Birthday Tacos

While yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, we had our Mexican food a week early to celebrate Herr J's birthday.  (OK, I'll be honest, we eat Mexican food fairly often around here...brisket tacos, slow roasted pork, enchiladas verde...the Texan in me can't resist!)

Yes, I know Birthday Tacos and Warsteiner may seem a little strange, but there's a nice story behind this one.  

Herr J learned German in junior high & high school (lucky guy!!), then got the opportunity to study abroad during university.  So he spent a semester taking engineering classes at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule in Aachen.  What a name!  Translated, it is the "Technical University of Rheinland-Westphalia"

While he was in Aachen, two big milestones ocurred:

(1) He had his first German beer (Warsteiner), and
(2) He turned 21.

From that experience, he has a special place in his heart for Warsteiner as his introduction to German beers. And also for his host family, who wanted to give him a nice birthday celebration. The 21st is a relatively insignificant birthday to a German, as it's not a "round" birthday and the kids have been drinking for years already, but they knew it was a significant one to an American and wanted to make it special.

Herr J's host mom offered to cook whatever he wanted for dinner, and told him to invite his classmates (about 10 others in the program).  Having had been there for 2 months at that point, he was craving something he hadn't had for a while...

Herr J:  "I would like tacos for dinner."

Host Mom:  "I don't know how to make those!" (with a very worried expression)

Herr J:  "Just brown some ground beef and spices, heat up corn tortillas, and fill them with the meat, cheese, tomatos, and lettuce."

Host Mom:  "I can get the ingredients, except I have never ever seen crispy corn shells.  And when I get the ingredients, I would not know how to make the tacos!"

So Herr J offered to find the corn tortillas and make tacos for everyone - something completely new to the family. So, after searching every specialty and import shop in Aachen, he found some taco seasoning and shells, helped them all cook up the ground beef and chop up the toppings. And they LOVED it!! The boys finished off every last bit and were instant converts to American-style tacos.  Host Mom was a little unhappy that the guest was cooking, but baked TWO cakes so that everyone could have a huge piece.

So, I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate another birthday in Germany, and also an excuse to make the Old El Paso type tacos that we never eat anymore. I'd forgotten how great the crunchy tacos are!! It won't stop me from going to Milagros for some Cochinita Pibil tacos, but these are definitely going back into the rotation!

Though I don't know if I'm allowed to give the number of years (this was another BIG, ROUND birthday), there was something orange for each year, including this cute mini-cake in the photo below.  Due to some time pressures (you know, waiting till the last minute combined with having a job...) and not finding the right decorating tips, it didn't quite look as I'd envisioned, but it truly tasted wonderful.  White cake plus the great Magnolia Bakery buttercream frosting recipe that's all over the internet.

Last year I surprised him with his favorite childhood birthday cake, the Icebox Cake. I'd never heard of it (must be a Northern cake??) but now have been enlightened.  Even my parents now are making them, so Herr J has helped spread the Icebox Cake love.

One small problem, the store only had letter candles, and since it was a mini-cake, I couldn't fit them all. So, I had to do a little quick abbreviating and skip the "APPY" and "IRTHDAY" candles.  Luckily, "HB" around here also means Hofbräu, it's acceptable :)

On a related note...the cake mold was so cute I just had to try it. They also make a high-heeled shoe I'm dying to try, but somehow it didn't quite seem appropriate for Herr J's birthday.  Perhaps another time....