4/22/2024: CONGRATULATIONS! We have a winner! Good job, Eva! Please contact me via email – send me your physical address so I can forward to Gaviña and they can send you your goodies – also put HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG so I don’t accidentally delete your email. Buen Provecho and thanks for playing along! Editor’s Note: If Eva ...
REAL Snow: A Darby Family Adventure
Sebastian: “I really want to see REAL snow.”❄️ PomPom and Wella: “Say no more.” And we were off! So we packed up our snow gear and drove an hour and a half up to Wrightwood in the local San Gabriel Mountains and enjoyed a glorious 4 day family getaway.We rented a beautiful chalet via Air BnB and it was so worth it! The place was massive, yet ...
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake with Maria Cookie Crust
I am one of those dinosaurs that still enjoys leafing through magazines. (I know. Shut up.)Recently, Lucy and I were sitting in my living room perusing my stack of magazines with Max and Logan happily playing at our feet. Full disclosure: it was Lucy who saw an add in one of the magazines. “MOM! Maria Cookie Crust!” She declared authoritatively.I ...
Hispanic Heritage Coffee Basket Giveaway
By Marta Darby
10/30/23: CONGRATULATIONS! We have a winner! Good job, Patricia! Please contact me via email - send me your physical address so I can forward to Gaviña and they can send you your goodies - also put HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG so I don't accidentally delete your email. Buen Provecho and thanks for playing along! Editor's Note: ...
Cafe La Llave Espresso Ice Cream
It's after Labor Day, which, if you're old school like me, means "put those white shoes away!" It's also supposed to be a time to ease into fall. Am I right? I'm laboring <-- see what I did there? - to bring you another entry into my "Cooking with Coffee" series. You can see the other recipes here: Espresso Coffee Cake and Espresso ...
Summer Café La Llave Basket Giveaway
By Marta Darby
UPDATE: AUGUST 2, 2023 - We have a winner! Thank you all for entering this giveaway. There will be a few more this year, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, congratulations to the winner: ****************************************************************************************** Rebekah ...
Cafe La Llave Espresso Coffee Coffee Cake
I should really start calling this series of challenges "Cooking with Coffee," but that's not important right now.Today I made a Coffee Cake, but not just any Coffee Cake. I made an Espresso Coffee Coffee Cake. What does that even mean? Well, there's brewed espresso in the batter and in the icing. It's a delicious and beautifully caffeinated ...
Espresso Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting
I know. You can't believe you read that title right. But it's all true. I have a great recipe for you today.I've been messing with espresso. (Because Cuiban!) Specifically Café La Llave Espresso in some recipes and I'm delighted to share the first of these right here:Café La Llave Espresso Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting.The ...
Hispanic Heritage Café La Llave Giveaway
By Marta Darby
UPDATE:10/24/2022 WE HAVE A WINNER!!WE'RE SO DELIGHTED THAT OUR WINNER IS LEONELLA ALVAREZ! PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH "HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! IN THE SUBJECT LINE. SEND YOUR MAILING ADDRESS SO I CAN GET IT OUT TO CAFE LA LLAVE TO SEND YOUR COFFEE GOODIES OUT ...
Sweet 16
I started writing this blog 16 years ago and I'm all about celebrating this milestone. It's my Sweet Sixteen, people! And is there anything sweeter than celebrating with Cuban pastries? When I started writing this blog, I wanted to keep a diary of sorts, slightly like a journal, a place where I could document my family’s comings and goings. I ...