Blog — Crystal Cara

One of my favorite things to do is to host backyard barbecue parties for our friends and family. With the 4th of July coming up, I wanted to share with you some of my favorites for my holiday barbecue . Adam and I love to try new grilling dishes we see on the Food Network (and try and recreate), but nothing beats our classic Mexican options like carne asada, ceviche and all the delicious sides. My one-stop shop is Mi Pueblo supermarkets.

Its a grocery store that carries lots of items from Mexico and Latin America, my everyday grocery list. They have over 19 stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Valley and Monterey Peninsula. I really enjoy shopping here because I love creating meals that I grew up with and its something I want my boys to enjoy as well. There are so many supermarket options out there but I choose Mi Pueblo because of its wide selection of items, especially when you may not have time to make a meal but just pick up so many fresh entrees already prepared for you.

FOOD

So let's talk about what was on the menu...

Grilled - we grilled arrachera carne asada (slices of flank steak) and marinated fillets of chicken thighs. I always pick up my cuts of meat pre-marinated which is such a time saver. (Mi Pueblo creates their own marinades and dry rubs for carne asada and chicken, you have to try!) We also grilled sweet corn on the grill and topped it off with butter, cotija cheese and cilantro. Something to add on the grill while everything else is cooking is jalapenos and cebollitas (small onions).

Seafood - I like to have a variety of selections when I host a party (you can’t forget fresh seafood). We had some Shrimp Ceviche cocktails for our guests. The best part about ceviche is its so easy to prepare with tomatoes, onions, shrimp and lemon. It’s the perfect starter for summer BBQ's because its so refreshing.

Sides - Mi Pueblo has a wide selection of all ready made food, just in case you don’t have time to make everything from scratch. We picked up a few salsas, queso fresco, sour cream, rice, beans, chicharrones and homemade tortilla chips. All of these items are homemade which saves me so much time because all I have to do is plate it and serve!

Dessert - I made my own version of a tres leches cupcake (Stay tuned for the recipe soon). I also made a Pico de Gallo fruit dessert and it included jicama, mango and cucumber seasoned with salt, lemon and tajin. Super easy to make and you'll see that I even made it pretty too. I cut all the fruits and squeezed lemon to the rim of the cup and dipped it into tajin.

Decor

Mi Pueblo - fresh hydrangea's flowers

Michaels - USA flags (hanging from the fence), mini flags, wooden crates

Joann's - red and white stripe runner

Ismerai - calligraphy sign

Party City - streamers. Click here to see how I made the hoop streamers

*This post was sponsored by Mi Pueblo Supermarkets. All comments and opinions are my own.

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I hope you get some ideas to celebrate the 4th of July this upcoming weekend. If you have any questions, please ask. Don't forget to follow me on Snapchat for behind the scenes (@czcara)

xoxo, Crystal Cara

With Father's Day in less than a week, I knew I needed my boys to create something for Adam. However, I was also asked to fill in to teach the kids at my church just a few days ago. So of course I included a Father's Day craft for all the kids to do. I quickly went on Pinterest and found a beautiful poem that was short and sweet and re created it with a different font and layout. I needed space for the kids to paint their hands on it. I want to share it with all my mommy friends who need a last minute DIY project. It looks so cute framed and all.

Click Here to get original poem I found on Pinterest.