My son brought the idea home from a sleepover. Personally I think it is a bit gross. Basically it's taco salad in a Doritos bag. I did it once, pandering to my son's whim but afterward, even he agreed we prefer our taco salad in a salad bowl.

What about taco cups, baked in a muffin tin? Gazpacho shooters? Some mini meatballs in a mole sauce?

Forget the multi-layered dip -- yuck, always a mess. Have real guacamole, maybe someone making fresh batches as the party goes on. Jalapeno poppers? Mexican shrimp cocktail? And try the Cooking forum for all the great ideas that come out of there.

Pinterest food, really? What's wrong with Pinterest food? Anyway, I haven't had the taco salad in a bag, but Frito Pie in a bag is common for Little League games. Taco in a bag would be more than a hors d'oeuvre.

If there's a stove top where the party will be held, you can always do cheese tortillas cut into quarters. Cheddar between to flour tortillas, cooked in a fry pan (no grease) until crisp, cut into quarters. It only takes a minute to make one tortilla.

kswl2, you are from the South and have never heard of Frito Pie? What you are talking about sounds like a version of it. Honestly, it tastes ok but the presentation is tacky and grotesque. I wouldn't serve it at a party.

Yeah, the taco bag thing sounds great for Little League but maybe not for kwsl's crowd!

Quesadillas are easy finger foods if they're cut small enough. Similar to Oakley's suggestion. Guacamole and salsa on the side. You could have some just cheese, others with chicken and/or veggies or beans.

Lol, I had not heard of eating food in a bag and actually have never heard of frito pie, will google that today. We are in the early stages of planning and someone mentioned the bagged dish. I really cannot see how you could eat it and juggle a drink at the same time. This party is not being held at our house because DS2, after a few tense weeks of waiting to make sure, says he is definitely graduating from college this year and we will be out of state to celebrate that! I am still on the committee and we're talking food.

Oakley, by Pinterest food I mean something that looks crafty and "cute" in photos but is not practical at all and kind of a waste of time......like lace bows on flip flops provided for guests at a wedding.

I am at a loss for ideals because I grew up not eating Mexican food (my parents did not care for it) and as a young teen found out I had an allergy to certain foods in the apiaceae family. I steer clear of anything that might have a hint of cilantro (coriander) in it because I was actually hospitalized a couple of times when I unknowingly ate it and became so ill I needed IV fluids.

Frito Pie. I just saw this one online that uses wonton skins as cups to hold chili and toppings.

I've never heard of frito pie or taco in a bag. After googling, I hope to never be served either.

Coyote Caviar is always a hit at parties. It's originally from the Phoenix Jr League cookbook. Kswl can't have any, because of the cilantro, but she won't be there. :-)

15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained

4 oz can chopped ripe olives, drained

1 small onion, chopped

4 oz can diced green chilies

1 clove garlic, minced

4 TB cilantro, chopped

2 TB vegetable oil

2 TB lime juice

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp each: salt, crushed red pepper, cumin

1 tsp pepper

Mix all the ingredients & refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spread a block of softened cream cheese in a platter, spoon bean mixture over that. Serve with tortilla chips.

It's almost as good, and easier to serve, if you skip the cream cheese and serve the bean mix in a bowl. People can place a spoonful on a plate and dip their chips in. Or you could skip the tortillas and serve it in little phyllo cups or in disposable condiment cups with chips.

That sounds perfect, hireno, and the tiny frito pies do as well, for easily eaten party food. Thanks also to the others for quesadilla ideas and I love the gazpacho shooters :-).

Jalapeno Popper Dip is really yummy & very popular with my friends & family. Let me know if you are interested in the recipe!

Mini Flautas are very tasty and great for finger food. I usually use a spicy chicken filling, along with creamy avocado dip or queso for dipping.

Mini tostadas-- can use a variety of toppings, or set up a small "topping bar" to let people choose. Or, mini taco station. A neighbor just did this for our party, and used warmers for the beef and shredded chicken, along with lettuce/cheese/sour cream/tomatoes.

Stuffed Jalapeños, we call them Armadillo Eggs. :D

Stuffed mushrooms using a spicy taco meat mixture and cheese.

Spicy shrimp cocktail skewers.

Ceviche in lettuce cups.

One of our favorite Mexican/Southwest restaurants serves sweet potato chips (baked with chili powder) and chipotle salsa. The flavor combo is wonderful.

Individual 7-layer dips:

Lynn, I love green chiles! I put them in a lot of dishes, especially soups and stews. Good side dish: Cream Cheese Corn .... fresh grilled or frozen corn, mixed and heated with canned chopped green chiles and just enough cream cheese for a creamy consistency. Sounds bad, but is really tasty. My Mema got the recipe from a friend in NM decades ago.

(Sorry to veer off-topic!)

I'm glad that you got several other suggestions. Taco in a Bag is a kid thing. I'd never heard of it until my kids joined a swim team years ago. They are VERY popular at swim meets. Every pool we've ever swam at serves them. But they are messy, trying to spoon all the condiments into an opened frito or dorito bag. This past fall, the concession stand at my kids' high school served them for a while (I'm a volunteer). We all decided to scrap the idea at the end of the season b/c they were simply a pain to put together. The only upside to them is that for the eaters, everything is contained inside the bag, so easy to eat standing up. I'd never think to serve at an adult function when there are much nicer options. Those individual layer dips are cute, though time consuming to put together if you need to make a lot!

Now I understand Kswl, and I agree. Love the layered dip in individual cups. I make it often to go with sandwiches.

Guacamole is a must. It's not Cinco de Mayo without it.

Here's a delicious dip, can be served on Taco's also, but it's great with chips.

Mexican Dip

5-6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 sm. cans green chilies, chopped
2 sm. cans chopped black olives
6 tbsp. olive oil
4-6 tbsp. vinegar
2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Mix last 5 ingredients and pour over chopped vegetables. Mix, chill, serve with chips.

The bag things sounds vile. I'd stick with standards like shrimp cocktail, flautas, taquitos, pepper poppers, mini buritos, street tacos, etc.

Frito Pies are really very tasty if made right (to many people but, granted, not to all-LOL). But, as I mentioned already, I wouldn't serve them at an adult Cinco de Mayo event.

A friend of mine mad a salad (which I have since imitated) with black beans, chopped avocado, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, all dressed with lime juice. Really easy. The avocado breaks down a bit when you stir and makes the dressing a bit creamier.

I love Frito Chili Pies! Can't have them very often-loaded with calories, but they are delicious! I am picky about my chili on top though-and have to have onions! I don't know why, but I have never considered Frito Chili Pies as Mexican fare, they have been on burger joint menus ever since I can remember, around here, anyway.

I think a simple "taco bar" would be easy and of course you eat with your hands. Nacho's also, with Queso, Roitel and Ground Beef with slices of Jalapeno.

Some hand held ideas could be mini empanadas, they could be made sweet or savory.

I like this Mexican shrimp cocktail served from a lovely soup tureen or punch bowl. It would require little cups and perhaps tortilla chips for eating.

You could do slider sandwiches with either machaca (shredded beef) or carnitas (pork).

Albondigas skewers - Albondigas are a meatball soup and the meatballs have rice in them. The meatballs could be placed on skewers with other vegetables one would find in the soup. Or the meatballs could be served with toothpicks for ease.

Other skewers could have carne asada or grilled chicken thighs or breasts that are seasoned appropriately.

I have also made cream puff dough seasoned with cayenne and cheese (or alternating green chile and cheese) and those make a great appetizer, that is somewhat familiar.

Frito pie in bags is quite popular with kids here, but I wouldn't serve it to adults. Our daughter's birthday is on Cinco de Mayo, and we had a party one year with a taco bar that was a big hit-we had both hard and soft tortillas with all the fillings including guac. Easy, and people love it.

They're also called Walking Tacos and have been around forever...

ETA: Let me rephrase that... They've been around since I can remember, but come to think of it, I don't remember much.

Depending on the event, I think a taco bar could be fun. Otherwise I'd do quesadillas like mentioned above (so many great combos!) and/or shredded beef or short rib sopes (though the cilantro makes these-- you could do them without) and/or mini chile quiches. For something a little nicer, you could do ceviche in little plastic cups.

If it's a large group and you want pre-made items, I'd go the taquito route.. but I am not really a big fan of them.

Another nice party food/appetizer would be frico. They are lacy, parmesan cheese crisps that are very easy to make. For Cinco de Mayo I would include just a bit of toasted cumin seed.