While downsizing, I came across a photo of my third-grade class at P.S. 219 in Queens, NY. It was a happy trip back to those times since I’ve always loved school. It was also my last class in Queens since we moved to Levittown, Long Island where I started in the fourth grade.
I remember that dress well. It was one of my favorites because it made me look like a little flower. LOL!
The world’s best conference chair is any chair because I am so looking forward to getting out and meeting up with other writers and readers! I love the energy at conferences and getting to meet new people. I hope we can meet up at one of my upcoming events.
Romance Writers of America Retreat
July 14-17, 2021
Nashville, TN
For more info, please visit https://bit.ly/35khGym.
Fall in Love with New England Conference
Oct 15, 3:00 PM – Oct 16, 9:30 PM
Boxborough Regency, 242 Adams Place, Boxborough, MA 01719, USA
For more information, please visit https://www.fallinlovenewengland.com/.
Whenever I travel, there are some things that I always take with me: my laptop, my phone, and a good book. Those are my must-haves for any trip. How about you? What’s in your bag that you always take?
It’s time for another #giveaway to celebrate the release of SOUTH BEACH LOVE, my new contemporary romance from Hallmark Publishing! I hope you’ll love the new swag I made as much as I do. To enter, please visit https://www.caridad.com/south-beach-love-giveaway/
Your email will not be used unless you sign up for my newsletter or shared with anyone.
Porchetta is a traditional Italian dish of spice-infused boneless pork roast that is slow-roasted and usually sliced and served in a sandwich. The typical Italian spices for this recipe would be fennel, lemon, rosemary, sage, garlic, and oregano.
In SOUTH BEACH LOVE, Chef Tony gives Italian porchetta a twist by using typical Cuban spices and I’m sharing that recipe with you today!
Ingredients:
5-8 navel oranges
5 lemons
5 limes
3-4 Seville (aka Sour) Oranges
3 pink grapefruit
1 cup minced garlic
Ground cumin
3-4 bay leaves
1 (4- to 7-pound) pork belly, skin-on
1 (4- to 5-pound) pork loin
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Butcher’s twine cut into 18″-24″ lengths
Directions:
Juice all the above citrus into a large pot.
The citrus mix should be sour, but with a strong hit of sweet (the navel oranges and grapefruit really help with that). You should have enough citrus juice to fully cover your pieces of pork loin and pork belly. Once you’ve tasted the sweet/sour mix, then add 3 to 4 bay leaves, about a half cup of garlic and about 1/4 cup of cumin. Mix this all up.
Place the pork belly skin-side up on a clean work surface and carefully cut slits in a diamond pattern on the skin side.
Place the pork loin on a clean work surface and with your knife, cut along the length of the pork loin and butterfly it. It should almost be like you are opening a book once you butterfly it.
Place the pork loin and belly in the citrus marinade you made earlier and let it marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours. You can even let it marinate overnight so the flavors really work in.
Right before you remove the pork from the marinade, mix up the chopped parsley, olive oil, and remaining 1/2 cup garlic into a paste.
Remove the pork loin and belly from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve about 2 cups of the marinade for basting.
Spread the pork loin on a clean work surface and spread 1/2 of the parsley/garlic paste on the inside of the pork loin. Roll up the pork loin.
Spread the pork belly, skin side down, on a clean work surface. Since you need to tie it, I put the lengths of butcher’s twine down on the work surface and place the pork belly on it. Spread the remaining parsley/garlic paste on the inside of the pork belly.
Place the pork loin at one end of the pork belly. Roll the pork belly around the pork loin and tie the twine around the roll to hold it together. Snip off any excess twine. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Place the roll on a greased baking dish and place into the hot oven. Cook for about 20 minutes until pork skin is getting crackly.
Lower heat to 325 and baste. Only baste once or twice in the first hour of cooking, but not for the last hour of cooking since you want the pork skin to be crackly. Check internal temperature of pork loin. It should be 135 degrees. Remove from oven and tent with foil. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
Place cooked porchetta on a clean cutting board and thinly slice. Serve on crusty Italian bread.
I’m not a romance author who normally has photos of my characters when I start writing. I usually use rough descriptions so you can fill in who you would like the character to look like! Sometimes afterward I’ll pick someone who I think might be a good choice. Today’s pick: a young Mario Lopez to play Tony Sanchez from South Beach Love.
What do you think? If you’ve read South Beach Love, how did you picture Chef Tony? Who do you think should play Tony if this book becomes a movie on the Hallmark Channel?
And now, a little excerpt for you!
Excerpt
“Chef, there’s someone out there who says he’s an old friend.”
Sara peered over the half wall that separated her restaurant’s open kitchen from the dining area. As her hostess jerked her head in the direction of the front door, Sara craned her neck to see an older, but unquestionably memorable face, at the hostess podium. A face she had dreamed about more than once as a teen.
“OMG,” she heard from beside her. “Is that Tony Sanchez? The Tony Sanchez?” said Jeri, her business partner, fellow chef, and long-time best friend. Inches shorter than Sara, Jeri had to rise on tiptoes to peer over the half-wall.
“None other,” Sara said as she grabbed a towel to dry her hands and shot a quick look at a starstruck Jeri. Her aqua blue eyes were wide with surprise in a face of flawless café con leche skin. “Can you handle things for a few minutes?”
At Jeri’s nod, Sara rushed out to greet Tony. She told herself not to make too much of how his smile widened when he spotted her, or how his eyes, those melty chocolate-colored eyes, warmed as he settled his gaze on her. But it was impossible to stop how her heartbeat picked up speed that he was here and seemingly happy to see her.
Hugs had always been freely given by the Sanchez family, but she held her hands out to him to avoid a hug, uncertain of how she’d react to the embrace. “It’s been way too long, Tony.” Nine years and eight months, give or take. Not that she was counting.
Liar, the little voice in her head chastised. Even though Tony had left Miami behind, she’d eagerly followed all his accomplishments. Even dared to wonder if he’d ever make Miami his home again.
Tony took both her hands in his and playfully wagged them. “You’ve grown up, chiquitica.”
She laughed and tried to ignore the tingle building where her hands rested in his. Slowly she eased her hands free. “I couldn’t stay ten forever. You look good,” she said and prayed it didn’t sound too much like flirting. To cover for it, she blurted out, “What brings you to Miami?”
“Family,” he said and glanced around the restaurant. “I ran into Rick the other day and he mentioned you had a place, so I decided to come by and say ‘Hello.’”
“Well, hello,” she said, feeling more and more like a tongue-tied fool with every passing second. “Monica will get you a table.” She waved at the hostess and when the young woman came by, she said, “Please seat Tony as soon as you can.”
He raised his hand in a ‘stop’ motion. “Por favor, no special treatment.”
Sara peered around the dining room. Every table was full inside and a quick look through the windows confirmed the outdoor seats were all taken. Plus there were quite a number of people milling around outside waiting to be seated.
“It may be a while,” she said with an apologetic grimace.
Tony mimicked her action, scrutinizing the restaurant and outdoor area. “I can wait. I’ve got all night. And if I’m still here when the rush is over, maybe we can grab a coffee later?”
Coffee? With Tony? Butterflies erupted in her stomach, but she somehow got the word out. “S-s-s-ure,” she stammered and without waiting for his reply, she rushed back to the kitchen before she embarrassed herself even more.
“You’re blushing. I’ve never seen you blush before,” Jeri kidded as Sara resumed the final plating of the nearly complete orders.
“It’s the heat in the kitchen,” she said, although her partner probably knew it was a lie.
“Sure, Sara. The heat and not…” Her friend paused and looked over the wall to where Tony waited outside, just beyond the entrance to the restaurant. “That hot guy you obviously have a crush on.”
“Not a crush,” she said and jerked tickets off the board to place them and the finished plates on the counter. Like clockwork her servers came over to pick up the meals and take them to their respective tables.
“Sure thing, Sara. Whatever you say,” Jeri teased as she finished up an order of sliders by topping them with slices of perfectly grilled foie gras. When she was done, she passed the plates to Sara for the final touch of caramelized onion compote before a toasted brioche bun top completed the slider and the order went up on the counter.
“Please, Jeri, leave it alone,” she pleaded and with a reluctant nod, her partner returned her focus to the new orders while Sara prayed that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself with Tony when it came time to chat with him.
She’d tried to keep her crush a secret from him and if he’d ever noticed it, he’d been gentleman enough not to mention it.
She wanted to keep it that way.
He had his restaurant and life in New York and she was here in Miami and never the twain would meet.
But in the back of her mind, she wondered, “What if?”
I took a risk and had some other swag made and I love it! But what to do? They seem sturdy enough for a keychain. Definitely good for a charm. Also good as a necklace. So many choices! What would you like? Some of all three of them for a giveaway?
