New York City the city that never sleeps. Such a big, amazing and beautiful city. I was attending the conference Latism 2013 and during the spare time I got to be a tourist and travel by metro to enjoy the beautiful city.

I had not been in New York since 1999. A lot if things are different. It was like seeing the city for the first time.

It was such a fun trip. I want to visit New Your City again pretty soon and take my son so he can enjoy things with me next time.

Have you been in New York? What is your favorite area?

Disclosure: I was provided with complementary passes to attend the opening night, however all opinions expressed are my own.

It is scary, it is frightening, it is spooky and it is FUN. What could I be talking about? What else, but Knott’s Scary Farm. It is not a surprise that Knott's has the biggest Halloween event among all theme parks. 

I was lucky enough to attend the opening night (Sept 26th, 2013). More than 1,000 monsters are ready to scare you. In the dark of the night with fog all over the park and spooky sounds you get to walk on very well designed mazes and even ride roller coasters. 

First I got to see the Hearse Procession with really cool and good decorated cars

Of course before being scared to death, I enjoyed the Pre-Scare Boo-Fet. A feast to literally die for. 

After the meal, it was time to enjoy the Elvira's Sinema Séance show. In the Show the Queen of the darkness with hilarious jokes and a great choreography she has the audience entertained. 

Then it was finally time to enjoy, (if you dare), the 12 super amazing mazes. And while you walk from one side of the park to the other, you need to be prepared to be scared by the thousands of monsters.

More information about Knott's Scary Farm:

• Dates available: September 26-29; October 3-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27, 30-31; and Novemeber 1-2  2013.
  
• Time: 7 pm to 1 am (Fridays and Saturdays until 2 am)
• Location: 8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA, 90620.
• You can buy tickets online or at the ticket booth.
• You can buy the Fright Lane pass and skip the lines: Fright Lane with Skeleton Key allows you to bypass the regular wait lines for 11 mazes all night long, and the Skeleton Key (included with all Fright Lane passes) unlocks additional rooms and interactive scares in select mazes.
• Personal advice: this is not an event for small children.

Disclosure: I was provided with complementary passes to attend the opening night, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 large onion (Cut in slices)
• 1 cup of Italian style bread crumbs 
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 large bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup beef stock 
• 2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the following: tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and beef stock.

In a different bowl, combine the grounded beef, bread crumbs, onions, bell pepper, parsley, chopped garlic, egg, the other seasonings, 3/4 cup of tomato mixture, and the Parmesan cheese.

Form into loaf in the shape of a hand. Place into a 7 by 10 in. pan or bread loaf tin, lightly Pre-greased. Pour remaining liquid (1/4) over meat loaf to cover it.

Bake in a 350°F oven for one hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally. Decorate the fingers with caramelized onions to make it look like fingernails and the base of the hand to make it look like bone

Disclosure: I attended Latism 2013 thanks to the wonderful sponsors. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have a blog because I like to share what I do. I started my blog as a hobby and I have been lucky to grow to the point that now I have readers like you that email me and contact me for advise or just to tell me you enjoy reading what I post.

With time, I have used my blog to support causes I believe in. I guess that that show the reach of social media and how you can communicate and advocate for certain groups. 

I have also learned that like in any other social environment there are topics that if addressed need to be done with the highest respect. Yes, I try not to talk about politics, although sometimes some topics require to be passionate about them.

I have been passionate about nutrition, healthy staff and No GMOs because I want a healthy family. When you read my posts, you either agree or disagree. But I and you get to express our opinion on the topic and we handle things we respect. Yes, we are using social media for a cause. If you ask me what was the best take away from Latism 2013 it was that: Use social media for a cause. Use your voice, be heard.

For 2 days we heard from different professionals about education, health, immigration and technology. I am very impressed with the quality of the presenters at the talks I attended. Their qualifications and knowledge were great and I learned a lot. 

As on other conferences it is sad I have to choose sessions to attend (some other sessions took place at the same time). So I can only tell you about a few panels and workshops, but the feedback I got from my friends was similar.

I have to thank the sponsors that made it happen. I am looking forward to attend Latism 2014.

Disclosure: I attended Latism 2013 thanks to the wonderful sponsors. All opinions expressed are my own.