The 1^st Saturday of September is National Tailgating Day. This year it falls on September 5^th smack dab in the middle of Labor Day weekend during a pandemic that is keeping us safer at home. Yes, I wish I was at the stadium participating in this fun festive day but I won’t let staying at home rain on my parade…. I’ll just homegate instead.  Lots of games are being televised today and I’m here for it especially with my delicious GAME DAY SPREAD. I made it easy for myself and ran over to Northgate Market to pick up all my favorite ready made snacks. Grabbed a pound of crispy potato wedges, tortilla chips, salsa ranchera, guacamole, rajas con crema, cacahuates japoneses, I love michelada, a bag of chicharrones de harina, a few onions to make homemade onion rings, and I was good to go!

I just need to gather my myself and take a seat after the weeks we just had. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed my city of Los Angeles in such unrest and unity at the same time.  A beautifully tragic dichotomy to behold.  It’s taken us a long time to get here, and we still have a long way to go.  Like I said, it’s a lot to process.  In that process I have been seeking more time for myself.  Taking comfort in the simple things such as finding serenity in my patio surrounded by my plants with a little ‘trago’ in hand.  I usually make a pitcher of Sparkling Spiked Limonada and keep it in the fridge for an easy go-to drink.

I’m kinda obsessed with my mole fries right now, not kinda… totally obsessed. I can’t help it. It’s my most recent love letter to my man. He loves my homemade mole, but is a fry guy and the combination makes him swoon. My obsession comes from the assembly of the plate and putting it together, plus I just love mole fries.

Did you know it’s #paletaweek ? Yup. Fun right!?! I decided to join in on the lively celebration  and shake things up a bit with a 21 and over version for the adults. 

I’m calling my creations Margarita Enchiloso Paletas! I made a chile lime tequila ice pop to enjoy when you want to get boozy on a stick. If it’s been an extra hard day, make it a double with a shot of tequila on the side. I dipped the tip of my spiked paletas in a mixture of salt sugar tajin and crushed chile peppers! Perfect for a summer night cap or day drinking.

My family and I were invited to a pre-screening of “The House With A Clock In Its Walls” this past Saturday, the new movie directed by Eli Roth (Hostel/DeathWish)and starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett. The House With A Clock In Its Walls is a magical kid-scary film. It reminds me of the movies that used to be made back in the 80’s that were just frightening enough to make you jump out of your seat, but nothing that would project your dreams into nightmares. (more…)

This post was sponsored by Kinder Joy™ and #WeAllGrow Latina Network but the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

It seems like yesterday that I was introducing Max (my son) to Kinder Joy™ for the first time. We had just landed in Italy and were slightly tired from the long flight but running on an adrenaline high, excited to take in the Italian culture. We popped in to a little gelato shop and there on the counter sat a display of Kinder Joy™. His little eyes looked at the egg-shaped packaging in full wonderment, then he asked, “what are those things, Mom?” I said, “let’s buy some and you can find out.” (more…)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasySqueezy #CollectiveBias

A few days ago I was at Walmart looking for some summer water toys and wandered into the grocery section of the store in need of butter. Max (my 8 year old son, soon to be 9) has been asking to get more involved in the kitchen, I figured I may as well loosen my apron strings a little bit and teach him some basics. As a closeted helicopter mom, I thought a crispy  grilled cheese sandwich would be a good starting point. I stood in front of the wall of butter, my eyes narrowed in on the new Land O Lakes® Soft Squeeze™ Spread. I studied the new product and thought “Easy to squeeze bottle with less mess, made with real butter, will stay clean and crumb-free, will be perfect for his small hands!”

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