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GMQC celebrates Cinco de Mayo with tasty carnitas tacos, flan, margaritas

Good Morning Quad Cities celebrated May 5 in a delicious way with Mexican food and drinks.

MOLINE, Ill. — Cinco de Mayo, which translates from Spanish to "May 5," began as a holiday that celebrated Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. But over time, the holiday has become more popular in the U.S. than in Mexico itself.

Many in the U.S. use the holiday as a reason to enjoy Mexican food and drinks, and News 8's Angie Sharp, Andrew Stutzke, Linda Swinford and David Bohlman did just that Thursday on Good Morning Quad Cities.

RELATED: What is Cinco de Mayo, how did it get so popular in America?

Find the recipes for the carnitas, margaritas and flan featured in the show below and have your own food fiesta.

Fall-apart carnitas in the Crockpot

Ingredients for the carnitas:

  • Pork shoulder, bone-in.
  • 3-4 onions, roughly chopped.
  • 1 quart of chicken or beef broth.
  • Chili powder.
  • Chipotle seasoning (optional).
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Apricot preserves (the secret ingredient that makes all the difference!).
  • Tortillas and taco toppings of your choice.

Lay your chopped onions in the bottom of a greased slow cooker. Season pork liberally with salt, pepper, chili powder and chipotle seasoning before placing it atop the bed of onions. Fill your slow cooker with enough chicken broth to submerge the pork about one-third of the way in liquid (do not submerge!).

Cover and let simmer on low for six to eight hours. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and trim as much fat as possible. Shred the pork with two forks. It should be fork-tender and fall off the bone. Add a little cooking liquid to keep the meat moist. Serve on warmed tortillas with a shmear of apricot preserves and other desired taco toppings, pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, cheese, etc. Enjoy!

'Fabulous' frozen margaritas

David got this margarita recipe from Ina Garten, host of "Barefoot Contessa" on Food Network. Find her recipe, which makes four to six servings, here.

A traditional Hispanic dessert

To finish off the Mexican feast on a sweet note, David made a delicious flan, which is a custard-like Hispanic dessert topped with caramelized sugar, using a recipe from A Spectacled Owl.

RELATED: No, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day

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