It’d be a shame to wait until Cinco de Mayo to make this great spread of vibrant Tex-Mex dishes. The main dish is beef fajitas: a well-marinated skirt steak is grilled to perfection, then stuffed into tortillas and garnished with homemade salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce, or whatever fajita condiments your group prefers. If it will be impossible to grill where you’ll be picknicking, make the beef ahead of time and bring it along.

For a nonalcoholic drink, we’ve suggested horchata, a sweet beverage made from rice that’s popular throughout Spain and Mexico. For dessert, an authentic Pastel Tres Leches - "Three-Milk Cake" - is easy to transport and needs no ice cream to sparkle.

The spicy notes of these dishes go best with a light beer like Corona.

Choose an all-inlcusive picnic basket for your South-of-the-Border picnic that includes ample cooler sections with cutlery, place settings, cutting boards, salt & pepper shakers, air-tight containers, cotton napkins & tablecloths and possibly even a blanket.