Cinco de Mayo in April

Our most recent ward activity was our adult (pre) Cinco de Mayo party on April 25th complete with sombreros, maracas, piñata and even the ever-popular boxes of Chiclet gum. We served a delicious taco soup (recipe below), garden salad with spicy vinaigrette , and chips and salsa (of course!). The dessert? Warm churros topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel syrup--yum!

Though most of the evening was spent socializing and answering questions found on the scattered Penny Stones, the pièce de résistance was our little piñata. Due to technical difficulties (i.e. Nathan forgot to get the piñata moving) Chip had it down in one blow. But we didn't let that stop us! We tied it back up and watch as Lynn, Dave, Eric and finally Stephanie took a swing our two at the unlucky burro.

Speaking of burros, a big thank-you to Sarah for making the eerily Shrek-like donkey for our photo opp. The donkey along with the fabulous backdrop designed by Marianne and Adam made it feel like we were actually south of the border!

Enjoy the slideshow of our ward chicos and chicas followed immediately by the anxiously awaited video of the aforementioned ward members' attempts to take out our piñata. ¡Vámanos!

Cinco de Mayo Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
1 packet taco seasoning
1 green pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans (light or dark)
2 (16 oz) cans of corn (white or yellow)
3/4 cup picante salsa
2 (14 oz) cans stewed or diced tomatoes

Toppings
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Green onions
Tortilla chips or strips
Hot sauce
Sliced olives

Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker and cook on low until hot and bubbly. Serve topped with your choice of sides.

Steph's Spicy Vinaigrette
1/2 cup white vinegar
6 T honey
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add ingredients to a blender of food processor and blend well. Chill until ready to serve.

Note: Double the recipe when making a taco salad using a full head of lettuce and all the toppings (meat, beans, onion, tortilla strips, etc.).