Guest posting today and sharing her delicious recipe is Velva Knapp from “Tomatoes on the Vine”. Velva has a beautiful blog filled with fantastic recipes. Thank you, Velva, for being here!

~Erica Read more…

Guest posting today and sharing her delicious recipe is Norma from “Platanos, Mangoes and Me”. Norma has a beautiful blog filled with delicious recipes. Thank you, Norma, for being here!

~Erica Read more…

Arroz Tapado is a classic Colombian dish from the Boyaca department of Colombia. This rice has a lot happening! It is cooked in a chicken stock with chicken pieces, pork belly, pork ribs, vegetables, milk, cheese, sautéed onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, achiote or color and cilantro.

Colombians love arroz or rice… we cannot live without it. Since we eat it almost every day, Colombians have countless rice based dishes in our recipe arsenals. In this dish, the chicken pieces are marinated with garlic, scallions, salt and pepper. I like to serve Arroz Tapado with avocado slices, tomato and aji or hot sauce. It can also be served with fried ripe or green plantains.

Buen provecho! Read more…

This traditional dish, originally from the Tolima department of Colombia, is often served on special occasions. This popular dish consists of a whole pork stuffed with rice, peas, potatoes and spices , cooked in a brick oven for about ten to twelve hours.

Lechona was Mamita’s favorite Colombian dish and it was the main course at our New Year’s Eve celebrations and at her birthday parties. The most important thing for Mamita was that the skin was reallly crispy.

Lechona Tolimense is a delicious meal. My mom has a recipe to make a small lechona at home using pork skin and I want to share it with you. Sorry, but I could not afford a whole pig and besides, my vegetarian husband would have had a fit if I brought home a pig

Enjoy it! Read more…

So, what is Sudado? It literally translates as “sweaty”. Yummy huh? But in a food context, Sudado is a traditional Colombian stew with many variations such as Pork, Beef, Chicken, Fish and Meatballs Sudado. There are also variations in the vegetables used. Potatoes, yuca, carrots and plantains are some of the more common ones. It is a popular dish all over the country and one of my favorite Colombian meals.

Do you have those dishes that you want to make because you need comfort food and because they remind you of what your mom used to make when you were a child? Sudado is that kind of food for me. When I make it, I remember every detail of those family meals. I love this dish with white rice, avocado and tomato salad on the side. Read more…

Mondongo, which is pork, tripe and chorizo soup, is served in every traditional Colombian restaurant. It is a hearty soup and a signature dish in every home in the Andean zone of Colombia. My grandmother used to make the best Mondongo I’ve ever had!

To make Colombian Mondongo, a variety of meats and vegetables are cooked together until everything in the pot is fork tender. Tripe is the main meat in the dish and it is balanced with lean pork and pieces of chorizo, which are used for rich flavor. Mondongo is a complete meal, accompanied by white rice, avocado, banana and drizzled with lime juice.

Traditionally, the tripe is cooked in a pressure cooker, which cooks the tripe faster, in about 45 minutes. If you don’t have one, simmer for a couple of hours in a normal pot.

Buen Provecho! Read more…

I love making mini versions of big things. For example, rather than making a big pasta casserole, I usually prefer to make individual dishes. They are really cute. Don’t you think?

These Mini Meat Balls are perfect for a cocktail or tapas party . You can make them ahead and bake them when your guests arrive. Easy,simple and delicious!

Buen provecho! Read more…