Across many Spanish-speaking cultures and particularly in Puerto Rico, you may hear the phrase “viernes social” come Friday morning. Though the literal translation of “social Friday” almost defines it, it really describes a feeling of partying, socializing, and celebrating life. Think of it being similar to the “TGIF” sentiment.
From now on, each Friday on ModernMami will be Viernes Social. You can expect to find a contest, fun tidbit, or maybe even a featured guest. The idea is to embrace the viernes social spirit and celebrate!
Now on to our first official Viernes Social…
When hosting holiday dinners and get-togethers, my biggest issue is coming up with side dishes. Outside of the rice dish and green salad, I struggle to come up with fun and interesting sides that will please the Puerto Rican palette of my family.
If, like me, you need a little help this holiday season and are looking for new recipes, you might like the Real Holiday Helpings site from Hellmann’s. They’ve partnered up with Food Network chef, Bobby Flay, to provide you with some tips. There are lots of recipes – from appetizers and entrees to sides and desserts – as well as videos of Bobby Flay making a few of the dishes.
You can find videos that show you how to make these dishes from Bobby Flay:
- Turkey Cuban Sandwich
- Caramelized Onion Dip
- Roasted Green Beans with Almond Aioli
- Cuban-style Corn
- Caesar Salad Crostini
I’m a little skeptical about some of the recipes, since I never imagined that you could use mayonnaise in dishes like pizza, chicken parmesan, or carrot cake. But, I guess I’d have to try them to see how they actually taste. The recipes that look the most interesting to me that I might try are:
- Cuban-style Corn
- Sweet Potato Fries with BBQ Mayo
- Baked Horseradish-glazed Chicken Wings
To celebrate the launch of Hellman’s Real Holiday Helpings, one of you has a chance of winning a $25 American Express gift card. That should help you as you prepare for upcoming holiday dinners, right?
How to Enter
If you’d like to enter this contest for a $25 American Express gift card, simply leave a comment below and let me know what your biggest struggle is when preparing a holiday dinner.
For extra entries:
- Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
- Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
- Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
All entries must be in by Wednesday, December 9 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)
Disclosure: I received a $25 American Express gift card from BSM Media in conjunction with this promotion.
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My biggest challenge is timing and keeping everything hot.
My struggle is getting family members interested in helping. I hate to be a nag, but it’s a big meal with a lot of components, timing and dishes galore!
My biggest struggle is trying to do a lot of things at once.
austma7@aol.com
The biggest struggle is getting everything ready at about the same time. This Thanksgiving was the closest we have come.
My biggest problem is cordinating everything so that it is all warm and done at the same time.
My struggle is timing. Juggling several different meal preparations at once to get everything done in enough time and keep everything warm.
Tweeted about giveaway here-
http://twitter.com/baniclips/status/6415763539
Subbed to blog via e-mail and confirmed.
wakeupangel at gmail dot com
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sn is Baniclips
My biggest struggle is just getting organized. Then it’s compounded by my small kitchen.
Sometimes it’s difficult to manage my time, especially right before serving the dinner because it seems like so much has to be done at once. ashaldridge (at) gmail (dot) com
My biggest struggle is my health — I have several chronic, potentially life threatening illnesses. So, I have streamlined many of the dishes that have been traditional favorites. My family still loves them, and I feel like I am still contributing without feeling as worn out by the time we put dinner on the table. One of the dishes I prepare is a broccoli, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon salad made with Hellman’s mayo. I can make it the night before and refrigerate it until just before serving. I cook my ham in the crockpot with gingerale during the morning, and the house smells good while everyone opens their gifts.
My biggest struggle is getting everything to the table hot and
together. Thankfully, my family is very forgiving.
Thank you for the contest. Happy holidays.
The hardest thing for me is trying to make it homemade instead of buying premade stuff
My biggest problem in preparing any dinner is the entire process… I’m not domestic in any way and am recently married. For Christmas, I’m asking Santa for a cook! haha Thanks!
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/Merri617/status/6417919430
My biggest struggle is getting everything cooked on time and not burning anything!
My biggest struggle is having all the food ready on time while making sure the kitchen isn’t a disaster. I am planning ahead for Christmas and storing some premade foods in the freezer.
Subscribing via email
I have trouble getting everything done at the same time.
My biggest struggle is managing to prepare a bunch of different foods at once.
my biggest challenge is trying to estimate the amount of food to cook..
Trying to get everything ready.. thanks..
My biggest challenge in preparing holiday dinners is time! I have the hardest time getting the house ready for guests while also trying to time my preparation.
getting everything done around the same time. =)
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