Now is an interesting time for the retail industry. People are being more cautious about going into physical stores and commercial rent prices remain sky high. It’s a recipe for hard times, and people aren’t shopping the way they used to. Times have undeniably changed and amid that, people are looking for items that are…
Randomness
Afrobella’s Book List – Caribbean Literary Edition
Here are some recent books that have been inspiring me that are on my current reading list, all new Caribbean literature — specifically fiction from & about Trinidad and Tobago. My homeland!
Making Sense of My Family History With Ancestry.com
This post is sponsored by Ancestry When my mother-in-law gifted me with a DNA kit from Ancestry some years ago, I was intrigued but skeptical. My mother-in-law comes from a family that’s very into genealogy and can trace their family tree back to as far as 1690. I was born and raised in Trinidad and…
Afrobella’s Trini Rum Punch Recipe Remix
One of sour, two of sweet; three of strong and four of weak. That’s the traditional guideline for making a classic Caribbean rum punch. I enjoy a classic Caribbean rum punch, I do. But sometimes I want something a little less sour and a little more sweet. I like the kind of rum punch that…
It’s National Pie Day! Make Justice of the Pies Raspberry Hazelnut Pie Recipe!
It just so happens to be National Pie Day (according to the American Pie Council, yes this is a thing), and bellas, we’re in luck! My friend Maya-Camille Broussard, AKA The MCB Project, AKA creator of Justice of the Pies, blessed me with this incredible-sounding Raspberry Hazelnut Pie recipe. I told her that I love…
All About Dinner Salads – Ingredients, Recipes, and Inspiration!
I must confess, I didn’t grow up eating a lot of salad. My dad has a traditional salad he likes to make with dinner — tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, maybe an onion sliced up with salt, pepper and a little vinaigrette. It’s a good addition to every meal, but time and repetition led me to take…
So I Met Anthony Bourdain Last Week
Last week was kind of a whirlwind. I was just coming back to Chicago after a funeral. My husband was spending some extra time with his family so I was flying solo. I got back home and didn’t yet have my bearings before I had to head across town to the Ravenswood Event Center for…
5 Beauty and Health Tips From My Mom on Her 75th Birthday!!
Her full name is Peggy Aura Arlene Grell, but longtime Afrobella readers know and love her as my Mama Bella. I’ve blogged about her and featured her advice so many times — click here to read my first interview with her from 2006, her tips on making your neck look younger, her tips on false…
This Is The Final Issue of JET Magazine
If you’re looking to cop a piece of black history for your archives, keep an eye out for the final print issue of JET Magazine, which hit newsstands today, Monday June 9th. This final issue is a tribute to the past 63 years of publication, a dedication to the years that JET was the publication…
My Life in a Road Trip Soundtrack
Our first road trip was in June 2001, in a red hatchback Honda Civic that had no air conditioning. Steve and I were dating, deeply in love, about to start our lives together. I knew I wanted to do my MFA in Creative Writing somewhere. Steve wanted me to see more of America than Miami….