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 ...
As we head into the holidays, we are marking the beginning of what my dad used to call The Gran Comelatas. There's going to be lots of eating which means there's going to be lots of cooking. Lots and lots of cooking. And eating. And so on, and so on... I don't know about you, but there's nothing that makes me happier in the kitchen than some ...
This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with and Latina Bloggers Connect. But, of course, all opinions are my own. Recipe Development - let’s discuss this for a moment. When I hear the term, “Recipe Development,” I think of scientist types in an expansive, pristine kitchen, clothed in white lab coats and safety goggles. Because “Recipe ...
Classic Chicken Soup Recipe: Cuban-style I'm sick. And so's Eric. *cough, sniff* We've got feverish-coughing-sneezing-and-hacking colds. *hack, sniff, achoo!* A good, old-fashioned snotty-stuffy-headed cold. And there are certain things one does when one is Cuban (or happens to live with a Cuban) and has a cold. My friend, Chantel over at ...
Cuban Picadillo Pies® Recipe I have a recipe today that was kind of a happy accident. Ever since I went up to San Francisco a few months ago to cook my Picadillo, my family has been clamoring for it. Yes, there's been clamoring. For the past few years I've been making my picadillo with ground turkey. It's just become a thing. When I cooked for ...
A Match Made in Heaven. Flan + Cake = Flan Cake Recipe I’m always on the look out for fabulous new recipes. The ideal recipe, whether for a main dish or a dessert, is something that is simple to make but looks complicated and is a little breathtaking. It should at the very least inspire ooohs and aaahs. This flan cake recipe is simple, delicious, ...
Cuban Flan Recipe de La Reina My mom calls herself La Reina del Flan (which would make me the Reigning Princess of Egg Custard, but that’s not important right now). On Christmas Eve, we sometimes have other desserts along with it, but in my big, fat, Cuban family, my mom’s flan is a given. I have a ritual I go through every Christmas with her. ...
Cuban Picadillo Recipe - Comfort Food I love to cook and entertain and I almost always make Cuban food when we have company. People are usually surprised that even the simplest food is so flavorful. In the early 60’s when we were new to this country, my mom experimented with all kinds of traditional, inexpensive American foods. We kids went along ...
I know that there are lots of things we Cubans do that are dancing on that fine line between tradition and superstition. This gets dialed way up when we get sick. We have quite the plethora of Old Wives Tales to choose from when it comes to remedies. And we Cubans don't just have plain Old Wives, our Old Cuban Wives (read: 'Abuelas') not only ...
I know what you're thinking. You saw the title of this post and you said out loud, "There's no such thing as Cuban Bruschetta." That's also what my mom said. (But then she's a Cuban Mother and it's part of her job description to argue recreationally, but that's not important right now.) Lucy (who is the Bruschetta Expert of the family) asked, ...
I had some company over the weekend. My mom and my oldest daughter. And if Luza (my 95 year old mom) is here, that means I'm cooking. Or, in this case, baking. And then, of course, there's Amy (my first-born), who is 26 years old, which, in Old-School-Cuban-Grandma-Land is code for "Old Maid" (or "solterona"). Of ...
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love me some Santayana Jewelry. Not gonna lie: their azabache has saved my life a time or two.And I'm not ashamed to say I also love love love! our very own Cuban icon Celia Cruz.To my everlasting delight, today Santayana Jewelers in Miami "le pusieron la tapa a'l pomo" as we like ...
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 ...
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 ...
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: ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Marta Verdes Darby is a Cuban-American food blogger in South Orange County.
