Tremendo #ArrozConMango

Leave it to Gio from ChatChowTV to come up with something like #ArrozConMango. He is the brand ambassador for Havana Club rum and has teamed up with the folks at Phuc Yea to combine Cuban and Vietnamese cuisine in an awesome monthly dining series. The Vietno-Cuban dishes are of course being paired with Havana Club drinks. In case you didn't know, the term "Arroz con Mango" is usually used to describe something you'd consider tremendo cluster-fuck. It's application in the name for this dining and beverage series can be interpreted as the cluster-fuck that results when you mash together Cuban and Vietnamese cuisine or it can be a play on the delicious Asian dessert that marries coconut rice with mango. Who knows?!

Celebrating Mother's Day with Colombian Empanadas

This blogpost was sponsored by Western Union.

Mother’s day in my home has always been a combination of celebrating the amazing women that made my life possible and celebrating our rich culture. My mother (or Fat Mamá Hedonist as I like to refer to her) is originally from Colombia and my grandmother still lives in Medellin, Colombia. Our family has been using Western Union to send money to my grandmother and aunts for nearly twenty years, so I’m really excited to team up with them on this campaign. Western Union is all about celebrating the little things in life like the good food we eat, the places we visit or the reasons we send money across the world, because it’s these little things that make us who we are.

Colombian Empanadas

Shrimp Road Seafood & Craft Beer Festival GIVEAWAY!

Y'all know how much I love a good giveaway and I'm here to share with you guys a weekend getaway to The Perry Hotel in Key West. I'm giving one lucky person two tickets to the Shrimp Road Seafood & Craft Beer Festival happening on April 14, 2018. So you don't have to worry about driving home after the festival, I am also giving one lucky winner a one night at The Perry Hotel where the festival is being hosted!

Keto-Friendly Spaghetti Squash Alfredo Recipe

So last year while trying to cope with my postpartum depression, raising a tiny human and dealing with baby daddy drama from ninth circle of hell... I ended up gaining about 25 pounds. By the time November came around, I was weighing as much as I did while I was 6 months pregnant. I had to tighten up the reigns on my weight because I could not afford a whole new wardrobe. I picked the worst time of the year, but the week before Christmas I decided to start the ketogenic diet. So far I'm down 27 pounds and counting.

Fried Apple Empanada Recipe!

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Imusa. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Lately, I've gotten really into combining American and Latin food. Two things I love are apple pie and my mom's empanadas. So I've decided to combine the two by making fried apple empanadas, using pie crust dough and apple pie filling.  And thanks to Imusa's awesome kitchen gadgets, making these empanadas was so easy. Their jumbo empanada maker made sealing the empanadas ridiculously easy. 

Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with National Pork Board and DiMe

Media. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

My family is a little different; we march to our own beat. So while all the Cuban-American families through out South Florida cook lechon for Noche Buena, my family makes a traditional Bandeja Paisa. On Thanksgiving, we pass on the dry turkey and have a Cuban feast instead. My mom is Colombian and my dad was Cuban, so it's how we have always celebrated in my house.

Churrasco steak Toston Nachos with Sedanos #CapturaTuCultura

This blogpost was developed in partnership with Sedano’s and DiMe Media. All opinions expressed are my own. 

This is my second year partnering up with Sedanos for the Holidays and now that I have my own family, Sedanos has really become my go-to grocery store. Trying to raise a family and offer my son healthy food options can be so costly, but Sedanos’ great prices makes feeding my family healthy food a reality. As a child, my mom always shopped at Sedanos, so I have fond childhood memories of going with my mom on grocery trips and learning how to pick fresh produce. Now as I venture into motherhood, I’ll be able to share those memories with my son at Sedanos. Their affordable prices and fresh ingredients have become so vital to my family, especially as economic times get harder.

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Prosciutto Recipe

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with National Pork Board and DiMe

Media. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

It's November and that means sweaters, turkeys and pumpkin spice everything. Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkins. I love all types of squash, but when you can even find pumpkin spice dog treats for sale then it's just overkill. So I've teamed up with the awesome folks at PorkTeInspira to talk about how pork can make everything this holiday season better, even pumpkins. I love getting something that everyone knows to be sweet and doing something new and savory with it. I'm obsessed pumpkin soup and I love it even more when it's topped with tons of crispy prosciutto.

My Mom's Cuban Picadillo Recipe

I've partnered up with Have An Olive Day! to share my mom's cuban picadillo recipe. When I'm craving comfort food, this is one of the first dishes that comes to mind. Picadillo is ground beef cooked with tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and olives. Olives are a must and they should be Spanish queen olives. Pimento stuffed olives are also acceptable, but ideally just really great quality olives.

FoodBeast Pizza Burger Recipe

I've been a huge fan of Foodbeast for years. So when they approached me to team up for a crazy food recipe, I was all in. The only catch was that the recipe had to be pizza themed and include PBR. So I started thinking about all sorts of pizza creations and then I remembered how I've re-purposed leftover pizza slices as burger buns and the rest is history. I upped the burger up with some beer braised Italian sausages and onions and this behemoth of a burger is not only delicious but insanely filling.

Is this thing still on?

It's been four months since my last blog post. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but somehow it has been. I'm happy to report I have survived the first year of motherhood. I don't know how and definitely not in one piece, but I've made it through. In case you are wondering, my son has survived as well. Being a mom has been the hardest, most emotionally draining thing I have ever done.  Throw on the fact that I'm also working full time and it's no surprise why it's been four months since my last blog post.

Candied Bacon and Pecan Blondie Recipe!

Candied bacon and pecan blondies!

Cochon555 is BACK & I've Got 2 VIP Tickets To Giveaway!

For some, Cochon555 is just another food event in a long line of all you can eat and booze events. However, I'm here to tell you that simply is not true. I've been to Cochon twice before and what I can solemnly swear is that Cochon is a pork lover's absolute dream event. It's everything SOBEWFF wishes it could be without the sand in your shoes, giant crowds and obnoxious tourists. This year's event is happening on Sunday March 26, 2017 from 4pm - 7pm at the Ritz Carlton South Beach

Beer And Popcorn: A Match Made In Hop Heaven

There was once a time when I obsessed about Art Basel and Miami Art Week. Where I'd go to Wynwood at 8am and wander the streets while artists from around the globe worked on their murals. I soaked in the street art like a tostada soaks in a cafe con leche. Now, those days seem like decades ago and the idea of getting anywhere with a baby before 10am on a weekend seems like pure lunacy. I recently trekked into Wynwood determined to see all of the new murals around the neighborhood.

Papi's Cuban Arroz Con Leche

This blogpost was developed in partnership with Sedano’s and DiMe Media. All opinions expressed are my own.

When I think back to my childhood there's a few things that always stick out to me: my parents’ cooking, Noche Buena and shopping with my mom at Sedano’s to buy groceries for the holiday feast. It’s a not so well kept secret that my dad was the real cook at home. He was a chef at a hotel in Havana, Cuba and although she won't admit it, he’s the one that taught my mom how to cook. So all of my mother’s recipes are really my dad’s, but he never complained and always let her take all of the credit. That’s a great husband, if you ask me.

Mami's Cuban-ish Congri Recipe!

This blogpost was developed in partnership with Imusa. All opinions expressed are my own.

Noche Buena is almost here and the older I get, the more I realize I need to start learning my mom's recipes so I can someday pass them onto my son. So you can get used to more of my family's recipes posted onto my blog. The recipe I'll be sharing today is my mom's Cuban-ish Congri recipe, also known as Moros y Cristianos or Arroz Moro. It's called "Cuban-ish" because of the addition of bacon, because everything is better with bacon.

Cacao Nib Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

When I was in middle school, my internal organs were 80% rice krispie treats. Even though my diet is no longer mostly sugar, I still have a soft spot in my heart for these sweet treats. So when Graze approached me about teaming up for a recipe, I decided it was time to upgrade one of my favorite childhood treats with a healthy-ish and adult twist. With some brown butter, a sprinkle of toffee and a ton of Graze’s Super Cacao Nibs, these rice treats are definitely NOT what I lived off in school, but they’re delicious all the same.

Enter To Win VIP Tickets to The South Beach Seafood Festival!

So things have been a little hectic on my end. Since my last post I gave birth to a baby boy and I haven't had more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep in the last 2 months. In an attempt to get back some kind of normalcy, I've teamed up to host a VIP ticket giveaway for the upcoming South Beach Seafood Festival. The South Beach Seafood Festival is happening on October 22, 2016 at Lummus Park in Miami Beach, FL,

Doce Provisions - Cheap and Delicious

While I was pregnant, I dreamt of all of the food I was going to inhale the minute this kid came out of me. Sushi, whiskey, medium rare meat, fresh pressed unpasteurized juices, there was a very long list. However, when push came to shove (see what I did there?) and I gave birth to my little terror bundle all I craved ravenously was Doce Provisions. I tried the food at Doce Provisions about two weeks before going into labor and I could not stop thinking about it. I was enamored with how delicious all of their food was, impressed with their presentation and obsessed with their low prices. This place was the embodiment of the Spanish "3 B." For those unfamiliar with the "3 B," it stands for bueno, bonito y barato roughly translated to "Good, Pretty and Cheap."

Attention Beer Lovers! Win Tickets to VeritageMiami's Craft Beer Tasting!

So things have been a little hectic on my end. Since my last post I gave birth to a 7lb baby boy and I haven't had more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep in the last 2 months. In an attempt to get back some kind of normalcy and sanity in my life, I'm trying to carve out some time for my blog. To kick things off, I've teamed up with the good folks at VeritageMiami to host a giveaway to their Craft Beer Tasting happening on October 5, 2016 at The Wynwood Walls.