Tag: cuban

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#WriteWed – A Feel Good Romance That’s Tasty Too!

I am so excited to be writing for Hallmark, especially since the story I’ve written has some of my fav things in it. South Beach. Chefs. Family traditions. What could make for a better story? I loved writing SOUTH BEACH LOVE, a tale of two rival teens who unknowingly throw a monkey wrench into the growing relationship between their aunt and uncle, who also happen to be top chefs. It was a lot of fun to show the growth in the two girls as well as the competition between the two chefs, Tony Sanchez and Sara Kelly. Plus I love to cook and really enjoyed exploring both my old family recipes and new twists on them as the chefs try to outdo each other. Today I’m sharing some recipes that were part of the inspiration for the cooking competition!

Caridad’s Citrus-Marinated Cuban Roast Pork: http://bit.ly/2pfKq9K
Cuban Black Beans: http://bit.ly/2pfS4kp
Ropa Vieja: http://bit.ly/2nN0U91

If you love to cook as well, please check out the other recipes on my Cook’s Treat page at https://www.caridad.com/meet-me/cooks-treat/.

Now here’s a teaser for SOUTH BEACH LOVE, available June 2020!

Teaser

Head to Miami for a Hallmark summer romance
celebrating family and tradition,
from New York Times bestselling author Caridad Pineiro.

Tony Sanchez, a celebrity chef, comes home to help with his niece’s quinceañera—a traditional big celebration for her fifteenth birthday. He meets up with Sara Kelly, an old friend’s baby sister, who’s now running a restaurant in South Beach. Attraction flares between them.

But Sara is enlisted to cater another quinceañera—for the girl who’s his niece’s rival. Many prominent families will attend, and Sara sees it as an opportunity to get more business for her restaurant and cement her reputation as a talented local chef. But Tony wants his niece’s celebration—and his own talent—to outshine the rest.

Can competing chefs teach each other a few lessons about cooking, culture—and love?

You can purchase SOUTH BEACH LOVE at the following retailers:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XUW8qZ
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2nMG3mh
B&N: Coming soon!
Kobo: Coming soon!
recipe book and spices south beach love

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#ManCandyMonday – Sexy Surfer Dudes Jonathan Pierce

Sorry to have been silent for the last couple of weeks, but I had the flu and it really laid me low! I’m glad to be back in the swing of things and sharing some fun with you today namely sexy surfer dude Jonathan Pierce from WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER. Jonathan has to be one of my fav characters from all my books. I loved his independent streak and how he balances being an amazing creator with a personal life. I also loved how broken he was and how love helped heal those wounds. I hope you’ll take moment to check out this amazing guy!
Jonathan Pierce WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER

WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER is available at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/2sHmY3l
Google: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2HlVlly
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: bit.ly/koboWHS
Audible: https://amzn.to/2M2ZWfY

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A Typical Cuban Meal #Tuesday Tip

I’m in the process of writing #2 in the At the Shore Contemporary Romance series and am working on a scene where the hero visits the heroine at her condo in Jersey City. The heroine is Cuban and she knows that the hero loves Cuban food. Unfortunately, she’s been hard at work over the weekend, but she still knows where to go to pick up some great Cuban food before she comes home.

So what’s a typical kind of Cuban meal? I’ve shared some recipes with you before, so here’s a list of what you’ll see in the scene I’m busy writing. You can click on the links for the recipes or visit my Cook’s Treat page.

Black beans and rice for sure!
Citrus-marinated Roast Pork
Plantains of some kind – how about Mashed ones or ripe plantains (maduros)?
Ropa Vieja (a shredded beef dish)
Flan for dessert

I’m thinking maybe a nice sangria to help wash everything down!
Ropa Vieja

Look for ONE SUMMER NIGHT, #1 in the At the Shore Series, in October 2017. You can pre-order this contemporary romance at the following sites:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
iBooks: Coming Soon!
Kobo: Coming Soon!

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#WriteWed The Ironbound Section & At the Shore

One of the things that I wanted to show with the At the Shore contemporary romance series is the diversity of New Jersey, both ethnically and economically. While Maggie and Owen from ONE SUMMER NIGHT are both well-off, Connie and Emma, the heroines of #2 and #3 in the series respectively, have both had to work hard to achieve what they have.

As for ethnically, Connie represents the large Cuban population of Union City. Emma is a suburban girl from Edison. The hero in #3 is Carlo Texeira from the Ironbound section of Newark.

I’m getting ready to write a scene in #2 where you find out a little bit more about Carlo and his family, who play a substantial role in #3. In that scene, you get to see a big Portuguese-style family dinner at their Ironbound home.

The Ironbound is a unique section of the city of Newark. It’s located not all that far from Newark Penn Station and between the airport and the Passaic River. It is a largely Portuguese neighborhood with the first immigrants from Portugal arriving in the early 1900s along with Spaniards from Galicia (my family’s part of Spain). In fact, many Portuguese food dishes are very similar to those from Galicia.

The main avenue in the Ironbound is Ferry Street which abounds with a number of mom and pop Portuguese shops along with a number of other Latin restaurants. In #3, the hero’s family has owned a successful bakery there since the 1930s. Carlo’s older brothers now run the business and Carlo has struck out on his own to make a life down the shore. He’s Emma’s Go-to-Guy in more than one way, although she refuses to admit that.

Ferry Street, as you might guess, was named after a ferry that ran between Newark and other locations to the east. Check out the video below that shows you Ferry Street. If part of it looks familiar, it’s because it made an appearance in the beginning of the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds (2:30 to 2:45 in the video). If you can’t see the video below, use this link: https://youtu.be/PGP_94G3Vms

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Dulce de Leche #FoodieFriday

You see Dulce de Leche everywhere now from ice creams to other desserts. Even a limited edition Dulce de Leche Pop Tart. You know you’ve made it when you’re immortalized in a Pop Tart! LOL!

But for Latins, Dulce de Leche has been around forever. My mom and grandma used to make it all the time for us as kids.

What exactly is Dulce de Leche? Literally translated it means “milk candy” and it is basically a caramel kind of spread made by heating sweetened milk until it changes color and flavor. Technically, that process is known as a Maillard reaction, but forget that! All you need to know is that it’s really tasty.

Also, just to confuse things, Cubans have another dessert called dulce de leche which is made with curdled milk that is then sweetened, but that’s not what we’re going to make today.

Actually, for those who are kitchen-challenged, Dulce de Leche is much easier to find today in the ethnic food section. La Lechera has an assortment of Dulce de Leche products, including one in a squeeze bottle for drizzling onto desserts or straight into your mouth.

How do you make it? Well, it’s both simple and DANGEROUS. I have to repeat DANGEROUS, but that hasn’t stopped Latinos from making it this way for a very long time.

It all starts with . . . Can you guess? It’s that go to in Latin kitchens: Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Why a go to? Well, we weren’t well off and when you needed something sweet, a spoonful of dulce de leche or a cup filled with crumbled soda crackers and topped with condensed milk did the trick.

Plus, it’s a basic ingredient in flan, tres leches, bread pudding, you name it.

But back to making Dulce de Leche and the DANGER of it. The easiest, but DANGEROUS way is to full a large pot with water and drop in an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.

Bring to boil and boil for about two to three hours. NEVER LET THE POT RUN DRY. If you do, the pressure will build inside the unopened can and it will EXPLODE.

Just ask my poor sister-in-law who ended up cleaning dulce de leche from her ceiling.

So that’s it. Drop and boil and then chill in the fridge. For a thicker darker dulce de leche, boil the can even longer. It will be as thick and dark as peanut butter, but oh so tasty!

Let me know if you try it and if you do, how you like it!

DulcedeLeche

Speaking of sweet, don’t forget these sweet deals going on right now!
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Just One Night Erotic Military Romance

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Picadillo #Cuban #Recipe

We’re expecting a big snowstorm tomorrow, so it’s time to think about hunkering down and having something hearty and tasty, but also easy-to-make. After all, you’ve spent time shoveling so you don’t want to slave over the stove to fill your belly.

This dish was always a staple in my house and it still is because it’s easy to make and delicious. Think of it as Cuban-Style Sloppy Joe’s.

My favorite way to serve picadillo is over white rice and topped with a fried egg. Yummy!!

Cuban-style Picadillo

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup green peppers (although I prefer red peppers)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped green olives with pimentos (These are your regular olives in a jar!)
1 pound chopped meat
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsps cumin
salt and pepper to taste

The above recipe serves 2, so you can double accordingly.

Heat olive oil and then add peppers. Cook until starting to get soft. Then add the onions and saute until starting to get soft. Add the olives, garlic and chopped meat. Cook until chopped meat is starting to get brown. Add cumin, salt, pepper and tomato sauce.

Simmer for about half an hour.

Serve over white rice (or brown if you’re trying to be healthier).

Again, I like to top mine with a fried egg. In TORI GOT LUCKY, two of the friends own a restaurant and I have not doubt they’d have some snazzy version of picadillo on the menu. Maybe they’d add some raisins or capers as some people do. Or possibly serve it over a saffron-flavored rice or ripe plantain nests! This dish is so versatile, it allows you to really experiment with things to add.

cuban picadillo recipe

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Thursday 13 – Favorite Foods

I had a chance to have a wonderful business-related dinner last night at an upscale New York City eatery – the Gotham Bar and Grill – which got me going on the theme for today’s Thursday 13, namely, my favorite foods. So here goes!

1. Foie gras. Yes, I know it’s outlawed in California and Oregon, but it’s tasty.

2. Lobster.

3. Hot Dogs.

4. Hot apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

5. Ice cream. Most any flavor except mint. Yech. I hate mint.

6. Ropa vieja. A tasty Cuban dish of shredded beef in tomato sauce.

7. Cuban roast pork. Love it! I gave out the recipe the other day if you want to try it for yourself. Just click here.

8. Tacos.

9. Cheese and bread.

10. Spaghetti and meatballs (my husband makes the best meatballs!)

11. My sister’s Thanksgiving Meal. (Corn casserole, turkey, pecan pie so many amazing foods!)

12. Eggs. Any way shape or form.

13. Tomato soup with either a tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the side.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your foods and even give us some recipes if you can.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

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