Food can be an important part of any great celebration and Cinco de Mayo is no exception.  When you plan your gathering, take some time to plan a great menu that will keep the guests full the whole night through.

Appetizers to get the party going

Taquitos can be a fun choice for a party.  Tweak them with your own taste (and what might be in the pantry).  Basically, you will need some small tortillas, meat (already cooked and shredded), a smokey cheese (or any variety of cheese along with a drop of liquid smoke) and some salsa.  Stir together all of your ingredients and then place a couple of spoonfuls into a tortilla.  Tuck the top and the bottom of the tortilla before you roll it up.  Dot it with a little bit of olive oil and place on a cooking sheet that has been sprayed with no-stick spray (or covered with aluminum foil for easy clean up).  Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes at about 450ºF. 

 Dips and Cinco de Mayo - a great combo

Go crazy with the salsas, cheese dips, and guacamole mixes.  Offer a variety of dipping mechanisms from vegetable sticks to corn chips to pita chips.  Keep it interesting and surprising and your dip table will be the most popular table at the party.

Of course - leave room for the main course too

There is no limit to what you can serve for dinner at your Cinco de Mayo party.  It really all comes back to how you want to eat.  If you don't mind your guests eating with their hands (and what party isn't complete without that option), then you can serve traditional tacos.  Use a bar to serve the food so that guests can create their own tacos.

If you want to take it up a little higher, then create some dishes your guests will be talking about for weeks to come.  There are dozens of websites that offer great recipes with easy-to-follow instructions.  This one came from Allrecipes and got some great reviews:

Chicken with Chipotle

8 chicken leg quarters (with skin)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon butter
salt (to taste)

You will need to preheat the stove to 375 ºF.  Roast the chicken legs until the skin gets crispy (around 30 to 40 minutes).  While the chicken is in the oven, mix the milk, sour cream, chipotle peppers and chicken bullion in a blender or food processor and puree until the mixture is smooth.  Melt the margarine in a large pan over medium heat then pour in the puree.  Bring it to a simmer and then turn the heat to low and reduce.  Add salt to taste for seasoning.  When the chicken is cooked, add it to the reduced puree and let it simmer in the pan for around 10 minutes (or more) to take on the flavor of the sauce.

Refried beans and some rice complete the meal.