Cafe Rio Night at Monica's September 25th

The recipes for the Barbacoa Pork, Lime Cilantro Rice and Creamy Tomatillo Dressing came from the following blog:

One good thing by Jillee

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced

• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced

• 8 ounces raspberries

• 1 pound strawberries

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
•  1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

• butter flavored cooking spray

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

1. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Mint Limade

Syrup:

1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 cups water
2-3 sprigs fresh mint (just mint, not peppermint or spearmint)

Limeade:

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
8-10 cups cold water
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leavesIce

Garnishes (optional):

Fresh mint sprigs
Fresh lime slices
1/2 cup sugar + freshly grated zest of 1 lime combined (for sugaring the rims of the glasses)

Instructions:

Combine the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and strain the mint leaves. Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the refrigerator. The syrup can be made a few days ahead of time.

When ready to serve, place the chopped mint leaves in the bottom of the serving pitcher. Add the syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and 8 cups of cold water. Taste and add additional water to taste (if necessary). If serving over ice, you might want to make it a tiny bit sweeter than you would normally like to account for the dilution from the melted ice.

To make the lime sugar for the rims of the glasses, mix the zest of one lime with 1/2 cup sugar. Using a damp paper towel, wipe around the rim of each glass and then invert the glass into the lime sugar. Carefully fill the sugar-rimmed glasses with ice cubes and pour the limeade into the glasses to serve.

Makes 12-14 servings.

Strawberry Mint Limeade: After pouring into glasses, add a spoonful or two of strawberry sauce to taste. Other berries like blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries can be substituted for strawberries in the sauce to make other variations.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients

• 1 medium tomato, diced ( I used 4 Roma)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and green onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fried Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 cup crushed frosted cornflakes

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, or 1 cup chopped walnuts, or 1 cup cookie crumbs

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

Vegetable oil, for frying

Hot chocolate sauce, optional

Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

With an ice cream scoop, form 4 large balls of ice cream. Place on a waxed paper lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

In a bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs with either the coconut, walnuts or cookie crumbs (or any combination). Spread the mixture in a shallow dish.

Dip the ice cream balls in the crumb mixture and freeze for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Dip the coated ice cream balls into the eggs, then roll in the crumb mixture, coating completely. Freeze for 1 hour. (If necessary, or for a thicker crust, roll again in eggs and crumbs until the balls are completely coated.)

Heat the oil in a large pot or fryer to 400 degrees F. One at a time, lower the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the oil and place in a dessert bowl. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, as desired. Repeat with the remaining ice cream.