Great Everyday Meals Magazine | By Momma Cuisine July-September 2017 | Page 18

GEM: Can you share a little bit about your background and how your Sweet Life blog came about? VR: My initial goal for Sweet Life was to teach myself to bake. I wanted to showcase how eas- ily it could be to bake delicious treats at home. I posted a few recipes, then quickly became uninspired. The process felt forced, not relata- ble to me. One evening I was preparing dinner for the family. Mi cariño (hubby) suggested I share my frijoles de olla on the site. I told him he was crazy – who would want to hear about beans. He said, it would be a reflection of the cooking you do day to day, why not share what you cook for us daily? That evening I share my recipe for frijoles. The next day I received three emails from read- ers, the following day ten more and by the end of the week I had received almost fifty emails from readers stating that they loved my recipe and had always wanted to learn how to make the frijoles their grandma made for them. I was blown away with the supportive emails and then began sharing the plates of my childhood and the plates mami made for us growing up. The next day I received three emails from readers, the following day ten more and by the end of the week I had received almost fifty emails from readers stating that they loved my recipe and had always wanted to learn how to make the frijoles their grandma made for them.” GEM: Where do you go or what do you do to find the inspiration to keep creating all of these amazing dishes and drinks? VR: My family and I enjoy taking road trips. Texas is so big that you could drive 2 or 3 hours in any direction and be in a new, exciting city. We love eating where the locals eat, so this in- spires me to recreate these amazing dishes at home. My husband and I also take mini week- end vacays to go bar hopping. I like to chat with the bartenders, pick up a few tips and sip on their creations. I also recently began a Cooking with Sweet Life Facebook Live show where I feature a Talent- ed Tejano each week. I head into their kitch- en where they share a favorite family recipe, and I shake up a cocktail that pairs with the dish. Hearing the stories of how their mothers, aunts, fathers cooked for them growing up re- ally pushes me to spend time with new friends in the kitchen. GEM: What is a typical day like for you? VR: A typical day for me is hard to say because each day is so different. I try to begin each day without jumping on social media, ya tu sabes. I homeschool my daughters, so after breakfast, we go over the day’s schedule then they con- centrate on their schoolwork. I jump on the computer to answer emails, schedule client calls, edit pictures, and draft posts. At noon I make lunch and begin prep for the recipe I plan to shoot that day, which we will have for din- ner. I try to shoot at least three recipes a week, plus two cocktails and plan-prep for the larger shoots I do for clients. I recently transitioned my blog to a lifestyle blog to include entertaining, DIYs, and trav- el so for the larger bigger shoots, I call in my pho