Couldn’t you just go for some refried beans right now? They are great for breakfast, great for lunch, and we’re happy to have them for dinner, not to mention a medianoche snack! Let’s drop in on Gloria as she cooks up a batch for us.

In beautiful Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, the local cooks know their fruit! Let’s drop by the lovely Casa Mar as Gloria prepares a glorious multi-colored fruit salad made with local sandía (watermelon), melón, and plátano (banana). You may soon find yourself blending melon seeds into a delicious horchata.

Diana Quintana, a Colombian living in Italy, has formulated a special charity project to bring smiles to the faces of underprivileged children in Colombia at Christmas.

Rabbi Shloime offers us some insight into the origins and significance of the Hanukkah tradition.

Many Latin American countries celebrate the Novena of Aguinaldos, a nine-day, Catholic-based holiday that includes music, food and prayer. Grace Pinzon, a Colombian woman living in Florida, shares with us how the novena is celebrated there.

Cristina talks to us about the "Diablada Pillareña" [Pillaro Dance of the Devils], a popular annual celebration in Pillaro, Ecuador that has been deemed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Luis Moya, one of the Pillaro "devils" during the famed "Pillaro Dance of the Devils" celebration, gives us some insight into the significance behind some of its most important characters.

This episode guest stars the legendary Nacha Guevara, who plays Melina, a fiery blonde who seems to have something of a history with Flavio, though he still pines for the lovely madame, Amelia.

Gala shops for a new camcorder from the point of view of the display model, leading us into the show’s intro and theme song, "Me Llamas", by José Luis Perales. Perales got his first record deal as a student in Sevilla in 1970, and his romantic ballads have graced the charts ever since.

You may get the feeling that Soledad didn’t have the most stable childhood, but she’s a survivor, and she assures her aging uncle that she’ll stick by him too. Gloria, meanwhile, is telling her young son, who hasn’t yet started school, how academic grading works.

Sole likes her candy, but she’s not averse to sharing it. In Spanish, a lollipop is known as chupa-chups, piruleta or paleta. Do you have a favorite flavor?

Amelia and the girls at first don’t know what to make of him, a small man who arrives with a big wad of money. Soon enough it becomes apparent, Santiago Ritchie is intent on having more than a little fun. (But could that be the only reason for his largesse?)

Milena is enjoying some theater from her private box when Santiago Ritchie appears. Milena wants the lowdown on what he found out about Amelia’s girls while visiting. Santiago obliges. Flavio sleeps.

Goods and services that show up on our urban doorsteps are the ultimate in convenience. Latin Americans love el delivery as much as anyone, maybe even moreso.

When we ask for two, we’re happy to get any, but Melina is a lady not used to being short-changed, abril bello or no…