Blog - Sweet Life

Slow Cooker Elote Rice

All the flavors of elote – Mexican street corn transformed into a slow cooker rice dish. Slow cooker elote rice made with rice, chicken broth, Mexicana crema, queso fresco, lime juice and chile ancho makes for a tasty side dish. A steamy elote from the elote vendor is one of my favorite street snacks when visiting Mexico, yum. Growing up Papi used to buy us kids an elote as we waited to cross the border back to Brownsville, after visiting my Abuelita in Matamoros. My slow cooker elote rice features all the flavor of Mexican street corn to… Read More

Papaya Carrot Agua Fresca

Papaya carrot agua fresca made with papaya, carrots, lemon juice and sweetened with sugar is a refreshing fruit drink perfect for summer. Summer is here! Bring on the papaya carrot agua fresca! I adore sipping on a colorful agua fresca – from watermelon, honeydew, carrot, or hibiscus summertime is the best season to enjoy a tall glass of icy cold agua fresca. Today I want to share a vibrant payaya carrot agua fresca made from fresh papaya and carrots. Fresh papaya and carrots blended in the blender with lemon juice, a little salt, water and sweetened with sugar… Read More

Salsa Verde Slow Cooker Hash Brown Casserole

A salsa verde slow cooker hash brown casserole made with salsa verde, hash browns, sour cream, cream cheese, onions and topped with cilantro and plenty of pickled jalapenos. My salsa verde slow cooker hash brown casserole is the perfect side dish for your next brunch. Made with salsa verde, hashbrowns, sour cream, cream cheese, onions and topped with cilantro and plenty of pickled jalapenos. I used to make this salsa verde hash brown casserole in the oven, and it finally dawned on me to try it out in my slow cooker. It worked great, plus no hot, humid… Read More

Watermelon Palomas {DIY Watermelon Punch Bowl}

Watermelon Palomas served in a {DIY Watermelon punch bowl} made with fresh watermelon juice, tequila Blanco and topped with grapefruit soda will have you set for summer! It’s watermelon season in Texas baby! Bring on the watermelon palomas served in a DIY watermelon punch bowl! Texas watermelon season always makes me giddy. Agua de Sandia, watermelon salad or watermelon cocktails – todas las sandias por favor. Today I am walking you through how easy it is to serve up watermelon palomas in a DIY watermelon punch bowl, filled with the most refreshing watermelon palomas – made from fresh… Read More

Chocolate Ancho Chile Cake

Chocolate Ancho Chile Cake is a rich and moist one bowl chocolate cake. A touch of spice from ground chile ancho helps to intensify the chocolate and the cinnamon flavors while adding warmth to the cake. Topped with homemade cinnamon chile whipped cream this cake is perfect for entertaining. This chocolate cake has all the flavors I love – chocolate, chile and cinnamon. A touch of spice from ground ancho chile adds a wonderful touch to this cake and brings out the chocolate and cinnamon flavors quite nicely. It’s also a one bowl cake recipe which is always… Read More

Spicy Sheet Pan Hash Browns

Spicy sheet pan hash browns made with frozen hash browns, cheese, butter and plenty of pickled jalapenos are the perfect, no hassle breakfast side dish. Hash browns are one of my favorite go-to breakfast side dishes. Hash browns are budget friendly, can feed a crowd and everyone loves them. Hash browns are a staple in my freezer. Shredded or diced hash browns make for an amazing brunch side. Typically, I would make my hash browns in a skillet or cast-iron pan, a quick crisp, flip and the pop into a pre-heated oven. Then my daughter sent me a link… Read More

Cilantro Lime Shrimp {Made in under 10 minutes}

Cilantro lime shrimp, succulent shrimp sautéed with olive oil, garlic, lime juice, onions and plenty of fresh cilantro served warm is the ultimate appetizer to kick off the weekend, plus it’s ready in under ten minutes. Growing up in South Texas, near the gulf coast all celebrations include shrimp. Nothing beats fresh shrimp from the gulf coast. Grilled, fried, poached, pickled, or baked all our celebrations feature this tiny gem from the coast. Today I want to share a simple shrimp appetizer that can be made in under 10 minutes. I serve them with a pile of tortilla… Read More

How to Set Up a DIY Paloma Bar

Simple tips on how to set up a DIY paloma bar makes it easy for the hostess to relax as guests help themselves. A DIY Paloma bar is an amazing addition to your fiesta, weekend brunch, wedding, or bridal shower. I recently hosted a fun anniversary celebration in my backyard. We had a local food truck come out that served amazing tex-mex and I set up the most fabulous paloma bar where my family and friends could create their own palomas. I love serving a signature cocktail when hosting. It makes the night extra special, and my guests… Read More