Up to 2 Months Before
- Make Smokey Chipotle Corn Bread; cool completely. Freeze bread tightly covered.
- Make Frozen Cinnamon-Chocolate Dessert (if served), but do not make sauce; store tightly covered in freezer. (For a crowd-size dessert, double the recipe and put in a 13x9-inch baking pan.)
Up to 1 Week Before
- Make Margarita Chex® Fiesta Mix; store tightly covered.
The Day Before
- Make Tortilla Straws for Santa Fe Salad with Tortilla Straws; cool completely and store tightly covered.
- Make Cilantro-Lime Salsa to serve with grilled chicken; store covered in refrigerator.
The Morning Of
- Remove corn bread from freezer; let stand covered at room temperature.
- Make Cinnamon-Chocolate Sauce for Frozen Cinnamon-Chocolate Dessert (if served); store covered in refrigerator.
- Prepare salad greens, veggies, olives and shredded cheese for Santa Fe Salad with Tortilla Straws; store tightly covered in separate containers in refrigerator.
- Cook and crumble bacon, shred cheese and chop parsley for Pepper Jack-Bacon Mashers; store tightly covered in separate containers in refrigerator.
- Measure dry ingredients for Mexican Coffee; cover.
About 2 Hours Before Guests Arrive
- Prepare and bake Orange Flan Cakes (if served), and want them served warm. (Cakes can be prepared in the morning or day before, stored in refrigerator and served cold.)
About 1 Hour Before Guests Arrive
- Salt rims of margarita glasses.
- Make Creamy Avocado Dressing for Santa Fe Salad with Tortilla Straws; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
About 1/2 Hour Before Guests Arrive
- Prepare Portabellas with Corn Salsa.
When Guests Arrive
- Heat charcoal for grilling, if used.
- Mix Mangoritas; serve. Offer lemonade and sodas.
- Serve Margarita Chex ® Fiesta Mix and Portabellas with Corn Salsa.
About 30 Minutes Before Serving the Meal
- Prepare and grill Grilled Taco-Barbecue Chicken.
- Prepare Pepper Jack-Bacon Mashers; keep warm.
- Heat corn bread (wrapped in foil) on grill or in oven until hot.
Just Before Serving the Meal
- Assemble Santa Fe Salad with Tortilla Straws.
About 20 Minutes Before Dessert
- Make Mexican Coffee.
- Remove dessert from freezer, and place in refrigerator for easier cutting.