Food

Periko & Jessi Leon at Starbucks “Noches Cultures” featuring Caramel Flan Latte

Periko & Jessi Leon at Starbucks “Noches Cultures” featuring Caramel Flan Latte by Maria Serritella

Maria Serritella is a great friend of mine. She is a fashionista, actor, dancer, makeup artist, and mother that will be contributing to April Golightly. Check out and like her IMDB page and her makeup skills in this tutorial.

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to meet & interview the extremely talented & vibrant duo PERIKO & JESSI LEON at the Starbucks “Noches Culturales” in Miami, where customers were invited to celebrate culture, tradition, & the new Caramel Flan Latte accompanied with live acoustic music!
Periko and Jessi
On this particular night of “Noches Culturales” we had something extra special to celebrate…it marked the 1-year anniversary of the duo together making latin pop rock music magic! Combined, their musical talents include composition, singing, & songwriting. Together they play guitar, ukulele, bass, & percussion instruments. Coming from successful solo careers, it was no surprise that their magical union occurred given the chemistry of the perfect blending of their voices. They have performed together in countless venues including The 14th Latin Grammy Street Party, Premios Lo Nuestro, Latin Billboard Showcase, Dewaristas con Juanes as Finalists, St. Jude Children’s Hospital Gala, Radio Amor 107.5, Lexus Listening Lounge, Univision, Showbiz (CNN), MegaTV,  America TeVe, Sirius XM, MTV Tr3s, Telemundo, Telfutura, among others.

South Beach Wine and Food Festival #BuickEatandTweet

This past weekend my husband and I were lucky enough to get to attend the South Beach Wine and Food Festival  for the #BuickEatandTweet event. First, we learned about a few of the Buick cars including the Encore which is an extremely safe and fuel efficient SUV at 25 city and 33 highway. If you own … Read more

Weight Watchers Simple Start – 1 Week Done!

I was given a free one-month subscription to try the new Simple Start plan and write about my experience.  Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative are my own. #lovehealthyme#wwsponsored

It has been 7 days since I started the Weight Watchers Simple Start Program and I glad to say that I am walking more and eating better. I’ve been cooking almost everyday for the household and my fridge is filled with good veggies and yummy foods.

Simple Start Weight Watchers Outfit, #lovehealthyme

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Sage French Cafe

I recently met up with fellow fashionista and blogger, Aileen of Newsy Parents at Sage French Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sage has a french winery interior with dark wood, exposed bricks and cranberry red accents. It reminded me of days gone by, when I spent the majority of my time studying in a french cafe in Miami. The French Cafe that I spent so much time in has closed. Since then, I have been searching for French Cafe to replace my old favorite. Sage French Cafe & Wine Bar fits the bill perfectly!

Sage Cafe Fort Lauderdale French Review by April Golightly #aprilgolightly

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Easy Zucchini Appetizer

There are just 3 ingredients in this easy zucchini appetizer: zucchini, goat cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Perfect Keto snack for parties.

No matter which party you are going to serve these at, they pair really well with these Keto chocolate fat bombs. 

Easy Zucchini Appetizer

The Inspiration for the Recipe

Over the holidays, my mom always made fried zucchini that acts an appetizer and snack before and after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. In an effort to be more healthy she stopped breading them and started baking them instead. They are still yummy, but it just is not the same. This recipe was inspired by an effort to make the zucchinis delicious again. I made an easy zucchini appetizer that looks more like mini zucchini pizza appetizers with sliced goat cheese from Whole Foods and cherry tomatoes.

How to Make Easy Zucchini Appetizer

Since there are only 3 ingredients, you won’t have to remember a huge list of foods. They have a mild flavor that is generally pleasing for most people. You’ll also enjoy the small number of dishes you’ll have to wash afterward. 

All in all, this probably one of my favorite appetizer recipes I have ever made! 

Ingredients

All you need for this recipe is: 

  • Zucchini
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Goat Cheese

That’s it! Of course, you will also need some non-stick spray to help them cook better. 

Directions

Here are the directions. This is a recipe that you can allow your kids to help you with. You’ll find the detailed instructions in the printable recipe card. Here’s an overview of how to make them. 

  1. Preheat the oven. 
  2. Wash and slice the zucchini
  3. Slice the goat cheese
  4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half
  5. Layer them on a cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. 

That’s it! 

How to Make them Ahead of Time

You will save a lot of time if you do the food prep ahead of time. Then, all you have to do is preheat the oven and bake them. 

So slice the zucchini, goat cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Keep them in individual zippered bags or plastic containers with a lid. 

Goat Cheese Replacement

I discovered that the goat cheese melts perfectly on the zucchini. It also has a really deep flavor that brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes. 

But if you don’t like goat cheese or just want a different kind of cheese, here are the other kinds you can try: 

  • Mozzarella
  • Muenster
  • Brie

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Macy’s Culinary Council Event with Chef Todd English

Macy’s Culinary Council Event with Chef Todd English

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and the Everywhere Society provided me with compensation about the Macy’s Culinary Council. However, as always, all opinions expressed herein are my own. If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to message me using the contact me page above. 

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending another Macy’s Culinary Council Event with Chef Todd English . These events are awesome! You get to watch the Chef cook, eat all the goodies the Chef makes, and get recipes to take home. If you love the food, you can buy the book and have it signed while you meet the Chef. I went to another one a few months ago with Michelle Bernstein. I would highly recommend attending and arriving early so you can get a great seat.

Chef Todd English and Fashion Blogger April Golightly

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Dukan Diet Review

Dukan Diet Review

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dukan Diet. All opinions are 100% mine.
The Dukan Diet is a weight-loss program consisting of 4 phases. The 4 phases help you  to reach and keep your true weight for life. There is no calorie  counting. The diet is focused on lean protein, plentiful amounts of  water, and daily walking. It also allows unrestricted amounts of 100 healthy  foods. Each  persons True Weight is unique and can be discovered based on a few  short answers. Members can find their true weight on DukanDiet.com.Dr. Pierre Dukan, creator of The Dukan Diet, is a renowned French physician who discovered and refined his successful weight loss plan while working wit more than 40,000 of his patients in general practice.  Over the past 40 years, Dr. Dukan has helped thousands of people successfully reach and keep their True Weight for life.
dukan diet book review

Tastemakers

Mizner Park’s signature Tastemakers event, featuring  food and cocktail pairings from 11 partnering restaurants. Tastemakers is a 2 day event that will take place on Tuesday, September 24 and Wednesday, September 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m in Mizner Park at 11 partner restaurants including: The Cheese Course, The Dubliner, JAZZIZ Nightlife, Kapow!, Karma Sushi Steakbar, Max’s Grille, Tanzy, Racks Downtown Eatery, Truluck’s, Uncle Julio’s and Villagio. Check out the Tastemakers food review here and get ideas on what to wear to Tastemakers here.

Tastemaker Giveaway

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What to Wear to Tastemakers?

Summer is still hanging around South Florida even though I am dying to get break out my fall wardrobe. When dressing for Tastemakers in Mizner Park, you should fight the urge to dress for fall and wear something summery instead! I went around to the restaurants tasting the food for a media event last week with this summery dress and wedges. Check out my review of the upcoming Tastemaker’s food and drink pairings here. We are giving away a Tastemaker VIP Pass that was given to me as compensation for writing this post. Enter to win here.

What to Wear to Tastemakers

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Butcher Block Grill: Boca Raton, Florida

Last week, I got to eat at this awesome new restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida. I am new Boca resident and am always looking for new places to eat. Now that my first child is here, it is important that date night is strategically planned. We really have not gone out together without the baby yet. We said we’d have a date night once per week, but it just has not happened. I am hoping to have one this weekend! The Butcher Block Grill is a great date night place for us because it is very close and the food is amazing. I did a complete review of the Butcher Block Grill on my new Mommy & Daddy Blog, Palm to Park. Check out the complete review here.

Butcher-Block-Grill-Review

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American Icon: Michelle Bernstein

macys culinary council

The Macy’s Culinary Council is an amazing collection of acclaimed chefs that travel the country doing cooking demonstrations for Macy’s customer. I visited Macy’s in the Aventura Mall where Chef Michelle Bernstein dazzled me with her skills and comedy.

Chef Michelle Bernstein cooked up some Latin favorites for an audience at Macy’s in Aventura, Florida. She is the Chef at Miami mainstays including Michy’s and Crumb on Parchment. Chef Berstein also taught us some of her culinary secrets including how to make crispy garlic. She put the garlic in a shrimp and grits recipe that somehow did not have that overwhelming garlicky taste that has been making sick lately (#pregnancyproblem #1).

cooking-with-fontina-cheese

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