Dia de Muertos: Menu Plan (with links!) and a lazy Horchata recipe
For those following me on Instagram, you were privy to photos of the dinner menu I put together for my fella's birthday. Over the last few months, we have developed a bit of a romantic relationship with all sorts of Mexican food, and so I carried that love into his birthday dinner. I couldn't resist following up last week's Dia de Muertos post with the full details (scroll down to the end for a Horchata recipe).
After having a beautiful sugar skull clock custom made for him, I knew a subtle Dia de Muertos themed evening was pretty much the greatest idea ever. Nothing like a good gift to set me up for a themed adventure! I ordered a cute little party banner from Kiwi Tini on Etsy, draped a cute scarf and fabric over my table, put a fun Mexican dance/salsa mix on Songza and voila! My kitchen oozed with colourful, spicy atmosphere.
Loading
Here is a shot of the menu I doodled for the occasion:
After a few requests for recipes, I thought I'd be a doll and put all the links in one place. Below are the menu items and the links to the websites/blogs I found them on. For once in my life, I followed recipes pretty closely and so there are limited substitutions to report!! The one exception is the Horchata rice pudding--see notes below for details (and my take on a Horchata recipe).
If the thought has crossed your mind to host a Dia de Muertos dinner party for Halloween this year, look no further than this menu:
Dia de Muertos Themed Dinner Menu
Drink:
Pomegranate Mojito Mocktail (via www.soberjulie.com)
Starter:
Gorditas "Little Fat Ones" (via www.justapinch.com)
with chorizo cooked in red wine, queso fresco, pickled red onion, radish, and tomatillo salsa
Main:
Pulled Pork Burritos (via www.simplyrecipes.com)
with refried black beans, guacamole, shredded cabbage, queso fresco, homemade salsa fresca and lime crema
Dessert:
Mango Horchata Rice Pudding (via www.bhg.com) **Recipe for Horchata Below
Banana Taquitos (via www.afewshortcuts.com)
The entire menu was amazing. Gorditas are my new obsession, and I suspect my new dietary staple.
So. In. Love.
Despite all the yumminess, I highly recommend the Horchata Rice Pudding recipe from Better Homes and Gardens... I made mine dairy-free using homemade sweetened condensed coconut milk and an easy Horchata "hack" that I am absolutely in love with. Scroll down for the recipe!
Loading
After researching what Horchata is, and the best ways to make it (this post from Noshon.it is amazingly detailed), I decided on a short cut that would do in a pinch. I used the ratio from the Nosh post to come up with a quick solution that required only a mason jar.
Lazy Horchata Recipe
(very loosely adapted from Noshon.it)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Almond Milk
- 1 cup Rice Milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Materials:
- 1 Large (1L) mason jar
Directions:
- Add almond milk, rice milk, and cinnamon sticks to mason jar.
- Close the jar and shake gently. Refrigerate at least overnight, or up to two or three days.
- Serve cold with ice, or use in recipes like rice pudding.
Makes 1L (just enough for the Rice Pudding!)
Enjoy!

4 comments
I've never had Horchata and always wanted to try it. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Found you on the Dwell Beautiful link up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! This recipe is oh-so-lazy and addictive. :)
DeleteBeautiful photos, and a wonderful recipe! My name is Katie and I host Fall Into the Holidays, now open. All entries get pinned. I would love to have you link up!
ReplyDeleteThis turned out so cute! I love how you made out the menu!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments! I love reading them all and will reply when I can.
xo♥clem