Nine Hours in Portland, Maine

In addition to being best friends since the dawn of time, my friend Jenelle's husband, Brendan, and my husband, Anthony, also happen to share the same birth month which makes it extremely convenient when planning group birthday adventures :) We've taken them to some fun places (like Atlantic City) in the past, but this year we wanted to do something a little different since we'd be in Kennebunkport, Maine for the New Years holiday. 

Cue Portland, Maine. If you've never been to Portland, I highly recommend making a trip. My family has taking vacations to Maine for over 15 years, and Portland's 'Old Port' is always a highlight of our trips. The cobblestone streets are lined with cool old 19th century buildings, and its waterfront is speckled with fishing piers. In addition to being beautiful to look at, Portland is home of some amazing shopping and restaurant destinations. 

So, Jenelle and I planned for a car to pick the four of us up in Kennebunkport and take us to Portland for the day.

First stop: The Thirsty Pig. 

Today I Begin a Four Week Detox...

... It started this morning and I've already had to tear myself away from two separate cookie counters.

This should get interesting reallll fast.

You see, I'm not exactly the detox type. Actually, to put it bluntly, I suck at detoxes. I've tried a few different ones - from pure juice cleanses to Dr. Oz's 48-hour weekend cleanse (thanks, Dr. Oz, for teaching me how much I absolutely detest quinoa and chopped prunes for breakfast) - and have failed multiple times.

Keeping all this in mind, when my friend, Jenelle, told me she was doing Transformation One's Four Week Group Cleanse I was incredibly hesitant to pay the $ and jump on board. However, my tight-fitting jeans have left me desperate to find a way to eat healthier, and this plan offered a few perks that I haven't found with other detoxes:

• First and foremost it's being run by someone who is related to a best friend of mine... meaning that the program can be trusted and I can 100% rely on the moderator as a support system. 
• Secondly, it's much easier to work out and eat well if you have a support system and others participants who are holding you accountable... That's where the 'group' part comes in. With weekly calls and constant email contact, this cleanse makes it difficult for you to stray from the path of healthy, clean eating. 
• And finally - the cherry on top of the cake (ughhh I want cake!) - is that you can still eat real food... just in moderation with ingredients that are approved by the program's moderator. 

So, farewell coffee, farewell beloved bourbon, and farewell sugar... You'll be missed, but we shall meet again in four weeks time.

Don't worry, though, I have a couple recipes that I've stored up to post in the coming weeks! Who knows, maybe some healthy ones will be coming your way.

Stay tuned!

xo

Blue Cheese & Honey Crostini

The 2014 holiday season was filled with countless adventures for the Latinos, many of which I'll be posting about in the coming weeks... Including our fun attempt at cooking live lobster up in Maine (eeeeeeeeeeeeek!)...

In the meantime, here's a delicious EASY recipe that I concocted this week for blue cheese and honey crostini.

One of our adventures last month took us to St. Simon's Island, Georgia - a beautiful little island about an hour from Savannah. My cousin, Cat, and her wonderful fiance, Pete, got married in the area, so we took a little trip down south. It was totally worth it for lots of different reasons.

Of course, the best part was getting to hang out with my family in an awesome, new place...

All the cousins (nine girls and one boy!) and our grandfather (bride is on my grandfather's right)

Another great part was all the authentic southern food. Pretty much everything is deep fried...We're talking chicken, pickles, crab cakes, sweet potato fries, and lots more.

But, believe it or not, one of my favorite food items from the trip wasn't fried... what could it be? Savannah Bee Company's honey for cheese... YUM!

SO good!

This recipe for crostini will literally take you all of 10 minutes. First preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, slice off 24 quarter-inch pieces of Italian bread and place them on a baking sheet...

Bake them for eight minutes, turning them over after four minutes, until they look all pretty and golden-brown...

Cut the blue cheese into inch cubes, and top each piece of bread with a piece...

Then, using a butter knife, drizzle honey over each crostini...

Place on a pretty plate (like this slate cheese board... love this thing!) and there you have it... told you they were easy!

Blue Cheese & Honey Crostini

INGREDIENTS

Makes 24 crostini 

1 loaf of skinny white Italian bread

1/2 lb blue (or Stilton) cheese

1/4 cup honey (cheese honey is preferable, which can be found at local cheese shops) 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut 24 pieces of quarter-inch-thick slices of bread and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for eight minutes, turning halfway through to crisp on both sides. 
3. When bread is finished, cut (or break) blue cheese into inch-thick cubes. Top each piece of bread with one piece of cheese. 
4. Take a butter knife and dip into honey, then drizzle over each piece of crostini to taste. 
5. Serve and enjoy!