Chefs Market Cooking Demo

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Cooking has always been a passion in my life {eating too!}. Ever since I was a little girl I've been in the kitchen, cooking alongside my mom, Amelia Ceja. I remember standing on a stool next to the stove, using both hands to stir the pot of Mexican hot chocolate, while sweet aromas of chocolate and cinnamon filled the kitchen. From that moment on I knew that food would always play an integral role in my life and now, more than twenty years later, I’m still cooking and learning from my mom.

Last week my mom and I had a wonderful opportunity to host the Chefs cooking demonstration at the Napa Downtown Chefs Market. This weekly event is what I consider to be the ultimate street party, with food trucks, wine/beer booths, crafts & cool art.

We decided to prepare one of my favorite dishes, “Camarones con Cebollitas Rojas y Ajo” {shrimp with shallots, garlic, lime juice & a dash of spice}. This recipe is simple to make and is a delicious appetizer to share at a fiesta! This particular day also marked the 2nd annual Chardonnay Day so we paired our Ceja Vineyards “Vino de Casa” Chardonnay blend with the dish. This flavorful and semi-spicy dish paired beautifully with the Chardonnay blend because the wine cut through the spice component of the shrimp leaving your taste buds begging for more!

Click here for the recipe and short cooking video. Ole!

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{My adorable niece Isa scoping out the scene}

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Make Mine a Mojito!

{Fresh mint from our garden}

I simply adore Mojitos. There is something so satisfying when you taste this refreshing drink. It’s definitely a lazy-by-the-pool type of drink, and what better way to celebrate summer than a revitalizing Mojito cocktail! Well, I guess getting it served by a cabana boy would make it better, right?

This cocktail offers it all. It’s tart from the lime juice, sweet from the simple syrup, bubbly from the club soda, has zing from the muddled mint leaves, is crisp from the rum, and if that was not enough, it can be specialized to your liking by adding various fruit purees! You’ll have to source the cabana boy yourself though.

Dalia’s Delicious Mojitos Serves 2 people

Mojito Ingredients:

• 2 large sprigs of fresh mint leaves
• ½ cup of white rum
• ¼ cup of simple syrup
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1½ cup of club soda
• Crushed Ice

Simple Syrup Ingredients:

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Directions: Bring water to a light boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat and stir in sugar. Let cool.

Place ice in a beverage shaker then add in the rum, mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup. Muddle the ingredients for 1 minute then shake well and serve over crushed ice in a glass. Top off each glass with a splash of club soda.

Garnish each glass with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint. Enjoy sipping this delicious and oh-so-refreshing cocktail during the hot summer evenings. Ole!

Argentina from 16,000 Feet

I recently came across this video of me skydiving in Argentina and thought I must share!

Cordoba is one of the places we visited while backpacking around Argentina. It's a beautiful city and is primarily known for its university life. It hosts six universities and students from all provinces and neighboring countries come to Cordoba to study {and to party}. This is also the place were I did my first skydive! After a night of enjoying an amazing Asado {Argentinean BBQ}, my best friend and I decided to go skydiving. It doesn’t really get more epic than that.

Looking back, I never really thought that I would be someone who would jump out of an airplane. I mean, not really. It took a little coaxing from my friend Katie, who was totally thrilled and unfazed about this extreme sport involving airplanes and high altitudes. Was I scared, nervous and doubting myself? Absolutely.

My nerves were sky high by the time I was walking up to the small charter airplane. Together with my instructor, the pilot and a cameraman, we climbed in, all geared up and ready to go. I will never forget that moment when the instructor opened the door of the plane and I looked down over the smallest Cordoba I had ever seen, a complete adrenaline rush! A strange mix of fear and excitement soon turned into this overwhelming feeling of joy as I jumped and floated through the air!

Overall, the experience was amazing and the crew was really friendly and professional. The total cost to jump was $150 including pictures and an awesome video {with the coolest background music ever!}. This was also a perfect reminder for me to live my passions and to challenge myself to overcome my fear of heights!

Have you ever done something that you were absolutely scared to do? Ole!

The Little Black Dress

Chardonnay is like the little black dress. Classic and sophisticated. You never know when you'll need it and it's always good to have one lying around.

A few weeks ago I was rummaging through my closet in search of the few black items that I own {for a work related event}.  I finally stumbled upon this black number that could easily be dressed up with accessories and bright red lips. Like Chardonnay, the little black dress is right for any occasion. It dresses up casual evenings and makes formal events simply more fun!

In my opinion, there is nothing better than changing a weeknight of staying in into something fun, by enjoying a glass of wine and then slipping into your favorite cocktail dress to go watch a concert at your local venue. In this case, The Uptown Theater is my local hot spot. It’s classy, yet totally relaxed, and is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy some fabulous music. I can’t wait to check out more concerts there over the summer. Ole!

Melon Starburst

This Spring I’ve been living in dresses despite the temperamental Northern California weather {not that I’m complaining}.  Today was no different and I decided to brighten up my day by wearing this 50’s inspired melon colored halter dress paired with nude colored pumps. This is my idea of dressing for a relaxed Sunday afternoon, spending time with the familia {eating way too much yummy homemade Mexican food}, catching up on home improvement projects and lounging around our comfy and sunlit apartment.  Don’t you love how the simplest things can bring you the most joy?

{BCBG dress & Seychelles nude pumps}