It should be no surprise by now that I enjoy celebrating special days with food; even when the day has no significance to me personally. The past several years, we’ve developed a tradition of cooking for Cinco de Mayo and eating on our tiny deck (I’m pretty sure this came about as a reward for prepping the deck for warm weather, since this is usually the first outdoor meal each year). And since we are both fans of Hot Brown and Derby Pie and the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May is the perfect excuse to enjoy these things together.

But what to do when both of these “holidays” fall on the same day? Enjoy the opportunity for hybrid cooking, of course! I did make the classic Derby Pie and Mint Julep Iced Tea, but I shook things up with the main dish: corn cakes (my Mexican Flag Cornbread made into pancakes), cilantro-lime chicken, queso, salsa, and chorizo. Muy bueno!