Semi-homemade Cinco de Mayo

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Mexican food, or Hispanic food in general, is one of my favorites. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I asked my mom for her awesome fish tacos recipe.

But since I have never cooked fish before I decided to change the recipe up and use shrimp instead.

Also, I am a huge fan of limes, so I substituted lime juice when the recipe called for lemon juice.

And since I have a tendency to overfill my tacos I got the medium size tortillas; making this recipe Baja Shrimp Burritos.

This semi-homemade recipe includes made from scratch elements combines with store-bought for a quick and easy, delicious dinner.

You can’t have Mexican without chips and salsa, so I threw together a quick and simple semi-homemade salsa to accompany the meal.

There is no food science to salsa. Just combine fresh produce. I like chunkier salsa, so I used chopped green pepper, red onion and jalapeño. The semi-homemade aspect comes from adding one large can of diced tomatoes. Add cilantro, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

But no meal is complete with out dessert of course. I got a cupcake book for my birthday this year and have been wanting to try out a recipe. Sticking with the semi-homemade theme, I chose the margarita cupcake, but instead of the tequila, the recipe called for, I substituted lime juice, turning them into Lime Zest Cupcakes.

Baja Shrimp Burritos
What you need:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix, divided
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 package warmed tortillas
Toppings: shredded cabbage or lettuce, cheese, semi-homemade salsa and spicy sour cream mix

What to do:
Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in a small bowl.

Combine shrimp, vegetable oil, lime juice and remaining seasoning mix in medium bowl; pour into large skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes.

Fill tortillas with shrimp mixture. Top with cabbage or lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour cream mixture

Lime Zest Cupcakes
(makes 22 cupcakes)
What you need:
1 package of white cake mix
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons margarita mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon grated lime peel (about 3 limes)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons lime juice (or tequila)
3 cups powdered sugar

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, ¾ cup margarita mix, eggs, oil, water, 1 teaspoon lime peel and lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk two minutes or until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling tow-thirds full.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pans and then move to cooling racks.

Combine lime juice (or tequila), remaining 2 tablespoons margarita mix and 2 teaspoons lime peel in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until desired glaze consistency is reached.
Spread glaze over cupcakes.