I’ve been doing so well this early into Summer with my Shape Up regimen.  I have a good exercise routine in place…. Either a hot dose of Bikram Yoga or dancing to El Paso Positivo song with my arms flailing from side to side and a jump just to show my enthusiasm.  Me and the Maestro del vaso Medio Lleno have this routine in common.

My son and I were dancing to “EL Paso Positivo” on our front lawn and before I knew it we had a group of neighbors staring at our dance moves.  I told them to come in and we could all practice and get in shape together.  Soon, everyone felt they had the  signature moves attached to the dance down.  Whether they did or didn’t wasn’t the point, we were all having a blast dancing together.  It was such a joyful experience, my son Max invited everyone back for a BLOCK PARTY the next day.  I made a big batch of Cherry Coconut Chocolate Milk Shakes so once we were done shaking our behinds, we could drink down our shakes!  We had such a magnificent time.  I told the two cute school aged boys from across the street to come back and dance with us whenever they fancy.  The sweet punk rock girl next store let her inner dance princess loose and found her way to enjoy El Paso Positivo.  The two senior ladies were really happy to be reliving some youth and hanging out with fun people.  El Maestro and I highly recommend this neighborly love!

Here’s a video of us doing “El Paso Positivo”

Shake it up Baby!  This summer when you find yourself dancing to the awesome sounds of El Paso Positivio to get in shape, remember to drink a BIG TALL GLASS of MILK right after.  This will help your muscles to recover after a good workout.  Or have one of my Cherry Coconut Chocolate Milk Shakes!

Ingredients for Cherry Coconut Milk Shakes:

1 1/2 – cups of fresh pitted cherries

3 – coconut paletas

1 – pint of Ben and Jerry’s “Cherry Garcia” ice cream

2 – cups of milk

1 – cup of ice

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.  Divide among glasses and add a straw for fun drinking. 🙂

In the words of my son Maxie: Toma Leche!

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez and Nicole Presley

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed and recipe are my own.

If I could float away into the world of soda and ice cream I would.  I love the foamy substance a float produces up top, it makes scooping out the ice cream with a spoon and gulping down the soda with a straw a heavenly experience.  I’ve been feeling rather peachy lately and it isn’t a coincidence that Melissa’s Produce and I are on the same wave of sentiments.  They were kind enough to send me over a batch of stone fruits. Pictured below.

After sinking my teeth into their skin and marveling over the sweetness of their flesh I wanted to enjoy them as many ways as possible.  I recently had a delicious float and was inspired to make a peach version.  Something to cool down my summer and quench my sweet tooth at the same time.  Peach and cream float with ginger cookie crumbs would definitely do the trick.

Ingredients for Peach & Cream Float:

peach ice cream

1 – peach (cored and sliced)

cream soda

ginger cookies

In a big cup add 3 to 5 scoops of ice cream.

Then take your sliced peaches and add them in!

Then pour cream soda over the top till filled, then crumble ginger cookie on top!

Stick a straw and a spoon in it, and SLURP till your heart’s content!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

I dream of sweets all the time but in the warmest season of the year, they seem like such a task to make.  I picture the sweaty kitchen and think twice about dessert creating.  Until recently that was the case…

A little while back I had a hands on lesson with Danielle Keene ( you may remember her from Top Desserts) and Chef Michelle Quiles (gelatin queen extraordinaire).  I learned a few sweet Milk based recipes to keep cool with in the dead of heat… Creamy Summer Desserts.

Pictured below: The desserts we ate and made. 🙂

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Lavender Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta:    (Pictured at top)

1 – vanilla bean, split

2 1/4 – teaspoons dried lavender

1/2 – cup sugar

1- cup milk

3 – cups heavy cream

1/2 – cup creme fraiche

1 – tablespoon powdered gelatin

In a saucepan over medium heat bring vanilla bean, lavender, sugar, 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to a simmer.  Cover, remove from heat and set aside to steep for 30 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix gelatin powder in remaining 1/2 cup milk to hydrate.  Reheat vanilla mixture and pour over gelatin mixture.  Whisk until combined and gelatin is dissolved.  Whisk in creme fraiche and strain.  Cool to room temperature.  With a electric mixer whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream to soft peaks.  Gently fold in vanilla bean mixture in two parts.  Pour into small greased ramekins and chill for 6 hours or overnight.  Unmold and serve with blueberry caramel and fresh fruit.

Ingredients for Berry Caramel Sauce:

1 -cup sugar 

1/4 – cup water

1 3/4 – cup fresh berries pureed

1 – tablespoon butter

In a saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and water.  Boil until mixture is an amber color.  Add berry puree and butter.  Whisk until dissolved.  Strain and serve over panna cotta.

 Me, screaming out my window:

“Forget about National Jelly Filled Donut Day, which happens to be June 8th, I have glazed donut strawberry burgers.  Sappily Sugary Sweet donuts STUFFED with my favorite berry…. Strawberries!  Serve them on a plate for a party or make a few for your favorite TV show and sit there and eat it with both hands, overindulging and loving every minute of it!”

Ingredients for Glazed Donut Strawberry Burger:

2 – cups chopped strawberries

2 – teaspoons of sugar

3 – glazed donuts

Add chopped strawberries to a bowl and add sugar.  Mix well. Set to the side.

Cut a donut in half lengthwise.

Then fill donut with sliced strawberries.

Cover strawberries with half of the donut and enjoy with two hands….. or if you want to be PROPER eat with a knife and fork.

ENJOY YOUR FAR-OUT DONUT!

Photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

My family gets together for hot summer fun days throughout the warm months of June, July, and August.  You can bet your bottom dollar there will be water balloon fights involved, swimming, and lots of laughter.  The food is always the main highlight of the gathering with an assortment of everyone’s favorite dishes… a smorgasbord if you will.  We have to make sure to have salsa and chips for my Mom, cheeseburgers for the kids, macaroni salad for my Aunts, bar-b-qued ribs for my Uncles, and THE MUST HAVE  for everyone else (me included) is the classic chili dog.  Of course I make my own version of a classic chili dog, and my twist is adding flavorful RO*TEL.

You start off with an exquisite pot of chili beans.  I make mine simple and ultra tasty, with only 5 ingredients.  It’s the RO*TEL that gives them that burst of zesty flavor that makes you lick your chops and eat like there is no tomorrow.  They’re so good you serve them on top of your hot-dogs and serve a little bowl on the side for more chili bean goodness.  I look forward to my summer, getting splashed by the kids in the pool, dodging water balloons, spending quality time with my family and eating chili dogs!

Last one in is a rotten egg!

Ingredients for turkey chorizo chili:

1 – package pork chorizo (casing removed and cooked)

1/2 – cup chopped onion

1 – pound ground turkey (cooked)

5 – cups cooked pinto beans

1 – can RO*TEL (mild)

In a medium sized pot over a medium flame add chorizo and onions and saute for a minute or so.  Then add in cooked turkey meat.  Mix well.  Add in cooked pinto beans, and entire can of mild RO*TEL.  Mix well and allow for mixture to get hot.

Try to resist eating the entire pot…. you still have dogs to grill.  Take a few frankfurters and slice them with a knife, here and there adding some slits.  Then throw them on a hot grill and cook till they are to your liking.  I like mine slightly charred.

Place your warm frankfurter in a bun and top with turkey chorizo chili beans for the best chili dogs ever!

Garnish with cheddar cheese and onions…. Mmmmm my mouth is watering.

Here’s a picture of the “Chili Dog Vulture”… Identify him now and be on the look out, he may show up the next time you are enjoying a chili dog made with RO*TEL and snag your plate. 🙂

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  The recipe and all opinions are my own.

Positivity comes in many forms:  It could be the feeling you find in the warm of a bath or the sunny out-look you wake up with in the morning or the sensation you get at the end of a yoga class, it could be anything that makes you grin from ear to ear.  Today the positivity I am overflowing with is the actuality that I,  Nicole Presley,  has been chosen to be a Positivity Ambassador for 2012!  This means I will be able to celebrate the small gifts that are sometimes missed and shed a big spotlight on all things happy and forward thinking!

Where should we start?  Summer is around the corner and I would like to be healthy and fit.  Have you heard “El Paso Positivo” song?  It’s got me jumping and dancing.  Perfect way for me to get in shape with a little movement in my steps.  “El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno” knows I need some help in the exercise department, maybe that’s why he has made it so easy for me to enjoy this song along with the fantastic dance moves.  Here’s a video of the Maestro’s cousins getting down to the sound of El Paso Positivo.  They have the right attitude and I intend to join them in getting this body in shape this summer.

But wait!  El Maestro just sent me another bit of information as a gift.  He said ” If you are going to be working out hard by dancing El Paso Positivo or bike riding with your son or diving into a swimming pool for an aquatic workout, then you should drink MILK after your routine.”  Apparently milk helps muscles to recover after a GOOD physical activity.  Plus it’s loaded with minerals which will assist in avoiding muscle cramping…..we all know those suckers hurt.  Thank you Ol’ wise Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno, I appreciate the advice.  I think I’ll have chocolate milk just so I could feel a little naughty, but still know I’m doing the right thing for myself and my family!

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

I hear the word ‘party’ and my eyes light up.  I don’t need a reason to celebrate, something as easy as a game day with some friends is reason enough for me.  I instantly go into food mode, start craving all the fiesta foods that are not usually on the table.  Dishes that only a celebration can bring on.  Stuff that is reserved for a small serving but at a party can be a divine indulgence.  Now it’s an absolute necessity to have a party…. Let’s Spring into Summer with a game day.

Food: I wanted something easy to prepare and could be left on the table for the guests to help themselves.  In order to invite some zesty-ness into the menu I would have to use my beloved RO*TEL.  The vine ripened red tomatoes blended with green chiles and a savory mixture of spices always brings out the PUNCH in dishes.  I knew it would knock the socks off my guests.  I decided to make mini shredded beef tostada bites, creamy cheesy corn dip, and turkey chorizo chili beans to top our hot dogs off with!  The bounty of finger foods was a SMASH!

Ingredients for mini shredded beef tostada bites:

3 – tablespoons olive oil

1/2 – teaspoon chipotle powder

1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 – teaspoon salt

1/4 – teaspoon black pepper

24 – mini corn tortillas

5 – cups shredded beef (I cooked a small roast in a crock pot, then shredded it)

fresh lime juice from 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

2 – cans of original RO*TEL (drained)

Preheat oven to 375  degrees fahrenheit.

In a small bowl combine olive oil, chipotle powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Then take a corn tortilla and lightly brush with oil mixture. Place in a muffin pan, and continue till all are done. Bake in oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until crisp.  Set to the side.

Then in a dish combine shredded beef, lime juice, salt, pepper and RO*TEL. Mix well and serve with tostada cups. Top with cheddar cheese or guacamole.

And the guests were hungry… After a long day of playing horse shoes and cards we were ready to eat.  Some of my friends had never tried RO*TEL before and were surely happy to discover it. 🙂

Would you like to have a game day with friends and RO*TEL snacks yourself?  I have a gift set for two lucky readers.

• Two cans of RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
• Recipe Cards
• Chip-and-dip serving bowl
• Green chili string lights
• Outdoor game set

How to win the Summer Party Kit:

Like Presley’s Pantry on Facebook!

Follow Presley’s Pantry on Twitter!

Like RO*TEL on Facebook!

Tweet:  I just entered to WIN a @ro_tel Summer party kit via @PresleysPantry !  Wanna win one? Enter here! #FiestaROTEL http://wp.me/p1mJLS-1cW

You can have up to 4 total entries each; however, please note that you have to comment back and let me know which of the actions you took, so that I can keep track of them.

Open to U.S. Residents only.  No PO Boxes, please. Must be 18 years or older to enter.  Contest ends May 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM, PST and two (2) winners will be randomly chosen from all entries through random.org.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  All opinions and recipe are my own.