A Selena Tex-Mex Food Salute to La Reina

Selena Quintanilla lives forever — in her music and our hearts. This Tex-Mex food salute is our way to honor the Queen of Tex-Mex in our own FK way. We were inspired by her immortal songs, which soared through downtown Chicago last night, gracias to the National Museum of Mexican Art’s all-star tribute to la reina de Tex-Mex. The live concert in Millennium Park rocked a lineup of Latina talent that included singers Isabel Marie, Courtnie Ramirez, Rosalba Valdez, and Mariachi Sirenas (we 💖 lady mariachis).

Familia Kitchen’s very own Emily Gonzalez, below right, was there to soak in the music and scene. Turns out food was a hot topic, as it always is when Latinos get together to celebrate anything. Selena famously loved pizza, as well as the carne guisada at Hi-Ho Restaurant in her hometown of Corpus Christi. If we could have the posthumous honor, here what we would serve Selena from Familia Kitchen, con mucho amor. 

P.S. Of course, we’d also play this beautiful Spotify playlist of Selena’s greatest hits while cooking this Tex-Mex feast! #ComoLaFlor #BidiBidiBomBom forever

Super Nachos for Selena

These super nachos are super ready for Selena, loaded with all the fixings and max sabor. If you like yours con todo — with everything — this Tex-Mex take on beefed-up nachos is for you too. Here’s the secret to prepping ahead of the party, be it a family gathering or the big game: “Ahead of time, I’ll have the parts ready to go. The shredded beef and the refried beans get made the day before. All I have to do that day is melt the cheese over the tortilla chips in the oven and then load them up with toppings,” says Michelle Ezratty Murphy, one of our favorite homecooks from Phoenix, who sent us this delicioso super nachos recipe.

Dip Into 8 Layers of Tex-Mex Delicioso

This 8-layer dip is another crazy-good Tex-Mex favorite from Michelle Ezratty Murphy (see her nachos, above). Her delicioso dish is stacked with the classic siete layers, of course. And then she takes things to the next level with 1 bonus ingredient: It’s hearty, it’s filling, it’s carne! Michelle adds an extra row of ground beef, seasoned with her own mix of chile powders and spices. “The taco beef takes this dish from appetizer to meal in a minute. The flavor of the cumin and chili powder adds to the already delicious flavors,” Michelle explains. We’d like to think Selena would approve.

A Selena-Worthy Stew with Carne and Chile

We know Selena loved the carne guisada from Hi-Ho, of course, so we’d make this traditional Mexican beef stew for her, sent into Familia Kitchen by Vivi Abeja of Chicago, one of our favorite Mexican-food cooks. This traditional carne dish is the ”type of food I make when I want to eat something that feels good and fulfilling and comforting,” says Vivi. “Carne con salsa verde is, for me, super nostalgic. It’s super comforting. I’m really trying to get back to my roots and cook things that remind me of home and my abuela.”

Another huge selling point for this dish? “We think these recipes are so hard,” says Vivi. ”But it’s super simple.” She ticks off the accessible main ingredients: beef, chiles, potatoes, zucchini. All cooked in one pan, on slow simmer. That’s it, she says. ”Simple, simple, simple.” 

Tacos Forever: A Lighter Take with Papa & Rajas

If Selena wanted something light pre-show, we’d serve her these traditional tacos de papa packed with sabor. Potato tacos with rajas are a traditional go-to in Mexico when you want to make an affordable home-cooked, hearty, hot meal for a very large group. We know Selena had a big family, so we bet she was no stranger to these creamy-melty delicious tacos de papa with a hint of heat, sent into FK by Anjie Villalobos of California, one of our favorite abuela cocineras and a tremenda Mexican-comida cook.

Inspired by our posthumous salute to Selena? We invite you to make one or more of these family-famous recipes for people you love. Crank up your favorite songs by the queen of Tex-Mex and enjoy one or more of these delicioso dishes we think would be worthy of Selena Quintanilla, RIP.

Find more Selena-worthy Tex-Mex delicioso dishes here!