Get started on your road to entertaining by following these low-stress menus. Remember to make it fun for yourself and don t plan alone ask your spouse, best friend, sister or mom to help out. As entertaining goes, the more the merrier!

T.G.I.F!
A Long work week is best when wrapped up with good food and close friends. Pop the meat in the marinade before heading off to work and you ll have dinner ready in no time!

Menu

Sangria
Nachos
Fajitas
Spanish Rice
Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Sangria
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 bottle (750 milliliters) dry red wine or non-alcoholic red wine
Lemon and orange slices, if desired

1. Strain juices into half-gallon glass pitcher. Stir sugar into juices until sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir wine into juice mixture. Add ice desired. Garnish with lemon and orange slices.

Nachos
28 tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
¼ cup canned chopped mild green chiles, if desired
¼ cup salsa

1. Heat oven to 400º. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place tortilla chips on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cheese and chiles.
3. Bake about 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with salsa. Serve hot.

Fajita Marinade
Don t limit yourself to using this tasty marinade for only fajitas! Meats marinated in this mixture and then cooked also make great salads and sandwiches!

¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ pepper

1. Mix all ingredients in a shallow glass or plastic dish or re-sealable plastic food-storage bag.
2. Add about 1 pound boneless or 2 to 3 pounds bone-in beef, pork or chicken, turning to coat with marinade. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate, turning meat occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Remove meat from marinade; reserve marinade. Cook meat as desired, brushing occasionally with marinade.
4. Remaining marinade must be boiled to be served as a sauce (if not boiled, discard marinade). Heat marinade to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.

Fajitas
Fajita marinade (see above)
1 ½ pound beef boneless top sirloin steak, 1 ½ inches thick
12 flour tortillas (8 to 10 inches in diameter)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 medium green or red bell peppers, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 jar (8 ounces) picante sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
1 ½ cups Guacamole
¾ cup sour cream

1. Make fajita marinade and follow recipe.
2. Heat oven to 325º.
3. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil. Heat in oven about 15 minutes or until warm. Remove tortillas from oven; keep wrapped.
4. Set oven control to broil.
5. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade. Place beef on rack in broiler pan. Broil beef with top about 3 inches from heat about 8 minutes or until brown. Turn; brush beef with marinade. Broil 7 to 8 minutes longer for medium rare to medium. Discard any remaining marinade.
6. While beef is broiling, heat oil in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions and bell peppers in oil 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.
7. Cut beef across grain into very thin slices. For each fajita, place a few slices of beef, some of the onion mixture, 1 heaping teaspoonful each picante sauce and cheese, about 2 tablespoons Guacamole and 1 tablespoon sour cream on center of tortilla. Fold 1 end of tortilla up about 1 inch over filling; fold right and left sides over folded end, overlapping. Fold remaining sides down.

Spanish Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 ½ cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook rice and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is golden brown and onion is tender.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
This special dessert separates into two layers as it bakes and becomes a fudge sauce topped with cake. Serve it warm topped with ice cream.

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup baking cocoa
1 ¾ cups very hot water
Ice cream

1. Heat oven to 350º.
2. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in an ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa over batter. Pour water evenly over batter.
4. Bake about 40 minutes or until top is dry. Cool 10 minutes.
5. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. Top with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving.