Birthday Tacos

This seems to be the season for birthdays in Alejandro's family.  March 31st was the birthday of his sister Sandra, and tomorrow is his birthday.  Yesterday afternoon, Alejandro, Sandra, his nephew Ezra and I piled into the car and made the journey across town to the home of his Aunt Araceli to celebrate her birthday.

Although there wasn't a cake, we didn't sing the birthday song "Las Mañanitas", and we didn't have tamales (which are traditional for birthdays), it was a big family get together so typical of Mexico.  There were even relatives that I do not recall having met before.  (Trying to remember everyone and their names is, even after all these years, still difficult.  However, I think I am making progress.)

To accommodate everyone, furniture was moved, and long tables were set up.  Even then, we ate in shifts.  From early morning, Araceli's husband Salvador and their daughter Silvia had been preparing the birthday feast.  

Big pots of steaming meat, piles of hot tortillas, and bowls of spicy salsa were brought to the table to make a variety of tacos.  There was "alambre" (beef prepared with onions, peppers and cheese), "longaniza" (a pork sausage originally from Spain, but typical of many Spanish-speaking countries), and "carnitas" (pieces of pork braised for hours in lard).  I have to say that these were some of the best tacos that I have ever eaten, and I lost track of how many I ate... probably more than a dozen.  As always, you never leave Aunt Araceli's house without a very full tummy!

It was after ten o'clock before the party started to break up, and by the time farewells, hugs and kisses were said to everyone, it was around eleven before we were in the car and headed back.  Before I went to bed, I had to hide the Easter eggs for this morning's Easter egg hunt.

I was the first one awake this morning, and I am waiting for the others, so Ezra can search for the plastic eggs.

Happy Easter to all my readers!