sliders

Fried Zucchini Sliders + GIVEAWAY!

June 28, 2017

I think by now you’ve all heard me mention time and time again, maybe even to the point of annoyance, that I wrote a cookbook a while ago. You may or may not know that it’s a book all about sliders. Mini burgers always and forever. Being the self-proclaimed Slider King of the World, I still very much love this book and am very proud of it and the hard work I put into it. Today, June 28th 2017, marks the one year anniversary of the book’s release. It’s crazy to think that it’s been a full year since it was born into this world, and even crazier to know that people not only enjoy it but also enjoy cooking from it. I myself still grab it off the bookshelf, open it up, and make recipes from it often. The book has 75 recipes all dedicated to one of my favorite foods. It features meat, poultry, vegetarian and even seafood sliders, so you know there is something for everyone. There are even homemade buns and homemade sauces to play around with. I often get asked what’s my favorite slider in the book, and that without a doubt is the Fried Zucchini Sliders in the vegetarian chapter. It is one of the easiest recipes in the book, but packed with so much flavor. It’s almost silly how good it tastes. I thought that sharing the recipe on the blog would be a great way to celebrate this great occasion.

In honor of The Slider Effect’s 1st birthday, I’m giving away a copy of the book to 10 lucky winners! So if you haven’t had a chance to pick one up yet (but have been wanting to) or you just didn’t know about it, now is the time to snag a copy for yourself. All you have to do is leave a comment below letting me know which recipe first drew you to the site originally. I always love reading the comments that say “I found your site while searching for….” or “I came across your recipe for…” It’s interesting to see what drew you guys in, because they’re all so different. If that doesn’t apply to you, you could also leave a comment letting me know what’s your favorite recipe on the site that you’ve tried or have been wanting to try. I’m nosey like that. You have until next Wednesday July 5th to enter and it’s open to anyone and everyone. As always, my mamma will pick the winners at random and they’ll be notified via email. It’s her favorite thing to do. Makes her feels like Oprah. Thank you for keeping the site going. You guys humble me so much.

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Ropa Vieja Sliders

February 10, 2017

I grew up eating Ropa Vieja all of the time. It was a weekly occurrence at my house. Even though it’s a Cuban dish, it’s also made in Nicaragua, although it’s called something else there. In Nicaragua it’s called shredded beef but in Spanish. All it is, is basically shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce with lots of tomatoes, onions and peppers and it’s super delicious. Ropa Vieja means old clothes in Spanish, and this dish is named that because the shredded beef and veggies are supposed to resemble old clothes/rags. And now you know, it’s your lesson of the day. Don’t say I never taught you anything.

I decided to take this childhood dish of mine and give it a fun and new twist by combining it with one of my all-time favorite dishes, sliders. So I mashed the two together and we now have these Ropa Vieja Sliders to devour this weekend. Just in case I haven’t mentioned it enough, I’m the self-appointed Slider King of the World, having written the book on it, and so I figured why not continue adding to my passion of sliders by throwing in a new one into the ring. These are relatively easy to make, so there are no excuses as to why you shouldn’t make them this weekend!

The ropa vieja itself takes a little while to cook, so it’s best to start it as soon as you can. This is one of those kinds of dishes that just gets better the longer it sits. Begin by searing the flank steak for about 2 to 4 minutes per side.

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Cookbook Update: The Slider Effect Around The Web

July 13, 2016

I don’t know if you’re tired of hearing me talk about my cookbook or not, but I only have a few more updates to go through so bear with me. It’s my first cookbook, so I can’t help it! With that being said I wanted to share with you some of the recipes from the book that you can find around the web. If we’ve all done our job of convincing you to buy the book, well then make sure you pick up a copy on Amazon or anywhere books are sold. I’m also currently hosting weekly giveaways on the blog for a chance to win a copy of the signed book along with a special prize each week in July. We’re on the second giveaway, and you still have time to enter this week. Check out these S’mores Eclairs to get all the details. Also, if you’re in the San Francisco area, I’ll be at the Williams-Sonoma in Union Square on Saturday July 16th from 12pm to 1:30pm doing a demo and signing books! Please come by and say hi! I hope to see you there!

Now onto the good stuff. My pal Elizabeth from Brooklyn Supper made the Banh Mi Sliders from the book and made them look amazing, and because she is too cool for school, she even used the same cute little flamingo picks that I used throughout. Bringing some of the book I created to life, one flamingo at a time.

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Avocado BLT Sliders

July 1, 2016

In honor of the release of my cookbook, The Slider Effect, my collaboration this month for Go Bold With Butter is of course sliders. I hope you’re not bored of them yet, because I’m just barely getting started. These here are Avocado BLT Sliders, and they’re out of this world. Homemade black pepper buttermilk biscuits, with an avocado mayo, fresh heirloom tomato slices, lettuce and of course lots of crispy bacon. This is like summer in a slider, friends. Summer in small sandwich form. Summer you can’t get enough of and can’t wait to eat. I don’t know about you, but there’s just something about biscuits and bacon that seems to make everything better. Biscuits, bacon and butter; the three most important “B’s” in my life at the moment. I thought that because of the special occasion with the release a few days ago, it would be most appropriate to share a slider recipe from the book, but with a twist. The original recipe in my cookbook is made with turkey bacon, which before you write off, you have to give it a try. I know for some people turkey bacon is no bueno, but honestly what isn’t good when it’s inside of a buttery biscuit? Nothing my friends. Nothing.

The Slider Effect has officially been out for a grand total of 4 days now, and I’m so excited for you all to grab a copy and see it and cook through it. If you’ve bought a copy already, thank you so much! I hope you love it and I hope you cook all of the sliders in it. Some of my stand out favorites are Fried Zucchini Sliders, Bagel Breakfast Sliders, Orange Chicken Sliders, and Fish and Chips Sliders. There really is something for everyone in this book, with 75 different options to choose from. Meat, Poultry, Seafood and Vegetarian Sliders are all showcased in the book, and completely turn upside down and reinvent what you think you know about tiny burgers. If you haven’t picked up a copy, I hope I’m doing a good job of convincing you to. Click here to order a copy online and have it delivered right to your doorstep! It’s on sale right now and it’s calling out your name. These Avocado BLT Sliders are also calling out your name!

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Fried Mozzarella Sliders + The Slider Effect!

June 28, 2016

Today’s the big day! It’s finally here! My cookbook, The Slider Effect, is out in the world officially today, and I couldn’t be more excited than I am at this moment right here, right now. All the hard work with long days and even longer nights, has lead to this day. This is been such a dream come true and I can’t even begin to tell you just how happy I am that you’ll finally be able to pick up a copy of my book. Thank you again for going on this crazy adventure with me these past couple of months, and for your continued support. I really do hope you pick up a copy of the book, either for yourself or as a gift for family and friends (it’s a great size for gift giving and would make a great hostess gift for all of your summer BBQ or potlucks you’ll be attending this year). If you do buy a copy, be sure to let me know what you think either on social media or through email. I’ll be looking out. I’m so excited for you to look through and cook from it! Also, stay tuned because I’ll be hosting a giveaway on here every week in July. You’ll have a chance to win a copy of the book each week along with a special gift. The gift will change from week to week (aka get better and better each week) so let’s get excited because you deserve this as much as I do! #TheSliderEffect is FINALLY HERE!

As a treat and a way to celebrate today, I thought it would be most appropriate if I were to share with you yet another slider recipe. We can never have too many sliders, right? Right. These Fried Mozzarella Sliders aren’t in the book, they didn’t make the cut, which is sad because they’re out of this world. A big hunk of fried breaded cheese stuffed in a bun with marinara, arugula, tomato and basil? What’s not to like? The bun and sauce in this recipe was taken from my book, so if you do want to make these two components from scratch like I did, you’ll have to get the book and get the recipes there. If not, store-bought rolls and jarred marinara sauce will be more than fine. The main star of this recipe is the fried mozzarella, anyhow. Let that shine bright.

In other cookbook news, if you’re in Seattle, I’ll be there on Thursday 6/30 at Book Larder, doing an author talk, demo and signing books. I’ll be making my all time favorite slider from the book and there will also be ice cream as a big thank you for coming! I hope you can make it. Also, the official launch party for the book will be on Saturday 7/2 in LA at the Hedley and Bennett Apron HQ! There will be complimentary beer, wine, cheese, crackers and sliders from the book. Stop by, grab a book, eat some foods, drink some drinks, and help me celebrate the release!

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Cookbook Update: Book Trailer

June 10, 2016

Happy Friday, friends! It’s time for yet another cookbook update. Probably the most exciting (for me anyway) of them all. You might’ve seen me mention once or twice on social media (okay, maybe a million times by now) that my first cookbook, The Slider Effect, is coming out soon! Like soon, soon. It’s been a long process and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s starting to finally sink in that I have a cookbook coming out, and that very soon you’ll all have it in your hands, and you’ll be able to look through it and cook all of the recipes in it. Promise me you will. They deserve to be cooked. I have to be honest, when I first got the book deal I didn’t think twice about it because I figured I had all the time in the world to work on it, and it would be a while until it was released. So I wasn’t worried about it. I can’t think like that anymore because there are only 17 days left until the book is born into this world, and it’s both nerve-wracking and exciting. I’ve had to hold these emotions in all to myself, keeping information from you guys until the perfect time when I’m finally able to share it. Like now. I’ll be sharing some more updates as it gets closer to the book’s release date, June 28th, so look out for them! And get excited because it’s very exciting! Aahhhhhh!

In the meantime though, to help ease all of this excitement going around, I shot a trailer video with a friend of mine for the book and it’s finally ready for you to feast your eyes upon it. It encompasses the entire book perfectly. Giving us just the right amount of a sneak peak to hold us over; showcasing a recipe from each of the chapters from the book. I want this book (and trailer) to feel like summer because I feel like sliders are the ultimate summer food. I hope you enjoy it! In case you’re completely in the dark and don’t know anything about this book, check out the first edition of these Cookbook Update posts and this recipe for Surf ‘n’ Turf Sliders where I first talked about it. I appreciate you all so much.

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