15 canciones infantiles para cantarles a tus hijos (VIDEOS)

Las manos de mi abuela eran ásperas de tanto que habían trabajado en la vida, pero cuando me daba palmaditas en la espalda justo antes de dormir se convertían en las más tersas del mundo. Cuando pienso en los muchos momentos gratos y de ternura que atesoro de mi infancia de alguna manera la música está presente. A veces escuchar alguna de las melodías de esos días en los que mi vecindario era un continente y esperaba al heladero, me remonta a la infancia, ese tiempo que es el territorio natural de la gracia. Me atrevo a decir que no estoy sola en mi conexión con la música, sobre todo la música infantil.

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Hispanic Heritage Month: 21 Recipes from all of our countries!

Well, we just had a DELICIOUS month, didn't we? Yesterday was, unfortunately, the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month. However, just because the official month of celebration is over doesn't mean we have to give up our Latino pride, right? And what's better than celebrating our culture with the 21 traditional recipes from ALL of our countries that I've shared these past 30 days?

No matter where you came from or what country's food you've been dying to try, there's a recipe here for everyone. From appetizers (like Puerto Rican alcapurrias) to a full entrée (like Venezuelan pabellón criollo) to an amazing dessert (like Brazilian chocolate fudge truffles, a.k.a. brigadeiros), indulge your love of Latin food with these amazing dishes.

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Our 6 favorite traditional dishes from Spain! (RECIPES)

Whether you love it or hate it, Spain is our motherland. It's the country where some of us came from and the country that gave us our language, our culture, our way of life. Depending on where your family is from in Latin America, you can have a million things different or a million things the same but, at the end of the day (and for better or worse), Spain is Hispanic Heritage Month personified.

That's why, for the last recipes I'm sharing (although come back tomorrow for an extra-special surprise!), I knew they had to be from Spain. And what better way to celebrate where we came from than with 6 of the most traditional (and delicious) dishes from Spain? Here they are! Enjoy them with your family and remember, whether you call yourself Hispanic, Latino or simply go by your country of origin, we're all connected—at least in our common language and love of food.

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Las mejores 10 telenovelas latinas de todos los tiempos (FOTOS)

Me atrevería a decir yo que las telenovelas latinas han sido tan exitosas por generaciones porque el drama para nosotros es como el pan nuestro de cada día. Hasta en nuestros cotidianos encuentros nos topamos con las más exageradas expresiones que recuentan las desdichas, desventuras y odiseas de éste o aquélla conocido o familiar como si se estuviese dando una telenovela aquí y ahora mismo. 

Había una vez en la que yo solía asociar las telenovelas con mi abuelita y las señoras de su generación. Me las imaginaba en el beauty parlor boquiabiertas y pasmadas mientras revivían la telenovela de anoche... que si el jefe de la hacienda le "pegaba los cuernos" a su esposa con la criada, y la hija del capataz había quedado embarazada y no se sabía de quién era la criatura. ¡Drama a la décima potencia!

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Traditional Uruguayan sauce (RECIPE)

There's just a few days left for Hispanic Heritage Month and I've been loving sharing all of these delicious, traditional recipes with you. Today we're visiting Uruguay, the country nestled sort of at the bottom of Brazil and bordering Argentina.

It's a small and lovely place filled with delicious food, just like all of the other dishes we've celebrated in the past month. After sharing so many traditional dishes from other nations, I couldn't be happier than to share this really unique Uruguayan sauce called salsa salu. It combines fresh veggies, herbs and peppers in a sauce that is perfect to put on top of any meat (and I bet it would work great with pork or chicken, too!). Intrigued? I know I am! Let's dig in, shall we?

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Panamanian meat-stuffed yuca fritters (RECIPE)

When my family took a cruise to the Panama Canal and embarked on an excursion to Panama City a few years back, I fell in love with the country. I had never thought of visiting before but the people were friendly and the food was, to be honest, absolutely delicious.

That's where I had something familiar and yet different: carimanolas, a Panamanian meat-stuffed fritter made out of yuca. It was amazing and my mouth still salivates thinking about it. That's why, for today's Hispanic Heritage Month recipe, I knew I just had to share this delicacy from Panama. Enjoy the recipe, below, with your entire family!

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Traditional Puerto Rican alcapurria fritters (RECIPE)

Today's Hispanic Heritage Month recipe is kind of a two-for-one. You see, earlier in the week I wrote about the incredible way that Puerto Ricans make pork shoulder with the most delicious traditional pernil recipe. That's a dish that Fredy Perojo describes as "the best" and Mariela Rosario raves about because "anytime I smell it, it makes me think of home".

Well, now that we've gotten that recipe out of the way, I have to share what MY favorite is: alcapurrias! They're traditional Puerto Rican ground beef fritters (though I've also had them stuffed with other things) and make a really filling snack or even lunch. In fact, even though I'm not Puerto Rican, I'm seriously craving one right now! Check out the recipe, below, and make your own.

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Dime cómo lo llamas y te diré de dónde eres...

- ¿Qué onda?

- Parcero, ¿bien o qué?

-  Épale, chama ¿qué más?

- Dime mija

¿Te suena familiar este diálogo? ¿Eres de las que se reúne eventualmente con sus amigas latinas de distinas nacionales y las conversaciones parecen un pastel de distintos sabores? ¿Acaso alguna vez has metido la pata hasta el fondo por decir algo que para ti no significa nada, pero en otro país puede ser incluso una mala palabra? A mí me ha pasado más de una vez, pero la insuperable es una vez que –estando recién llegada- le pedí a un supervisor que me pasara "el bicho" que tenía ahí en el escritorio.

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Costa Rican orange pudding for dessert (RECIPE)

One of my favorite Costa Rican dishes is Arroz Gaucho or Gallo Pinto, which is an almost-black looking rice dish. I loved celebrating the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month by making this yummy dish. Today, though, I'm celebrating Costa Rican food again--this time with a SUPER easy and delicious dessert!

I've already written about a few delicious Latin desserts, like Ecuadorean fruit salad and Brazilian chocolate fudge truffles, but I think this one's my favorite. It's simple and very refreshing. The Costa Rican Atol de Naranja is always going to be a favorite of mine and I'm betting your family will love it, too. Try it tonight!

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Nicaraguan yuca, pork rind & cabbage salad (RECIPE)

Hispanic Heritage Month is still going strong and I'm extremely excited about sharing this recipe from Nicaragua with you. It's a salad that's actually very filling, which is exactly why I love it.

Vigorón, a Nicaraguan salad made with yucca, pork rind and cabbage, is a dish that's so easy that you can actually find street vendors serving it up in the cities. It's considered a fast-food because it can be eaten with the fingers and is so easy to make that it's the go-to Nicaraguan dish for when guests unexpectedly come over and you need to serve them something. However, I love this dish as a filling lunch that takes almost no time to make and is full of great, authentic flavors.

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