Reading Time: 5minutesIt’s been almost exactly 5 whole years since the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Wii U. I know, not many remember it because, well, the Wii U. But I’m sure you know of it now if you own a Switch. Because …Read More….
Reading Time: 11minutes ALRIGHT, fun times are ahead so sit back, strap in, and get ready for a ride through the wondrous land of “I’m not happy with my stock appearance so I’m going to change it for the sake of being cool!” Look, I can’t help …Read More….
Christmas is here! Basically, right? I mean we’re counting down single digits, it might as well be knocking on our door right now. If you’re following my Instagram you’ll see we’ve been pretty crazy with things around here. It’s hard to keep up with posting and keeping everyone updated so at some point I just threw my hands in the air and said screw it. Then you know what I did? It’s so crazy, hear me out though. I… enjoyed.. things. What a crazy concept right?
Not constantly keeping everything updated really shows you how much time you dedicate to social media. I couldn’t not do it though. I’m at the point now where it’s less for being a content creator and more just having our family outings and such documented. I don’t know about you but I get stuck for hours just going back in my timeline on Instagram and seeing how far we’ve come with life. It’s an awesome thing to do.
Anyway, here we are, Christmas! Tell me, what is a family tradition you remembered growing up that you still do now? I like that, I think I’ll make that into an actual question for you to answer. Look, I’ll even highlight it for you so you have no trouble finding It when you scroll back for it.
What’s a family tradition you remembered growing up that you still do with your family now?
We had a bunch of stuff we did. I remember going huddling under the tree on a nightly basis, taking all the gifts out from under the tree and stacking and counting them and cleaning the tree skirt and all that stuff. I would try and peek between the folds of the paper to see if I can get a glance of the box of whatever it was that’s hiding till the 25th.
And then December, don’t get me started. December used to last a good 3 or 4 months all on its own. Now time is flying so fast for everyone we have to start decorating for Christmas the week of Thanksgiving just to get more out of it. Good times we had back then.
Anyway, here I am rambling. Let’s get to why you’re here. I know when you promise to talk about rum it can do funny things to a person’s patience level.
So, if you didn’t know, I’m Hispanic. I know, I do and say a lot that would probably have you thinking otherwise. But no, I’m full-blooded Puerto Rican, born and raised in Bronx, NY. And if you know anything about Puerto Ricans it’s that we have a tender spot for rum.
I’m not a big drinker at all. Never was. I’d buy a pack of beer during the fall and winter because those are my favorite flavors, but they’d sit in the fridge for weeks without being touched. I think I do it just to feel like an adult, you know?
But when I do have something, I can take a drink or two no problem. After that, I never tested, and I’m not too keen on doing anything for science in that department. But out of the many traditions my family always had during the holidays, Coquito always stood out for me.
Of course, growing up, I wasn’t allowed to drink the hard stuff. But Coquito for adults usually meant Limber for the kids. (pronounced Leem-bae [yeah, have fun with that, there’s a hard accent at the end like the “be” in “better”]) But more on Limber later, let’s stick with Coquito for now.
Coquito is a Nectar of the Gods. If the gods.. were coconuts. It’s a drink that you’ll be able to easily find in almost any Puerto Rican house come Christmas, as it’s a staple that is expected to be had.
My mom likes to make vats of the stuff and bottle it up and send it off as gifts to family and friends. My sister in-law has become accustomed to this now, so every year when we go over to my in-law’s for Christmas it’s basically my entry fee. So what’s in it? Simple, it’s… Well. There’s… Oh, then you mix it together! Then the rum and stir and that’s it!
OK, seriously, you don’t want me explaining anything to you before it’s time so just hold up until you get to the recipe down there, k sunshine? Now look at my gangsta mom holding a bottle of rum almost as big as she is.
This isn’t your typical mix of drinks that you order from a bar on a Saturday night. I took an afternoon last year with my mom and she was like Dr. Frankenstein putting the concoction together.
And just like your other typical Hispanic dishes, you can have 3 or 4 of the same thing made by different people on the table and they’ll all taste completely different. A lot of purist will tell you something is not real coquito unless it has so and so in it.
But for me, I see it like this: if there’s coconut and rum in it, you can call it whatever you want. I know not everyone is going to make it like my mom, so I invite you to comment below and let me know what you and your family do different.
OK so I think it’s time. Ready? Sit back, chill out, and get ready to press print on my handy dandy printable recipe because you’re going to want to do this in the next week.
And hey, btw, I’m sorry for the bombardment of pictures. It was hard to pick good ones so I just crammed them all in to the post. You’re welcome, slow internet users.
This is a magical blend of real coconuts, like 4 different types of sweetened milks, cinnamon, spices, and rum. Also rum, and some more rum. Why is the rum gone? Because we made Coquito, Jack.
Prep Time35 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keyword: Coconut, Coquito, Holiday, Limber, Rum
Servings: 5Liters
Author: Los' Mom
Equipment
Something to crack open a coconut
Blender or Mixer
Strainer
Ingredients
Cinnamon Syrup
.5cup -Ginger chunkspeeled
7-9sticks -Cinnamon
1cup -Raisins
1tsp -Cinnamonground
2cups -Water
Coconut Milk
2each -Coconutscut into chunks
6cups -Water
Coquito
2each -Egg Yolksoptional
2cans -Coconut Milkstore bought
1can -Sweet Condensed Milk
1can -Evaporated Milk
1can -Cream of Coco
1cup -Cinnamon Syrup
2.5cups -Bacardi Rum or Coconut Bacardi
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Syrup
Put everything into a pot and bring it to a boil.
Lower the heat to med-high and let it reduce down to about 1 cup of liquid.
Set aside to cool a bit.
For the Coconut Milk
Crack open the coconut. If you've never done so, be sure to find your local hispanic neighbor as it is in our blood to break down coconuts. Or, if your grocery store is awesome like ours, ask the produce guy if they can open it up for you.
You want to separate the meat from the skin. Doesn't have to be completely separated, just the husk removed.
Put coconut chunks and water into a heavy duty blender (probably not a daiquiri maker like my mom) and blend it until well blended.
Get a strainer and a good size container and strain the coconut pulp from the water.
Congrats, you just made your very own coconut milk. If you call this a secret ingredient, you wouldn't be wrong.
For the actual Coquito
In a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks a bit.
While they're beating, strain the chunks out of the cinnamon syrup and SET ASIDE! You're going to need all that goodness.
Temper the egg yolks with the warm cinnamon syrup. If you're afraid of tempering... you should be! Nah, seriously, don't freak out. Just slooooowly let the cinnamon syrup drizzle down the edge of the mixing bowl while the egg yolks are being beaten.
Once the egg yolks have been tempered with the cinnamon syrup, add the sweetened condensed milk and blend.
Once blended, add all the other 49 cans to the bowl while mixing.
After all the milks are in, taste for sweetness and cinnamon, add if needed.
Add the rum and stir gently, as your mixer may be close to capacity.
Taste and add what you feel is missing. More rum? Sure! (I am not held responsible for any drunk texting during Christmas)
Bottling Up
When you go to bottle your coconut god blessed holy water, be sure to not forget the stuff you strained from the cinnamon mixture! I really hope you didn't throw that away...
Go ahead and line up your bottles and start plunking down the cinnamon sticks and the ginger and the raisins. Maybe get about a cup of goodness in each vessel.
Notes
First off, you're probably wondering why so many cans of milk and not just the whole thing be fresh coconut milk? Elementary, my dear Watson. The various cans of milk all have a much thicker consistency than the fresh milk. So using the cans are going to give you the creaminess you're looking for in the drink. If you use primarily fresh, the end product will be way too watery.
Speaking of the fresh milk, here's an important thing to look out for: The coconut milk you strain is - get this... - going to look like milk! There is a chance that the coconuts are bad for making coquito. If they are bad, you'll see the milk you strain become separated as in the solids will separate from the liquids and it will look broken. If you come across this, unfortunately you'll have to climb another tree to get different coconuts.
If you really don't want to go through all of the homemade coconut milk process, go ahead and buy a few cans from the store. I won't snitch.
Nah, jk. But you'll have to scrap all that you just blended and get different coconuts. So my advice, buy a few coconuts from a few different grocery stores. That way if one is bad, you can try again with coconuts that you know are from a totally different source.
I know you might be a little skeptical about the egg yolks being in there. First of all, don't be a baby. Second, it's totally fine. Just buy yourself fresh eggs that day if you're really that worried about it. Also, if you don't know how to test your eggs in water to see if they're good, then go ahead and check out this link right here. It's a method that I use all the time and it's probably saved my life once or twice.
For an extra safe step if you'd like, you could be like me and pasteurize your own eggs. Real simple: Make sure whole eggs sit under at least one inch of water in a pot, remove them, then heat the water to 140F degrees. At 140F, add the eggs and let them sit for 3.5 minutes. DO NOT let it go above 140F. After 3.5 minutes, remove and place in ice bath. BOOM! Your eggs are now pasteurized and safe.
The egg yolks are going to give you that eggnog consistency, which is something you want from your coquito.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuut if you really don't want to use them like for allergy purposes. Then I'll give you a pass and won't call you a baby.
The reason why you're putting the Sweetened Condensed can first before the other cans, is because it's the creamiest of the bunch. So with that in there first, it's going to let everything else mix up even better, giving it a ponche feel, which is a totally different post. Love me some ponche!
If you taste the Coquito and need to add sweetness to it, add a bit more of cream of coconut. You don't want it super sweet though, so be mindful.
I was just kidding about step 8, don't go adding more rum you psycho. You'll water it all up and it will just be coconut cream flavored rum.
When storing, always keep the Coquito refrigerated, and in something that has a nice tight lid.
Those bottles you see in the pictures above are perfect. My mom picks them up from Ross/Marshalls/T.J. Max for about $1.99 each.
That’s it! Easy right?! Ok I know, you’ve drank easier drinks. But trust me, you want to take the time to do this. Especially if you’re having a holiday party because that’s when it shines. Just keep it on ice and keep it cool because you see there’s a bunch of dairy in there. But you will not be disappointed.
And the Limber! I almost forgot! Poor kids at your party, they can’t enjoy Coquito. But they CAN enjoy the coconuts out of some Limber.
Here you go, bonus recipe, just for the kids. Remember, DON’T ADD RUM, alki.
The designated driver little cousin of Coquito. A frozen treat to get your holiday coconut fix.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time12 hourshrs
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keyword: Coconut, Coquito, Frozen Treat, Limber
Servings: 12single-serve cups
Author: Los' Mom
Ingredients
1can -Cream of Coconut
2cans -Coconut Milk
1can -Water
1/4tsp -Vanilla Extract
1/4tsp -Cinnamonground
to tasteSugar
Instructions
This one is a lot more straightforward. Just toss everything in a mixer or a bowl and with your favorite cooking utensil, give it a good mix.
Once everything is incorporated, taste it. It shouldn't be crazy sweet, you're looking for coconut flavor, not a candy. But if you feel like it could use a little sweetness you can add a bit of sugar.
Once it's mixed nice, divide it up into the cups. Then take a small pinch of cinnamon and sprinkle it on top of each cup. Don't mix it, just let it sit.
Put the cups in the freezer overnight.
Notes
For the coconut milk, my mom uses the same homemade coconut milk from making the coquito. So if you want to kill two birds with one stone, make a little more coconut milk than what you need for the coquito when you're making that.
A can of water is exactly that. Just take one of the empty cans of milk you just poured out and fill it up with water. It's how the ancestors did it.
For the cups, you'll need a medium sized plastic cup. Not a solo cup size, and not a little disposable mouthwash cup size. But you're looking for something that will be disposable and easy for a kid to hold.
A tip for eating this: When it's ready to eat, try and manipulate it out of the plastic cup by squeezing it or letting the cup sit in some hot water for a few seconds. Once you can pop out the entire cup of frozen coconutiness, flip it upside down in the same cup. Or a new cup if you're particular about touching your food. This way, it'll be just like eating a fresh popsicle.
You can also do the old school method of popsicles and cover the cup with plastic wrap and then poke a popsicle stick in there.
I suppose you could also be all rich and fancy and use an actual popsicle mold thing. WHATEVER, don't shame my childhood, man!
See now THAT was easy, I don’t want to hear any complaining. Matter of fact, I expect a comment below describing how much better I just made your Christmas! Because this liquid gold will do just that, trust me! You still have time before the big day, go ahead and give it a try. And whether you do or not, I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
Side note: It was fun doing this recipe. It was documented last year around this time and I never had a chance to post it so I figured why not now. You think seeing all these pictures was annoying, imagine my mom! Every other minute I was telling her to slow down so I can get a good shot. I don’t think I did too bad considering I only made her redo something once. Something else that was fun was getting my mom to actually measure stuff! Even standing there she was putting stuff together and I asked how much so I can write it down and she said she didn’t know. Good times. I’m looking forward to doing it again.
Another side note: If you’re a fan of podcasts like I am (heck, I host one!), then you NEED to be listening to The Sporkful. Dan Pashman hosts and it’s a very informative and fun listen, learning all sorts of things about food, and the people making it. I bring this up because he very recently had a show dedicated to Coquito! I may be bias but it was a great listen. If you are curious about the deep story behind coquito and what it’s all about, go give it a listen right here, you won’t be sorry.
Reading Time: 5minutesThis shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ManCaveMovieNight #CollectiveBias Hover over the image and click on the icon to purchase the movie! Happy holidays! Isn’t it exciting?! If anything it’s insane how the year …Read More….
Reading Time: 9minutesI’ve been trying to not make a big deal about when I’m posting posts. You know, just acting casual like I’m a regular blogger with a regular posting schedule BUT OMG THIS IS MY FIRST FOOD POST IN A YEAR! Isn’t that nuts?! With this …Read More….
Last month marked one year since we said goodbye to a classic. On August 13, 2017, The Great Movie Ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios had its final curtain call. It was an OG ride, there on opening day – May 1, 1989 – and was the centerpiece for Disney MGM Studios. Yeah, I still call it MGM from time to time, and my kids even know it as MGM. Come at me.
We were there that day. No, no, not opening day. On August 13th, pay attention!
It was hot – the type of hot that makes you wonder why Florida doesn’t always permanently smell like beef jerky (thanks for that one, Ve6a5) – but it was a beautiful day. The skies were a crystal blue with a lonely cloud seldomly wandering about. And being someone who is always taking pictures at Disney, that’s noticeable because it’s almost always cloudy. Anyway, it was the last weekend or so before the kids went back to school, so if you have been paying attention here recently, you’d know that was staycation time. We were staying in Disney’s Pop Century Resort, which is considered to be one of their value resorts, but still, really nice to get away to something Disney. We planned it out to stay there that weekend for the sole purpose of being closer to the parks so we can wake up at the crack of dawn and experience The Great Movie Ride one last time.
It was a ride we always tried to ride when we visited. Yeah most of the time it was a 22 minute long escape from the hazardous environment we call Florida, but still, that wasn’t the only reason. We always loved the ride. Always enjoyed it for what it was – a trip through the movies.
Something about it all was great to experience. The audio-animatronics mixed with the amazingly cheezy, so-bad-you-want-to-look-away-but-can’t-because-it’s-so-good real-life actors, along with Robert Osborne’s soothing voice narrating everything. It was a ride that seemed boring to some, but it was oh so magical.
The kids always enjoyed it too.
When the youngest was in pre-k and I was walking him into school, he would always stop at a light pole in the parking lot and twirl around it singing “I singing in the raaaaaain.” It took us a while to realize he was mimicking the ride.
For some reason the oldest liked the Alien part as we strolled through the corridors of the spaceship. The Xenomorph jumping down from the ceiling always spooked me as a kid so no idea why he dug it. Freaking kids and their extreme likes.
Me, I was always partial to the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy and Sallah were excavating the Ark. It was such an iconic scene, and being able to ride through the snake infested Well of Souls always made me giddy as an Indiana Jones fan.
The wife, of course, enjoyed the Wizard of Oz scene in the Munchkinland where the Wicked Witch of the West appears and confronts the riders. Just thinking about this all makes me sad all over again that it is gone forever.
I mean, movies are a part of life. You may know people who are all like “Naaaaah, I don’t like movies.” Or my favorite, “I don’t watch T.V. so I don’t have a favorite movie.” Listen, I’m not here to call you on your BS, it’s already obvious. I will say though that everyone has a favorite movie. Even those anti-T.V. watching hipsters.
At one point in our lives we’ve all seen at least one movie that inspired us and made something happen inside. It moved us, touched us, made us feel, or dream, or give us the will to fight for something.
Made us see the world in a completely different light.
Movies can do that. And I feel like that’s what The Great Movie Ride was all about.
Taking us on a ride through so many memorable scenes that shaped and molded Hollywood and the way we see movies today.
I’m no snob, I don’t go to film festivals and scoff at a summer blockbuster just because it wasn’t filmed by my favorite indie director and his one, solitary vintage camera. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate films for their worth.
I have a lot of favorite movies, there ain’t no way I can ever pick just one. If you want a general idea though, go peek at my About Me page and you’ll see some of my favorite quotes littered through there.
I could sit and talk about movies for hours. And I think that’s why I loved this ride so much. Not for the air conditioning, that was always just a plus. But because of my love for movies and what they can do to you. To shape who you are and define you.
At the conclusion of the ride, we were greeted by Robert Osborn again. And he introduces a montage of many different films from many eras. It opens perfectly with Charlie Chaplin and continues with clips from dozens of classics ranging from Casablanca to Disney’s own animated films. It’s something I was hoping to record because I always loved watching it thanks to the feels it gave me. Especially Robin Williams’ “Goood moooooorning, Vietnam!” which in itself is enough to get me teary. Go ahead, check it out for yourself (on my spiffy new YouTube channel that I just created for the blog!).
And if you’re curious, I found this video for The Great Movie Ride’s last ride ever. Inside the Magic on YouTube was there and put together this vid. It’s not the ride in its entirety, but the quality is great and you get to see the emotion of the crowd and crew and it’s just sweet to watch. Check out Inside the Magic’s site as well, they have a ton of cool theme park stuff for you to dig into. Enjoy.
So goodbye, The Great Movie Ride. All I have of you now are memories, and a cup of you. Oh the cup! And the rest of the pictures! Here, have some more pictures. Various shots from inside the ride, the queue, which by the way was about 4+ hours long the entire day. We got there when they opened the park and good thing too because it was absolute madness the whole day. It’s like everyone came out to show how much they loved it when it was too late :(. Anyway, here are a bunch of pics.
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So here we are. All sad again, remembering the good ol’ days. But hey, at least my kids got to ride it and experience it and actually enjoy it numerous times. What will be replacing it is Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, it’s the first Mickey-themed ride-through attraction. Truth be told, I’m rather fond of the Mickey Shorts the new ride will be based on and I’m very much so looking forward to what they do, despite my love for the original inhabitant of Disney’s replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It’s the way life is for rides. Theme park attractions will always come and go. But there are some that will always linger with you and you can only hope the memory of them will stay with you forever. The Great Movie Ride was one of those rides.
Reading Time: 7minutesNo, that’s not a special backdrop. We just started decorating for Halloween 😉 Much like my Norse Mythology review, I won’t touch on any spoilers in the book. But if i do, they will be easy to avoid and only visible if you click on the …Read More….
Reading Time: 4minutes TWO HD UPDATES?! I know, this is madness! I’ve been wanting to get back into doing these. It seems my podcast replaced these updates in my mind, as I tended to talk a lot about what was going on on a weekly basis. …Read More….
Whoa it’s been a long time since I did one of these! Last one was waaaaaaaay back in 2014!! Can’t believe it’s been that long. You should check out that link. If you follow gaming, it should be a nice trip down memory lane. As for today, a lot has happened so let’s see:
First off, I figured I’d get the hardest part out of the way. Remember that gaming podcast I used to link to here? …No? Ok, moving on.
Haha nah, it was called Future Monkeys. Back in the beginning of summer we decided to call it quits. Throw in the towel. Pack up and go home. Every time I think about it, not only do I get a case of the sads, but I am full of guilt. I feel as if I was the main reason for it stopping, as my schedule was the most uncontrollable. But my partner in crime, Beardy McWhiskey will tell you otherwise. Anyway, scheduling was a huge reason for ending the show. If it wasn’t for that, we’d still be rocking it out. It was a ton of fun every time we recorded and I miss it more often than not.
But! With no podcast that means I have an excuse to put this type of stuff on my blog! Lucky you, right?! We used to have a blog that went with the podcast and I wrote a decent amount of game reviews and opinion pieces there. I’m currently in the process of moving all the stuff over here so by the next gaming update they should be ready.
It wouldn’t be a gaming update if i didn’t talk about any games! Of course, like everyone else, Marvel’s Spider-Man is all I want to do right now. I’d say I’m about 3-4 hours in and it has its hooks webs on me good. I’m not too far into the story yet, maybe the 3rd or 4th mission. But lemme tell ya, I’ve probably swung around the entire city already! The one thing Insomniac Games had to make sure they got right was the swinging mechanic and my goodness, they nailed it. I’m looking forward to reviewing it here once I’m done. If you have a PS4 and you’re a Marvel and/or Spider-Man fan, there is no way you can miss this.
Since it launched I’ve been kicking myself hard on a daily basis. Not sure how well known it is here, but I may or may not have “a problem” (wife’s words, not mine) with buying Collector’s Editions of games. Now, I admit, I may have some sort of a tickle in my fancy when it comes to them. But I’ve been controlling myself a lot compared to how I used to be. Now I only get excited for and try to acquire the ones for games that have significance to me… Like Marvel’s Spider-Man…
Unfortunately, I thought I was going to be ok with the base game, happy to just play it. When in reality, I feel like I’m a failure of a fan for not going all in. I know, I know. I don’t NEED an ultra cool statue or a sweet looking steelbook case to make the game any better. I just feel like with my love for Marvel, and the game being such a huge success – something I know I’ll come away from just blown away – I would’ve liked something I can see and feel that would remind me of that excitement. Like what an actual trophy does for competitors. I know, it’s strange and weird and super dorky and the wife is trying to figure out ways to deny knowing me. But I have a feeling some gamers out there are nodding in agreement.
When the Collector’s Edition was a lost cause, and store employees were laughing in my face at the mere notion of someone trying to find one post-launch. The wife thought it would be a more sensible idea to try to get the Limited Edition console that came out the same day. I wouldn’t have minded upgrading, as it is a beauty of a machine. So I started asking around. Turns out, if anything is harder to find than the Collector’s Edition of the game, it was the freaking console. Of course, while looking for the system I managed to come across 3, THREE! Collector’s Editions that I could’ve purchased and been happy with. But I guess if I had to pick one it would’ve been the console. Sadly, I took a gamble on finding one and came up short handed. While I don’t have either one now, it’s ok, because I’m still playing the game and loving it. Despite nothing to show for it physically.
And you know what doesn’t help… (Last thing about this, promise. Just have to share this.) I found this YouTube channel called The Relaxing End. OMG, this channel takes unboxing videos – something I’ve been on the fence with lately – and makes them so enticing again. Like poetry for unboxings and it’s so glorious. Seriously, it’s everything I wish my unboxing videos could be, and I’ve been doing them for years. If you want to see the contents of the Spider-Man Collector’s Edition, or the Limited Edition PS4 Pro, please check out the video above with the sound on because it’s pure genius. Instant sub from me.
I’ll give it a little mention here, because it came out more or less the same week as Spidey. Destiny 2: Forsaken is out there doing its thing. I adored Destiny for a long time and even though I stopped playing for almost a year, I nearly got swept into the hype to try out this new expansion. Buuuuuut I stopped myself, because, Spider-Man. Maybe one day though.
And that is that for this week. I don’t have a gaming podcast anymore so this is what you’ll probably get from time to time. Not because I have a dedicated fan base that is just dying to know what I’m doing in the world of gaming (spoilers: I don’t), but because I don’t really have anyone to splat out all these thoughts too without sounding terribly obnoxious. So… thanks, blog! Till next time.