you wont find this in your grocer’s freezer, that’s for sure
As part of one of my New Year’s resolutions, one I am clearly starting late on considering its already March, I decided to tackle making at least one new and challenging recipe every month. I’d been dying to make fresh pasta for ages so when I saw this recipe for homemade cannelloni while watching Kelsey’s Essentials on the Cooking Channel, I figured this would be the perfect place to start my attempt at some more difficult recipes. Once I finally got my hands on a pasta attachment for my stand mixer (I was NOT about to try and roll this out by hand) I got to work. Like I’ve seen on pretty much every cooking show ever done about fresh pasta, I started with the “well method” which is just putting eggs, salt and olive oil into the middle of a pile of flour on my butcher-block counter. After creating quite a large mess, it finally turned into something that looked like pasta dough. I let the dough rest for a bit while Quino and I went for a nice bike ride around the neighborhood. It was such a beautiful day I couldn’t bare to spend it all in the kitchen. When we got back, we threw together a quick tomato sauce to layer in the baking dish around the cannelloni. We also made the cannelloni filling out of onions, italian sausage, spinach and a TON of cheese (ricotta and parm). After all the prep work was done, we went on to the insane task of rolling out the pasta dough, which proved much more difficult than it looks. The pasta sheets get so long and thin that we needed 2 sets of hands for the job. Once we finally got it all rolled out, we cut it into squares and cooked them in some boiling water for a minute or two. We stuffed the cooked pasta sheets with the scrumptious filling, layered them in a baking dish and covered them with some more of that tomato sauce before showering them with even more parm. They spent 40 minutes in the oven before we got to dig into them but it was well worth the wait. They were AMAZING! I’ll definitely be making them again. After this attempt at fresh pasta though, I might just make some in the form of fettucini with a nice cream sauce next time… yummm! bon appetit!
a prelude to spring break…
I spent a lovely afternoon at the Biltmore this weekend with Clarissa. Though it was a tad too windy for a boat day (something I’ve seriously been missing), we got some sun by the pool and had lunch on the golf course. All in all, it was a fantastic afternoon. Seeing as the Biltmore is old and fabulous, a lot of these pictures were edited with the antique effect. It just seemed so appropriate. me and my big floppy hat the cool effect of this picture was a total accident. the original was way overexposed but thanks to cool iPhoto effects, this is the final product thanks for sorority squatting to make me feel less short ;) our fabulous lunch at the 19th hole, the biltmore’s restaurant overlooking the golf course. we shared a turkey club. it was so good and so were those fries! i’ll definitely be going back. there was more sandwich but we had already had some by the time i remembered to take this picture. Only two days left until Spring Break! I can’t wait to get some more sun and take a much needed break!
loving lea’s looks
Aside from the fact that I love her on Glee, Lea Michele is quickly climbing to the top of my list of Red Carpet fashionistas to watch. She seriously knows the meaning of the word “Glamour”, or at least her stylist does! Here are some of my favorite Lea looks: 2011 SAG Awards in Oscar de La Renta 2011 Golden Globes in another Oscar de la Renta 2010 SAG Awards in Catherine Malandrino 2010 Golden Globes in Oscar de la Renta (yet again) 2010 Grammy’s in Romona Keveza Needless to say, she looks stunning every time and I would kill to wear any of those dresses. Keep it up, Lea!
sweet for certain
I discovered my obsession with banana nut muffins a few months ago when I was looking for a snack at the c-store on campus. Once I took my first bite, I was hooked. Curious to find out if they were easy to make at home, I looked them up on the Food Network website, found a recipe by Tyler Florence and decide to make them. Let me just start off by saying that the most difficult part of this recipe is waiting a week to let the bananas get ripe, especially in a house where we eat them all the time. Once the bananas are ready though, everything else is a piece of cake. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, pop them in the oven for 20 min and they’re good to go. I do swap the pecans the recipe calls for walnuts, but thats pretty much all I change. Here are some pictures of a few of the steps and one of the the scrumptious finished product: bananas and sugar… I could eat this as is chopped walnuts… some for inside the muffins, some for an extra special pretty topping a stick and a half of melted butter makes these muffins not as good for you as the name makes them sound but boy, does it make them delish! an ice-cream scoop makes perfect sized muffins every time pretty little sprinkle of walnuts on top the gorgeous finished product… they flew in less than 2 days haha As usual, I can’t do anything in the kitchen without music playing so heres a little taste of my muffin playlist john mayer-heart of life norah jones- come away with me dave matthews band- if i had it all ingrid michaelson- the way i am michael buble-home bon appetit! 
fabulous food finds: perricone’s
I’m a total foodie, without a doubt. I’m always on the hunt for a good meal, whether its from a restaurant or trying a new recipe at home. I’m pretty picky so I will admit, my experiences aren’t always flawless but when something satisfies me, I can’t help but rave about it. These days, everyone from friends to coworkers have asked me “where should I go to eat and what should I have?” to which I always enthusiastically respond with one of my favorite restaurants and a detailed description of what I had and how amazing it was. I’ve garnered quite the reputation over the years and that was one of my major reasons for starting this blog. I want to share those experiences with everyone, and hopefully inspire people to try something new. Truth be told, I’m not trying to be a food critic. I’m pretty terrible at being negative. If someone asks me about a bad restaurant, I’ll be honest and say I didn’t enjoy it but quickly change the subject to a similar restaurant that I loved and suggest that for next time instead. This particular entry is about one of my all time favorite restaurants here in Miami, Perricone’s in Mary Brickell Village. I’ve been going to this Italian gem for years with my family and it’s become one of my go-to places for date night. It isn’t the cheapest place, I’ll admit, but it’s reasonably priced and the food is definitely worth it. I recently discovered though, that every Thursday all of the pasta dishes on their menu are only $10! All day, all night, just $10! Reservations are a definite must, especially around 8 o’clock because half of Miami is trying to get in on this incredible deal. Despite a line that was practically out the door, we were seated immediately (a testament to how amazing their service is as well). When you step in, Perricone’s is a far cry from your typical restaurant. You actually walk into a boutique market full of wonderful Italian goodies instead of into a formal dining area. When you’re seated, they walk you through the indoor dining room, but I absolutely prefer to sit on the back patio if any tables are available. The ambiance is another one of the reasons I keep coming back to Perricone’s. It’s dimly lit and the patio is surrounded by white Christmas lights all year round. They usually have a live guitar player and tonight was no exception. the beautiful dessert display.. yum, yum and YUM one of my favorite parts of the market… the giant round of parmesan cheese the candle lit table the first of 2 patios… the wonderful white lights i mentioned really make this place unique Now onto the actual meal which, like any normal Italian restaurant, starts with the bread. They have the most delicious tomato bruschetta topping that they bring out, one that I am still trying and failing to duplicate at home. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I have to try to control myself from ruining my appetite over the stuff. one of thses days, i’ll figure out how to make this but for now i’ll just enjoy it at Perricone’s While their appetizers at Perricone’s are amazing (the baked brie and fried calamari are among my favorites) we skipped them tonight and went straight for the pastas. I had the Homemade Gnocchi with pink sauce (one of my favorites) and Quino had the Fettuccine with Sliced Filet Mignon and, as usual, we enjoyed every last bite. you can barely see the gnocchi through the parmesan cheese but that’s just how I like it as for what Quino had, you can really taste the red wine in the sauce which was so rich and delicious You really can’t beat homemade gnocchi, I’ve tried the packaged stuff and it doesn’t even compare. Covered with the freshly fallen snow of parmesan cheese, their gnocchi is light and creamy but surprisingly filling. I rarely finish the whole plate but am more than happy to bring the leftovers home for a late night snack. The dessert is another one of the reasons I rave about Perricone’s. I haven’t touched a dessert menu in years because I always know that I’m going straight for the House Cake. This little triangle of chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse is beyond decadent and delicious. The cake part is always super moist and the mousse is creamy, dark chocolate heaven. I’ve definitely never had to put this in a doggy bag, I practically lick the plate clean with this one.
you can’t really see the chocolate mousse center here but that just means the dark chocolate is THAT good
So if you’re looking an Italian restaurant with great ambiance and a flawless meal that’s perfect for any occasion, you really can’t beat Perricone’s! I’ve actually been dying to check out their famous Sunday brunch but haven’t had a chance to yet. If I do though, you’ll definitely be the first to hear about it.
bon appétit!
la vida es un carnaval y es mas bello vivir cantando
It may be surprising for me to say considering I’m Cuban but I’d never been to the Calle Ocho festival before this past weekend. Well this year, I felt it my duty to spend an afternoon taking in this compilation of Cuban culture. Though I had expected it to be a big event, I definitely didn’t think it would be 20 blocks long! Despite the distance, Quino and I walked the whole thing (fueled by too much Cuban food and some mojitos). Needless to say, we took a much needed nap after that but we definitely had a fantastic afternoon :) Our walk may have taken longer than it should have because I stopped pretty often to take pictures, but I just can’t help myself. The Calle Ocho festival is a definite must see, especially for the food. Since we can’t do it all over again til next year though, I’ll more than happily settle for some Havana Harry’s or just a visit to grandmas.
sweet surprises and tasty treats
I know Valentine’s Day isn’t until tomorrow but I just couldn’t wait to post. I’m such a sucker for anything lovey-dovey that I’ve been listening to too many love songs and planning some cute surprises for my valentine all week. Unfortunately for one of my favorite holidays, it landed on a Monday this year and I have an MKT exam the next day so not much celebrating will be going on the day of. On the bright side, my sweetie planned an adorable early surprise for me. On the menu: a sensational home-cooked meal (one I didn’t have to lift a finger for!) followed by a slice of my favorite dessert, the chocolate tower truffle cake from Cheesecake Factory (he knows me too well). My surprise even came complete with a box of chocolates and some gorgeous orchids. Could I have asked for anything better? Don’t think so… As usual, I had to document it all in pictures so check these out! the beautiful dinner table my valentine pouring me a delicious glass of white the perfect dinner that looks like it might as well have come from a restaurant the greatest cake ON THE PLANET (it’s so rich we had to finish the other half of this slice as a midnight snack) and can’t forget about the flowers… hope you all have some sweetness coming your way tomorrow too <3
unnecessary necessities
For those of you with a photography/camera obsession like me, Photojojo is the website for you! I currently have a wish list a mile long, from little trinkets to much more expensive ones. Here are some of the ones that are at the top of my list (even though I pretty much want everything on the website) Make sure to click the pictures for direct links to the site! dslr shaped USB. ok, adorable! the tokyo dreamer camera strap in baby blue to make my nikon an even cuter accessory when I wear it around my neck the cutest scrapbook kit i’ve ever seen the gorilla pod, to make sure my camera can stand up anywhere and avoid the occasional shaky shots and these’s tres tres cute photo stickers As for those stickers, they’re slowly climbing to the top of my list so I can jazz up all the pictures I take with this beautiful baby… which came in the mail this past week! I’ve been dying for a polaroid camera FOREVER and can’t wait to take mine out for a spin! Expect to see a few of my snap shots up here soon :) 
i’m not a runner… well, i wasn’t
As each semester goes by, I find myself getting too busy and too lazy to get my butt to the gym. Next thing I know, its been almost a month since my last visit and I definitely feel the difference the next time I work out. Well, NOT ANYMORE! I realized the only way to stay motivated was to set a goal for myself so I’ve decided to run a 5K. For a non-runner like me, let me just say it actually involves a considerable amount of dediaction to train for one of theses which keeps me in the gym at least 3 times a week. Quino’s also keeping me pretty motivated seeing as he can pretty much run circles around me when we work out now. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with him by the end of this whole thing. Anyway, this is week 3 of training for me and I feel great! I have 6 weeks left until the Karhu 5K on Miami Beach. It starts at 6:30am so I have no earthly idea how I’m going to wake up for that but I paid for it already so NO EXCUSES. I’m finishing the damn thing if it kills me, which it probably won’t because its only 3.1 miles but whatever. I’m hoping to finish it in about half an hour (a stretch because I’m currently only doing about a 15 minute mile) but thats what all this training is for. And who knows, maybe I’ll be running a 10K by the summer! Here’s hoping :)
the end is only the beginning
From a champagne filled New Years Eve to a glorious sunny day on Miami Beach on the first of the year, I must say that I ended 2010 on a high note and started 2011 on one as well. We partied the night away at Quino’s house before and after the ball drop, there’s really nothing better than a good drink and good company. One of the highlights of my New Year’s Eve was capturing these slow shutter speed shots of sparklers. I’d been dying to do this for ages so we took to the backyard, lighter and sparklers in hand, in an attempt to snap some shots of our names and some cool doodles. We had a bit of trouble getting the sparklers to light at first and catching the moments on time wasn’t easy either but I still got some amazing shots. Here are some of my favorites I definitely wont be waiting until the next firework-appropriate holiday (July is wayyy to far) to try this again! As for 1/1/11, Quino and I borrowed my uncle’s scooter and headed to South Beach. Its such a great way to get around that area, we were able to avoid most of the traffic and actually find a good parking spot (without having to pay so thats a plus too). It was way too cold to go for a swim but we spent the afternoon taking pictures and people watching over a shared oreo milkshake from Johnny Rockets (yummm) gorgeous day.
me climbing a tree like a five year old. finishing off that delicious milkshake <3 After walking around for a few hours we ended up grabbing lunch at The Place, a restaurant near 8th and Ocean. The food wasn’t much to rave about, definitely not worth a whole blog entry, but I did fall in love with what I found at the bottom of my plate. Check this out! before… …during… …after. how cute is that? I want to get some of these plates! All I can say is that I hope I’ll enjoy this entire year as much as I’ve enjoyed these past few days. Wish me luck!
