Taco Bar Party

So I fell off the planet yet again... but at least this time I have a better excuse then just saying I'm a full-time working mother.  I've pretty much been sick for over a month.  First with a cold that wouldn't go away which turned into a sinus infection.  After about a week of being on Antibiotics, and finally feeling healthy, I got the Norovirus.  You know, the cruise-ship virus- the one where you can't keep anything down.  Fun stuff.  After four days of barely eating and barely drinking I was extremely dehydrated and had intense stomach pains.  I went to the ER in the middle of the night with my mom and was diagnosed with kidney stones.  A week later I got surgery to break them up and that's where I'm at.  Finally feeling healthy and finally feeling like I'm on the mend.  The rest of 2013 has got to be better than the start, right?!

Well one of the highlights in the last month was the Taco Bar Party* I had in late January.  

*The asterisk in the title is because this party could also be named the Norovirus Party since half the party got sick after... Not sure who brought the sickness over but that is one contagious virus! And all I can say is that if it happens to you, don't let yourself get too dehydrated!  Especially if kidney stones run in your family.  Lesson learned.

Anyway... I love hosting parties but I usually put a ton of pressure on myself to have the best food.  Since having a baby, I've realized that I just can't do everything so I wanted to simplify my menu which is how the idea for the Taco Party was formed.  I kept it simple but still had a ton of options for everyone.

I'm psyched how well this turned out and I think it's a great way to have a party- 

Make Your Own Taco Bar!

My friends had the choice of Flour, Corn, Whole Wheat Soft Shell Tortillas or Hard Shells. 

 For proteins I had Ground Turkey that I cooked with Taco Seasoning and Rotel.*

*Rotel is always my secret ingredient in Mexican cooking.  It's a great tool to add spice!  It's a canned tomato product with Jalapenos or Chilis.  

I also baked up some Blackend Fish (Cod) using a recipe I've made countless times on this blog.  Only I baked the fish this time instead of frying it.

I also made a double batch of Zatarain's Black Bean and Rice for a side or to put inside your taco.

Now let's get to the good part- the fix-ins!

 I pretty much had everything you can think of that you'd want on a taco- chopped tomatoes, medium spice chunky salsa, mango salsa, salsa verde, lettuce, cheese, green onions, red onions, cilantro, jalapenos and homemade guacomole.

I had the perfect mix of store-bought and homemade in the mix and I think I had enough choices that satisfied everyone. Plus I set up all the fix-ins with my cute martini glasses and glass ice cream bowls : )

All in all, the Taco Bar ended up being a great idea and I definitely want to stick to one theme for future parties.  Doing something like this made the party more fun and allowed me to concentrate on the real fun- the kids!

Hope everyone is having a lovely snowed-in weekend!