HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

[tumadre]

OK, tomorrow night I'm having an informal, family party for my daughter and her friend. They're both going away to college...but Jess (daughter) is going to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Callie is going to Sydney, Australia. What food? All I can think of for decorations is a kangaroo and a sombrero!
Come on, Aussies! Wait, Pedro must have some ideas! Isn't he half Irish & half Mexican? But t's the Aussie stuff I really need help with...
:banana:

Why did I just now think of this? Can I blame it on the lack of alcohol? :H

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Lamingtons is your answer.

I hope this is not too late.

Get your painting set out (because I am assuming you don't have a cupboard full of handy Australian flags?) and get painting and cutting out some Aussie flags.

These flags could be of various sizes to add splendour to your table of Aussie Lamingtons, ie you could attach small Aussie flags to toothpicks and away you go.

You could also dot a few plates of Vegemite sandwiches around the table.

Of course, the Aussie Meat Pie should not be overlooked.

Scatter a few gum leaves around (or paint and cut some out).

Find some copies of Waltzing Matilda and Advance Australia Fair (via the net?).

Don your best sunnies, crank up the central heating, open a few jars of flies and have a great time!

LAMINGTONS

The cake bit

Ingredients:

125g softened butter
125g castor sugar
2 eggs
vanilla essence
225g self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add beaten eggs, mixing well.
Fold flour and milk into the mixture alternately.
Add vanilla essence.
Pour into two greased 18 cm sandwich tins and cook at 180 degrees C for 25–30 mins or use one deep square tin and cook for 45 mins.
Allow cake to cool completely then cut into squares and cover in icing.

The icing bit

Ingredients:

500g icing sugar
25g butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
4 tablespoons boiling water
vanilla essence
desiccated coconut

Method:

Mix cocoa and water together.
Add butter, vanilla and icing sugar.
Cover squares of cake in icing and roll in coconut.




THE FAMOUS AUSSIE MEAT PIE

Ingredients

500g / 1lb chuck or blade steak
2 tablespoons flour
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 x 375g / 12 oz packet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Beaten egg to glaze

Directions

Trim gristle and fat from steak, cut into thin shreds, then chop very finely. Dust with flour, salt and pepper and place in the top of a double boiler or pudding pan.
Place enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of bowl, simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Replace water in saucepan as necessary to maintain level.
Allow to cool completely.
Roll out pastry dough thin and cut 3/4 of it to fit individual round, oblong or square pie tins. Line tins with dough, and fill about 3/4 full with meat filling. Cut lids from remaining dough, dampen edges and put into place .
Cut a vent in the top of each pie for steam to escape. Chill for 15 minutes, then brush with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200 C / 400 F) for 25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with tomato sauce (ketchup).

[tumadre]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Bluebell-
Definitely not too late!! Well done!:clapclap:
OK-Flags, (both Mexico & Australia), Vegemite sandwiches:yuk:, gum leaves, Waltzing Matilda, cake...Are the Lamintons the cake, or the meat pies?
Umm, wonder where I can buy a jar of flies? Asking politely, now...do those meat pies actually taste good?
Tumadre

Any other Aussies wanna chime in? :alf:

[Accountable for Me]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

How about some good ol' fashioned tacos and burritos??

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

A Lamington

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

A Meat Pie

[Flip]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

You also need pavlova and cocktail frankfurts with tomato sauce. Snags and prawns on the BBQ.

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Tumadre, it's a pity you didn't give us more warning.

Everyone here in Oz could have been collecting flies in jars for you and sent them on.

What a pity.

Mind you, I did have another idea but had to shelve it. Couldn't get the damn Brown Snake into the Post Pack. It sure was a squirmer. Oh well.

Re Meat Pies - Yes, they do taste good but have about 6 million calories in them. I think.

[Determinator]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Flies!!! my word, that is too funny.. I'd forgotten how many flies we hadn in FNQ.

well, for the Mexican bit: bean dip and tortilla chips is fast and easy. also "make it yourself" deconstructed tacos are great and festive. You might be able to find Aussie meat pies frozen in some larger metropolitan places...just not sure. Thanks Bluebell for the picture of the pie with tamato sauce (ketchup to us yanks)...sure brought back some memories....getting hungry now.

[tawnyfrog]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Bluebell ...

Do you have a pic of Fairy Bread???????

[Determinator]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

oooh! sausage rolls! easy to make too. get some good pizza dough and roll it out like to make a pizza but wrap up some good sausages (letting the ends poke out just a tad) and pop in the oven til yummy.

next how to make a chiko roll? hmmm. might take a few minutes to come back to me...

[Rags]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Tawny,
Where is she going to get hundreds and thousands for the fairy bread?
And I bet you can't get Rosella Tomato sauce in the States.
Determinator,
I've made sausage rolls like that. ..... SCRUMMY And so easy.
No No No don't inflict a chiko roll on them!!!!
Thongs. They all have to wear thongs. And practice the Aussie salute.
Rags.

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

Fairy Bread

[Bluebell]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

In case you want to trace it.

[Determinator]

HELP! Need Aussie/Mexican Theme Party Ideas!!

and they have to wear brown stubbies! ha ha!