i've had my lion's share of celebrating cinco de mayo with two-for-one pitchers of margaritas. plus you get all those free chips, refried beans and enough salsa to make you wish…to make you wish many, many things.

it may have led me to playing the tambourine on stage with a band called the clumsy lovers.

it is what it is. no judgment.

obviously my cinco de mayo's have changed a touch. i mean…i can't just pop down to the liquor store for tequila and limes. well, i could, but the effort involved is far beyond any temporary, alcohol-induced  fun that could be had.

so our holiday has changed a bit…and for the better. i certainly won't be waking up with a hangover. i'm down with that.

i also get to consume my calories in food instead of beverage…i could be into that too.

so when i became inspired at 7 am the morning of may 5th, i knew i wanted to make nachos. nachos are the bomb.com (i swear, the kids are saying this). plus kaye loves them. double win.

instead of the standard chips + shredded cheese + microwave, i took it a step further and made my own glorious queso. add that to some seasoned ground turkey + homemade guacamole.

it's a win…all the way around.

and how about a shout out for homemade guacamole. i can honestly say i have no clue what an authentic recipe would include, but the five ingredients i use can hold their own.
the queso recipe i found on pinterest was a huge win in my book. not only did it have about 15 ingredients, but i just so happened to have ALL of them on hand…or at least a substitute of sorts. this never happens in my world. #farmproblems #nailedit
see all that glorious, finely shredded cheese? it's straight from one of those giant, double bags you get in the refrigerated section at costco. people, i can't say enough about this cheese. it's changed my cooking world. 

not only do i no longer get bloodied knuckles (i've had a few fights with the cheese grater), but i no longer have to scrub the cheese grater. karli - 1, cheese grater - 0. 

and when you put the cheese in a pretty, glass bowl…well, it photographs the same. 

plus, when you melt all these ingredients together, you're left with a delicious queso that you can't get enough of. it's good and bad i have about three cups left waiting for me in the fridge. maybe i could add tequila and drink that queso down. 
the very best part, though? spending this glorious cinco de mayo with a fellow farmer's wife and her cute boys…and of course, my best gal…while both our farmer's worked. because that's what they do in may…and june…clear through to december. farmers.
 the nachos + queso + guac = total hit
 cinco de mayo…you win.