Blog - Sweet Life

Broiled Grapefruit Margarita with Candied Grapefruit Slices

Broiled Grapefruit Margarita with Candied Grapefruit Slices It’s National Margarita Day! Heads up my tequila loving, margarita making, salt rim dippers…. Today we celebrate everything Margaritas!! Margaritas brimming with the flavor of grapefruit, sweet! I think broiled grapefruit often gets a bad rap. Often considered boring, bland and only for breakfast. Sad. I love it! Well today we are throwing caution to the wind and serving up this breakfast treat with a splash of tequila, heck ya! Big juicy grapefruits topped with brown sugar and broiled until plump, golden and sticky good. Add tequila, lime juice and Cointreau, can… Read More

Avocado Grapefruit Tostadas

Avocado Grapefruit Tostadas I made a lot of tostadas (bean and cheese) as a newlywed. Not super creative, but at the time neither was I. They were easy to pull together, perfect for our tight budget and one of the few things I could cook at the time. Now being married 13 years I am happy to see things in our kitchen have gotten tastier. These tostadas are bright, colorful and super tasty, as my 8yr old would say. A layer of avocado sets the base for sweet segments of grapefruit, sliced red onion and queso. A quick sprinkle of cilantro… Read More

Agua de Toronja y Jamaica

Agua de Toronja y Jamaica I love aguas, in every shade of the season. The vibrant colors make me smile, they taste of sweet memories and with each sip I am transported to my youth. A slightly sour agua reminds me of my summers spent with Abuelita Cuca in Brownsville, Texas. She always served agua de Limón with our meals. Just enough sour sweetness to wash away the summer heat. Agua de sandia reminds me of weekends spent strolling the Centro in Matamoros. Little shops lined the street and at every turn there was something new to see, buy or… Read More

Grapefruit Buttermilk Granita

Grapefruit Buttermilk Granita Its grapefruit season in South Texas and I am slurping up every last drop of these little ruby red gems. In salads, in my morning juice or to vamp up my dinner fajitas grapefruits are a big part of my table at the moment. My grandfather adored grapefruit, my mom enjoys them as an after dinner snack and I buy them by the truckload. We are obsessed! A sweet, sweet, obsession. Add buttermilk to the mix and it only gets sweeter. A perky, pink, punch of Texas flavor.

Sopa Seca de Fideo

Sopa Seca de Fideo Growing up fideo was a weekly meal in our home. A celebrated pantry staple that works wonders for raising a family on a tight budget. A box of fideo ran for as little as 17 cents a box. Funny today they still run about the same price, but now you can buy them by the case (which I do). My mom made still makes the best sopita de fideo flavored with tomatoes, garlic, onion and cilantro. Swimming in chicken broth this sopita is true Mexican comfort food. Introduced to babies as one of their first soups… Read More

14 Days of Love

14 Days of Love I did this once when my oldest girl was 5 yrs old and I meant to continue the tradition every year, but failed. Now with 2 little ladies I think it’s time revamp this tradition, include them in the fun and create sweet new memories. You will notice that Day 14 is blank. That snapshot happens tonight! Happy Valentine’s Day! Day 1 – Love Cocoa Day 2 – Love Juice Day 3 – Love French Toast Day4 – Love Oatmeal Day 5- Love Pasta Day 6- Love Cookies Day 7- Love Popcorn Day 8… Read More

Crema De Maíz Pozolero ~ Cream of Hominy Soup

Crema De Maíz Pozolero ~ Cream of Hominy Soup Growing up mami always knew if she was going to make menudo she had better add an extra can of hominy. We kids would plunge the soup ladle to the very,very bottom of the pot to scoop up as much hominy as we could get our greedy little paws on. My younger sister hated the look of tripe (can you blame her?) menudo does take a bit of getting used to; she would request only caldo y maiz. Mami would head to the store and pick up two of value size… Read More

Strawberry Love Pies

Strawberry Love Pies Every year we head out to the Poteet Strawberry Festival in Poteet, Texas. We stuff our faces, sip on strawberry lemonade and do a little shopping. And every year I happily lug home 10 pounds of the sweetest strawberries grown by local farmers and a few jars of the best strawberry jam. I eat it by the spoonful whenever I get a bit down or need a dose of summer comfort. But I always, always save a jar for February, the month of love. Photos courtesy of my 14 Days of Love Countdown on Instagram Hearts,… Read More