birthday cafecito

i decided to celebrate my birthday by combining a few things i love:

friends + costa rica + coffee

what could be better???

in costa rica, there is a traditional mid-afternoon coffee break called a cafecito. everyone stops working and gathers for coffee and a snack (usually some sort of tasty bread, but sometimes it can be almost like a meal!). so on my birthday, i headed to the grocery store and bought the necessary ingredients for the afternoon festivities!

el menú:

- que - que seco (dry cake)

a recipe my host mami taught me ...lots of flour (6 cups!!), and a few ingredients that make it delicious (orange juice and nutmeg!). usually you layer it with dulce de leche, but since i couldn't find that at the grocery store, i used some caramel sauce instead :)

- plátanos of course (fried plantains)

- brownies my roommate made for me with raspberry jelly in them - yum!

- pan blanco (cafecito is not a true cafecito without white bread)

...and coffee of course!! 

this cafecito was B.Y.O.M (meaning bring your own mug), so everyone came ready to fill up on a colombian brew of café (fair trade too!)

i had fun making little signs in spanish for the food and was blessed to have many dear friends stop by with a mug in hand for coffee & cake with me!

thank you for the birthday love!!