Places You Have To Try// Vina del Mar

Hello everyone! As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, I travel a lot to Chile and stay in Vina  del Mar. I'm not going to lie- I love it here. I love the fact that everything is close by so I don't necessarily need a car to get around and the beach is legit walking distances from where I'm staying, so that's amazing. Since I frequently travel back here I have a list of my go to places to eat that I love so if anyone is ever around here (you never know) I would highly recommend to stop by these places and give them a try.


1. Africa
*Located-Calle Valparaíso 324, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

I love this restaurant. To be honest the name caught my attention along with the animals that were on the roof of the building. My boyfriend said it burned down a few years ago and they restored it but never added the other animals that were once there. He loves this place so with that said I had to try. This place has the BEST- yes- the best sandwiches ever. I've tried other things on the menu as well but hands down the sandwich is the best. It consists of homemade bread, juicy sautéed meat and melted cheese. Bam! thats it, and that's all it needs. My favourite by far.

2. Cevasco
*Located- Valparaíso 700, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

Chile is known for many things, like their culture, food, wine and it's beatufuil beaches, but I've been told I had to try this specific place's hot dogs. In Chile hot dog is something that people lean more to rather than a burger. I don't know what it was but I wanted more after I finished my first one. Is that bad? lol. The one I tried was the 'American' hot dog which consisted of your hotdog, avocado, tomatoes and mayo. The condiments here don't taste the same from the ones back home so I'm guessing that's why the taste was so interesting. Oh and of course everywhere I go I ask for hot sauce. I must say Chile's hot sauces didn't disappoint.

3. Anayak
*Located- Quinta 134, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

Andres brought me here on one of our first dates in Chile, and it holds a special place in my heart. The food, the people, the ambience of this place has a lot of history which makes it very beautiful. Around 7pm people in Chile have something called "once" which is basically 'tea time'. Families gets together and have tea/coffee with something to eat like a bread with eggs, avocado or even cheese and ham and pastries. We always come here and order "once complete" on the menu which consists of freshly pressed juice, a ham and cheese grilled sandwich, a cup of ice cream (they have a list of flavours to choose from), tea latte or cafe latte, a slice of cake (your choice) and cookies. I mean that's a lot for one person and it's only $10 dollars. You can't go wrong. The cake is my favourite part lol.

4. Fika
*Located- Libertad 960, Av. Benidorm 650, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

We recently discovered this place and I'm so happy we did! Our waiter had mentioned that the owners lived in Sweden for years and decided to move back to Chile and open a cafe here with a similar style from Sweden. Besides the fact that theres live jazz music playing in the background which I really loved, they also have a small book store right beside it. We ended up ordering a tea latte, peach juice, a ham and cheese panini and a chocolate cake to split. The food here is really good aswell and very afforable. Where ever I go I like to order a coffee late or a tea latte, and compare to them to others that I've had here. I must say that I have really enjoyed all the ones that I have tried and I can't complain. The only difference would have to be the size comparison which in that case, Fika's serving is much bigger than the others.

5. Xurros Cafe
*Located- Av 14 Norte 880 - 88 Tercer piso, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

The name says it all. I love churros and this places really stuffs their churros with with the best filling ever- manjar, which is commonly known as dulce de leche. They also stuff their churros with jam and chocolate as well. For those who aren't a fan of stuffed churros they also offer non stuffed churros with ice cream on the side which is also very good, but who am I kidding... bring on the manjar! lol. Those are my favourite.

6. Bravissimo
*Located- San Martín 302, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

The best ice cream I've had in Chile has to be from this place. I'm a little embarrassed to admit we stop by there quite frequently lol. Plus the view in this place is the best.

7. Don Bife
*Located- Mall Marina Arauco, Tercer Piso Local 86, 14 Norte 880, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

This place is great and their meats are so good and juicy. The only down fall is that it doesn't come with a side order, if you want one you have to order it separate so it gets a little pricey but honestly is so worth.

8. Mokka Cafe
*Located- Av. Libertad 1348, Local 130, Viña del Mar, Región de Valparaíso*

This cafe is actually located inside of the mall. At the moment we were craving something sweet so when we passed by and noticed that they served cake, we needed to try it. For the record we have a very big sweet tooth and we love cake period lol. So we are always trying out cakes at local cafes here. The cake that caught out attention is called Hojarsca. We saw that it had chocolate and dulce de leche in it and we were sold.

The only photo he got of me that night lol. 

9. La Moneda De Oro
*Located- Bernardo O'Higgins 1252, Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso*

Chile is known for their seafood, so when I found out this restaurant had one of the best cooked fish, I needed to try it. Safe to say I loved it and have gone back every since. I always get a fish called 'Rienta' which is tender and taste amazing. I've tried it fried and also oven cooked. I'm not a fan of fried fish but this one was to die for. When ever I order fish I liked to accompany it with fresh veggies or a salad. This place is excellent for tourists to visit as it really captures the essences of Chile offering so many traditional Chilean dishes.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

xoxo,

What's in my Carry-On Bag?

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! Hope everyone is doing great. I thought it would be fun and helpful to share with you guys what I carry in my carry-on bag when I travel. I have been very fortunate to travel quite a lot throughout the years. We usually opt to vacation in South America since that is where my boyfriend is from and he gets to see his family when we are here. Since I have travelled quite a lot I think I have managed the art of what to carry in my carry-on. Before I used to be so overwhelmed and thought I would need so many things on the plane which would cause me to panic. Now I know the essentials that I will need and only carry that. This is coming from a girl who would travel with 2 large suitcases (which I would obviously check-in), a small carry-on, a fairly large purse, and a standard size pillow. Yup, I know what you are all thinking... crazy. Can you imagine how hard it was when I used to travel alone to go to the bathroom? A nightmare!

I really hope this helps anyone who is planning on traveling or is going to travel anytime soon. I wish I never put myself through all the stress, but then again you have to go through some bumps along the way to learn a valuable lesson. From carrying all the things I mentioned I now travel with my luggage that I check in and just carry a backpack. Yup. Just a backpack. Proud moment lol.

1. Passport- First and foremost. ALWAYS make sure you have your passport with you. I cannot begin to explain how many times I thought I had left it at home- mind you the airport is 30 minutes away from my home, but still.

2. Anti-baterical wipes/Hand Sanitizers- These are a must! Planes can be so dirty sometimes, I feel so much more comfortable knowing that I sanitize the arms rest and the pull out table before I settle in.

3. Laptop- I like bring my laptop with me all the time when I fly. If I ever have work to do, I take advantage of the fact that I will be on the plane for quite sometime and once I'm done I watch a movie if I don't fall asleep.

4. Wallet/Cash/Credit Cards- Even though I always travel with my credit cards I also like to bring some cash with me. While I'm waiting to board my flight I like to grab a coffee and a snack before hand. You never know how long it will be until you take off.

5. Snacks- If I'm traveling to South America which is about a 10 hour flight I like to bring snacks with me just in case I get hungry. Sometimes I don't like the food that they offer in flight, so I like to have a backup just in case. My boyfriend is really picky so I always bake a batch of banana cake and bring it on the plane with us. (Recipe on the blog. Youtube link)

6. Small Toiletry Bag- I liked to bring a small toiletry bag where I carry small items that I don't want to find at the bottom of my bag such as, hair ties, hair clips, kleenex, earphones, phone plug, Advil, bandaids, couple of teas which I would then ask the flight attendant for some hot water.

7. Pillow- I know I mentioned I used to travel with a standard size pillow (which I still do but I keep it in my luggage lol- I have this weird thing about sharing pillows. I like to sleep on my own pillow. PERIOD). I carry a travel pillow with me now. There is nothing more uncomfortable then the pillows that they give on the plane. You would think that since you paid a lot for your ticket you would get a decent pillow. So this is a must for me.

8. Cellphone- Once I'm on the plane getting settled I keep my phone on so I can text my parents and my siblings that I'm on board and when I'm about to take off. As soon as the flight attendants ask to turn off devices that's when I do and as soon as I land I switch my SIM card out depending where we are going.

9. Socks- I know you guys are probably saying ..what? Don't you have socks on already? When I travel I like to wear leggings and running shoes. With that said I wear really short slip on socks you can't tell I'm wearing any (I don't like showing my socks when I'm wearing my cute leggings and runners; I don't know that's just me lol) so I bring the thickest and comfiest socks with me because my feet get super cold on the plane.

10. Notebook/Pen- I get the best ideas on things in the weirdest places and very randomly. I know, weird but like to write things down. Plus I need a pen to fill out the forms that they hand out to you on the plane.

11. Sunglasses- Just in case we aren't looking so cute after a long flight- we can fix that with sunglasses.

12. Make-up Bag- Last but not least, my make-up bag. I don't bring a lot of make-up in my carry-on just a few little things such as travel size moisturizer, face mask, mascara, lip balm, hand cream, and perfume. The rest of my make-up I pack in my luggage.

I really hope this helped you ladies out. If there's anything you think I am missing, I would love to hear about it.

xoxo,

Life Lately // Via the Camera Roll

Helloo everyone! I was just going through my phone which by the way has a million and one photos on. Is it just me or am I the only one who leaves it to the last second to delete photos from your phone? Anyways here are a few photos from the last couple months that made me smile as I chose to add them to this post. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the post that I have posted so far.

Halloween fun!

Catwomen

I always have space for desert lol

Long walks are always nice.

Beautiful..

I need this bag in my life!

Home <3

Birthday boy!

Happy birthday to me!

My beautiful baby niece- Giulianna Gisel <3

xoxo,

How to: Peach Tarte

Hello everyone and happy Friday! It is currently 23 degrees where I am right now, which is awesome given that it was 12 degrees for the last couple of days and it's summer here.
I had mentioned in my last couple posts that I had a whole bunch of new content I wanted to share but I had gotten really sick and things didn't go according to plan. Non the less I have a few post heading your way these next few weeks so stay tuned!
As you guys know by now if you have followed my blog before, I love to be in the kitchen. I love to bake, cook, eat you name it. It's always nice to get together with family and friends, whether it's at someone home or out somewhere and no matter what- there's always food! I've always been the type of person that if I'm going to someone house I like to bring something- preferably something homemade.  Plus it's nice to feel like Martha Stewart when everyone compliments how delicious what you made was.
My boyfriend's mom shared this recipe with me around Christmas last year and I have made it ever since. I absolutely love it and I think you guys will too. This is a super easy recipe and it consists of just a few ingredients. Now, I'm all about keeping it simple so don't worry you don't need a fancy kitchen appliance to whip this up.

Ingredients:

 2 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

4 tbsp of butter

1/2 cup of milk

1 egg
2 tbsp of baking powder

To decorate:

1 can of cream

1 cup of peaches cut into small pieces 

First of all, your going to sift your flour. Now some of you might be thinking- "what the heck? what's sifting your flour mean?" and why? Sifting flour is a way to lighten your flour with a mesh sieve to get rid of clumps that was caused when it was packaged. It also makes it way easier for you to mix your ingredients together. 

Add your sugar and baking powder. Once all that is incorporated together your going to add your egg, and butter. Once that is done add your milk. I prefer to add the milk last as I feel since your mixture is already semi wet it's easier to incorporate. 

Butter your pan up with butter all around. This will help prevent it from sticking to the pan. Leave in the  oven for 20-25 minutes at 360 degree. Once cooked, let it completely cool down.

Add your peaches and spread equally on top. If your using canned peaches, drain the liquid.

Whip up your cream and spread on top of your peaches. Refrigerate for a couple hours.

Ready to enjoy! Hope you guys liked this post, would love to hear if you guys tried it out.

xoxo,