People who don't know any better like to think that we Latinos are all the same when nothing could be further from the truth. While we can't deny that a common heritage language unites us, some times I think we have more differences than similarities. Take, for example, the tradition of Cascarones, which are kind of like the Mexican version of Easter eggs, except they're filled with confetti and used mostly during Carnival. I hadn't heard of them until I moved here. 

The combination of Mexican and American cultures has now converted cascarones into an increasingly popular Latino version of an Easter tradition. I'm not Mexican, but as soon as I found out about this fun tradition, I decided to incorporate it into my family's Easter celebration. Why not? After all, adopting different Latino traditions regardless of our country of origin is what makes being bicultural in the U.S. such a wonderful treat!

I can be pretty secular and forget that Easter isn't really about bunny rabbits and egg hunts. As a matter of fact, many can't imagine Easter without Lent. Lent is the 40 day period that leads up to Easter and Catholics (14 and older) traditionally abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all of the Fridays leading up to Easter. It takes planning and preparation to abstain. Fortunately, there is a vast array of  Lenten recipes to choose from, that will provide you with ideas and alternatives to red meat, especially for this last weekend if you missed all of Lent!

Not being able to eat meat does not mean that you have to give up on flavor, in fact this is the perfect time to get creative with your meals, to branch out and incorporate ingredients you may overlook the rest of the year. These recipes are so good they're not just for Catholics during Lent, they're for food-lovers all year long and once Lent is over, you may not want to give them up and you don't have to.

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter! Oh the sheer excitement of it. Don't you just love a holiday that gets kids excited and involves food? But how do you get kids excited about food? So many kids are such picky eaters. If you are one of the ones blessed with a child that eats just about anything, congratulations! For those of us who have children with a much more limited palate, I've got 5 kid-friendly Easter recipes to get the littles excited about eating at Easter.

Even though I'm not that religious, I like participating in Easter traditions because it is a time to get together with family and, if I'm being honest, I still enjoy decorating eggs just for the fun of it.

But what should we do with those eggs after the kids are done with their Easter Egg Hunt?

I hate to waste food, so I started looking for recipes to convert those hard-boiled eggs into something delicious. From some Latin-inspired deviled eggs to a layered potato and egg salad from a Guatemalan chef, these are great ways to use those eggs to make a delicious meal for the whole family. 

This weekend is a time to get together with your family. Whether you're religious or not, I love Good Friday and Easter simply for the fact that I get to have a nice, long weekend with my brother and parents and we get to just spend time together, catching up over delicious meals.

Since Good Friday is a time to avoid meat, I shared some yummy meatless recipes (all featuring fish!) but now I'm looking at other options as well. Although nobody in my family is a strict vegetarian, I think it's still nice to have veggie-filled plates on occasion. From salsa and vegetable stuffed peppers to an amazing Good Friday scramble and some healthy (and meatless!) papas rellenas (just don't yell at me for changing your recipe, abuela), there's great vegetarian recipes that anyone will love.

I remember loving Easter when I was a little girl. Part of it was the candy, part of it was the Easter egg hunt with my cousins, but mostly--I really loved the new dress my mom bought me every year.

My mother used to always tell me I was the girliest tomboy she ever met, because I loved all the fluffiest, ruffliest dresses out there, but the second I had them on I'd run to climb a tree or play tag or make a mud pie!

Now that I am older, I look forward to buying the same cute, frou-frou outfits that I used to love for my adorable year-and-a-half old niece. While I was looking online, I came across the CUTEST Easter dresses for little girls and figured I'd share, just in case you're looking for a new frock for your little princesa too: