My husband and I decided that we wanted to do weekends themed around every country that has a pavillion at EPCOT World Showcase. We’ve already done The United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Italy, which leaves Mexico, Canada, China, Morocco, Germany, and Norway.
We decided to begin on this quest around World Showcase with Mexico.
The Food
I love Mexican food. I was very excited to dive into some fun cooking adventures. I will say that cotija cheese was the MVP of the weekend!
- Margaritas – My husband has gotten into making margaritas lately. We made two different types of margaritas (Recipe 1, Recipe 2) this weekend, and they both were delicious. We used chili lime seasoning on the rim, and it was the perfect touch.
- Salsa – My husband has also become obsessed with this salsa recipe. He makes it all of the time. I love that it has so few ingredients and that you can easily customize how spicy you want it to be. The freshness also is a game changer when you’re used to jarred salsa.
- Carnitas – I love carnitas, and I am very glad that I discovered how easy they are to make in our Instant Pot. The meat turned out perfectly tender and flavorful. It made a delicious addition to salads, rice bowls, and quesadillas. I look forward to making this recipe again many times.
- Tamales – I love tamales, but I don’t eat them all that often. I bought both beef and chicken tamales, so we could have a taste test. I discovered the my husband had never had a tamale before, so I was extra excited to get his thoughts. We both agreed that we preferred the beef tamales because the meat had a more robust flavor.
- Carne asada – Continuing in my Trader Joe’s adventure, I bought the pre-seasoned carne asada. I put the beef on the cast iron grill pan, and it cooked very nicely. It was full of flavor and went perfectly in tacos, salads, and quesadillas. I definitely want to try the pollo asada that they have at Trader Joe’s.
- Tres leches cake – Tres leches cake was a regular choice for birthday parties in our family growing up. As you might guess from the name, it involves a lot of different types of dairy. The cake turned out just as good as I remember: moist and just sweet enough. The light and fluffy whipped cream was a perfect topping.
The Entertainment
Coco is one of my favorite Pixar films and centers around the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). We knew we had to include this in our themed weekend. The animation of the Land of the Dead is absolutely breathtaking. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez’s music is also stunning and elevates the whole film. There’s a reason they won an Academy Award for “Remember Me.”
I also started rewatching Ugly Betty, which is about an Mexican-American family living in Queens. Betty, an aspiring journalist, gets hired as an assistant at a fashion magazine and is a fish out of water. America Ferrera is endlessly charming as Betty, and I enjoyed revisiting this 2006 show.
We also meant to watch Roma, a 2018 Mexican film that garnered a lot of critical acclaim, but the weekend got away from us. I definitely want to see it and will make sure to watch it soon!
I am looking forward to continuing our journey around World Showcase Lagoon!
Bubbling up with Helena 