OLE! A MEXICAN DINNER IN ITALY!

Much as we LOVE Italian food, we sometimes want something different. Some nights I'll fix meatloaf with mashed potatoes, or roast a large chicken with stuffing (and wish I'd brought back some cranberries!). One of the tastes we miss the most here in Italy is Mexican.....chips and salsa, refried beans, fajitas, tacos. Yes, some of the ingredients are available here, but for the most part I need to plan ahead.

Sometimes the convenience foods and mixes we take for granted in the states are a blessing when you live in another country. I bring back a mix for salsa: just add tomatoes and green onions and let sit until the flavors mix....fantastic! I also bring back seasoning mix to make fajitas...grill some peppers, onions and chicken, add the seasoning packet, water, and ole! it's fajita time! Of course the one key ingredient we need to complete our Mexican feast is cheddar cheese, and thanks to our friend Nedra we have two nice chunks. Friends Jill and Larry left us a large bag of tortillas, and thanks to Jane we now know about the dried refried beans that cook up quickly and taste really, really good. It's time for Mexican night!

Whenever we have Mexican food we always call Wendy, knowing how much she loves spicy and/or Mexican food. She was finally able to get away from work the other day to join us for chips and salsa, refried beans, and chicken fajitas. Our English friend Janine also joined us, and I wondered how she'd react to our version of Mexican food. She loves spicy stuff, so I wasn't too worried.


Everyone agreed that this dinner was a success -  we'd all had THRRE fajitas each, in addition to the chips and salsa! Maybe the sign of a successful dinner party is when your guests groan as they get up from the table! We've now satisfied our Mexican tooth, at least until we return to the states in December. Thanks to all who helped make this meal possible, and thanks to our friends for sharing it with us!