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Esteban

Christmas Brunch with Aldi

Hola Hola!

We’re less than a week away from Christmas, and the excitement is building! Today, I’m partnering with Aldi to share a few recipes with you, they reached out to me with a task to create Christmas brunch with $50, and I’m here to share what I whipped up.

Aldi became one of my favorites earlier this year when one opened up directly across from my apartment. It very quickly became my go to while I was testing recipes for my cookbook because they have a huge variety of things with really great prices and their house brands are just as good, if not better than national brands. They also receive fresh produce daily, and they work with farmers and local growers to ensure the vegetables arrive from the field to the store in the shortest possible time. Annnnd you’ll see that their exclusive quality brands are always exceptional and their prices are always incredibly low without coupons!

One of my favorite things they carry is the Specially Selected Chocolate Chip Brioche loaf, which costs $3.89 at Aldi, in comparison to other stores where you could be spending more that $5 for it. Every time I stop by, I have to grab one so I can snack on it throughout the week. It’s soft, pillowy and sweet, and they have two different variations of it that make it perfect for both french toast and bread pudding, which is what we’ll be making today.

When I’m making brunch for a small group, I try not to make things complicated for myself. I keep it easy and simple by making something sweet and something of substance, and having friends bring a side so we all have something to contribute. The brioche bread pudding we’re making today comes together very quickly, and you don’t really need to add much to it because the brioche already has a sweet streusel and chocolate chips into it. The french toast also doesn’t really have to be dressed up because the chocolate chips take it up a notch.

I’m including my receipt so you can take a look at just how much I was able to grab for $50. Not only was I able to contribute the bread pudding and french toast, but I was also able to grab a bottle of champagne, two different types of juice, two different milk options, bacon, and eggs!

If you haven’t stopped by Aldi, find out where the closest one to you is here! I’m sure it’ll become one of your favorite stores too!

GameDay Burrito Bowl Bar

This post is sponsored by Kettle Brand Chips, thoughts and opinions are my own.

As Billy and I were driving up to Northern California to spend some time with his family for our nephews birthday, I kept getting flashbacks to my time in College Marching Band at Fresno State as we drove through.

If you’re a new reader, Hi, Hello, I’m Esteban and I used to be a band geek.

(Queue MTV: True Life opening credits)

Marching Band was everything to me when I was in High School. I’d spend a lot of my time practicing my instrument, trying to be the best musician I could possible be. Band taught me a lot about being responsibility and discipline, as I went on to lead the 150 member band as a Drum Major my senior year.

GameDay Burrito Bowl Bar

I had decided I wanted to stick with music, so when I was accepted into the Music program at Fresno State, I was thrilled. I remember how nervous I was when I showed up to my first day of band camp. It was a 300+ piece band, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep up, but I did! We began prepping for our first football game which would be in two weeks and we’d be playing a Michael Jackson tribute which I was so excited for.

That night we marched to the beat of the drums from campus to the stadium for our first football game of the season. We lined up next to the field, and the drums began to count us off to march onto the field. The crowd suddenly got quiet and then roared as the horns announced our entrance onto the field. It was a huge adrenaline rush, and it wasn’t like anything I had experienced before. I was excited, nervous, and a little worried I was going to forget the the music or the drill, but that feeling quickly faded away. College football games, and College Marching Band were so much, and they will always be one of my favorite things about my College experience.

GameDay Burrito Bowl Bar

Whenever the Super Bowl comes around, I find myself watching past performances and they always take me back to those moments on the field. Today, I’m partnering with Kettle Brand Chips to show you how to prep a burrito bowl bar perfect for the Super Bowl coming up! If you like to entertain, you probably already know it takes a lot of work to prep and set up for a gathering. Most of the time, if you’re doing all of the cooking by yourself, you end up missing out on the conversation because you spend a lot of time serving others and making sure everyone is well taken care of.

This burrito bowl bar takes care of all of that for you. All you have to worry about is setting up all of the options, and let your guests serve themselves, giving them the freedom to build their bowls as they wish. These set ups are great because you can get super creative with your topping options. For these burrito bowls, I’m including all of the classic fixings like beans, roasted corn, a very fragrant lime cilantro rice and I’m also including Kettle Brand’s new Spicy Queso flavor for the extra crunch.

What are some of your favorite burrito fixings?

Let me know in the comment section below!

Sopa De Caracól

I’m spending a few days in Northern California visiting family this week and it has me feeling all kinds of nostalgic. Billy and I spent 4 years living in Humboldt County while we both finished our Bachelor’s, and driving through the lush landscape really just reminded me how much I missed the sights, the weather, and the small town living. We actually got to experience the seasons change here!

In the spirit of nostalgia and because most of us are experiencing chilly temperatures, I’m sharing a recipe for sopa de caracól today. Sopa de caracól is essentially shell pasta in a thin tomato broth. My mom would typically make this for us on cold rainy days, and she’d always accompany it with quesadillas overflowing with melty mozzarella cheese. It was heaven for us but now that I’m older, I like my soups to be in between a chowder and a bisque, so my take on this is going to be a little thicker, and I’m adding sour cream to my bowl for those tomato bisque vibes.

Whenever I think of Sopa de caracól, the song with the same name also comes to mind. It was one of those songs that would always be played at parties growing up and even though you didn’t really understand what they were saying (apparently they say “What a very good soup”), it always stuck with you!

Stay warm and cozy, and if you need something to bop along to while you’re cooking..go ahead and hit play.

Nos vemos!

Rompope French Toast, Horchata French Toast & Ponche Navideño

This post is sponsored by Cardenas Markets, thoughts and opinions are my own.

New Year’s is just days away, and it feels like we were just ringing in 2017. As my siblings and I have gotten older, we’ve all started our own traditions and New Year’s Eve has become a day for me to relax, and reflect on all of my successes and losses in the past year.

This year I’m planning on doing the same, and kick starting the year with one of my favorite breakfasts; french toast. Occasionally, when Billy and I both have the day off he’ll make breakfast for the both of us and I always ask for french toast. It’s so easy to make, and you can dress it up in so many ways, and infuse it with just about anything!

I’ve partnered with Cardenas Markets, to share 3 recipes with you to help you prep for a festive New Years breakfast! I’ve been visiting Cardenas for years, but now that I live just down the street from one of their locations, I’m a regular shopper now! Everyone is always so friendly there, they have a lot of specialty items you can’t find at other super markets, and their selections grow even more during the Holidays. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve featured their delicious conchas on my feed (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), they really are my one stop shop for everything I make on the blog.

Rompope French Toast, Horchata French Toast & Ponche Navideño

Today we’re going to be adding horchata and rompope to our french toast for a kiss of flavor and we’re also going to be making ponche navideño. I know what you’re thinking..ponche navideño, after Christmas? SI! In my family, ponche shows up on Thanksgiving and we have it up till el dia de los reyes magos! For those who are new to ponche, it is a tea infused with fruits and spices that we have in Mexico during the Holidays. Everyone has their own version, and the one we’re making today is a small-batch version with notes of tamarind, hibiscus and cinnamon! It’s sweet, it’s tart and you get to add your favorite fruits..and if you’re old enough, a shot of tequila!

I hope this new year brings you lots of love, laughter, good food and great memories.

Have a happy New Year!

Rompope French Toast, Horchata French Toast & Ponche Navideño

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