Blog Posts by MadeInSpanglish

Ingrid Hoffmann took a chance on television as a joke. This Yahoo! original series will introduce you to success stories, to the public figures who have crossed cultures and languages to leave a mark in the Latin and US markets. In this episode, get to know Ingrid Hoffmann- a Colombian celebrity chef passionate about food and life whose rise to fame is a "Delicioso" chapter of the American dream.

When the Food Network was looking to spice up its lineup with a Latin cooking show, they knew they had the full package in Ingrid Hoffmann. The Colombian chef's passion and personality combined with her excellent culinary chops made Simply Delicioso a favorite among the network's viewers. "It was the biggest challenge of my career…bringing an authentic Latin flavor to the Food Network," says Hoffmann, who feared her Latin style of cooking would be perceived as simply Mexican. "Americans think all Latin food is Mexican," she says. And while Hoffmann considers having a food show in US television a landmark accomplishment in her life, the chef

Sofia Vergara doesn't shy away from making fun of herself, be it exaggerating her Colombian accent or flaunting her voluptuous curves on the hit television show, "Modern Family", and in a photo posted on her WhoSay account, the actress is showing off those comedic chops in an homage to legend Lucille Ball.

Ditching her usually straight, brunette locks and form-fitting attire for a red wig and a 1950's appropriate dress, Vergara does her best to capture one of Ball's iconic looks.

A strand of white pearls, high eyebrows and big red lips complete the style Ball was famous for wearing on screen. The playful photo is accompanied by a caption that reads: Lucyyyyy Im hooome

Vergara channels legendary comedienne Lucille Ball.

Credit: Sofia Vergara on WhoSay

Although, we can't help but wonder whether the Latina is more Ricky Ricardo than Lucy. It seems appropriate Vergara would reference "I Love Lucy" given her own similarities with the show's co-star, Cuban actor Desi Arnaz. Arnaz's interpretation of Lucy's husband made him

Music has been a defining factor in Latino men's fashion through the decades. Today, Latinos are wearing jewelry to define their individual fashion style, more than to identify themselves with the music of their culture.

Reggaeton artist Don OmarTropical music expert Archie Mercado, host of the Salsa web-show "Cocinando con Archie", remembers when he arrived in Miami in the 1970s as a teenager. He had a passion for jazz and the afro rhythms of Caribbean music, and the best places to enjoy these sounds were in the burgeoning Cuban neighborhoods of Miami. The mix of the music with the distinctive look of the men who played and danced to those early rumbas became an identifiable cultural symbol to the teen newcomer. "Men were known to wear 18k gold necklaces with a particular shape called 'Cuban Link'," says Mercado. "Hanging from their necklaces there was usually a medal with the saint of their devotion. The top buttons of their hand-made, linen Guayabera shirts were undone to reveal the medal. They also

Brown bagging for the family doesn't have to mean the same old peanut butter-and-jelly every day. Spice up your lunch this week with these satisfying Latin sandwiches.

Get your pencils and your dinero ready. Going back-to-school for children should also mean family lessons on managing money.

Financially-uneducated childreniStockphoto

According to personal finance expert Andrés Gutiérrez, the longer a person goes through life without cementing healthy financial habits, the harder it becomes when he/she reaches retirement. Establishing the correct work to money correlation during productive years will ensure fewer financial headaches later on. But, according to Gutiérrez, a good financial education shouldn't be initiated when income is earned; it must start at childhood.

"We are hard-working people who want to provide everything our children need; we want to give them a better life," says Gutiérrez of most American families who he believes aren't doing much to teach their children about money by spoiling them and providing an overgrown sense of entitlement. Gutiérrez offers the example of Latin families trying to follow expensive traditions like

From relieving inflammation to curing hangovers, find out how adding these delectable tropical wonders to your diet will keep you healthy and strong.

Adoption in the Latino communityWhen it comes to taking care of parentless children, Hispanics have a strong reputation of stepping in and bringing up kids within the extended family. However, in this country, Latinos may not be as interested or versed in the adoption process when it's done via the official legal means.

"We have a long tradition of taking care of our own children," says Maria Quintanilla, director of the Latino Family Institute in West Covina, California, alluding to the fact that before governments got involved, children whose parents could no longer take care of them were placed by the family with grandparents, aunts or uncles. As a matter of fact, once an individual became a padrino or godparent in baptism, he or she was considered responsible of taking care of their ahijado (godchild) if the child's parents were no longer present.

Child placement goes as far as moving kids to live with a widowed grandmother or an older single aunt in a custom called prestando, which dates back

While the current number of college graduates in the Latino community is dismal, there is help, support and the example of a growing number of individuals who are succeeding in higher education.

The future is bright for Latino college students (iStockphoto)Juan Herrejon was a quiet kid who grew up in a small Texas town. Rosaura Estrada helped out at her family's Mexican restaurant, and Omar Gomez's dad was a contractor in the physically demanding construction business. They have more in common than being Latinos; they are the first ones in their families to go to college regardless of the odds stacked against them.

The rates at which Latino students are graduating from college can be disheartening. The latest data reveals that Hispanics lag extraordinarily behind when it comes to finishing up college and earning a degree. "The numbers show that Hispanic students are the least educated among all ethnic communities in the United States," says Dr. Laura Rendon, professor in the Higher Education Program at the University of Texas-San