I am not the type to start decorating in November for Christmas. I know many of you do. I choose not to. I am patient when it comes to the festive home decor. I wait until about a week before Christmas to start. It's my own personal preference. I think it's just that much more magical, but that's not important right now. But I have ...
Archives for November 2011
Giving Thanks. A lo Cubano.
Our Thanksgiving was a simple and lovely affair where everyone pitched it to bring food and drinks and desserts. There were only 28 of us for dinner and I wanted to keep everything simple, because as you know, my house is freakishly small. (As simple as is possible when those 28 people are Cubans.) So I pulled out my favorite Fiesta dishes ...
Our Favorite Orange County Portrait Photographer and Friend
I'm starting to think that I'm the last of a dying breed who waits until it's actually December (and usually half-way through!) to start decorating my home for Christmas. I explain that in great detail here. But that doesn't mean I don't shop or do all the other preparations that make Christmas meaningful to me. It takes a ...
Teaching Generosity?
As you know if you've been reading this blog for a while, we have homeschooled our kids. I often say that one of the reasons we have chosen to homeschool is that we're not as concerned about their academics as we are concerned about their character. We have attempted to teach them kindness, thoughtfulness, hospitality, and generosity - ...
Operation Pedro Pan. It’s been 50 years and the pain is still present.
When I mention to someone that I've just met that I'm Cuban, the first thing they do is recall the only other Cuban person they've ever met. Then next thing that happens is that they ask me if I know them. Most of the time I don't, but being Cuban, we do manage to find connections in the oddest places. See this story. Just ...
It goes both ways.
The weekend is over and it's Sunday night. My sisters and I have hired a lovely Mexican gal to live in with my 97 year old mom during the week and she takes weekends off at which time we take turns hosting Luza from Friday to Sunday. Now that she's 97 it's getting more complicated to pack her up and take her for a weekend, but ...
Giving back to our Veterans – Cooking With the Troops
In July of this year, my family and I were privileged to take part in a wonderful event in San Antonio, Texas where we got to provide a great, big, home-cooked, Cuban feast to wounded veterans at the Warrior Family Support Center at Brooke Army Medical Center. When I share the story of how wonderful it was to be able to serve our ...
Classic.
My dad and most of the Verdés side of the family grew up playing multiple instruments. He loved, loved, loved any kind of music, but was an afficionado of classical and played both the piano and the cello. As much as I love my salsa music, oldies, and classic rock, I love listening to classical when I'm working on an art project. I think it ...
Turkey with Port Wine Guava Glaze
Hi all! It's a special Monday, Pre-Thanksgiving Edition of Marta's Cuban American Kitchen. I have been trying, without much success, to declare November "National Guava Month." Sadly, no one seems to take me seriously about this, but that's not important right now. So, I'm going to try again today. I, Marta, hereby declare November to be ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Luis Felipe’s Story
Marta here. I started this series, Cuando Sali de Cuba, Stories of Courage and Hope in order to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: Cuban-Style. I asked my readers to send me their stories about how their families left Cuba and how they ended up here in the U.S. As the stories began pouring in, I realized that this needed to be an ongoing series. ...
