

I got together with the talented Perry from Ski Boots in the Kitchen to cook a Mexican themed feast. Perry has a way of making cooking look so easy, taking the intimidation factor out of trying to cook something new and comes up with great original recipes. I love following her blog for inspiration and I was lucky enough to have an evening to cook with her where she taught me all new recipies. We brainstormed on a menu together and came up with a complete meal starting with an appetizer, an original drink recipe, full feast and then ending with Death by Chocolate Mexican cupcakes! I have especially always loved her guacamole…so simple and easy, but so delicious, so I told her if we were doing Mexican I had to watch her make it! She wanted to do Jalapeño Poppers for an appetizer along side a nice cold Pineapple Tequila Crusher drink. Throughout the entire meal we had a common theme of using Pineapples and Jalapeños for the perfect mix of something sweet and spicy. The complete menu is below (scroll down for main dishes recipes!).
Pineapple Tequila Crushers with Fresh Basil
Jalapeno Poppers with Pineapple and Bacon
Guacamole and Chips
Drunken Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Forbidden Rice and Bean Salad with Orange Dressing
Mexican Corn off the Cob
Death by Chocolate Mexican Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting


The chicken was so flavorful in this marinade and was even better with the Pineapple salsa placed on top!


———————————————————————————————————————–

I loved how Perry came up with this bean salad instead of serving a traditional salad and the dressing was such a fresh new idea I had never seen before. We inccorporated the amazing colorful green beans from Copper Moose Farms I had bought on my trip the day before. They were so crisp and filled with fresh flavor. 
———————————————————————————————————————–
I have been grilling veggies all summer on the BBQ, but this was a new way to serve corn in an easy mess free way (no dental floss required after!)! It paired great with the chicken and bean salad, but could also be served up with so many other BBQ meals.



