It’s the Little Things from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen If you’re Cuban, you know that we love to refer to things diminutively. For example, we don’t just have café. We have a cafécito. And to my big, fat Cuban family and friends, I’m not always Marta, I’m Martica. Which is totally fine by me. The diminutive form of the word makes people and ...
Frita Cubana Recipe
Frita Cubana Recipe Time Traveling I close my eyes and take one bite and suddenly I am unstuck in time … I’m in the heart of the city, which means I get to enjoy something amazing from one of the street vendors. By “the city,” I mean Havana, 1960. By “something amazing,” I mean a Cuban Frita. Small. Sweet, yet spicy. With that crunchy crown ...
Cuban Black Bean Soup/Chili Recipe
Cookoff from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen I have to feed about a dozen football fans on Superbowl Sunday. I would prefer to make one big pot of something rather than a bunch of little snacks. My husband suggests chili. One pot. Hearty. Will feed an army. “It’s a Superbowl Classic,” he argues. Okay, I might have to agree there, but . . ...
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Recipe – Homemade
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Recipe - Flavor of the Month This was the noisiest dessert we've ever had. Every spoonful brought on another chorus of: "Ay! Que rico!!" or "Umph.. oohsh! Thith ish mmlishous!" I think there were prayers of thanksgiving offered, too: "Oh. My. God." I am "sandpapering myself" (dandome lija) just a bit ...
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Cuban Sandwich Recipe The Sandwich Generation - A Rant and a Classic Cuban Sandwich Recipe The term, "sandwich generation" is used to describe those adults who are caring for aging parents while still actively parenting their kids. While I'm grateful that my sisters and I share the load of caring for my 97 year old mom, Luza, I still feel the ...
Frituras de Harina de Maiz Recipe
Too Many Cooks from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen My mom’s little sister is here visiting from Cuba. My (very opinionated) mom is 93. Her (very opinionated) little sister is 91. (Umm. . . duh, they’re opinionated – they’re Cuban!) They were both in my kitchen when I made the mistake of asking my aunt if there was anything she felt like eating ...
Crockpot Vaca Frita Recipe
“I’ve got a cousin . . .” – from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen I think it’s a given that if you’re Cuban, you’ve got a cousin (or twelve) somewhere. It’s absolutely normal, in a kind of abnormal way. I’ll go toe-to-toe with any of my American friends on this one. Name any place on the planet, I’ve got a cousin there. First cousin, second cousin ...
Natilla Recipe
Cuban Natilla and Merengue Recipe "If you think my Salsa is good, you should see my Merengue!" I must begin with a small confession, I am not Marta. Marta has called in sick. I am just a substitute; a Mini-Marta. My name is Amy, her eldest daughter. Don’t worry! I know my way around the kitchen! I’ve learned from the master herself! Of my 4 ...
Fufú Recipe
“Ju got some ‘splaining to do..” from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen It seems to me that being Cuban has always meant explaining things. Maybe it’s just living in Southern California where there are just pockets of Cuban communities, but the majority of the Hispanic population is Mexican. I confess the questions sometimes sound ignorant to me. ...
Guava Cheesecake Recipe
Guava Cheesecake Recipe: Move Over, Pumpkin Pie! So, I’m still on my quixotic quest of declaring November as National Guava Month. To that end, I am happy to share my recipe for Guava Cheesecake in time for you to make it for “El Sanguibin.” Of course, the main ingredient in cheesecake is cream cheese, which is inexorably tied to Philadelphia ...
