Happy Nachos

Not sure if I mentioned it before, but my mum, sister and grandma came to visit me about a week ago. We spent a few days happily together, mostly shopping and eating. My favourite day, however, was the day when we decided to stop worrying about planning our days ahead and ended up wandering around SoHo, chatting and laughing together for the first time in what seemed ages to me.

After a while, we found out a cozy bar named Dos Caminos with a pretty terrace, where we decided to go for some food. We shared some nachos with guacamole –which were really good– and drank some sangria. This was a great evening; I had a lot of fun with my girls, showing them one of the neighbourhoods I like the most in my beloved city. Having them with me for a few days made me realise how much I miss them. I really hope they can come visit again soon!

Love,
  Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Happy Birthday, Sis!

We all know that my favourite person in the whole world is my beautiful sister. Not only because she's the little fairy that was sent to take care of me while we grew up, but also because she's the perfect example of fighting for life and being awesome on the way! She's taught me to always think positive and fight for what I want, while loving myself and being happy.

Last year, we spent her birthday in Madrid, doing what she loves the most: eatº–yeah, she's even more of a foodie than I am! We had some delicious brunch, followed by the best paella in town! It was definitely an unforgettable day for her.

Today she's turning 21! And although we're not Eurotripping this year, I really want today to be special. So we're definitely going out for lunch, and hopefully I'll get her to finally share some prosecco––or maybe even a Margarita?––with me! We're also going to get her a new laptop, so she can start working on her awesome design projects for school.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

I still remember the first time I held you in my hands, and how happy I felt about my little sister being born. I remember skipping class in kindergarten because I wanted to make sure you were doing good, and I remember wanting to kill those bullies who were mean to you in middle school. From this little baby just entering primary school you've grown up to be a wonderful woman and I'm sure your future is full of amazing surprises!

I will miss you to the moon and back when I'm in New York!


Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

It's Tea (Read: Chocolate) Time!

Last Friday, my mum, my sister and I decided we should have a girls' afternoon and have tea together. We wanted to indulge ourselves with a lot of sugar, so we actually changed the tea for something more powerful... hot cocoa!

My sister, who's always trying to break the Guinness record of the person who has eaten the biggest ice cream ever seen, ordered a huge ice cream. I tried it and it was really good...

...But nothing like my delicious strawberry & banana crepe. It has the perfect amount of fruit, it was sweet, but not excessively, and it came with a scoop of ice cream. What more could I ask for?

Yes, you're right. Hot cocoa. That's what topped up my crepe. It was sweet, it had a big load of marshmallows, and it warmed me up in a cold afternoon.

Nothing better than a good time with my favourite girls, overdosing with sugar, right?

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Christmas Dinner

One of the things I love the most about Christmas is that it is almost a worldwide holiday. Even if different cultures celebrate it different ways, I'm pretty sure almost everyone around the world knows the magic of Christmas trees and fairy lights, and the sound of Santa's laugh.

One of my favourite traditions in Colombia is having dinner on Christmas Eve. Ever since I was a small child, I remember seeing my mum and my grandma baking a huge turkey for all of us to eat. I remember playing with my three cousins until Santa came with our presents. I remember being as happy as I could possibly be!

This year––and it has been similar for several years now––it was a quieter Christmas: just my mum and dad, my sister, and I. But we couldn't skip the turkey. It's definitely the best turkey on Earth and I would never miss it. This time, we had it with potato salad. My dad contributed with a special wine he had saved for a special occasion––a Santa Rita sauvignon blanc Reserve 2007––and I made some mushrooms for a starter, and the dessert was our favourite chocolate cake!

We had dinner at home: a place that I used to believe could compare to Santa's own place of living. My mum is the hugest Christmas addict I've ever seen, and she has always decorated the house with the best of Christmas. I remember my friends from school loved to count how many Christmas trees there were––and this number was never below 20! And this year it was as magical as always: full of lights and love!

Oh, and Rudolph came by to say hello!

Merry Christmas!!!

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

My dad's birthday was on Wednesday, and my sister and I decided we should make him happy for the day. So we made a a reservation in one of our favourite restaurants––Harry's Bar––and invited him to lunch.

He's absolutely a meat person––I guess I didn't learn to eat from him––so he ordered baby-back ribs. I was so tempted to try them that I asked for a bit... And they were just amazing! The barbecue sauce was made with guava––a tropical fruit that has a sweet flavour––which made the sauce really soft and delicious. Plus, it had a unique taste!

My sister and I decided to share the Harry's Bar Ravioli. These are filled with crab and salmon, and they have Bechamel sauce with some tomatoes. They're so delicious I could eat them every single day of my life!

We also ordered some asparagus with butter as a side to share. One of the things I like the most of this restaurant are the side dishes. They're made to share, so they're huge. And if you have a bigger appetite than we had that day, it means that you can actually try different sides –and trust me, they're all delicious!

Finally, we ordered chocolate cake with nocciola in the inside and vanilla ice cream. This was a bit of a sugar overdose –especially considering we were having Birthday cake later on that day– but absolutely delicious. I could never eat one of those by myself, but when you're sharing with your family it gets better!

After going back home, we sand Happy Birthday to my dad and let him have his birthday wishes. My wish for him is to be happy, and I hope he was that day!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

Wind Beneath My Wings

Did you ever know that you're my hero?...

These lyrics from Bette Midler's song Wind Beneath My Wings probably speak on their own. And they are dedicated to one very special person in my life; to someone I love like nobody else: my sister!

She is the most wonderful person on Earth! Really. If you ever had the chance to meet her, I'm absolutely certain you would think exactly the same. She is the one reason why I try to get the best out of me and become a better person. She is the most brave person I've ever met. She's the sweetest girl in the whole world. She's my sister. And I'm SO proud of her. And I love her.

Love,