensed milk
  • 1 can evaporated milk

Preparation

  • Preheat the oven at 350F
  • Grease a baking dish
  • Beat the egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed. Gradually add sugar and keep mixing. After, beat the egg yolks and add them one at a time.
  • Reduce mixing speed to medium and gradually add flour, beating continuously.
  • Add the baking powder, milk and vanilla extract to the mixture. Keep beating.
  • Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake it until the cake is ready. Insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes clean, it means that the cake is ready.
  • Pour the cream, the condensed milk and evaporated milk in a blender and blend it. Pour the mixture over the cake and then put it inside the fridge for one hour.
  • The cake is ready! Cut it in squares and serve it with some whipped cream on top.
  • You can add some strawberries or other fruits on top of the cake to make it even more delicious.

Entertainment for a Cinco de Mayo party

Food is important, but what would a party be without some kind of entertainment? There are many things you can do to enjoy a Cinco de Mayo party, but in this case one of the best ideas is to make a piñata. You can buy ready-made piñatas in most party shops, but you can also easily make your own. Here we give you indications to create your own piñata using paper bags:

  • Paper bags
  • Color tissue paper
  • Glue
  • Candy, chocolates... to fill the piñata with
  • Scissors
  • Hole puncher
  • Newspaper

Instructions

Open the paper bag and fill it with the candy and chocolate. Don't fill it too much or it will be too heavy. The best is to not fill it more than half way full.

  • When the piñata is full, pinch the top of the bag together and roll it down until the bag is closed. Then, staple it shut.
  • Cover the bottom of the paper bag with the color tissue paper. Put the bag on the tissue paper and then cut the edges of the paper so it's a bit larger than the bottom of the bag.
  • Glue the edges of the tissue paper around the bottom of the paper bag
  • Cut stripes of tissue paper, long enough to fit around the bag.
  • Cut a fringe along eht edge of all the tissue paper strips. Cut the fringe about 1-inch apart.
  • Place a bead of glue just above the tissue paper you've glued onto the bottom of the bag and glue one of the fringed tissue papers. Continue doing this until you've covered all the paper bag.
  • Make two holes at the top of the bag and thread a piece of yarn or string so you can hang it.

You can personalize your piñata to make it more specific for Cinco de Mayo, for instance, using the colors of the Mexican flag.

These ideas will make you the perfect guest for a Cinco de Mayo party. Now just make sure you dress accordingly for the occasion and enjoy this great party!

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