Lovingly called "pinto" for short, you can also find this dish on lunch and dinner menus alongside freshly braised meat. Sometimes we substitute gallo pinto for rice and beans in a Costa Rican casado. Basically, if you visit Costa Rica and don't see gallo pinto- you might want to check if you went to the right country.…
About 10 years ago I spent part of the summer at Trinity University in San Antonio, grading Advanced Placement Spanish Language Exams. I left the area and left with a serious…
Each winter the Ice Castles franchise picks six different places to create a large castle made out of only ice. There are interior and exterior walls, ice slides, tunnels, ice sculptures…
We recently headed over to Monster Jam here in Denver at the Pepsi Center. We'd never been and didn't have a ton of idea what to expect. So we learned a…
When I began blogging almost 4 years ago, I made the decision to rarely, if ever, post my kids' faces on the internet. Even if I miss out on a specific…
When you visit Costa Rica, you'll see a shrimp and rice recipe on almost every menu. It's one of the most beloved Costa Rican dishes- with all the amazing seafood in…
News flash- I adore PBS Kids programming. It is the one channel that I feel 100% comfortable letting my kids watch unsupervised- and sometimes for longer than I originally said they…
I have been making this white chili recipe for years. I grew up eating a red chili that my mom would make in the winter. Delish, but I actually prefer a…
Instructions on how to mail a Valentine- the perfect Valentine! Anyone who plans ahead for Valentine's Day even a little bit and has access to a post office can send the…
Brands often ask me to write them a blog post, and then are greatly taken aback when either I won't do it for free, or they see my rates. I'm going to…
This new decade of the 2020s is a big one for me- I turn 40, and both my kids will pretty much stop napping. Oh, and we will have been married…
I absolutely love Valentine's Day- and I love celebrating it with high school kids. You can take one of the most angst-ridden days of the year and turn it into an…
'm positive I'm biased, but I think I learned Spanish in the best country in the whole world to do so! Costa Ricans are known throughout Latin America for their laid-back…
The number one question I receive from parents wanting to raise bilingual kids is- what shows can my kids watch in Spanish and where can I find them? Whether it's bilingual…
This soup is a super popular dish in Costa Rica- but you will almost never find it on a menu. It's one of those recipes people make at home, but don't…
You will never go to a Costa Rican home where there are no beans on the stove or in the fridge. Many Costa Rican moms even batch cook black beans for…
I love love love dips! It's actually because I love tortilla chips so much, and I just need an excuse to dress them up once in a while. This Spinach Artichoke…
It's Holy Week (Semana Santa), which means a unique type of tamal is traditionally made and served in Costa Rica. Depending on the region of Costa Rica, this sweet, vegetarian tamal…
I'm rounding up a bunch of my very favorite things- from zero waste products to travel gear, health and beauty to clothing, and kitchen and parenting essentials. Every single product on this…
It was sooo time to get out of town. We usually take a Winter vacation- to Costa Rica, Cancun, or even Miami. There's just something about overdosing on Vitamin D in…
There's just a certain satisfaction of the perfect family vacation. In our case, we were just gone for two nights, but our weekend away in the Rocky Mountains checked all the…
This past weekend we got the chance to find out if the Hyatt beds really are as epic as I remember, as we spent a night as a family at the…
Every four years we gear up to celebrate the biggest soccer tournament in the world- and we are so excited to cheer on Costa Rica this year! We take game time…
Disney has a full slate of amazing new attractions at both Disneyland and Disney World in 2020 (and yes, you can take preschoolers to Disneyland!). What's the real info on Rise of…
I earned my street cred with this recipe a few years back. We had gone to a party to celebrate Costa Rican Independence day. The party was a potluck, and I…
In 2019 I moved from the United States to Costa Rica where I spent 9 months living in Costa Rica (San Ramon area) with my husband and kids. We went practically…
Getting dressed each morning for me is something that happens in stages. Half the time the clothes I put on are on the floor of my room, my jacket is on…
Raising bilingual kids is a lot of work! Bilingualism is also one of the most important gifts we can give our children- so it's important to have good resources for each…
Do you love to watch the big game with friends and family? We do- it's the perfect excuse to get together with people during the cold winter months. The time after the…
During the holiday season, the Denver Botanic Gardens presents Blossoms of Light- a winter wonderland of lights and sounds. This review is presented as part of the 18 Things To Do…
I just love a good cocktail recipe. With the right combination of ingredients, and cocktail can take me back to some of my favorite memories from my travels around Latin America. Like…
I'm on a huge guava kick right now people, and this tropical mimosa combines champagne and guava into a delicious and refreshing guava cocktail recipe that can't be beaten! I pretty much…
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