Instead, this past week has taken me to another Margarita-ville. It started with a recipe that was passed on to me as a suggestion for BBQ fare. Margarita Cake. *LIGHT BULB* I can merge my love of margaritas AND cake into one tasty delicacy. And I can even partake in its deliciousness. Sign me up for one slice, or maybe five.
Here the recipe as it was provided to me:
Cake
1 box lemon cake mix
1 package instant lemon pudding
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup margarita mix
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup margarita mix
1. Preheat oven at 325 and grease and flour a 9x13 pan
2. Mix all ingredients until well blended
3. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes
4. Whisk together sifted powdered sugar and margarita mix
5. After baking, let cake cool for 10 minutes
6. Pour glaze over the top of cake
I changed it up a little bit. I used two 9" rounds. This changed the baking time to about 30 minutes. I also iced the bottom layer with buttercream and then sprinkled a layer of green sugar crystals. After putting the top layer on, I dirty iced the entire cake with buttercream. I let the cake set in the fridge for 2 hours. Finally, I poured the glaze on top.
A couple of crumbs and some glaze is all that was left at the end of the BBQ. I guess that means it was a hit. I'm thinking I might try making a strawberry daiquiri cake next.
Later in the week, I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner and saw the margarita mix taunting me in the fridge. Why hello, K. How are you? Don't you wish you could have me with the Patron that is in the freeze? Wouldn't it feel fabulous to sit out on your porch with me in a salt-rimmed glass?
This got me thinking. What other food items could I join with my margarita mix? I looked in the fresh drawer. Red peppers? Check. Lettuce? Check. Garlic? Check. Ground beef? Check.
Welcome to the birth of Margarita beef tacos.
Ingredients for Beef Filling
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
2 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 c margarita mix
1 shot Patron Tequila
Taco seasoning
Taco Toppings
Sliced red peppers
Chopped lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
1. Saute garlic in large skillet.
2. Add ground beef. Cook until half-way browned.
3. Pour in 1/2 cup margarita mix and 1 shot tequila.
4. Continue to cook until beef is browned.
5. Add taco seasoning to taste. I only sprinkled a little bit.
6. Let simmer until all of the liquid has cooked off. Then, add last 1/4 cup margarita mix.
7. Continue to simmer until all of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat.
We are a flour tortilla household, so I warmed those in the oven towards the end. (Well, Aut likes hard shell tacos, but I never think to buy them. Plus I like whole wheat tortillas.) While the beef was cooking, I prepped our toppings.
It turned out to be a fairly good experiment. The meat was very moist and had a bit of a tang to it. The tacos seemed more like 'summer' because they weren't as overpowering as regular taco meat. I even topped off dinner with a faux-margarita - OJ and margarita mix poured over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Summer drink, I may have found you yet.
Mmmm, those margarita tacos sound pretty yummy...may have to try them sometime next week.
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