December 28, 2011

Knit Fever

Weather has been very unpredictable in NY lately!
I've been focusing on building strong social networks and spending time with my family.

Birthday week was amazing! My husband threw me a small surprise party at one my fav restaurants with friends and family. I had such a lovely time. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday through TwitterFacebook and Instagram
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and soon to be great New Year. 

Heres an OOTN.
(outfit of the night) 

(Please don't pay mind to that stubborn strand of hair)
Coat;H&M
  Boots;Steve Madden
 Jeans;ASOS
Fingerless gloves;Local store
Knitted Scarf;Etsy.com 
Mint Knitted Sweater;Local Thrift store
Earrings;Ross simmons
Tank top;ZARA 
  Don't forget to like my Facebook & follow me on Twitter:) 


December 21, 2011

Warm Up Your Holidays w/ A Hearty Stew

The best way to stay warm on these cold winter days is by eating soup/stews. Sancocho is a popular Latin American stew, mostly made out of chunks of meats and veggies in broth. This is one of those versatile recipes that you can add or leave out anything you don't like. 

Don't let the long list of ingredients intimidate you. This is a one pot meal(not really:) and can be stored in the fridge for days.   

Things you'll need:

  • 3 quarts plus 1 1/2 cups water, divided
  • 1 (1-pound) beef shank (1 1/2 inches thick)
  • 4 chicken thighs with skin and bone
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 Cubanelle or other mild frying pepper, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (4 to 5 cloves)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems (from 2 bunches)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound unripe (green) plantains
  • 1 pound yuca
  • 1 pound potatoes
  • 1 pound Caribbean pumpkin or butternut squash
  • 2 ears corn, cut into 1 1/2-inch rounds
  • 6 tablespoons fresh Seville orange juice (or 3 tablespoons regular fresh orange juice plus 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice)

  • Accompaniments: white rice; hot sauce; sliced avocado
Garnish: chopped cilantro


Preparation


Pat beef and chicken dry, putting them in separate bowls. Toss meat in each bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Heat oil in a skillet and brown beef turning occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to pot with slotted spoon. Brown chicken in same manner, transfer to pot.
Add onion, peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and sauté until softened. Add 1 cup water and boil, 1 minute. Transfer vegetable mixture to pot. Add cilantro stems, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 3 quarts water to pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
While meat simmers, remove green skin from plantains and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces.
Peel yuca removing waxy brown skin and pinkish layer underneath, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, Quarter lengthwise and cut out coarse center fiber.
Seed and peel calabaza, then cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
Add plantain, potato and yuca to ten in pot and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add calabaza, then simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. 
Add corn and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and all root vegetables are very tender (yuca should be translucent), 10 to 15 minutes. Sancocho broth should be slightly thickened from root vegetables; If not scrape a plantain and add it to the broth. If it's too thick, thin with additional water. Stir in juice and reheat, then season with salt and pepper.




You can substitute a few ingredients with  beef or chicken cubes(the cubes tend to be very salty,so go easy on the salt if using them)

I scrape a plantain for a thicker consistency in my stew 



This is my injection of spiciness

Enjoy!

December 13, 2011

Right Up My Alley..

Have you guys taken a look at Chanel's Pre-Fall Collection 2012? If not, here are a few pictures. My eyes were drawn to this collection!






 Read more about this collection here

December 11, 2011

Saturday Walk


Hey Trendsters(new word), today was chilly in NY.. A bit cold to pose with my 3 year old daughter for too long. I think this winter will be a cold one. For the most part my princess and I had a great 5 minute photo shoot at the park. Here are a few snaps for you guys. Enjoy:)


(Me)Booties;Guess  Coat;H&M  Jeans;Jbrand  Clutch;Vintage  Glasses;RayBan

Coat/Dress/leggings;Old Navy  Boots;Uggs  Head Bow;Payless(YES!! Payless)

Sweater;H&M  Scarf;Burberry  Necklace;HrHCollection  Lips;Siss by MAC  Nails;Cream Asiatique by MAC