Summer has taken its sweet time arriving here in Southern California. And with summer comes my beloved Outdoor Movie Nights. (If you follow me on Instagram, be sure to look for the hashtag: #DarbySummerMovies) If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I delight in not just choosing a movie to show, but in choosing ...
I am all about Family Dinners right now. The reason, of course, is that my kids are all back in my area code and they're all loving the idea of having regular big family meals together. (Full disclosure: I have been selling them on what a fabulous idea family dinners are for years, but that's not important right now.) While I love cooking Cuban, ...
Carnivores. That's what my people are. Serious carnivores. Every night at my table you'll find a beautiful top sirloin steak or glazed chicken or some fabulous pork dish, because Cuban. And when we're not serving rice and beans, we're singing the praises of potatoes. Sounds pretty dull, right? You'd be wrong there. My sides are never boring. ...
I've often shared how my family, instead of baking Christmas cookies for gifts, makes a super delicious please-don't-call-it-egg-nog Cuban "egg nog." We call it Crema de Vie and it has been a Cuban family tradition for as long as I can remember. I remember as a child getting to have a sip on Christmas eve. (Shut up. The rum was only used as a ...
Last year around the Christmas season, Jonathan and I got a call that the lovely and talented Jenny Lorenzo (that's Abuela to you) needed some background people for a Christmas video she was shooting. Would we be interested? Without hesitation, our answer was a resounding, ABSOLUTELY! Also, would I be able to make and bring a bunch of maduros? ...
You probably read the title of this post a few times Porto's Bake at Home?? And you probably wondered, "Have all my Cuban pastry - since I don't live in Miami - dreams come true?" Today the answer to that would be a resounding, *"Si! Como no!" That's a big fat Cuban, *"YES, PLEASE!" {Disclosure: I have not been compensated for writing this post, ...
This is a sponsored post by California Strawberries and Society Culinaria. The opinions are my own. I can't say where this simple recipe originated but I can say for certain that every time I've served it to my guests, it's always met first with happiness. "Yay, strawberries!" Of course, because who doesn't love fresh summer strawberries? ...
Nothing delights me more than to find other like-minded Cuban Cubiches. I remember when I was growing up here in Southern California and other Cubans were hard to come by. It was always a big deal to find out someone was Cuban. Like finding buried treasure. Speaking of treasure, I want to share with you a fabulous podcast based out of Miami ...
This post is sponsored by my favorite coffee people, Café La Llave. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. I often say I lead a charmed life and I have the history to back up that claim. I'm Cuban which already makes me feel super lucky. I live here in the U.S.A. which makes my life doubly charmed. Being Cuban and ...
This post is sponsored by Al Punto Advertising. The opinions contained are all my own. I recently wrote all about how excited I was to be attending the Opening Night for the Emilio and Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical, "On Your Feet!" I mean, of course I had expectations going in because who doesn't love Gloria Estefan and her music? But the ...
This post is sponsored by my friends at Al Punto Advertising. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. At the end of 2015 I began to hear rumors of a new Broadway show. It was the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan (with their music as the soundtrack, of course) and how they rose to fame. It was fittingly called 'On Your ...
{DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by P&G & Align Probiotics. All opinions that follow are my own.} Can I just tell you the weirdest-best-maybe-worst thing for me about Empty Nesting? Going from cooking for a large family to cooking for two. You would think I'd be celebrating the simplified meal prep, but a lifelong habit of cooking for a ...
{DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by P&G & Bounty Paper Towels. All opinions that follow are my own.} One of the loveliest things in my life right now is the gift of my gorgeous grand-boys, Asher and Sebastian. While Asher is 2,980 miles away in Washington DC, Sebastian (you may call him Bash) lives 5 minutes away and is in our lives ...
{DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by P&G & Align Probiotics. All opinions that follow are my own.} If you follow me on social media, you may find yourself wondering: "When does she ever rest?" I admit that I don't show the messier side of my life. Especially for public consumption. Mostly because, I can't personally imagine taking a ...
When I first heard that Solo: A Star Wars Story was being made, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. My first question was: Is this really a story that needs to be told? My son, Jon and I were discussing this very thing as we drove to the screening of the film - about an hour and a half away. (In California we measure distances by drive ...
A long ago, in a galaxy far, far away... When I first saw those words crawling across a screen back in May of 1977, I didn't realize that the film, Star Wars, would have such an impact on my life for years and years to come. That first viewing cemented my relationship with the characters, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Obi-wan, and Darth Vader. I would ...
