Last night was full of all my favorites:
Good friends, good food, good booze. Mmmmhmmm.
Once the clock struck 5:00, we fired up the margarita machine and toasted to the Cinco de Mayo festivities.
To make the margaritas, I used some good ‘ol tequila, along with this Sinless Margarita mix. The company sent it to me a couple months ago to try out, and I’d been saving it for a special occasion.
We were all pleasantly surprised with the flavor of this mix. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t as “oh-my-god-this-is-sweet” as some other mixes are. For only 5 calories a serving, we were all sold…and a couple of us celebrated with more than one.
Ohhh, don’t worry, nobody got crazy.
While we were waiting for a couple more of the girls to arrive, a few of us snacked on some tortilla chips, salsa, and Healthier Guacamole.
I seriously could eat this stuff by the spoonful…well, actually, I did while I was making it soooo……
Once we were all here, I got to work on cooking up the meat and prepping our taco station. Thankfully, I had done some of the work ahead of time, so dinner was ready in a flash.
Make Your Own Taco Bar!
I had hard taco shells and soft tortillas, ground beef and ground chicken,
refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, Mexican blend cheese, sour cream,
and my girl Eileen brought a rice and bean dish that had a serious kick to it.
I dug right in for my share: 2 whole wheat tortillas filled with beans, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, a little sour cream, and extra guac.
Like I said, I can’t get enough of the stuff.
Everything was delicious, but I had to make sure to save room for dessert. I’d been waiting all day for this thing!
Margarita Cake!
*edited to include recipe*
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Margarita Cake
(inspired by this Betty Crocker recipe)
- 1 ½ cups coarsely crushed pretzels
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 ¼ cups bottled nonalcoholic margarita mix
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon grated lime peel (about 1 lime)
- 3 egg whites
- 1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Additional grated lime peel, if desired
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13×9-inch pan with shortening and lightly flour (or spray bottom with baking spray with flour).
- In medium bowl, mix pretzels, sugar and butter. Sprinkle evenly on bottom of pan; press gently.In large bowl, beat cake mix, margarita mix, applesauce, 1 tablespoon lime peel and the egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pretzel mixture.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden brown and top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Frost with whipped topping; sprinkle with additional lime peel. Store covered in refrigerator. ENJOY!
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I enjoyed every last bite of my piece…
…but my favorite part is definitely the salty and sweet crust.
I made sure to send a bunch of it home with the girls…my waistline is already thanking me.
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This morning, I ran a nice three miles on the treadmill, but realized halfway through that I probably should have gone outside. Apparently, it’s just second nature to head down there, so I guess I’m going to have to work on that.
Breakfast was nothing you haven’t seen already this week…iced coffee
And this awesome stuff.
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Question for the Day:
How would you tackle a Taco Bar? What are your favorite mix-ins?
Kelly says
Yum…that sounds like a fun night!! We went to our neighbors for fajitas and I loaded up…the peppers and onions are my favorite part!
Blog is the New Black says
Look at you- hostess with the mostess! Wish I lived closer! ;)
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
Your cake turned out beautifully!
I need to check out that mix – usually frozen sweet drinks are off limits but for 5 cals I’m in!
Laura @ LauraLikesDesign says
Your taco spread looks delicious! I love black beans on my tacos–and a pinch of cilantro.
ellalinea says
What a festive cake! The margarite seems nice as well and 5 kcal per serving, that’s a plus! :)
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
I’d tackle a taco bar by eating all the guacamole and leaving none for anyone else. Truth :)
Shanna, like Banana says
Thanks for the heads up! I was just thinking about a Mocha lite frap!
Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life says
Where did you find that sinless margarita mix? I’ve been on a margarita kick lately and would love to try that.
All the food at your party looked delish. I would definitely pile on the guac!
Courtney says
The company actually sent it to me to sample, but if you click on the link it will bring you to their website and you can order from there. :)
khushboo says
Awesome spread! I wud head for lettuce, then chicken, then salsa, guacs, greek yog and then crumble a taco shell on top! Yum- had that for lunch and my mouth still waters at the thought of it!
What was the dessert exactly? Couldn’t make out!
Amanda (Eating Up) says
That crust looks AMAZING! What a beautiful, festive cake!
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says
Daaaaang, girl! That cake looks amazing!
Looks like you had great food and booze to enjoy! :)
Melissa says
That cake is darling! I love it!
I have difficulty with taco bars. Somehow, I can never gauge an appropriate amount to put into the tortillas and they always end up spilling over. Truth be told, I could eat just guac and tortillas and be a very happy camper! :D
natalie (the sweets life) says
fun cinco de mayo celebration! we managed margaritas and mango salsa…i wish we’d done a taco bar tho…yours looks awesome!
Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy" Girl says
Ohhhhh that cake looks so good! I wish I had made it. I love how you healthified your Cinco de Mayo. I will find another excuse to make this cake because it is just too darn cute :-) I attack a taco bar with intensity and focus, fitting as much into a tiny taco as humanly possible ;-). I like veggie tacos but occasionally like to add some chicken.
Courtney says
I like your style ;)
Liz (Little Bitty Bakes) says
Mmm, cake recipe coming soon?!
Courtney says
It’s linked in yesterday’s post! ;)
Liz (Little Bitty Bakes) says
Ah, found it! I love the sweet/salty combo.
Liv @ The Salty n' Sweet says
I loved everything in your taco bar! I would probably add some grilled bell peppers, or mole sauce, but your party food sounded awesome. Especially that cake ;) I wish I could’ve been there to snag some of that cake…
Stephanie @cookinfanatic says
Your Cinco de Mayo cake is so freaking cute!! Glad you had a nice time celebrating :)
Elena @ GagaForGrapefruit says
that cinco de mayo spread looks BEYOND! so fun! and that cake is totally precious! i may make it this weekend (a couple days late) with the leftover limes we have ;)
Erica says
omg. that cake! i want some! lol.
i love tacos w/ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato and olives!
i’m not a fan of shredded meat in tacos. hahahaha.
Jillian says
Such a fun night with the girls!!! That cake looks amazing, and the crust- even better. You truly are a master of all things baked!! I am SOO impressed with your cupcakes. Forget teaching – DC Cupcakes here you come :)
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
I love guacamole! When I go to Mexican restaurants the first thing on my mind is ordering “a side of guacamole”…I could eat it with a spoon (and I have) :)
fsugirl! says
Looks like fun!! :D
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I love taco bars – actually, I just love anything Mexican! Looked delicious!