Weekend Inspiration

My life has been a whirlwind of insanity over the last couple of weeks. But I've cleared my mind a bit and am taking more of a laid back approach to all of the curve balls life is throwing my way. And here are a couple of things that are making me happy along the way...

Smitten Kitchen's Scalloped Tomatoes recipe. To say I love tomatoes is an understatement. I can't live without them! And this dish is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Tomatoes, bread and cheese...what's not to love. If you happen to have leftovers, try it for lunch with a poached egg on top. Heaven! We picked up enough tomatoes at the farm last weekend to make lots and lots of batches!

My new royal blue pebble Clare Vivier Foldover Clutch. It's such a beauty. I love the color and the texture. And the pop of red. I've been rocking the Bando for the last couple of weeks but I think the clutch just beat it out as my new go-to bag.

I didn't think it was possible to love Feist more than I already do and then I listened to her new album, Metals. Love!

Heather's webisodes have become my go-to resource for easy and tasty recipes (her plum and tomato salad has become a favorite around here, and her salad dressing is perfection). But truth be told...they make me happy. Heather is adorable, the music is uplifting, the colors in the videos are beautiful, and I so want to live in her house (or her backyard). Seriously, if you need a pick-me-up, hop on over and hit play.

PS: I'm back on Little Skyline (my blog for moms and little ones) with Fall fun, art and food.

Have a great weekend!

Lobster Love

Joanna's post today reminded me that there was an upside to my failed McQueen attempt 2 weeks back: an amazing lobster lunch at Luke's Lobster in the East Village. It was a happy accident because we were headed to Caracas Arepa Bar but the wait was too long. I wasn't even aware of all the lobster roll hype (in fact, I thought my comadre was referring to sushi when she asked if I wanted a lobster roll), but I kid you not, these things are DELICIOUS! I don't even think we stopped to take a breath other than to repeatedly share how delicious the rolls where.

A little weekend inspiration...

I started a blog for moms and little ones called Little Skyline...check it out 

The coolest cupcake stand ever (it involves vintage records)

Flan cupcakes, coquito cupcakes, tres leches cupcakes...enough said!

I love this lipstick color and this one

A new literary Pandora

Alt Latino's reinterpretations

Sunday family dinners

On Sunday, Jules and I were treated to an impromptu family dinner at my aunt's house. Something we used to do all the time when I was growing up, but is now reserved for the holidays. It was nice to just kick back all afternoon with loved ones, and then share laughs over a good meal. Normally, my Sunday evenings are spent getting ready for the work/school week (and trying to get it done before my Sunday night shows). But this little get-together reminded me that it's okay to let things go every now and again. That I need to make more time for things that really matter. And that weekends should not be cut short! Now I just need to figure out when the laundry is going to get done.

And I'm making it a point to bring back Sunday brunch with the girls and kiddies. A tradition we start at the beginning of every year, but can never seem to keep going past Spring.

 images via Sunday Suppers

Music and Margaritas

With nice weather finally here, so begins summer music and festival season. We kicked it off this past weekend with a trip to the KindieFest Family Festival in Park Slope. It was awesome! Really great music, lots of instruments and a bar.  I was super excited to see Elizabeth Mitchell, but I was blown away by every artist I saw.

We then stumbled upon Bogota Latin Bistro. I'm a sucker for restaurants with back terraces and this one did not disappoint. Neither did the food. My girl Celia was there. And they gave Jules Wikki Stix.

Hello...again

It's been a little over three weeks since my last post! To say life has been hectic is an understatement. I had to head down to Miami for work so I got to spend a couple of days enjoying the sun and surf with my little one and my sister. It's always nice to disconnect and enjoy the beach, but it's so much more amazing to share the experience with my love. And he's a water sign to boot.

I've been all about cooking since I got back from my trip so I was excited to learn that Todd Selby is taking his knack for profiling creative individuals in their equally creative spaces to the kitchens of creative food people with the launch of Edible Selby. The pictures alone are enough to get me over to the new site, but there are recipes too.

 

Slow weekend mornings

Given our hectic weekday schedule, weekends must move at a slow pace...at least in the morning. And luckily, Jules is pretty good about giving into a laid-back weekend schedule. Here's how we go about our easy breezy weekend mornings...

Tunes and brunch on Saturday. For us, Saturday mornings are about staying in bed for as long as possible. Jules wakes up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 and climbs into my bed to watch TV. He gets his milk as usual, but we don't head over to the kitchen to have breakfast. Instead, we have something small like a muffin in bed (who would've thought I'd ever eat in bed!) and just hang for the rest of the morning. When the weather cooperates, we walk over to the park for a bit before brunch. Otherwise, I pull up one of our fav Pandora weekend stations and we dance, color or play low-key games...ultimately, we just chill.

 image via here

 image via here

Pancakes and flowers on Sunday. Pancakes and OJ have become our Sunday ritual. I cook up an entire batch and refrigerate some for the week ahead. This has really helped us shake up our weekday breakfast routine and it gives me a break throughout the week as well.

 image via here

 image via here

I've also started to embrace Sunday morning food experiences (referring to grocery shopping as food experiences makes it feel less dreadful). I usually try to avoid running errands on the weekends, but given my new approach to food experiences and my handy shopping list, I've taken to making this part of our Sunday routine (when necessary). I try to make it fun for Jules by encouraging him to call out the names and colors of the food. And the folks at Trader Joe's are great about handing out stickers or balloons (proof of the sticker fun below). He also insists that we have flowers in the house at all times (when we don't have any he walks around saying 'my flowers mama, what happened') so he helps me pick them out. And with Spring around the corner (I hope), Sunday morning trips to the farmers market will help set a relaxed tone for our Sunday fundays. 

 image via here

Weekend comfort

Unfortunately, it's one of those days. I don't feel well. It's cold and rainy. And I have a busy weekend ahead of me. All I want is to hang at home with my little guy and eat comfort food. Some inspiration...

I love the contrast between the wood beams and cast-iron columns in Christiane Lemieux's (of DwellStudio) loft.

This brass and crystal chandelier is just gorgeous. I have a similar pearl drop chandelier that I would love to trade in for this one.

Double-width bathroom doorway...sigh.

Homemade focaccia bread...a bit too ambitious for this weekend, but yum!

Delicious and easy chicken tortilla soup...right up my alley!

And the recipe exchange fun continues over at Pretty Mommy. J.P of C'est la Vie's recipe for Huevos Rancheros is on my agenda for the weekend.

Light and bright fish and couscous recipes

Today I bring you two easy and delicious recipes as part of Michelle's (Pretty Mommy) Beat the Winter Blues Recipe Exchange. The theme for this exchange is light and fresh recipes to get us through the last of winter (although there seems to be no end in sight!).

I immediately thought of my favorite Fish in a Sack recipe. It seems pretty appropriate considering I was inspired to hunt down a recipe for this dish after having it a couple of years ago at Quattro in Sunny Miami.

Spanish Fish in a Sack (Adapted from Rachel Ray, serves 4)

Parchment paper  

2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 4 portions (you can also use mahi mahi, halibut or red snapper) 

1/2 pound green beans (sometimes I use zucchini instead)  

1/2 asparagus  

4 large garlic cloves, minced  

Strips of thinly sliced roasted red pepper 

Cherry tomatoes, halved  

1/2 cup pitted chopped kalamata olives  

4 scallions, chopped  

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped  

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for generous drizzling  

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Salt and pepper  

(Great with bread or a green salad)

Pre heat oven to 400°F.

1. Rip off 4 sheets of parchment paper, each a little over a foot long. 
2. Place 1/4 of the green beans and asparagus in the center of each sheet then top with 1/4 of the garlic, 1/4 of the roasted pepper strips, 1/4 of the tomatoes, chopped olives and cod portions. 
3. Season the fish with salt and pepper and top with equal amounts of the scallions and parsley. Drizzle EVOO liberally and equally along with lemon zest and juice evenly over the fish portions. Fold the top and bottom edges together and crease several times then crease up the ends of the packets, making a sack for each fish to cook in. Arrange the sacks on the baking sheet and place in the center of the hot oven. 
4. Bake packets 20 minutes. Serve a packet per dinner plate and cut open at table.

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. It's quick, easy and delicious! Tomato, cucumber, feta and couscous...you can't go wrong! Jules and I have this at least once a week. And I always whip it up when friends are over. It's from Weelicous -- a great resource for easy, healthy and delicious recipes for the entire family. I've loved every single recipe I've made from the site!

Greek Israeli Couscous Salad (serves 4)

1 1/2 Cups Israeli Couscous

3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided

2 Cups Water

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

2 Persian Cucumbers, seeded & diced (or 1 cucumber)

1 Large Tomato, seeded & diced

1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

1. Place the couscous and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and toast for 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add water and bring to a boil then simmer for 12 minutes.
3. Remove to a bowl and cool.
4. Pour in the remaining ingredients plus the 2 remaining tbsps of olive oil and stir to combine.

first image (for a different recipe) here

Weekend inspiration: The French market

Hello, weekend! All I want to do is kick back, relax and enjoy the weather. But the one thing that's keeping me down is that I didn't get my food shopping done in the beginning of the week like I usually do. I stopped in for milk and fruits mid-week but that's about it. So that means I should hit the market tomorrow morning. But I'm dreading doing so. And even though this nifty shopping list has helped me become more organized, I sill dread it.

This has to stop! I do love to eat, after all, and I'm a mom...I'm responsible for feeding someone other than myself. I love my cookbook collection and I really do get excited when I master (and I use this term loosely!) tasty recipes.

Things became pretty clear after reading Jordan's post on learning to grocery shop in France (I'm living vicariously through Jordan while she and her family spend a year in Paris!!). I need to stop bulk shopping once a week. This isn't a foreign concept to me because I talk about it all the time at work (shopping on a daily basis is common in Latin America as well). But Jordan's pictures are so inspiring. And it's Paris. So from here on out, I'm going to try to approach my shopping with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

Check out Jordan's pictures...

For more inspiration, check out the recipes shared this week as part of Michelle/Pretty Mommy's recipe exchange. I'm up on Monday!

I'll leave you with this wonderful song...Have a great weekend!

Mondays just got a bit less stressful

I’ve been trying to get better at weekly meal planning, but my shopping list (and the actual shopping) is something that still drives me crazy. I try to organize different lists for different stores, but it ends up being one big stressful mess. I forget things. I misplace lists. I forget which meals I intend to cook because they're written on a note that's hanging on my fridge and not on my lists. I most certainly overspend. It’s a dreaded activity that stresses me to no end. But I just came across what might be the handiest shopping list ever…and the one thing that might bring some sanity back to my Monday grocery shopping trips. Get an editable version here.

 Image by Debbie Carlos (via inchmark for Design Mom)