Cozumel to NJ...

So last night's Cinco de Mayo dinner was based on one of our fun memories:  Our cooking class in Mexico!

On the menu in our class was an appetizer of chirizo & potato 'sopes'....so I decided to bring them from Cozumel...

...to New Jersey!  (sour cream "painting" discardedL)  ...

I started by sauteing a diced onion in olive oil until they were semi translucent...

Next, I added some Andouille sausage.  (I couldn't find chirizo yesterday, so this was the next best swapJ)

I removed the casing and broke up the sausage with the back of a spoon and allowed it to cook through...

Next, into the pot went some diced potatoes that I tried to cut up teeny-tinyJ

Since the potatoes started to stick to the bottom of the pan, I added about a half cup of water to the pot, covered it and allowed it to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the water absorbed.  I was worried about adding the water, but it ended up making a "sauce"!  So excited it worked! (and didn't water down my ingredientsJ)

While the potatoes were cooking, I got working on the base of the sopes...which could NOT be easier.  I mixed one part masa harina, one part water & some salt...

..until a dough formed.  Which took all of....5 minutesJ

Just keep adding water until the dough gathers.  It was fantastic because the masa did NOT get sticky...awesomeJ

And since we didn't have a traditional tortilla press on hand...

I used the next best thingJ  I rolled the dough into a small ball, placed it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap...

...smooshed it with the bottom of the bowl...

...and WALLAH!  Sopes!

Pop them on an olive oil drizzled griddle and cook until golden brown...

Like so...

Then I topped the sopes with a layer of refried beans (necessity being the true mother of invention...these are mashed black beans mixed with water and a teaspoon of crushed garlic as I had forgotten to pick up a premade canJ)

Then, they were topped with the chirizo/potato mix, shredded lettuce & a spot of cheese)

Served with another side of unphotogenic sauteed zucchini...

Yum!!  These things were crunchy, spicy, creamy and cheesy!  They might have been a little time consuming since all of the "parts" are made from scratch, but they were worth the little extra effort and the 87 dirty pots. J

For dessert, we didn't have any flan, but we did have this little beauty from Crumbs hanging out in the freezerJ  (Yep...these defrost perfectly on your kitchen counter in about an hour!)

Love the 'old school Hostess' lookJ  So yummy!

So hope you guys had a great week!  Mine (thankfully!) SKY ROCKETED by!  So excited to go out and enjoy the gorgeous weather we've been having the last few days.  Yes, after that horrendously gloomy Wednesday....yesterday and today have been picture perfectJ  

And tonight we have ONE MORE Mexican meal on the menu for tonight....here's a preview:

Any guesses???

Adios for now! :)