Royally Mischievous in Curacao

Where I ate with my hands, painted Chichis and swam with barracudas, while lodging in a lush locale. (As published in Haute Living) 

A newly launched direct flight by Insel Air makes the southern Caribbean island of Curacao totally accessible to travelers flying out of Miami International Airport. We left on an early Friday afternoon flight, landing at Hato International Airport 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Our taxi driver, an elderly woman with an inviting grin, drove us through a few small towns on the way to the Hotel Kura Hulanda, where we dropped off our bags and began a weekend adventure that was anything but ordinary.

Why I Don't Post (or Count) Calories in my Recipes

Alright, kids, pay attention! If I had a section devoted to FAQs, there would only be one question on that list: "Why don't you post calories in your posts?" Sigh.

Mainly, I just don't have the time. "But calories are so important," you may say. And you're absolutely right, they are. Keeping a healthy weight depends a lot on the amount of calories you consume in a day. (And the amount you burn by being active!) My concern, however, is in the quality of my food, not the quantity. Staying within your goal of 1500 calories per day (just throwing a number out there), isn't considered winning if all you ate in the day was 15 100-calorie packs of mini Chips Ahoy cookies.

The Grind: if only they would have...

... hosted it outdoors. Sigh. For so many weeks I looked forward to this event. What could be more fun than spending a Saturday night with my mom, my sister (The Fat Girl Inside), and my friends while schkoffing the best burgers in South Florida and chugging Blue Moon? In theory, it was a pretty genius concept to have 30 local restaurants firing up their grills to serve hundreds of hungry foodies. It could have had the potential to blow Burger Bash out of the water... until someone decided to host this thing indoors. I won't get too deep into the details, as, in the end, no one said it better than The Miami New Times' Alex Rodriguez in his post "The Grind: Smoking Out Fine Burgers." Aside from sweating profusely, having to rub my itchy eyes with greasy fingers and being left with smelly clothes and hair, the beer was awesome, the burgers were delish and I was in great company. Here are some shots from the event... and here's to hoping for a big tent in the great outdoors next years. Because, heck yea, I am in! (Disclaimer: Serious, not so dainty, burger gobbling photos follow!)