Cinco de Mayo is coming up and though this isn’t a holiday our family particularly celebrates, I know many of you may be looking for simple and easy recipes you can make to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with friends and family. A simple yet fun appetizer idea is to make empanadas! Empanadas are traditionally meat-filled patties you can eat as a snack or appetizer and are common to most Latin American and Caribbean cultures, though known by different names. In Puerto Rico, we typically call them pastelillos de carne, though parts of the island also call them empanadas.

Empanadas are most commonly filled with ground beef, though they can also be filled with chicken, crab meat, or cheese. Growing up in Puerto Rico, I also ate many pizza-filled pastelillos! For these Cinco de Mayo inspired empanadas, I decided to give my carne molida recipe a southwestern twist, making this the perfect appetizer for your Cindo de Mayo celebration! (Truly, these southwestern empanadas are a great appetizer idea for any occasion!) Check out the simple recipe below, with most ingredients easily found at Walmart!

Southwestern Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 1 Tbsp adobo
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp meat tenderizer
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Sazon, 1 packet
• 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 1/2 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp sofrito (or recaito)
• 10-11 green olives (Spanish salad olives) + 1-2 tsp of olives’ liquid
• 2-3 small potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and cubed
• about 10 baby carrots, rinsed and chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• Empanada discs, 1 package thawed per instructions

Note: To see pictures and links for some of the ingredients used, read 5 Must-Have Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Food.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Cook ground beef per this carne molida recipe (picadillo-style). You can leave the potatoes and carrots out, if you prefer.
3. Add black beans and corn.
4. Cover and continue cooking on low heat until black beans and corn are heated.
5. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with cooking spray.
6. Line empanada discs on cookie sheet, leaving ample space between each one.
7. Fill each disc with ground beef mixture in the middle. It’s up to you how much filling you want to add – use your discretion so that it’s not over-filled, but so each empanada has enough filling when eating.
8. Fold each empanada disc half-way to make a half-moon shape and pinch closed with a fork around the edge.
9. Brush each empanada with olive oil and bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite dip or sauce. I served these with this mango dipping sauce recipe I found.

What is your favorite appetizer recipe for special occasions?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

We recently became fans of goat cheese in our house. Surprisingly, even baby girl likes it! We’ve been buying different varieties of goat cheese – from plain to herb-flavored goat cheese – and typically spread it on crackers for either an after-school or weekend family snack. I personally love it on toasted french bread cut up into bite-size pieces.

With the Super Bowl being this weekend, I know many of you are looking for fun and different appetizer recipes to serve during game time. Whether you need a Super Bowl appetizer recipe for a party or just a snack idea for watching the game at home, I think you’ll like this super easy game time recipe – you only need 3 ingredients!

Spicy Goat Cheese & Tomato Spread {Super Bowl Appetizer Idea}

Ingredients

• Goat Cheese
• Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
• Wheat Thins (Family Size)

Directions

1. Let goat cheese soften a bit.
2. Combine Rotel tomatoes with softened goat cheese in a bowl. I used about 1-2 tsp per 3 oz of goat cheese. Feel free to use as much or as little of each as you like, depending on how much you want to make.
3. Serve your dip/spread with Wheat Thins crackers. I tried the Sundried Tomato & Basil flavor when I made this recipe, but honestly think the original Wheat Thins would work better. You can also serve with tortilla chips or any other cracker your friends and family enjoy!

Isn’t that so simple? It’s such an easy snack or appetizer to put together and makes for a great Super Bowl (or any game time) recipe! We’re not super fans like other households, but might check out the game this weekend and enjoy more of our goat cheese as a family.

Will you be watching the game this Sunday? Or do you prefer to check out the commercials?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Growing up, every time we had a party, baby shower, or family get-together, my mami would serve finger sandwiches (or sandwichitos as we called them) for an appetizer. I recall loving these sandwiches and eating way too many of them at a time. In fact, I loved them so much, that when I got older, I eventually asked her for the recipe so I could make my own finger sandwiches, party or not. (The funny thing is that even if I make them for at-home use and not a party, I still like to cut them up into tiny triangular finger sandwiches. It’s only right.)

When mami shared the recipe with me, I was surprised to learn that her finger sandwich recipe had a super-secret ingredient in it that I never knew about – tuna fish! I swear, you can’t even taste the tuna and the proof is that my baby girl once ate some of these finger sandwiches and didn’t complain. This finger sandwich recipe (or tea sandwich as some call them) was actually passed on to my mami by my father’s tía (aunt). Other than that, I have no idea where the recipe originated. But, it’s delicious and your guests will love your awesome finger sandwich appetizers!

Easy Tuna Fish Finger Sandwich Recipe – Great Party Appetizer Idea!

*Makes 100 Finger Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of Bumble Bee tuna fish, in water, drained
• Roasted red peppers, canned or jarred, drained
• Sandwich spread, 15 oz.
• Kraft Cheez Whiz, 15 oz.
• White bread

Steps:

1. Mix tuna fish and red peppers in blender.
2. Add sandwich spread and Cheez Whiz to the blended mix and stir well.
3. Spread mixture on 2 pieces of bread and make a sandwich.
4. Cut crusts off bread and cut sandwich into quarters, in a triangle shape.
5. Serve and enjoy!

You can actually make the mixture and refrigerate it for later, if you don’t necessarily want a bunch of finger sandwiches or don’t have the need for that many for your party.

Do you have a favorite finger sandwich (or tea sandwich) recipe you serve at parties?

Disclosure: modernmami is a member of the Bumble Bee Squad through Bumble Bee Foods.

Photos copyright Melanie Edwards/modernmami.com