I did it. I made it. And it was incredible!

My little absence over the past few weeks was due to my fabulous fun filled trip to Peru. 

Amongst ruins, history, food, drinking, dancing, and family fun I had the most wonderful time.

I went to visit family last year on my own. This year, I brought hubby with me as I promised him to take him Cusco and Machu Picchu. 

I had a great time between learning new things about Peru's history and spending time with old friends and some of my favorite family members, including my grandpa. 

And before I go into any further details, I just want to leave you with some photo highlights of my trip. I am in awe as I have not edited any of the pictures

Blue skies over Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Overseeing the fields at Pisac, Cusco 

At the top of the clouds at Ollantaytambo, Cusco

At the market in Pisac, Cusco 

Admiring the view halfway up Machu Picchu, Cusco

Posing for the camera Machu Picchu, Cusco

Dining on top of a bathtub filled with goldfish, Fallen Angel, Cusco

Barbecue Chicken with Tata!

Showing off some ginormous snails used for beauty creams, Chinatown Capon, Lima 

With my cousins having sushi at Oceanika, San Borja, Lima

Sausage fest with the family, Miraflores, Lima 

Ultimate burgers at Papacho's, Miraflores, Lima

Debauchery with cousins and friends at Mamabatata, Chacarilla, Lima 

Dancing on the hanging bridge, La Cantuta, Chosica, Lima 

With Tata saying goodbye, San Isidro, Lima

Stick around because you won't want to miss these adventures!

Mangos for you, mangos for me!

And SNL's Mango is who I think about whenever I talk about my own mango tree! I mean they are falling everywhere from my trees! What am I to do? I guess I must show them off to you!

I had already posted my Mango Chicken recipe [here], but I think these are some more recipes I will be testing out before mango season is over. And after mangos are done...we get avocados! So get ready to see these babies here too!

Self.com

Damndelicious.net

twopeasandtheirpod.com

Happy Pinteresting lovelies!

Fusion of the day: Korean/Peruvian/Cuban

So the other day I decided that it would be a great idea to just have  a wine, fruit, and cheese type of dinner. I mean, why not? You have your fruits, dairy, and your calcium! Healthy, right?!?

Yet, something told me it may not have been the best choice, but whatever. I needed to "wine" down. I was starting to get super anxious for my trip! Yipeeee!

The next day, my foodie friends saved me and decided I needed a sensible dinner. The stashed hubby and I in their car and drove us to a land not too far away, yet once we arrived to FINKA, it appeared that we had just traveled over 30 minutes to the "chic" area of Miami. "FINKA" is a deliciously amicable friendship between Peruvian/Korean/Cuban cuisine. I may be a little biased in regards to Peruvian being the tastiest cuisine, but really, the fusion, mesh, intro, presentation was to die for!

Early in the night, I asked the bartender to make me a "Chilcano" a refreshing mix of Pisco, lime juice, and ginger ale. So tasty!

Anyhow, here some of the dishes we had for dinner. And like all great foodies, we order plates to share! Everyone has to taste everyone's food! So dig in and see!

We were extremely pleased with the food and the prices! Yet, we felt a bit shafted since they did not take reservations on a Thursday night and we had a 50minute wait. Although the music was great and jamming, the volume could have been a bit lower. We were yelling at each other while seating a few inches across from each other at a table! But even with these comments, I would still come back here in a flash!

What would you do?!?!

Weekend photo dump: St. Augustine, FL

I've had a pretty good weekend even if my friend Claudia had to twist my arm to go with her. I wanted to save some money before leaving to Peru in a few weeks and she assured me we'd keep the budget low!

I had always wanted to visit St. Augustine. The oldest city in the United States. The idea was to leave early on Friday so we could walk around the city a bit and then watch the fireworks while sitting next to the Castillo de San Marcos. I will leave you with some pics taken on my iPhone, but I'll introduce you to my cannon photos in the near future!

Little did we know it would be HOT as BALLS in a brick oven! 

Luckily, this helped me sweat off all of the calories I ingested!

We ended up at the Mill Top restaurant for lunch since it was the only restaurant with covered seating for the six of us. And it was good!

Too bad we didn't see the list of drinks until after we had ordered! My favorite one was "Sand In Your Butt!"

We cheered on and cried for Colombia while they played against Brazil. All in all, it was a great game! 

That night, we watched one of the top most beautiful fireworks displays in Florida! 

I saw letters, stars, and stripes light up the sky!

 On our second day we did some more walking around in hot and humid weather. 

Below is proof that I got him on Love Lockdown!

We continued our stroll through St. Augustine the following day and stopped for some chicken wings and beer.

I had the most amazing Lasagna pizza here at Pizza Time!

Had some coffee and ate the most delicious desserts at "The Chocolate Turtle". The cafe shop is named after the dessert on the bottom right. SCRUMPTIOUS!!

But then the rain came and we just wished for it to go away so that we could enjoy a calm stroll through the rest of the city.

Where did you go on your most recent vacation?

Refreshing Mango Chicken Recipe

I am lucky enough to have a robust mango tree in my backyard and for the past month or so, I have been picking mangoes from the tree or picking up those that fall on the ground. And now, I am surrounded by mangoes, they are in my fridge, in my freezer, and in bags ready to get sent to my friends' homes!

Considering my lovely mango tree, I needed to incorporate these into my easy cooking recipes. This recipe serves 4 people and was very savory and refreshing!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 pinch ground nutmeg 

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 pinch cinnamon

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

4 boneless skinless chicken breast strips, about 1 lb

2 teaspoons of light margarine

1 ripe, but firm mango, peeled and cut into chunks

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Salt (to taste)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Lime juice (to taste)

Directions:
In a small dish, stir together the spices. Feel free to add a just a tad bit more to crank up the taste. Lightly spray cooking spray on the chicken breasts. I used Olive Oil cooking spray. Sprinkle and cover both sides of chicken breasts with spice mixture. Allow these to sit for in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. When ready, begin by heating margarine in a large nonstick frypan over medium high heat. Add chicken breast strips and cook, turning occasionally, until both sides are deep golden brown and chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add mango and green onions. Cook, stirring, just until heated through, for about 1 minute. Remove chicken from heat. Sprinkle with salt, cilantro, and squeeze lime over the chicken. Serve immediately over a bed of rice with a side of broccoli.

I'll admit, I'm not the best cook, but surprisingly enough, hubby loved it! And did I also mention he is not a mango lover?

Dressing My Greens: Mother's Day Fun!

 Me, Mom, and Diana

I hope everyone enjoyed Mother's Day weekend!!
I know my crazy family did :) It was the second time we hosted a family get-together at my place. But the first time we've used the pool for this type of gathering. And it was so great!!

I also wanted to share a delicious salad dressing recipe with you because, it is just my favorite!!

I love salads...I do, it's kinda sad. The more tangy, sweet, sour, and crunch it has, the more I love it. I feel this salad and its homemade dressing takes the cake for awesomest combo of the above mentioned qualities ;)

Blend the following items:
1 small white onion
1 tsp salt
1 tbs dijon mustard
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
*Once blended, stir 1 tsp of poppy seeds to the dressing.

For the salad itself, you will need spinach, golden raisins, Craisins, sliced almonds, and cherry tomatoes.

Family tip: the dressing tastes best if you make it a few days prior to serving. Let it sit in the fridge for a few days if possible. Enjoy and happy blending!!!

What did you do for Mother's Day weekend?

Foodie File: Eating House

You know that restaurant that you just can't get enough of?

Yeah, that restaurant that you just keep coming back to?

The one you want to take all of your friends and family to?

To me, that's Eating House. Eating House is in the heart of Miami and started as a little "POP UP" restaurant that was supposed to have been open a few months. Well, it has now been around for over two years and it makes my tummy happy! 

My first scrumptious experience was going with my foodie friends, Rachel and Jackie, for their Sunday brunch. 

I was definitely excited! I had already heard of their mouth watering menu and seen the pictures on Instagram from those friends in the biz....Guess the foodie bug bit me and I was open to the stuffing my face!

Yes, that's their mouth watering brunch menu! 

Cap'n'Crunch Pancakes with Condensed Milk &  Banana Belgian Waffle with Nutella! 

'Calentado'...short ribs, eggs, rice and beans! Sweet cuban bread 'torrejas'! So good! 

But the truth of the matter is....these pics were taken about 1.5 years ago...My prayers were answered a few months ago since my foodie friend Tati came to visit from LA and of course I had to bring her here for brunch. 

Lucky for hubby and I, we have more foodie friends that are always willing to try a new restaurant out.

And this time, James, Indira, and little Camden convinced us to stop by a third time, however, this time it was for dinner. Again, Eating House did not disappoint!

 Their menu varies every time, but these were pancakes with short ribs and some delicious dessert that I can't remember the name of!

This was the favorite of the night...It's called 'Dirt Cup' a mixture of nutella, whipped cream, pretzel, and oreo cookie crumbs! HEAVEN!!

Yeah...what can I say. You better come visit Miami and eat some grub at Eating House!

Hurry up! You'll thank me later!