#ThrowbackThursday A Quinceanera!

In Latin tradition, girls are given a quinceanera, or Sweet 15, in order to celebrate their passage from girl to woman.

We had a quinceanera for my daughter with our family and close friends as well as a number of her friends. It was a lovely time and I think everyone had a blast!

Part of the tradition is that the women of the family, mom, aunts, grandmother and godmother, each present the young woman with a gift that symbolizes the passage. Things like earrings, bracelets, rings and other items that a woman would wear.

Here are some photos of my daughter, her godmother (my sister), her aunt, her grandmother and me doing that rite of passage.

Here is a photo of my daughter, hubby and me. If you believe in such things, you will notice the orbs that were present in this photo and many of the others. One friend who attended and is a sensitive said the place was haunted. It could be. We had the celebration in an old inn that has been around since 1843.

October 8, 2020

#ThrowbackThursday – South Beach Love

We used to love going down to South Beach to get away from winter for a week. It was so much fun to go to the beach, hang out by the pool at the Park Central, and stroll along Ocean Drive. We’d also walk over to Lincoln Road to check out the shops and restaurants as well as take various trips to Little Havana to get our fill of Cuban food. Good times. That’s one of the reasons that I set my book for Hallmark, SOUTH BEACH LOVE, in the South Beach area. I’m so excited about this book! It’s got lots of great food scenes that are bound to make you hungry and a fun twist as two chefs who are starting to fall in love find themselves forced into a competition to decide who is the better chef. You can find out more about SOUTH BEACH LOVE at https://amzn.to/36L1kkm.

October 2, 2019February 17, 2021

#WriteWed – A Feel Good Romance That’s Tasty Too!

I am so excited to be writing for Hallmark, especially since the story I’ve written has some of my fav things in it. South Beach. Chefs. Family traditions. What could make for a better story? I loved writing SOUTH BEACH LOVE, a tale of two rival teens who unknowingly throw a monkey wrench into the growing relationship between their aunt and uncle, who also happen to be top chefs. It was a lot of fun to show the growth in the two girls as well as the competition between the two chefs, Tony Sanchez and Sara Kelly. Plus I love to cook and really enjoyed exploring both my old family recipes and new twists on them as the chefs try to outdo each other. Today I’m sharing some recipes that were part of the inspiration for the cooking competition!

Caridad’s Citrus-Marinated Cuban Roast Pork: http://bit.ly/2pfKq9K
Cuban Black Beans: http://bit.ly/2pfS4kp
Ropa Vieja: http://bit.ly/2nN0U91

If you love to cook as well, please check out the other recipes on my Cook’s Treat page at https://www.caridad.com/meet-me/cooks-treat/.

Now here’s a teaser for SOUTH BEACH LOVE, available June 2020!

Teaser

Head to Miami for a Hallmark summer romance
celebrating family and tradition,
from New York Times bestselling author Caridad Pineiro.

Tony Sanchez, a celebrity chef, comes home to help with his nieceâ€™s quinceaÃ±eraâ€”a traditional big celebration for her fifteenth birthday. He meets up with Sara Kelly, an old friendâ€™s baby sister, whoâ€™s now running a restaurant in South Beach. Attraction flares between them.

But Sara is enlisted to cater another quinceaÃ±eraâ€”for the girl whoâ€™s his nieceâ€™s rival. Many prominent families will attend, and Sara sees it as an opportunity to get more business for her restaurant and cement her reputation as a talented local chef. But Tony wants his nieceâ€™s celebrationâ€”and his own talentâ€”to outshine the rest.

Can competing chefs teach each other a few lessons about cooking, cultureâ€”and love?

You can purchase SOUTH BEACH LOVE at the following retailers:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XUW8qZ
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2nMG3mh
B&N: Coming soon!
Kobo: Coming soon!
recipe book and spices south beach love