Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!

The holiday is Mexican and it celebrates the victory of 4,000 Mexican soldiers against 8,000 French forces on the morning of May5, 1862. A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico's Independence Day. That day is in fact September 16th.

Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated everywhere in Mexico (it's a regional holiday) but it is observed in America and in many countries around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

The battle of Cinco de Mayo took place at the town of Puebla, 100 miles east of Mexico City. According to Viva Cinco de Mayo, the French army attacked Mexico City, assuming that the Mexican army would surrender if their capital city was taken:

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.


General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

The outnumbered Mexicans defeated the French army in a great victory. It had consequences for America as well because the French defeat denied Napolean III the opportunity to resupply the Confederate rebels for another year.

Wikipedia informs us that the battle was significant for at least these two reasons as well. One, the Mexicans, out-numbered and out-gunned, beat a French army that had not tasted defeat in 50 years. And two, this was "the last time that an army from another continent invaded the Americas."






**Now with that out of the way. Tonight we are making fish tacos (the recipe using fish sticks) and Margaritas!

Moody Foody Weekend....and no pics! :(

As you all know, usually I have step by step photos of everything I cook. Well, this must be an exception! How could I forget to do this?!?! Well, me and my teenager were cleaning and cooking. She wanted chocolate cake and we would clean, then stop and look in cook books! Chaos...

So we made the cake, then I was wondering what I was going to fix for dinner....it was Sunday, the Mister was working, the little one was being brought home....so off to the pantry I went!

Split peas......a bag of split peas.....sitting there....staring at me. They've stared at me for about a month...from that shelf in the pantry. They knew I didn't know what to do with them.....mocking me, they were!

I'm always up for a challenge! So I took them, put them in a pot, covered in water and added salt, pepper, garlic salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings and boiled. In the middle I added a potato (as I do in these soups that will end up being pureed).

I boiled it until the split peas had about doubled in size and were nice and soft. I added a bad of mixed veggies I had in the freezer.

Now, this is where you take liberties.....no recipe was followed. Out comes my plain non-fat yogurt and into my pot it went! A little milk, more seasonings, horseradish and tasting as I went along....I adjusted.

Over to my blender, whirling it by two to three cups at a time until it was a beautiful hue of green and smooth as silk!

It was DELISH! In fact, my husband who has had his share of split pea soup, said this was the best he's ever tasted! That meant allot to me!

And again...sorry I have no pics....but here's our cat, Vallie, relaxing that very same day!