It really is the most wonderful time of the year. And as I'm fond of saying, Christmastime is absolutely the best time of the year to be Cuban. Why? I wrote all about that right here: 10 Things That Are Awesome About Being Cuban at Christmas. You're welcome. You'll notice that the very first thing on that list is Crema de Vie. It's our own ...
Get It Before Christmas
Let me explain Cuban Gift Giving for just a moment. At least how it has always worked in my family. The Scene: You're at a family gathering, which for a Cuban family pretty much means any night of the week or stray weekend. You mention that you saw a cute ________ (<--insert name of cute thing you saw in passing) at a shop nearby while you were ...
Elena Ruz Turkey, Guava & Cream Cheese Sliders Recipe
Ah, Thanksgiving. I love this holiday so much. I love that a day has been set aside to give thanks. And I have so very much to be grateful for. I especially love knowing that families across the country are gathered together around the family table, because to me that is an absolutely sacred space. I have posted about how I go about styling ...
There’s No Place Like Home
I'd like to be able to report that I had a Master Plan from the beginning, but that would be a lie. I'm talking about Halloween 2017 At The Darby's. I'm about to let you in on my creative process and how my family works with me to make me crazy help me make it happen. In this case, I had seen a friend's Facebook post last year. (Last year!) ...
Thor: Ragnarok Review
If you are hungry for some real entertainment, get yourself to your local movie theater and go see Thor: Ragnarok! That was going to be my entire review because 1) I don't want to give out any spoilers and 2) I really mean it. It has the four main elements a movie - especially a Marvel movie - needs to be super entertaining. 1) ACTION It ...
All the Fun From The Thor:Ragnarok Press Junket
A few weeks ago I was delighted to be able to attend the Thor:Ragnarok pre-screening and press junket. I'll tell you all about the film on Friday, but right now I want to share my take-away from the press junket. Jon and I had seen the film the night before and couldn't stop talking about it for days. "That scene in Hulk's room! LOL!" "The ...
Gift Ideas You Will LOVE. I promise.
{DISCLOSURE: I've partnered with one of my favorite online shops, Uncommon Goods to write this post, all opinions that follow are my own.} First, I feel like I have to explain where I stand on Christmas and decorating and shopping before I share all these wonderful ideas. I, like pretty much everyone else, LOVE Christmas. But I really don't like ...
La Sombrilla Roja – A Giveaway
It's always a great pleasure for me to share about a Cuban author whose voice I genuinely love. Let me introduce you - if you don't already know her - to Christina Diaz Gonzalez. A few years ago I met Christina in Miami and read her beautiful book, The Red Umbrella. ABOUT OPERATION PEDRO PAN Some background for the story that's not very well ...
Abuela Vs Chef or When Buzzfeed Calls
The whole thing began when my son Jon's manager sent me an email. "I have a project that I think you'd be perfect for." I took a moment and said in my best Dr. McCoy voice from Star Trek, "Dammit! I'm a blogger, not an actor!" Okay, maybe I didn't really say that. In fact, what I did say, was, in the vernacular of the kids today: "YOLO!*" (*You ...
National Coffee Day Starts with Cafe La Llave – a Giveaway
This post is sponsored by my favorite coffee people, Café La Llave. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. It's no secret that I love my Cuban coffee. It's so very obviously in my Cuban DNA. In other words, it's a function of just being Cuban. In fact, one of my earliest memories is sitting at the breakfast table drinking my ...
Praise the Lord & Pass the Biscuits
I was invited to come try out the World Famous Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues in Anaheim. The following is a review of what we experienced as well as my own opinions and recommendations. We are regular church-goers. Our Sundays revolve around the rhythm of getting up to join our friends and family in worship and we often have lunch with our ...
“Feel The Ninja Within Ya” – The LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE
This post is in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures "THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE" is coming out in theaters Friday, September 22nd. Trust me when I tell you that you will want to see it immediately. But wait. Let me tell you about what I did last week. I get invited to some pretty fun events. And I also get to see some pretty sweet movies so that ...
Don Francisco’s Coffee Casa Cubana Is Like Coming Home
In the middle of the crazy that is Downtown LA, there is now a respite from city life. The new Don Francisco's Coffee Casa Cubana is the place you never knew you always wanted. (Well, I know I've always wanted a place to get wonderful Cuban food in Los Angeles, but that's not important right now.) I want to say right up front that this is not ...
Cuban Heritage Day was EVERYTHING
Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium happened and Los Angeles Cubans came out in force. Because it was a very full weekend, I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in a "Wow. Did all that just happen?" kind of way. I'm going to try to describe the weekend with a basic chronology and from my own personal point of view, starting with Saturday night. ...
Texas Forever – How You Can Help Houston
My daughter, Lucy has been out in Texas for almost a year. She's recently moved back to California but is still remotely working for the same company and she happens to be out in Austin this very week for work. Of course, this is also the week that Texas is getting pummeled by Hurricane Harvey. The images of the devastation have reduced me to ...
Food From Around The World
You may be wondering what I do in my spare time. You know, when I'm not galavanting around Southern California dancing in a MiTu Abuela video with Elvis Crespo or seeing the latest Disney movies or throwing parties. I cook, of course. And eat. I even do some laundry. And as any foodie worth their salt (see what I did there? SALT!) I try new ...
