TV Trailer | Waffle + Mochi

Recently I was sent the synopsis of the upcoming Netflix series Waffle + Mochi (2021 - Present) which is being produced in part by Michelle and Barack Obama. And because I basically fell in love after watching the trailer, I had to share it with all of you.

Official Website | Instagram | Twitter | #WafflesAndMochi

Once upon a thyme, deep in The Land of Frozen Food, lived two best friends named Waffles and Mochi with one shared dream: to become chefs! The only problem? Everything they cooked was made of ice. When these two taste-buddies are suddenly hired as the freshest employees of a whimsical supermarket, they’re ready for the culinary adventure of a lifetime. With the help of friendly new faces like the supermarket owner, Mrs. Obama, and a magical flying shopping cart as their guide, Waffles and Mochi blast off on global ingredient missions, traveling to kitchens, restaurants, farms and homes all over the world, cooking up recipes with everyday ingredients alongside renowned chefs, home cooks, kids and celebrities. Whether they’re picking potatoes in the Andes of Peru, sampling spices in Italy, or making Miso in Japan, these curious explorers uncover the wonder of food and discover every meal is a chance to make new friends. Waffles + Mochi is an exciting invitation to get kids and grown-ups cooking together in the kitchen and connecting to cultures around the globe. 

Format: Single Camera (Live Action)
Episodes: 10 x 20 minutes
Showrunners: Erika Thormahlen & Jeremy Konner
Executive Producers: Erika Thormahlen, Jeremy Konner, Tonia Davis, Priya Swaminathan, Barack and Michelle Obama
Production Company: Higher Ground Productions
Featuring: Michelle Obama
Puppeteers: Michelle Zamora (Waffles), Russ Walko (Mochi and Intercommy), Jonathan Kidder (Busy), Diona Elise Burnett (Steve the Mop and voice of Magicart), Taleia Gilliam (Shelfie), Andy Hayward (puppet swing), Piotr Michael (voice of Mochi), George Konner (voice of Intercommy)

C'mon, how cute does this show look?! I honestly cannot wait for it to start airing on March 16th so I can watch it with my sister and Mimi. I think Mimi will absolutely love watching it because she is always pretending to cook in her toy kitchen and is always asking whomever she is in the actual kitchen with if she can help them cook. Plus, I think my sister and I will really enjoy it too -- When we were little little there was no Food Network or Cooking Channel, so we would watch cooking shows on PBS and pretend to cook right along with Lidia Bastianich, Mary Ann Esposito, Ming Tsai, etc. So Waffle + Mochi would have 100% been right up our alley (It still is, we both still LOVE cooking shows).

What do you think? Are you going to watch Waffle + Mochi with a child in your family or on your own? Let me know!

My Social Distancing Watch, Read & Listen List

Since the majority of us are at home self quarantining and/or social distancing (If you're an essential employee going into work and braving all of the chaos, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you do), I thought I'd throw together a list of the things that I'm hoping to watch, read or listen to while at home trying to help flatten the curve.

"Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th-Century New York" by Stacy Horn

"The Magic of Marie Laveau" by Denise Alvarado  

"Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical" by Anthony Bourdain

• Dr. Death • Dirty John • Moms and Murder • The Trevor Noah Podcast •

What's on your watch, read or listen list? Lemme know!

Month In Review: November 2019

♥ Skipping Thanksgiving and finally getting to go on vacation to Thailand.

♥ Celebrating Day and Toni's birthday.

♥ Amanda asking me, Day, Toni, Alana and Bianca to be bridesmaids.

♥ Going to the Christmas tree farm for Mimi's holiday photo shoot.

♥ Alana and Max coming to visit me at the library.

♥ Spending the day with my sister and Mimi.

♥ Having a shindig at my apartment with my work peoples.

 

♥ From The Cat-Alog | Laveau's Favorite Toys

♥ What I Bought | Sephora Beauty Insider Holiday Bonus Edition

The Million Dollar Duck (1971)
American Mystery (2019 - Present)
Destination Fear (2019 - Present)
The Mandalorian (2019 - Present)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)
Dora And The Lost City of Gold (2019)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
Helltown (2017)
Aladdin (2019)
Float (2017)
Kitbull (2019)

Bao (2018)

We got Disney+, so we've been watching a lot of Disney short films.

"And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are 
Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara" by Cody Cassidy & Paul Doherty

Style Over Size

Guacamole Recipe From MasterChef Latino Judge Chef Claudia Sandoval

In honor of Cinco de Mayo and the upcoming premiere of the second season of MasterChef Latino on Sunday, May 19th at 7/6 Central on Telemundo, here is judge (And season six winner of MasterChef on Fox) Chef Claudia Sandoval's guacamole recipe from her best-selling cookbook Claudia's Cocina: A Taste of Mexico.

INGREDIENTS - Makes about 3 cups (700 ml)
• 4 Large Hass avocados, ripe
• ½ Cup (90 g) chopped tomato
• ¼ Cup (35 g) minced onion
• 1 Tablespoon minced jalapeño chile
• ¼ Cup (10 g) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• ½ Teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

PREPARATION
Slice the avocados lengthwise around the pit and carefully remove the pit. Using a large spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh and place it in a large bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash the avocado until slightly smooth but still chunky. Mix in the tomato, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add the salt and pepper, followed by the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve immediately.


NOTES
You can seed and devein the jalapeño to reduce the heat level or omit it completely for people with milder tastes.  The lime juice prevents the guacamole from getting dark quickly. If you are preparing the guacamole in advance, squeeze the lime juice over the guacamole and then mix it in just before serving to keep it from turning dark. Covering your guacamole with plastic wrap will also help to keep its glorious green color.

For those of you that don't feel like chopping all the ingredients, when Justin and I make guacamole we put all of the ingredients but the avocados, salt and pepper in our Ninja Blender and pulse it a couple of times until its a rough chop. Then we mash the avocado with a fork in the Ninja Blender container, add salt and pepper then give it one more mix.

This post was sponsored but I did not receive monetary compensation and I really like guacamole.

Month In Review: August 2018

♥ Celebrating Bianca's sweet sixteen.
♥ Yvette coming to New York for my father's birthday and to meet Mimi.
♥ Being bad adults, ignoring the children and playing "Overcooked 2" at Toni & Tom's house.
♥ Taking Mimi to her first brewery and street fair.
♥ Going out to dinner and a movie with Phil, Rob, Danny & Logan.
♥ Fishing with Justin.
♥ Going berry picking with Toni, Tom and the kids out in Riverhead, NY.
♥ Having a cousin's afternoon with Nick and my sister.
♥ Getting ready to go to Croatia.

Disenchantment (2018 - Present)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Hurricane Bianca (2016)
Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia With Hate (2018)
Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial (2018)
Iliza Shlesinger: Confirmed Kills (2016)
Iliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot (2015)
Dark Tourist (2018 - Present)
Nailed It (2018 - Present)
Three Sheets (2006 - 2009)
Coco (2017) 

"Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

"Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan

Karina Kaboom

I Love You More Too
Everything Curvy & Chic

Month In Review: June 2018

♥ Hanging out and getting to know Mimi.
♥ Going fishing on Father's Day with my dad, Justin & Erik.
♥ Justin and I going on our first picnic of the summer.
♥ Day drinking at the vineyard with Justin, Day, Toni, Tom & Ryan.
♥ Holding our first annual Beer Olympics.
♥ Taking Mimi's new born photos.
♥ Hanging out in Brooklyn with Day.
♥ Setting up another successful summer reading club.
♥ Taking Maddie to get her nails did and then out for lunch.
♥ My sister dyeing my hair shades of purple after having boring hair for two years.

♥ Getting Ready For Croatia
♥ Street Art & Day Drinking In Brooklyn
♥ You Are Not Alone | Suicide Prevention
♥ Movie Trailer | Halloween ← I am truly excited to see this movie
♥ Forgotten Photos From My iPhone
♥ Adventures In Spain | Part One

Music Fix City (2018 - Present)
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018)

"So Much To Celebrate" by Katie Jacobs

"The Pretty Dish" by Jessica Merchant
"Magnolia Table" by Joanna Gaines

A Funny Feeling

Getting Ready For Croatia

Justin and I are going to Croatia! So as I've done for the majority of my other travels, I've collected links to articles and blog posts about traveling in Croatia. And even though we aren't going for another couple of months I thought I'd share my current findings because someone else might find them useful.

So here's what I've put together as of thus far, and since we're bopping around while we're in Croatia, I figured I'd break the links up to the specific places we're panning on hitting up while we're there...

Split
♥ Emma's Travel Tales -- Stunned By Split
♥ Girl Vs Globe -- Party Girl Guide to Split, Croatia
♥ The Modern Jetsetter -- 48 Hours in Split, Croatia
♥ Solo Traveler -- Split, Croatia: A Perfect Port and More
♥ Two Blue Passports -- Spotted In Split

Hvar
♥ Blonde Atlas -- Hvar Travel Guide
♥ Epepa Travel Blog -- The Secret Beaches Of Hvar
♥ Epepa Travel Blog -- Top 10 Things To Do In Hvar Island
♥ One Day In A City -- One Day In Hvar
♥ Solo Traveler -- Solo Travel Destination: Hvar, Croatia 
♥ Two Blue Passports -- Island Hopping In Croatia: 2 Days On Hvar
♥ Unlocking Kiki -- The Best View In Hvar
♥ Unlocking Kiki -- Do’s & Dont’s Of Hvar
♥ The World Pursuit -- Things To On Hvar Island, Croatia + Important Travel Info

Korčula
♥ Adventurous Kate Solo Female Travel Blog -- Korčula: In The Land Of Marco Polo
♥ One Day In A City -- One Day In Korčula
♥ Unlocking Kiki -- 8 Things You Must Do in Korčula

Dubrovnik
♥ A Guide To Beaches In Dubrovnik: Dubrovnik Beach Hotels, Beach Map & More
♥ Adventurous Kate Solo Female Travel Blog -- Dubrovnik Survival Guide
♥ Bruised Passports -- Roadtrippin’ Croatia: Dubrovnik Love
♥ Emma's Travel Tales -- The Beauty Of Dubrovnik
♥ Solo Traveler -- Solo Travel Destination: Dubrovnik, Croatia
♥ The Travel Hack -- Wowed By Dubrovnik In Just One Day
♥ Travels & Treats
♥ Two Blue Passports -- Dobar Dan Dubrovnik
♥ Unlocking Kiki -- The Charming Old City of Dubrovnik

Miscellaneous
♥ Adventurous Kate Solo Female Travel Blog -- 100 Travel Tips For Croatia
♥ ArboursAbroad -- 12 Things To Know About Renting A Car In Croatia
♥ The Blonde Abroad
♥ Condé Nast Traveler -- Island-Hopping In Croatia
♥ Fathom
♥ Notes On Traveling -- Public Transport 101 – Croatia
♥ Travel Fashion Girl -- What To Wear In Croatia: A Packing List

As we have in the past, Justin and I watched Anthony Bourdain to check out his recommendations.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005–2012)

• Season Eight, Episode Three: Croatian Coast

 Have any of you been to Croatia before? If so I'd love some suggestions!

"Celia: My Life" Coming To Television

A board book I bought my future 

niece about Celia (@MisfitLibrarian)

As you may or may not know, I am first generation Cuban-American from my father's side and I have been brought up as Cuban as one can be from Long Island with a mother who does not have a drop of Spanish/Latin in her. And aside from Cuban food, the second most prevalent things growing up as a Cuban-American was music (I mean, the fact that my father is a musician probably has a lot to do with it also). I grew up listening to Gloria Estefan, Cachao, Los Van Van and the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz in between all of the pop and alternative rock hits of the 90's and early aughts.

So because of this, when I found out that they were making a scripted television show about Celia Cruz based off her autobiography "Celia: My Life" I was beyond excited and had to share it just in case anyone else loves themselves some Celia. 

ENDEMOL SHINE NORTH AMERICA AND MAJOR TV TO ADAPT CELIA CRUZ’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY INTO TV SERIES     

Kenny Ortega Set To Executive Produce & Direct     

Los Angeles, Ca. — Endemol Shine North America and Major TV have optioned the rights to late Latin superstar Celia Cruz’s best-selling autobiography, “Celia: My Life,” with plans to adapt it for a scripted television series.     

Veteran film and TV producer/director/choreographer Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical”) is signed on to serve as an executive producer and direct the series. Flavio Morales, Executive Vice President, Endemol Shine Latino, U.S. Initiatives, is also set to serve as an EP.     

Cruz, known as the Queen of Latin music, was one of the most popular recording artists of all time, having won 4 Grammy Awards, 5 Latin Grammy Awards, recording 23 gold albums and attracting millions of loyal fans globally before her death in 2003.     

Endemol Shine and Major TV are currently developing an English language series based on Cruz’s only authorized autobiography, with a foreword by the late Maya Angelou. Based on more than 500 hours of taped interviews by the Smithsonian, recorded just months before her passing, Cruz let fans glimpse a life that, while lived in the full view of the public, had remained largely private.      

“There is no bigger name in Latin music than Celia Cruz,” says Endemol Shine North America CEO Cris Abrego. “We are thrilled to be adapting her amazing life story, one filled with triumph and tragedy, for a dramatic television series with a producer of Kenny Ortega’s pedigree attached.”     

Added Ortega, “I had the extraordinary honor of working with Celia Cruz many years ago as a burgeoning choreographer on a little movie called ‘Salsa.’ While we were working together, Celia and her husband invited me to join them for her concert at the Hollywood Palladium. Celia seated me in a chair on stage and I was there, in the light, watching La Reina de la Salsa, hypnotizing the audience with her voice and performance magic. Over the years, my appreciation of her gift to music has grown and deepened. Celia has been an inspiration for so many and I am honored to participate in this tribute of the incomparable Celia Cruz.”     

“With a voice that transcended language, color, race, and gender, Celia Cruz broke barriers, changed the landscape of music and became a Global icon. Capturing her authorized life story for the first time on screen, in any language, is an incredible milestone,” says Major TV’s Raymond Garcia. “We are honored to have the captivating vision of Kenny Ortega guiding this production. His universal sensibility in story-telling, expertise in resonating with viewers through music and dance, coupled with his sincere cultural and personal connection with Celia, makes this one of the most important, moving, and electrifying musical series of all time.”      

“Celia Cruz was a black woman, of limited means, who painfully abandoned her small island and triumphantly conquered the world with the power of her voice.  Her story is a testament of perseverance, hope and inspiration that deserves to be told,” said Omer Pardillo Cid, Executor of the Celia Cruz Estate and her former manager.

Endemol Shine and Major TV previously announced that they had jointly optioned the rights to Chris Perez’s “To Selena With Love,” the best-selling book that tells the late Latin superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s love story through the eyes of her husband.     

Major TV is led by Raymond Garcia, formerly publisher and founder of Celebra at Penguin Random House, where he published numerous New York Times and international best-sellers with top authors such as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, as well as, Gloria and Emilio Estefan. 

Endemol Shine North America and its Spanish production division Endemol Shine Boomdog, currently have numerous scripted series in development, including “To Selena With Love” (With Major TV) and the upcoming drama “Nicky Jam: El Ganador,” which is slated to debut later this year on Telemundo and Netflix.     

From her modest childhood in Cuba, to her exile years in Mexico, to her remarkable career and life in the U.S., Cruz was a woman of contrasts. Her flamboyant costumes contrasted with her simple and straightforward demeanor. She was open and accessible to her fans, but staunchly private about her personal life. She was uninhibited without decadence, honest without offense, confident but not arrogant, and generous without fault. Yet above all, Cruz was authentic, and it was this authenticity that resonated so deeply with her public.   

After Cruz passed away on July 16, 2003, more than a half million people stood in line for hours in order to pay their respects, in both Miami and New York. Millions more paid tribute to her, holding impromptu memorials in living rooms and crowded street festivals throughout the world.   

Ortega is a three-time Emmy winner and he’s served as a director, choreographer and producer on many top TV series and films. Some of Ortega’s works throughout his illustrious career the feature documentary “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” “Newsies,” “Hocus Pocus,” and Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” franchise and served as the executive producer for “High School Musical’s” multi-platinum soundtracks. In 2008, Ortega directed and executive produced “High School Musical 3: Senior Year (HSM 3)” for Walt Disney Motion Pictures.     

Most recently, Ortega directed, “A Change of Heart” (produced alongside long-time friend and partner, Emilio Estefan, and starring Jim Belushi and Virginia Madsen), “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again” for FOX and Disney’s “Descendants” and “Descendants 2,” which premiered to record breaking numbers in July 2017.  The “Descendants 2” Soundtrack also debuted at #1 on iTunes.     

Ortega has been the recipient of three Emmy Awards, and 2 Director’s Guild of America Awards, The Fred & Adele Astaire Lifetime Achievement Award, Bob Fosse Award, American Choreography Lifetime Achievement Award, MTV Video Music Award, American Music Award, Billboard Award, ALMA Award, Nosotros Golden Eagle Award, Imagen Creative Achievement Award, NAACP Award, as well as a number of others. 

This is definitely a television show I'm going to keep my eyes out for because Celia lived such an interesting life and was such an incredible musical talent. I really do look forward to seeing what they do with the accounts from her autobiography and rich life she lived.

Here is the video for one of my favorite songs by Celia: