Food in Mexico is a celebration. A party is not a party without food and we make sure that there’s always a lot of it. The most recognizable Mexican food item is probably the taco. Everything that fits in a tortilla makes a taco. We love them so much that we have parties to celebrate them, these parties are called taquizas. They are informal gatherings where people stand around the grill or the table with tortillas in hand ready to make their own tacos. There’s always different kinds of fillings and salsas, but probably the most common ones are carne asada and pico de gallo. For a long time I’d wanted to have one of these parties for my friends here in Ohio and I finally had my chance when Foodbuzz accepted my proposal for their monthly 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs event.
Back in October I hosted one dinner party for the same event. That time I made chiles en nogada, my parents’ favorite Mexican dish. This time, however, I wanted to have a bigger party so I asked my friends Chris and Andy if I could have it in their house. Originally we were going to have a dozen guests but somewhere along the line we lost count and ended up with around 30 guests, which made a great party, the more the merrier, right? But I was worried that 21 lbs of meat, 6 side dishes and snacks and 1 dessert wasn’t going to be enough. Luckily, there was more than enough food, drinks and sweets for two parties.
To get all the food ready I started cooking Friday morning. The beans needed to be soaked, the rice cooked, the prickle pear pads cleaned, the meat marinated and so much more that I spent all day in the kitchen. I am not complaining at all. I love doing that, especially when it is for my friends and people who appreciate food. However, I have to confess that I cheated a little. When we were at the Mexican market buying the ingredients for the party, I saw that they had meat prepared for two dishes I was going to make (chicken alambres and al pastor meat), so I decided to make my life a little easier and buy them already prepared. It was a good decision. They were really good and every seemed to enjoy them.
Although everyone enjoyed all the food, I think the favorite dish of the night was carne asada. The 6 pounds of it were almost gone very quickly and everybody wanted to know what the marinate was. This was actually the first time I made carne asada. When I was looking online for the recipe I saw that many people marinate it, even though I don’t remember people in Mexico ever doing that. I then decided to give the marinate a shot and it proved to be a very good decision. The 24-hour marinating process gave it an amazing taste and texture.
All this week I will be posting about the food I prepared for this authentic Mexican party (even though I was the only Mexican there. LOL), but for now I will leave you with the menu, the recipe for the carne asada marinate and some pictures (only the ones before the tequila was opened, 
) I want to thank my friends and Foodbuzz for making this party possible. This is the first event where I catered for more than 15 people on my own and I think it went really well. Enjoy!
Side dishes and snacks:
- Avocado dip
- Mango guacamole
- Mexican rice
- Nopalitos salad
- Pineapple salsa
- Three bean salsa
Tacos:
- Cochinita pibil
- Al pastor
- Chicken alambres
- Carne asada
Dessert:
- Strawberry impossible cake
Carne asada marinate for 6 pounds of meat(adapted from Tayler Florence’s recipe):
- 1 garlic head, minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 3 jalapenos, minced
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 limes, juiced
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
¡Buen provecho!
Read more about the food at this party here.
31 Replies
Looks like an amazing party Ben! I could really enjoy some of those tacos right now!!!
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Amazing photography Ben. Another wonderful insight into Mexican cooking. I still hope to someday travel near Mexico City to that cooking school.
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
You are an amazing cook Ben. It was a wonderful party!
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Now that’s the kind of BBQ I’d like to be invited to! Very nice job…at the grill and behind the lens!
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I guess my invite got lost in the mail
Everything looks amazing! Can’t wait to see the recipes.
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
The food was fantastic. Thanks so much Ben.
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Hey! Where was my invite? Looked like you had a great time and congratulations for the party being a success! The taquiza sounds like a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing some of your recipes Ben!
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 9:35 pm
That was a great event, Ben. We were so glad to provide the venue. Incredible food, great friends and a really fun time! Let’s do it again!
Posted on May 31st, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Ben, this looks AWESOME! I so wish I had been there. I’m with Peter, where’d my invite go?
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 7:39 am
What a fabulous party! Everything looks excellent and such gorgeous photos!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 7:45 am
Ben, look at you, all cute with your apron on doing that grilling. What an amazing party. Sure wish I could have been there. Got to try that carne asada recipe!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 8:27 am
Looks like a really great party. I love those ones where everyone gathers around the food & makes their own.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 8:28 am
Que rica taquiza! te faltó en la marinada: la cerveza! jeje! pero se lee super rica esa marinada, tengo que hacerla!!
Saludos!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Hello, fellow “24″er!
Great job on this event and post! I have to agree, marinating the carne asada is essential.
Thanks for taking us to Mexico with you. We took our guests to Hawaii with a luau. Hope you can come over to our blog and read about it!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I wish we could attend one of your dinner parties. Congratulations for being featured for a second time. Everything looks delicious.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 3:44 pm
What a wondeful party!! I think food is a celebration and it allows people to come together better than anything else!
I’m making camarones a la talla tonight!!! My friend Claudia gave me the chiles anchos from her secret stash smuggled rom Mexcio, I’m so happy!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Wish I had been there. The food looks to die for. I never saw a better taco bar in my life. Great job kiddo. Hey, congrats on winning the Mix, Shake, Stir Cocktail book. Someday when we actually meet you can mix me up a special margarita~! :p
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 5:29 pm
This is absolutely amazing, Ben. Oh my goodness! That is a party, indeed. Also, did you see the Gourmet article this month on a Latin American party that featured quite a bit of Mexican food? Again, the emphasis is on FRESH.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Ben
So glad I came to the website ( I will be back). I would love to get the mango-guacamole dip recipe… I could eat that by the truck load. It was so delicious and I know it might see nuts, but I put the mango-guac on the carne asada a la mode style, and it melted in my mouth. I loved the combination of flavors from the grill to the sweet. Thank your foodbuzz friends !
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 9:47 pm
What an amazing party with lots of yummy food! I would love to know more about mexican food.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 3:36 am
Wow Ben, great job and great party! I can feel all of you had a lot of fun. Did you get help from other ppl as you have a large group of 30 people!!! Great job! And Love those pictures!
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 6:17 am
I’m so gald that I found your web site I love Your mexican food recipe~
Amazing party Wow!
Thanks for sharing your recipe:)
And you can visit me if I can visit you:)
Welcome~~~
foodcreate.com
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 7:24 am
Hey, Hey Ben…you look like a natural behind that grill. All the food, the photos are amazing! It’s all about the fiesta!
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
What a great party! Looks like everything turned out perfectly. The beans, rice, and nopalitos salad are making me hungry! Can’t wait to hear more about the chicken alambres.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 11:24 am
How do you do it? Everytime you come up with something more amazing than the last! Great 24 post.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I’m with Judy, Lisa and Peter, I didn’t see an invite. Of course, I didn’t see ANY girls at your party ;D.
Everything you make always looks SO good. And I love that photo of you with your apron on in front of the grill. You’re so cute!
The mango guacamole sounds awesome; I’ve gotta make that next.
Posted on June 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 am
The party looks like a lot of fun. I miss throwing a big party like that for friends and family. Maybe when I visit home in Bangkok later this summer?
I’m with the other commenters — no girls?
Posted on June 5th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Looks like a blast – lovely photos!
Posted on June 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
This looks amazing! I love a good party like this! Makes me want to throw one for my friends and family! Great job, and excellent pictures!
Posted on June 8th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
What a great idea for a party Ben! Im so keeping this in the back of my mind. Congrats and great job.
Posted on June 9th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Wow, Ben! I can’t believe I missed this post along the way! This looks awesome!
Posted on June 29th, 2009 at 11:48 am
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