Home Grown Festival!!

The day has come – we've all been getting ready for this beautiful celebration of Local Food!

I look forward to sharing with you, my dear local friends, how beautiful the process of making even a single Alfajor is. . . the best example of what slow food means!

And I'm not the only one; among others, Gary Kuneman will be there with his passion for grass-fed Buffalo, and Roos Roast will be my neighbor with the most amazing Lobster Butter Love. . . yeah!!

If you want to spend a tasty & fun evening, bring your family and friends to our 2009 Home Grown Festival 2009 located at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. From 5:00 pm to 10.00 pm you'll have the chance to celebrate local food and community!!

Come, eat, dance & talk to the farmers and local producers. Learn a little about what we do, and have the best time ever! See you there!!!!

Thanks Brian for the beautiful picture and everything else =)

Can’t get enough?

I know. . . and I was resisting, but couldn’t hold it any longer. . . finally. . . Maitelates is on Facebook!! And, as a bonus, take a peek at some pictures of my family, down in Chile, making Dulce de Leche this summer. . . you’ll practically smell the sugary yummy milky caramel! And as if that wasn’t enough, yep, Maitelates has joined Twitter as well! Fresh news, new flavor, awesome pictures to die for, recipes, blog updates, chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates.
See you at the Market!

“The best cookie I’ve ever eaten”

When I heard than Chris Gorhman wrote a piece about my Alfajores on Peoples Magazine, I almost fell off my chair. I mean, c’mon!! Is this for real?? Is he really saying that my cookies are ‘the best cookies he is ever eaten?’ Can I hug him?? How do I get to Hollywood???

And as if this wasn't enough, my beloved local friends from Ann Arbor -as usual- added and an extra something to the moment. Thanks Mary for those nice words on your Chronicle. Thanks Liz for publishing my good news. Thanks Vero and Matias for your cheering! Thanks Brian for those beautiful Maitelates labels! I’m SO happy!!

And how about you Pedro, are you happy too??

How do I use my Dulce de Leche (DdL)?

Hello there! This week my goal is to give you as many ways as possible to turn yourself into a ‘DdL’ addict... continue reading and see if you can resist!

Skinny DdL: Cut and slice an apple (banana, peach, pear, or whatever fruit is in season) and dip them one by one into the jar of DdL (yum!)
Lunchbox DdL: Toast two slices of wholegrain bread and spread a generous amount of DdL on it (this is the perfect midnight snack!)

DdL Icecream: Chill and mix well a can of Evaporated Milk (until it doubles in volume). Add two jars of DdL and mix. Pour the mixture into serving cups. Sprinkle some grated chocolate and freeze (you’ll love it!)
Dulce Latte: Put one tablespoon of DdL on the bottom of your favorite cup/mug. Make a shot of espresso & steam 10oz milk. Pour hot milk and espresso in the cup. Dust with ground chocolate, cinnamon or nutmeg (I just had one…).
Guilty DdL: Wash your hands and choose your prettiest finger (preferably the pointer). Dip that lucky finger in the DdL jar, eat it right away, and smile for the rest of the day! (you might get addicted..)

I still have more ideas in my back pocket ... do you?
Write your DdL suggestion/recipe/idea and win a free Alfajor at the market!
See you on Saturday!

If you don’t have a dream..

My dear friend Dan and I can talk forever about one of my favorite Latin-American authors, Julio Cortázar. This writer is a genius and has an amazing ability to play with you, taking your imagination to other places, other times, turning the illogical into perfect logic. Throughout his stories you just lose control letting yourself enjoy and live the impossible. Fascinating!

Each time I hear something nice about my alfajores, somehow I experience the same adrenaline and emotion of being part of a story that seemed to be impossible, illogical, pure fiction. It’s unbelievable how in this short amount of time my dream of bringing a little taste of my culture, and helping my family at the same time, became to reality. And yes, sometimes I feel like I’m in the middle of a dream, and I’m afraid of waking up, but as I learned with Cortazar, I just let myself enjoy and live this sweet ‘impossibility’ called Maitelates. Special thanks to my loving husband Matias who never ever stopped believing and supporting me.

See you tomorrow at the market!

Another HOT Ann Arbor Summer is here

HELLO SUMMER!! Long time no see you….
The Ann Arbor summer welcomes the most beautiful flowers, greens, strawberries, gardens and colors. We even welcome and dance our own amazing festival & art fair!! The town is full of joy, music, colors and….. yes…….. heat!
My chocolate covered ALFAJORES are like me… they have a hard time dealing with the heat. And, as much as I would like to spend the whole market day with everyone, I need to take care of my sweet cookies and watch them closely.
For now until the end of the summer, I will be at the farmer’s market -look for the yellow table!- every Wednesday and Saturday for a short period of time. You won’t see me there after 12 pm (noon). So please, if you have any kind of chocolate emergency, you can always find my delicious ALFAJRES at Comet Coffee or Everyday Wines or Foodzie (http://maitelates.foodzie.com/)
Enjoy the … colors!

Back and reloaded!!

Good days in Chile!! It’s always hard to leave it, but knowing that Ann Arbor will be the final destination makes the flying back WAY easier! Some of us a little more tired than others…. but happy happy to be home again!

Proudly being one of the Best Sellers of www.foodzie.com I’m back, and the alfajores are too! With a new look, new labels and new flavors, Maitelates is here to rock again! Don’t miss the opportunity of tasting the new delicious flavor: strawberry!

See you on Wednesday and Saturday at the Farmer’s Market!