My real life consists of making meals, doing laundry and dishes, changing sheets and playing with my grandson. During the summer we also entertain quite a bit and do the normal hot weather stuff, like swimming and taking treks to the beach. I still maintain that it's a charmed life, but it's a very typical life in our very typical bedroom ...
Cuban-American Life
I hope you enjoy my posts about my crazy and wonderful Cuban-American life.
All the Heroes Assembled for the ‘Avengers Infinity War’ Press Conference, But They’re Not Talking
Picture this: A large room with a giant black curtain going from side to side. On this curtain is a projection of the Avengers logo. It was quite a thing to behold. To the right is a tall podium. Welcome to the Avengers: Infinity War Press Conference. Held last Sunday afternoon in LA at the beautiful Montage Beverly Hills, it was a day filled ...
Mami Likes/Loves Cafe La Llave – A Giveaway
This post is sponsored by my favorite coffee people, Café La Llave. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. Someone asked me the other day about Cuban Coffee. She asked the difference between Cuban espresso and "American" coffee. I kind of went off about everything that I love about Cuban coffee, from the beautiful aroma to the ...
What’s Your Favorite Cuban Dessert?
What’s your favorite Cuban Dessert? Please don’t start your answer to this question with “it depends.” I can’t handle: “it depends.” I want the answer to be quick, clean, and uncomplicated. Someone asks you: “What’s your favorite Cuban dessert?” I want you to have the answer handily on the tip of your tongue. I want you to know your mind on ...
Marta’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
When we first arrived in Miami from Cuba in 1961, a cousin took me to a bakery to get me a treat. Back then, Cubans had not yet taken over the town and this was an old fashioned cake bakery. She purchased a wonderful thing for me. It looked like a cupcake, but with a little more density. There was no frosting, but it had chocolate chips scattered ...
Saying Yes To the Dress
When my husband, Eric proposed to me back in 1992, the first thing I did was go out and buy a couple of those big, fat bridal magazines. I pored over the perfection of the gowns that promised to fulfill every blushing bride's dream. *sigh* The styles back then were both the poufy ballgown type and the closer fitting "mermaid" look. Fitted through ...
5 Things I’m Loving Right Now
There are things I like and there are things I love. (I'm not talking about the obvious, like husband and kids and grandsons.) Right now there are a few things in my life that have I more than love. Truthfully, I'm a little obsessed with them. I know you'll appreciate these as much as I do, because you have excellent ...
25 (and a Half) Years
It's already February, people. Next week is Valentine's Day. Wait. What happened to January? Is it just me? Or does time appear to be like Millennium-Falcon-in-hyperspace zooming away? I'm having a serious case of Tempis Fugit* right now. (*that's Latin for "time flies." Yeah. All those years of Catholic really school paid off, didn't they?) Six ...
Mami Always Knows
For years - many more years than I'd care to admit to - I would call my mom with cooking questions. I remember my first attempt at Arroz con Pollo. "Do I have to use the pressure cooker?" (I got over my fear of pressure cooking pretty quickly, but that's not important right now.) "Canned asparagus. Really?" and "Is the beer at the end really ...
My Big Fat Cuban Christmas Gift Guide 2017
{This is not a sponsored post. All the businesses I'm promoting happen to be ones that I personally like and can recommend.} Christmas shopping is wonderful and terrible, isn't it? We are all generous people and if you're anything like me (and I know you are) you're always looking for the very best Christmas gift for the people on your Nice ...
It’s Cuban Christmas Crema De Vie Time!
It really is the most wonderful time of the year. And as I'm fond of saying, Christmastime is absolutely the best time of the year to be Cuban. Why? I wrote all about that right here: 10 Things That Are Awesome About Being Cuban at Christmas. You're welcome. You'll notice that the very first thing on that list is Crema de Vie. It's our own ...
Get It Before Christmas
Let me explain Cuban Gift Giving for just a moment. At least how it has always worked in my family. The Scene: You're at a family gathering, which for a Cuban family pretty much means any night of the week or stray weekend. You mention that you saw a cute ________ (<--insert name of cute thing you saw in passing) at a shop nearby while you were ...
Elena Ruz Turkey, Guava & Cream Cheese Sliders Recipe
Ah, Thanksgiving. I love this holiday so much. I love that a day has been set aside to give thanks. And I have so very much to be grateful for. I especially love knowing that families across the country are gathered together around the family table, because to me that is an absolutely sacred space. I have posted about how I go about styling ...
Thor: Ragnarok Review
If you are hungry for some real entertainment, get yourself to your local movie theater and go see Thor: Ragnarok! That was going to be my entire review because 1) I don't want to give out any spoilers and 2) I really mean it. It has the four main elements a movie - especially a Marvel movie - needs to be super entertaining. 1) ACTION It ...
All the Fun From The Thor:Ragnarok Press Junket
A few weeks ago I was delighted to be able to attend the Thor:Ragnarok pre-screening and press junket. I'll tell you all about the film on Friday, but right now I want to share my take-away from the press junket. Jon and I had seen the film the night before and couldn't stop talking about it for days. "That scene in Hulk's room! LOL!" "The ...
La Sombrilla Roja – A Giveaway
It's always a great pleasure for me to share about a Cuban author whose voice I genuinely love. Let me introduce you - if you don't already know her - to Christina Diaz Gonzalez. A few years ago I met Christina in Miami and read her beautiful book, The Red Umbrella. ABOUT OPERATION PEDRO PAN Some background for the story that's not very well ...
Abuela Vs Chef or When Buzzfeed Calls
The whole thing began when my son Jon's manager sent me an email. "I have a project that I think you'd be perfect for." I took a moment and said in my best Dr. McCoy voice from Star Trek, "Dammit! I'm a blogger, not an actor!" Okay, maybe I didn't really say that. In fact, what I did say, was, in the vernacular of the kids today: "YOLO!*" (*You ...
