Recipes: Summer party preps with Chef Kelli

Chef Kelli from Two Unique Catering & Event Planners shares tips and recipes for creating the perfect backyard party this summer.

Décor

If your heart’s desire is not set on school colors (which some are just not great, marron and white, where do you go with that in the month of June lol) I love working with white as a base for linen or table covings as then everything you place on top pops loud with color.  Small pots of flowers that can easily go into to garden post party or simple colored gerberas of field flower would be a nice boost of color to a white base color table. Large food tables could also be white perhaps with a colored runner or two. Use bougets of produce such as peppers and tomatoes piled into bowls or vessels to aid in your robust fresh fiesta look. 
Serving Vessels and Plate Ware 

The landscape is so vast in this arena as you can go in so many directions with décor.  White serving platters are most often a safe bet. You may be using chafing dishes for your hot items with a larger group. If your theme feels earthy, gravitate towards disposables such as bamboo plates and craft boats.  If you have a solid color theme perhaps clear or white plates are the answer.  Most often all grad parties use disposable plates, and I would lean towards that for easier clean up at the end of the night.

Planning your Fresh Fiesta Menu

I like the fresh mex vibe for summer events including graduation parties because it is a concept you can prep ahead.  You want to have a couple or hot proteins, such as shrimp, beef and chicken to serve warm and then your guest can MYO (make their own) fresh mex plate by making offerings into a taco or a fresh bowl with lettuce and or rice. 

I included some recipes below for inspiration, but make your favorite taco beef recipe, for me I like ground turkey taco meat on salads, fajita style chicken or stewed shredded chicken taco meat, grilled or fried golden shrimp, impossible burger meat with southwest seasonings for your vegan/vegetarians.

Basic Building Blocks Fresh Fiesta Menu 
• 2-3 protein
• Taco bar condiments, hot sauce, salsa’s, sour cream & guacamole 
• Slaw 
• Hot rice or rice salad (could be a southwest style quinoa salad) 
• Chopped greens 
• Thinly sliced red onions
• Grated Mexican style cheese like cotija 
• Lime wedges  
• Soft flour tortillas, corn tortillas, chips 

Recipes 
Base Guacamole V+
Yield 2 cups

Make this wonderful base recipe and kick it up a notch with different accent flavors! OLE!

Ingredients
8 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
3 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ medium onion, diced
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional) 
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
1. Scoop out the avocado pulp and place it in a large bowl with the lime juice. Toss to coat thoroughly. Drain and reserve the lime juice.
2. Add the salt, cumin and cayenne and mash together using a potato masher or fork.
3. Fold in onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Chef’s Note 
You can make your guacamole a day ahead. Top it with a thin layer of salsa to keep the guacamole from oxidizing and scrape off the salsa just before serving.

MYO Guacamole Mixer Bar
Yield 10-12 servings

MYO mix-in ingredients let guests swirl a little extra pow into their personalized portion. Surround your bowl of base guacamole with smaller ramekin serving vessels of "mixers" with tiny spoons.

Ingredients
1½ Base Recipe Guacamole (above)
MYO Guacamole Mixers
• Cilantro, ¼ cup 
• Garlic, 4 tablespoons 
• Diced tomatoes, ⅓ cup 
• Sun Dried tomatoes, chopped ¼ cup   
• Lime wedges, 10-12 
• Sliced pickled jalapenos, chopped ⅓ cup 
• Banana peppers, chopped, ⅓ cup 
• Roasted corn, ⅓ cup 
• Chopped bacon bits, ⅓ cup 
• Black beans or white beans, ½ cup 
• 3-4 assorted small bottles of hot sauce

Summer Salsa V+
Yield 3 cups

Ingredients
4 large tomatoes diced (about two cups) 
1 cup canned diced Mexican style tomatoes with green chilies 
½ cup small diced white onion
1 whole seeded jalapeno, minced (optional) 
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (about ½ bunch) 
2-3 tablespoons lime juice 
1 teaspoon sea salt 
½ teaspoon cumin 
Couple pinches of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions 
1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend well.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Salsa Verde with Avocado GF | V+
Yield 2 cups

Ingredients
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatillos 
½ small Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks 
1 garlic clove, smashed
¼ cup pickled jalapeno 
¼ cup lime juice 
1½ teaspoons sea salt 
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. 
2. Once the oven comes to temp, place a sheet pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully remove and place canned tomatillos and onions on the hot pan and give them a little stir to spread out. Return to the oven for about 6-8 minutes to caramelize.  Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. In a blender or food processor add cooled tomatillos, avocado, garlic, pickled jalapeno, lime juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse until blended. Add cilantro and give it one last quick pulse or two.  Adjust seasonings and chill.    

MYO Salsa Mixers 
Yield 10-12 servings

MYO Salsa mix-in ingredients will allow guests to swirl a little extra pow into their personalized portion.  Arrange your salsas with smaller ramekin serving vessels filled with "mixers" with tiny spoons.

Ingredients
Summer Salsa
Salsa Verde with Avocado
MYO Mixers
• Roasted Pineapple: ¾ cup diced, grilled pineapple and 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, mixed.   
• Roasted Vegetable: 1 cup assorted chopped roasted vegetable.
• Gazpacho: ½ cup diced cucumber, ½ of a red pepper, ½ of a green pepper diced, mixed. 
• Southwest: ½ cup corn and ¼ cup cooked black beans, mixed.
Sedona Summer Chopped Salad GF | V 
This is great as a side dish or taco topping 
Yield 10-12 servings

Ingredients
5 cups of cabbage slaw mix (or 10–14-ounce bag) 
2 cups chopped green kale 
1 cup shaved brussels sprouts 
1 cup cotija queso cheese, crumbled  
1-pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 English cucumber, diced medium  
½-¾ cup diced red onion 
½ cup chopped banana peppers
½ cup assorted bell peppers, diced small 
⅛ cup fresh cilantro leaves, picked
2 avocados, cleaned and diced  

For the Lime Vinaigrette
1½ cup olive oil 
½ cup fresh lime juice 
1 bunch fresh cilantro (leaves only) 
¼ cup agave syrup (or honey) 
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic 
Small handful of banana peppers (5-7) 
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of cayenne

Directions
1. In a large bowl, add the salad ingredients and gently toss together.
2. For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients using a blender or an immersion stick.
3. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Finish with fresh cracked pepper if desired.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri GF | DF 
Yield 12-15 servings

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Fresno chili, seeded and minced  
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin 
1 teaspoon sea salt 
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 
¾ cup good quality olive oil 
½ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro 
3 ½ pounds skirt steak 
Sea salt and pepper 
12-15 sturdy bamboo or wooden skewers, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes

Directions 
1. Preheat the BBQ grill to medium high. 
2. To make the chimichurri, in a medium bowl mix garlic, fresno chili, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, sea salt and red pepper flakes. Whisk in olive oil, using a fork, stir in chopped parsley and cilantro.  Let steak sit for 10 minutes. Remove a ¼ cup of the chimichurri and set aside. You will use this for basting while grilling. Save the remaining chimichurri for drizzling on steak after grilling. 
3. Lay skirt steak on your workspace and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes and then pat dry with a paper towel. 
4. Once ready to grill, reduce heat on the BBQ to medium. Place skirt steak on the grill and grill for 3-4 minutes. Flip and brush the grilled side of the steak with the chimichurri. Baste a couple times over the next few minutes while the underside is cooking. Discard any sauce that was used for basting.
5. Remove steak from the grill and let rest for 5-8 minutes.  Slice steak against the grain and drizzle with a little extra chimichurri sauce. Place leftover sauce place in bowl and add to steak serving platter, to allow guests to add extra if desired.  

Baja Shrimp Tacos: 
• 2 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes 
• Juice of 1 lime   
• ½ teaspoon sea salt 
• 1 &1/2 pounds medium shrimp size 21/25 or 16 20, peeled and deveined 
• 8 corn or flour tortillas 
• Pre Heat BBQ grill to medium. Toss shrimp with lime juice, chili powder, olive oil and seasoning. Skewer shrimp on small wooden bamboo skewers, divide amongst 8 bamboo sticks. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. 
• You can heat tortillas quickly on grill to give them a little char and or wrap in damp paper towel and heat in microwave until warm 45 -70 seconds. Present shrimp, salsa and Baja garnishes on platter.

Baja Garnish: 
• Shredded white cabbage or iceberg lettuce
• Small bottles of hot sauce (optional) 
• Cooked crumbled chorizo 
• Thinly sliced red onion 
• Chopped cilantro leaves 
• Crema or sour cream 
• Lime wedges
Baja Shrimp

Street Corn 
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ¾ tsp chili powder
• ½ cup cotija cheese
• 1 Tbsp lime juice, fresh squeezed
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
• kosher salt, to taste
Directions 
Melt butter in a heavy bottom large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and slightly charred, about 6-8 minutes. Turn down heat to medium and add the garlic for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
Allow corn to cool slightly. Stir in mayonnaise, chili powder, cotija cheese, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
Serve warm or cold.

Dessert Taco Bar!
To match our fresh fiesta theme, try a fresh dessert "taco" spread!  
Have toppings that are easy for your guest to tuck into their taco or place on top of a dessert tostada ole! 
Please find a few recipes for inspiration and chef note too that can help you make things easier if need be. 

Chef Notes 
• For cake cubes, feel free to use a good mix and bake it on a sheet tray as then the cubes will cut nicely into squares or purchase a six pack of cupcakes and scrape the frosting off and dice or small cake. 
• Pie filling is always an option if you are working on the fly 
• You could also execute this concept with small waffle style dessert bowls you can find at your better grocery stores 
• Cheesecake filling would be fine with your favorite "no bake" recipes or even purchase a store-bought cheesecake and throw it in the mixer to fluff it up.
• Homemade whip cream is fabulous or purchase fresh style cans that your guest can squirt themselves.  You can also find coconut whip cream in the can which is also a nice alternative for some folks.

Fillings 
• Bourbon Peach 
• Fresh strawberries (1/4 & toss with a little sugar or honey) 
• Stewed cherries  
• Diced pineapple stewed with a little brown sugar 
• Whip cream
• Small marshmallows
• Whipped cheesecake 
• Nutella 
• Chopped nuts
• Mini chocolate chips  
• Granola 
• Sprinkles, chocolate and caramel sauce 
• Assorted sauces; caramel & chocolate  
• Cake cubes (baked cake you cut into smaller piece, like crouton size) 
• Vanilla-bean ice cream (optional)

Churros Dessert Taco Shells 
• 6 flour Tortillas
• 1-2 cups Vegetable oil, to fry tortillas
• ¼ cup Ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Sugar
Directions 
1. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Pour cinnamon and sugar onto a plate or bowl. Mix it together and set it aside.
3. Gently lay the tortilla flat in the cooking oil. Let it fry on one side for about a minute. Using tongs, fold the tortilla in half to form the shape of a taco.
4. Continue to fry each tortilla until they are golden brown on both sides. Be sure to submerge the tortilla so the inside can brown-up as well.
5. Once they are golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
6. After the tortillas are cool enough to handle, toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture to completely coat the shell.
Fill the tacos with whipped cream and top with strawberries, or fruit of choice.

Baked Dessert Tacos V
Yield 12 servings

Ingredients
12 (4-inch) flour tortilla 
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Special Equipment
12 cup muffin pan
3-inch round cutter

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. 
2. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut a circle from each flour tortilla. You will end up with 12 3-inch round flour tortillas.
3. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
4. Place tortillas into a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter, cinnamon/sugar mixture and toss until coated.
5. Flip the muffin pan upside down and place the tortilla rounds over muffin cups, gently pressing to form a cup. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until crisp. Remove shells and let cool. 
6. Fill each taco with bourbon peach compote and a dollop of bourbon whipped cream. Serve with "frills" if desired.

Stewed Cherries 
• 1 & ½ cups pitted cherries cut in half 
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
Heat in sauce pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes 
Bourbon Peach Compote GF | V

Ingredients
¾ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ripe peaches, sliced
3 tablespoons of bourbon (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
⅛ teaspoon allspice 
⅛ teaspoon sea salt  

Directions
1. In a large heavy bottom sauce pot skillet add the brown sugar and butter. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted, and brown sugar is fully incorporated.  
2. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat until the peaches are soft, about 4-5 minutes.