4th of July Party ~ Farmhouse Hacienda Style

One of our favorite holidays is the 4th of July! This year we infused our BBQ with our local hacienda flavor and it was everything! You can’t go wrong when you add tacos to the menu! Let’s get this party started …

We have created so many great places to party on our one acre farmstead including right in the driveway in front of the barn! With the absolute best views of the sunset over the edge of our mountain range. We can also see several firework shows in the distance of the city.

Our driveway is also the best place for having our own fireworks show!

The girls set the table using the Pioneer Woman’s collection of dishes and it was the perfect florals and colors for our summer soiree. You can find this beautiful collection at Walmart.

Our 4th of July Hacienda Menu consisted of carne asada tacos with all the fixings, chips & salsa and Mexican style watermelon.

I’ll share our perfect carne asada recipe at the end!

Watermelon is taken to a whole new level with the help from a squeeze of a lime and Hatch Red Chile Salt from Desert Provisions! They are a local Tucson outfit and we are loving their line of specialty spices.

Even better than that is when its added to the side of a cocktail! Yum!

Using farmhouse cookie cutters we made the cutest shapes out of watermelon for our drinks! Just slice the watermelon into 3/4″ slices and press the cookie cutter, so simple, the kids loved doing this!

We also brought this party up to the coop! It’s not a party until the chickens join you.

We had hot dogs for the kiddos to roast on the fire which could of easily been made into Sonoran hot dogs…. we will have to add that to the hacienda menu next year! If you haven’t had a Sonoran hot dog you haven’t lived! Tucson has several amazing food trucks that have them too!

What I love most about this menu is its so simple. My husband and I get to enjoy ourselves too, instead of fussing over the food. I find myself looking more and more to simplify everything so we can be apart of the party!

This recipe for carne asada has been adapted to the perfect blend of sweet and savory. With the Mesquite Salt being our secret ingredient that we’ve been missing! I found this Mesquite Salt at a local farmers market here in Tucson from Gibson’s Spice Rack. I’ve used this on our game meats too and it is a tasty addition!

Carne Asada Marinade

Ingredients (See approx. amounts in directions)

• Flank Steak
• Good Olive Oil
• Local Raw Honey
• Juice from 1 Lime
• Mesquite Salt (I used Gibson’s Spice Rack)
• Hatch Red Chili Powder (I used Desert Provisions)
• Cumin Powder
• Garlic Powder

Directions

• Starting with Olive Oil and Honey coat one side of Flank Steak. You can use the backside of a spoon to distribute.
• Squeeze 1/2 the Lime onto it.
• Use a generous shake of Mesquite Salt, Chili Powder, Cumin Powder and Garlic Powder.
• Repeat process on other side of Flank Steak.
• You can put into a container in the frig to be ready for grilling later or you can go straight to the grill with it.
• Add to a fired up grill or open fire and cook to your likin’
• Slice or chop into bite size pieces.

Serve with flour tortillas warmed on the grill, salsa and limes! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I hope you will enjoy these delicious tacos as much as we do!

We hope ya’ll have a fun and safe holiday with your family and friends!

Happy 4th of July from the desert of Tucson, Arizona!!

xoxo, The Fest Family