May 2015 - Page 2 of 2 - Macayo's Mexican Food

5 Seasonal Summer Fruits for Your Summer Fiesta

Summer is almost here, and you know what that means! Lazy days poolside, bonfires, and barbecues with friends. However, it also means that seasonal summer fruit is about to be in heavy abundance.

Buying and enjoying fruit when it’s in-season comes with a number of benefits. For starters, in-season fruit is juicier, more flavorful, and fresher than at any other time during the year because it doesn’t have to be transported a long distance to your local grocery store or farmer’s market. Furthermore, fruit is also much more affordable when it’s in-season!

Here are five great fruits that’ll be in-season this summer, along with some seasonal summer fruit recipes for enjoying them!

Papayas

A papaya is a tropical fruit that’s jam-packed with Vitamin C and totally delicious, and it can be enjoyed in many ways. They’re commonly used in Mexican recipes, such as in a fiesta salad. However, they can also be eaten raw or used to make a tropical smoothie. We recommend cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and spritzing with lemon juice for a fun kick.

Peaches

Peaches are the perfect summer fruit; soft, juicy, and succulent, they’re very refreshing and light. This makes them a wonderful ingredient for a freshly made smoothie. Simply blend together two cups of milk, two peaches, a quarter cup of orange juice, and ice for a yummy smoothie that’ll cool you off on the hottest of days.

Tomatillos

Tomatillos are always in season during the summer, and can be found at many stores and markets in Arizona. Tomatillos can be enjoyed on their own raw (just be sure to wash them first), but we think the best way to eat a tomatillo is in a homemade salsa – check out our recipe!

Apricots

When you’re craving something sweet this summer, you can’t go wrong with fresh apricots. These soft, sweet, and juicy fruits are the perfect healthy snack. One fun recipe you can try with apricots is to slice them up, sprinkle them with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, and bake them in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. They’re like cinnamon apples, only even sweeter and more appropriate for summer.

Cucumbers

Looking for something a little less sweet? The cucumber is a perfect choice. You can enjoy cucumbers raw (just slice them into small pieces), on a sandwich, or in a salad. You can’t beat the crispiness of a fresh cucumber, especially in a bed of lettuce with ranch dressing, croutons, and some sliced tomato. You can even sautee them in olive oil to soften them up and smother with cheese and stewed tomatoes as a healthy side dish for your next Mexican-inspired meal.

Now that you’ve got some ideas for using these unique summer fruits, all that’s left to do is try them in our favorite recipes!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today is the day! It is the 5th of May and finally, one of our favorite days of the year has arrived, and who better to celebrate it with than YOU, our family? All day today, each Macayo’s location will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with live music, DJ’s, drink specials and of course, the biggest fiesta in town. Although each of your favorite locations will be keeping the party alive, one of our biggest fiestas will take place at Macayo’s Depot Cantina in Tempe, where the following entertainment will be rockin’ all evening long!

Remember – we’ve got your favorite Mexican cuisine, the best drink specials in town! At each Macayo’s location, enjoy the following specials:

$4 Dos XX
$6 Beer & Shot Special (Dos XX & Shot of 1800 Reposado Tequila)
$8.49 Original Margarita
$7.99 1800 Margarita
$8.99 Beerita

We can’t imagine spending #CincoDeMacayo with anyone else but our family. Come by and join us as the fiesta heats up, and be sure to use ‪#CincoDeMacayo in all of your social posts!

Countdown to Cinco Day 5: Fun & Games

You’ve got the food, the decor, the perfect tablescape and of course, the perfect margarita bar, but one thing both adults and kids love that you need to make sure you have at your party? Games! As we share ideas for the perfect Cinco de Mayo fiesta, we come to a conclusion with a couple game ideas for both kids and adults alike.

Cinco de Mayo Piñata

We mentioned hanging up a few piñatas around to set a fun, festive mood, but why not filling one (or a few)?! You can have family piñatas, complete with fillings like candy, tickets, small prizes, or small toys; you can have piñatas only adults will like (think small bottles of tequila or scratchable lottery tickets, if you wish!), and of course, be sure to have a piñata or two just for the kids, filled with lots of candy and chiclets! The ideas for filling your piñatas are endless – just have fun with them, and make sure your blindfolds aren’t see-through!

Pin the Tail on the Donkey – it never gets old!
This one is also from birthday parties past – but it’s fun for everyone! This old-fashioned game is hilarious for kids of all ages, and even more hilarious for adults (especially near the end of the party)! Have you ever tried to pin the tail on the donkey after a margarita or two?

We’d love to hear your ideas for Cinco de Mayo games! We enjoyed these two, and we loved celebrating with family and friends.

We would love to celebrate with YOU, because you’re family, too! Be sure to stop by any Macayo’s location for festivities on Cinco de Mayo! We’ll have the biggest party yet, and we want to see you there! Be sure to use #CincodeMacayo with all of your photos and social posts!

Countdown to Cinco Day 4: Deck the Halls

Naturally, your Cinco de Mayo fiesta isn’t complete without the right decorations! Instead of spending loads on pre-made decor, there are a few very simple, very easy ideas you can put into place that will make your party bright and beautiful. We spent a little extra time doing these things the day before the party, but we promise they don’t take a lot of time! We want you having fun as soon as the party starts!

A simple crepe paper banner

Get out your office supplies and start cutting! To make the crepe paper strings below, fold a few feet of crepe paper together, then cut out squares in the bottom corners and a small triangle in the bottom middle (see photos). Think of cutting up folded triangles of paper as a kid to make snowflakes – it’s the same, simple idea. For more dimension and for easy confetti, get out your hole punch and punch a few holes in the folded crepe paper, as well!

Hang up a piñata!

Yes, having a piñata at your party may seem like just a game for kids, but it’s something the whole family can enjoy, and it adds a bit of fun to your decor. Choose multiple piñatas (you don’t have to fill them all) and hang them in trees, from strings carried across the porch, or simply from the ceiling. They are great conversation pieces, and of course, make a great game when the time is right!

Chalkboard signs

Another simple item to DIY, chalkboard signs are fun to have around. You can fill them with festive sayings, menus or even contests. You can get ideas from our new line of festive t-shirts, even! We love how simple these are to make – as well as what great conversation starters they can be.

For more fun, be sure to stop by Macayo’s on Cinco de Mayo for the biggest fiesta of all! We’ll have drink specials, live music and parties at all of our locations!