Boriqua Blog

It’s no secret that I love to entertain, but with my friends’ busy schedules, it’s not often that I can get the girls over on a Sunday afternoon.  That said and done, there is no way I want to spend the entire day in the kitchen preparing for company…it’s sunny and hot outside, perfect weather for a dip in the pool and a cool drink. What to do…?

I have a great idea! Let me make all the food in the morning, before the sun gets hot, and then I’ll be free to splish splash, and chill with my girls.

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This past week I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about a place in the West Village called Panca, in the space where Pardo’s of rotisserie chicken fame was. With the heat wave that we’re experiencing in the Baked Apple these last few days, it was the perfect excuse I needed to head on over, and try some of the ceviche that everyone is talking about.

We were greeted outside (there have cute little cafe type tables set outside for alfresco dining) by a lovely hostess who showed us to our table (inside, where it was airconditioned!). We had a waiter bring us menus and ask us for our water preference. He left us to peruse the menu which is not overwhelming, but offers a nice variety of ceviches and starters in Tapas and Appetizer size portions. We opted for the taps portions, leaving us free to sample more dishes.

Our waiter came back and asked us if we wanted a cocktail…I ordered my usual, although  was sorely tempted to try a libation called a Cholotini. I actually tried to convince Jerry to try it, but he was craving a beer, and so went with the Cuzquena. Note to self: The day that I open my restaurant, the waitstaff will be drilled with the understanding that if a customer has to wait more than 10 minutes for their drink, they (the waitstaff!) will suffer a slow and torturous death. I could maybe understand if the place was packed, but it was us and two other couples inside! But ok, I was about to forgive all when they brought me (finally!) a martini that was big enough to swim in…and it was perfect. The bottled sparkling water, on the other hand, was room temp warm, and I needed to ask for ice.

I thought we’d start with the ceviches, and follow that up with a couple of appetizers before going on to the entrees. I ordered the Tiradito Mosaico, while Jerry decided on the Green Mango-Shrimp Ceviche. For our Appetizer course, I ordered the Jalea and the Yuquita Frita, and the Grilled Octopus. The waiter brought all the plates at once.

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One of my most requested recipes, and certainly one of the most indipensible is that of my Mami’s Pineapple Vinagre. There is never a time when it is missing from my refrigerator, and no dish that doesn’t benefit from a sprinkle of this miracle ingredient. Whether it be a bowl of soup, a pot of beans, roasted chicken, a plate of arroz con guandules, or even scrambled eggs, vinagre will give your food a sparkle that willl set your taste buds a-singing (I should set up a space for testimonials!). The ingredients

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As my children have gotten older, it is increasingly difficult to make entertainment plans that include them because, as young men are wont to do, they have their own varied social schedules. Although they often hang out together, one of them lives in Philly, all three of them work, and holidays are not often what they used to be, where I could take for granted that we would all be together.  I might have also mentioned, that because I am a chef, I usually don’t get invited to anyone’s home because they feel (or at least that’s what they tell me!) because they feel too intimidated to cook for me (try me, please!).I should day that for the record, Miggy’s mom is the exception to this rule!

Earlier this week, the unthinkable happened, and my happy go lucky friend, Violette, invited me to an all day beach/bbq that was being hosted at a friend’s home. Wow! I’m immediately thinking, “What can I bring?” As it turned out, the weather here in NYC was a bit iffy, and I opted to stay close to home, thinking that maybe Jerry and I would go out to dinner (maybe the River Cafe to watch the fireworks?), or just stay home a watch a couple of movies. I’m in the backyard, having a cup of coffee yesterday morning, when in saunters Marc from Philly, with his childhood buddy, Sean, and he says, “So Mom, are you cooking today? Not that I want to be any trouble….”.

That was at 10:30. By 12:30 I had Pork Spare Ribs in the smoker, and I was busy grilling vegetables that I had pulled out of my produce drawer (thank God for Costco!). Further searching produced a bag of haricot vert, red potatoes, and plenty of romaine lettuce (a staple at my house). Here’s what the menu looked like: Hickory smoked pork ribs with a passion fruit-chipotle mop

Red Potato Haricot Vert Salad with white wine/mustard vinagrette

Wheat berry Salad with Grilled Vegetables in a Balsamic Glaze

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If you’re Puerto Rican, most, if not all, applied to you at one time or another…. ********************************************

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I review a lot of restaurants here, and I love to take you guys on trips that I take, but I’ve decided that I’d also like to share things that help make my life easier as well. I dare any girl out there to say that she has never been in the position where she is wearing a button down blouse/shirt, or a wrap dress, etc., and you have a gap between the buttons or the “V” is too low on that dress…or how about when guys lose a cuff button or drop a hem? The usual quick fix for this malady is to use a safety pin, right? Except, you usually end up with the unsightly silver pin peeking through the fabric. Enter

Violette’s Pin Ups, different colored little safety pins (no silver peeking!) that come in several color “collections” that will help you out of that fashion emergency in a pinch! These three are but three of her collections, and I have it on good authority that she’s coming out with a line for Guys, so nobody feels left out! Tucked in a purse or a briefcase, feel free to tempt fashion fate anyday of the week!

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Hope the weather holds out Babies!

Pic credits to Max31055

http://www.nycpride.org/

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The Life of Daisy Martinez from Daisy Martinez on Vimeo.

This video was created by my children for my 50th birthday party.

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Last Friday May 16th, I had the pride and pleasure of watching my son Marc graduate from Arcadia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. The grounds were decorated beautifully, but the ceremony had to transferred inside to the gymnasium because of the pouring rain. I’d say they dressed the gym up real nice.

Is that a killer smile, or what?  As the proud Mom, I planned to take Marc out for a fabulous lunch after the ceremonies, and decided on Tinto, Jose Garces restaurant in Philly.  I had visited his other restaurant, Amada, and had such a great experience that I was eager to try Tinto.

You know how when you were a little kid your mom told you, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything it all?” Well, that’s as much as I am going to say about Tinto. Here is what we ate:

Queso Mixto

Chorizo, Lomo and Jamon Serrano

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I had the most fantabulous birthday party in the history of birthday parties last weekend to celebrate my turning 50 years old. This is not me gushing or exaggerating (I know I’ve been known to do this), I assure you. I was surrounded by my family and friends, we sang karaoke, laughed, drank and ate the whole night through.

One of the highlights of the evening had to be my multi-talented friend Sam Velez, who brought down the house with his rendition of Marc Anthony’s “You Sang to Me”.

Sam Velez channels Marc Anthony

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