What's a lagniappe you ask?

A lagniappe is a small gift a merchant gives a customer... for example, you buy 12 doughnuts and they give you a 13th one free. It's a little unexpected gift from the merchant. The word is pronounced "lanyap" and comes from Louisiana French. Mark Twain refers to it back in 1883 in his [...]

Peruvian Carols

Henry wrote asking for help finding Peruvian Christmas Carols. Here's what he wrote: Hello Lisa, I just listen the Peruvian carol played by orchestra. The south American rhythm is catching. I've already learn to play on the piano. Do you have more Peruvian carols somewhere so i can learn? (or [...]

Only a Mother's Love – A Spanish Poem with an MP3 Recording

It's May, the month for Mothers Day around the world! Here's a Spanish poem called “Slo el Amor de Una Madre”. You'll find it below in the original Spanish, with an English translation and an MP3 recording of it being recited in Spanish... Slo el Amor de Una Madre Slo el amor de una [...]

De colores – All the Colors – Spanish Song about Springtime

I was inspired to post De colores now because of a drawing my daughter created the other day – it made me think of All the Colors! The song is a celebration of the colors of Spring! This song is originally from Spain. The first translation below was done to fit the tune, so you

The [...]

Spanish Song – Yo te daré (I Will Give You) with an MP3

Élodie Chebat sent us Yo te daré in Spanish with an mp3 recording. You can hear her sing it below, and read along with the lyrics, followed by an English translation... MP3 of Yo te daré Yo te daré Yo te daré Te daré mi hermosa Te daré una cosa Una cosa que yo [...]

CD's with Spanish Songs including Los pollitos

Adrinel emailed me... To whom it may concern: I was wondering if you had a CD available to purchase of the children's nursery rhymes... I was looking for Los pollitos especially.. Thanks! Adrinel Below are some CD's and MP3's from Amazon I found with Los Pollitos on them. I'm giving the links [...]

A Spanish Christmas Carol called Ay del chiquirritín – Oh, The Poor, Little Baby Boy

I love how this Carol sounds in Spanish. The R's are a bit challenging to sing – if you're not a native speaker – at least for me they are! Below you'll find the Spanish lyrics to “Ay del chiquirritín”, followed by an English translation, then an mp3 recording and [...]

Peruvian Christmas Carol – Ya viene el Niñito

Here's the Peruvian Christmas Carol – Ya viene el Niñito – “Here Comes Baby Jesus”. First you'll find a YouTube rendition of it by children in Loja – Ecuador (South America), followed by the lyrics in Spanish and then an English translation... Ya viene el [...]

To Avoid Current Day Food Dyes Would You Eat a Bug?

I'm trying to work out ways to dye icing that don't involve food dye. Some of the dyes today are questionable health-wise, but also, I'd like my kids to see that you can do things the old-fashioned way. Looking back at old cookbooks, I keep noticing that they used a lot of cochineal powder to [...]