Prior to making these, the last scones I had were this past March. Those scones weren’t my favorite but they were part of an even bigger overall experience – my first afternoon high tea, my first trip to London and my first time ever traveling alone.
I got to London early on a Thursday morning and after napping off my jetlag, afternoon tea at the Brown’s hotel was my first scheduled activity. I was excited but incredibly paranoid. I couldn’t shake the feeling that other guests were wondering why the heck I was sitting there by myself sipping on champagne while waiting for tea. (Oh yes, traditional afternoon tea was not enough, I had to go all the way and add the bubbles.)
Because I could only page through my London guide book but for so long, I wanted to chat with those sitting around me. However, I was still unsure as to how I was going to answer the inevitable “are you here alone” question. Was my travel buddy sick? Or was my husband at stuck at work or at a conference? Or was I waiting for friends? (I’ll save you some of my other crazier explanations.)
Yet all it took was a smile and hello to those at the table next to me – which turned out to be a mother and son from China who were seeing each other for the first time since the son left China 15 years ago – and the rest was history. What proceeded was tons of chatter, laughter and a good dose of nodding (to mom that is because she only spoke Chinese). We asked each other questions, he spoke about London, I spoke about New York and all of my “fears” were forgotten for a while. He gave me his phone number and offered to take me around London to see the sites. The rest of my stay was quite busy so I never got around to calling him. But I thank him and his kind mother for helping me come out of my shell and keeping me company during the first part of what turned out to be one of the most amazing trips I have ever taken. Read more
So by now it’s old news that Gwyneth Paltrow wrote a cookbook and “graced” the cover of Bon Appetit. I have to admit that at first, I couldn’t wrap my head around all it. I mean, of all the celebs, I didn’t think that I could respect Paltrow as a foodie.
Whether we like it or not, celebrities (not to be confused with celebrity chefs) are infiltrating the food industry. They have always been there. But food is hot right now. So they are using cookbooks as their new status symbol. And since Paltrow is a super famous celeb after all I couldn’t say no when I was offered a copy of the book My Father’s Daughter.
I’m glad I stopped rolling my eyes after flipping through the book’s first few pages. I mean don’t get me wrong – there is nothing earth shattering about it. You won’t hear the angels calling or have some sort of foodie epiphany from it. Many people have bought and will continue to buy the book simply because it’s Paltrow’s. But once you get passed that, you will be left with a great collection of solid go-to recipes that are healthy without being too preachy. Read more
This little bit of sweet Latin Flair will keep you cool all summer long. My cyber amigas over at Muy Bueno Cookbook asked me to test a recipe from their upcoming book and when I saw that it called for papaya (or lechosa as my mami calls it) I jumped at the opportunity. And the fact that the recipe was for popsicles – well, the young chica that chased the neighborhood Good Humor Truck came out of me and made me feel all gitty inside. For the recipe, check out my guest post.
And if you do not have a Zoku Popsicle maker at home, do yourself a HUGE favor and buy one this weekend. You will thank yourself a million times over for making the small investment.
When life gives you lemons, swap them for limes (my oh so favorite citrus) and make this pie. I know before I told you to make these cookies, which are great too. But if pie is more your thing, then this one’s for you.
And as if lime wasn’t a good enough reason to whip up this confection, there’s also its graham cracker crust. Don’t get me wrong, ever since I perfected the art of making homemade pie crusts, I can’t get enough of them. But sometimes (or most times for this chica), you want something that easy and simple. Just mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, press into a pie pan, bake for a few minutes and voila! – You have a graham cracker crust. No frills. Easy. And delicious.
Making the filling is just as easy. Read more
Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. I wish life was such that I could enjoy freshly made quiches, pancakes, waffles and biscuit egg sandwiches every morning. And not to mention mimosas. Nothing like throwing a few bubbles in the mix to make even the most ordinary meals a little fancy.
Since life, or namely work, gets in the way, I normally save the champagne breakfasts for the weekend. But that doesn’t mean that weekdays have to be boring. Oh no sir. Bring in the homemade granola. Read more
I know what I have been bombarding you with tons lemon over the last few months – risotto, madeleines, biscotti, cake and cookies. But I seriously can’t get enough lemony goodness. And because this next recipe is perfect for summer, I’ve got one more.
I absolutely ADORE summer and all the wonderful things it brings with it – warm weather, sunshine, longer days, sundresses and strappy sandals just to name a few. But even this tropical chica gets uncomfortable during the hot, sticky, humid New York City summer days given the fact that I have like 537 more sweat glands than the average person.
When air conditioning isn’t available to provide quick relief, nothing beats a few scoops of sorbet. Ice cream is good too. But the lighter, icy consistency of sorbet really hits the spot. Add lemon to the mix, and you have got a winner. Read more
Making these cookies reminded me of some of my foodie favorites, particularly my favorite (and craziest) food memory. Like many of my foodie favorites, this memory involves pork – and lots of it.
When many learn that my family is from the Dominican Republic, they immediate think oh yes, island…beach…fun in the sun. But my roots are far from that. Yes, there are gorgeous beaches on the island. However, the closest to Santiago, where my family is from, is over an hour drive away. So even though spending my summers there as a child provided a drastic change from the concrete jungle of New York City, it really wasn’t the sort of change I wanted.
You see, I come from a family of farmers. And while my uncles all grow their fair share of plantains, yuca and other yummy starchy veggies, their “bread and butter” comes from their pig farms. My family sells lots of pork and eats probably more of it. It’s seriously a major food group of ours. So keep that in mind with what I am about to say. Read more
(Pardon the picture quality folks. This was the best I could do after I recovered from my “what the hell did my computer just do” meltdown.)
For quite some time, biscotti making proved to be the bane of my existence.
No matter how hard I tried, whenever I took the pan out of the oven after the first bake, I always ended up with an unappetizing blob of dough. Or when the dough decided to be nice and not spread all over the place, it was really a trick. Because the minute I started slicing it, it fell apart into a crumby mess. Enough to drive a chica crazy! I thought about throwing in the white flag but it became my mission to beat biscotti at this game it was playing with me.
I tried again after seeing the many biscotti recipes in Alice Medrich’s Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, aka, my new cookie bible. Read more
Ever have so much to do or say that you don’t know where to start? It’s been the story of my life for the last few months. I want to share so much. Like details from my first ever solo trip to London. And stories from my adventures with my bestie Teresa through Barcelona and Rome. And how I feel about the new celebrity cookbook trend as I continue to page through Gweneth Paltrow’s new cookbook and Bon Appetit with her on the cover (have quite a mouthful to share, for sure). And how I’m going to start unravelling next week.
But instead of continuing to get all worked up I’ll bring you some bars. Some really, really good ones. Slap yo mama good!
Bars are really like cookies minus the fuss of forming/cutting/portioning. Simply plop all the ingredients into a pan, spread ‘em out, bake, cool, cut and enjoy. Read more
Inside Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Curb Market
any place where I can buy whole pigs is my kinda place
Life has been getting a little in the way of blogging over the last couple of months. I have tried to not beat myself up over it. But have been looking forward to this year’s annual BlogHerFood Conference in Atlanta in an effort to get my blogging mojo back.
There was a lot to be learned over the last couple of days related to social media, branding, photography, recipe development and search engine optimization just to name a few. While I came back refreshed and ready to blog, many of the lessons that I came away with are ones that will help me in many other aspects of my life. And I wanted to share some of them with you in the hopes that they help you too.
Dive deep into your passion.
Try to figure out who you are and then, be yourself. Don’t try to be like anyone else.
Never give up on what you truly love.
Indulge in life and don’t limit yourself. Experience everything that life has to offer – not just the familiar. Look beyond what is in front of you.
Appreciate the chapter of life you are currently in. They all close and change throughout your lifetime.
Be genuine, honest and true to yourself.
Find the beauty in the messy. Don’t just look for perfection. Look for character.
Be clear about your mission in life. Write it down and look at it. And know that it will evolve and change over time.
Don’t over think stuff; just be mindful. But also play devil’s advocate.
Strive for perfection in whatever it is that you are good at.
Thank you BlogHer. Read more
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