By Cheryl Ryan

I’m so excited about Cinco de Mayo this year, or the Battle of Puebla as it’s called in Mexico.  In Mexico, this holiday is no a big deal but in the U.S., we’re all about it.

I love Mexican food and there is no shortage of great recipes.

I made this vegetarian Mexican casserole recently and it’s so yummy and easy. I always use these spicy beans from Whole Foods and they make any Mexican dish so much better.

For full-on carnivores, this one looks really good.

My hiking group celebrates Cinco de Mayo by packing a frozen margarita bag and taking it with us.  Once at the top, we pour out our perfectly thawed cocktails along with some apps and then gingerly make our way back down. After my first Cinco de Mayo hike with them, I knew it was the group for me.  I’d like to make these avocado fries for my appetizer contribution but these homemade churros might be easier to carry in.

Looking for some cool party ideas?  Here you go.

Mother’s Day

When my kids were little I was showered with beautiful handmade gifts and burnt toast in bed. Oh, how I loved it. When they were teenagers I proclaimed it my special day and demanded attendance, you can imagine their excitement. It often turned into a day trip to Santa Cruz which at least one of us was really enjoying.

Now, I don’t always get to see them all together but I still feel like it’s my special day and, out of tradition, my husband always asks what I want to do that day. This year is special because now my daughter is a mother. Fortunately, we’ve still got both of our mothers with us and now we’re celebrating the next generation of mothers.

As a California kindergartner I learned the Mexican hat dance for Cinco de Mayo and every Cinco de Mayo I think about it. It’s so interesting to me how learning something to music locks it in for decades, or maybe ever. 

What is your favorite locked-in childhood memory?