our first 4th BBQ!

Our 4th of July was so much fun! I've been planning it for months, since our best friends Jackie and Lino were going to be in town. We baked, cooked, and BBQ'ed. We had Ronnie's ribs, hot dogs, cole slaw, rosemary potatoes, corn, salad, baked beans, patriotic cupcakes and patriotic fruit kabobs. Total FEAST. Everyone was so hungry, that I forgot to take pics of the food! It was a lot of work, but in the end it was worth it. Here is our 4th in pictures!

Patriotic Cupcakes! They came out so cute!

Jackie making the cupcakes! Teamwork! We even added some cuban rum in the batter to make it a little different. We called them our "Cuban-American Cupcakes!" :)

My table setup!

Flag centerpieces! Martha inspired, of course! (colored sand and flags)

I picked up the patriotic buckets and red table cover at Target's dollar spot and the napkins, flags, and centerpiece items at Michael's. And the "Happy 4th" banner I picked up at the Target Dollar Spot, too. (pictured below)

Marshmallows stars were found at good ole' Wal-Mart.

Gels clings were found at Target's Dollar Spot, too! Cute touch!

This was taken after the end of a long day....tired!

Hope your day was filled with all things red, white, and blue, too! We are so blessed to be Americans!

♥

patriotic inspiration

Some of my favorite patriotic inspirations from Martha Stewart! We are hosting our friends The Pico's this 4th of July in GA!

Ronnie's 30th Birthday!

We celebrated Ronnie's BIG 30th birthday yesterday with a small bbq dinner at our home! I wanted to make it really special, so I decided to throw together a Yankees theme dinner party. Many of you know my hubby is a HUGE Yankees fan ever since he was a little boy. I thought it was even more appropriate since they won the World Series just a few weeks ago. We are on a budget, but I still managed to throw something cute together without breaking the bank. Here are some pics from last night. We really had a nice time and the cake was not only perfect, but delicious! (BTW, I got some nice compliments for my "hostess capabilities". That totally made me feel special. I know I get it from my mami. Thanks Mom!) Tell me what you think! We wish you were here!!!!!

Tortilla Soup

Going to take a break from reporting about our trip to California to report on a delicious Tortilla Soup I made last week! And it gave me the perfect excuse to try out my new ceramic pot!

While watching the View one morning, Tyler Florence was on. He was cooking for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is tricky to cook for because she is on a gluten-free (g-free) diet for her celiac disease. Anyways, one of the things he made was a Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup. It looked delicious and so simple to make that I had to try it. The part that makes is so simple is to buy a whole roasted chicken from the grocery store. You shred it up and can make quesadillas for dinner the following evening! PERFECT! The only ingredient I didn't use were the jalapenos, and I substituted the cheese for regular shredded cheese. You can use whatever cheese you prefer. Check it out.

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium white onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped

1 quart gluten-free chicken stock, store bought

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil, for pan-frying

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from gluten-free deli-roasted chicken)

2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

1 cup crumbled coitja cheese, optional

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving

Place a stockpot over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, and tomatoes; cook, stirring for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1-inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

Ladle the hot soup into 4 soup bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and fried tortilla strips (and cheese if using). Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence; Yield: 2 quarts

Prepping the vegetables. onions, tomatoes, garlic, in olive oil for 20 min.

After 20 min, you add the chicken broth. And boil for another 20 min.

While the soup cooked, I shredded the chicken and put it in a plastic container to save for later. You add the chicken to the soup when you are ready to serve in the bowls. No need to put in the pot, because the chicken is already cooked and it will get dried out.

Also, I cut up the rest of the ingredients!

At the very end when the soup is done, you throw in and serve the rest of the ingredients (chicken, avocado, cheese, lime, and cilantro , which makes the soup by the way!) right into the bowl.

It made enough for 2 dinners in a row. We absolutely loved it. So hearty, yet, healthy and filling. Enjoy!