My beautiful friend, Ana Quincoces, has authored an equally beautiful Cuban cookbook. (I say equally, only because the pages are filled with fabulous photos of both her and her food, and I can't think of which is more gorgeous, but that's not important right now.) Just recently, Ana was voted Miami's Hottest Chef over on Eater ...
Ninety-seven.
I have written tributes to my mom here, here, and here. I don't have much I haven't told you about her. Today she celebrates her 97th birthday. Ninety-seven, people!We had a small luncheon to celebrate (actually, she stretches out the celebration thing for the entire month of February, but that's not important right now). We had ...
Choices, choices….
I don't usually have trouble making choices. In fact, I'm pretty clear on my personal tastes. For example, given a choice of items in different colors, my eye (and by extension, my hand) will always choose the RED thing. I will (9 out of 10 times) choose shoes for comfort rather than fashion. If I have to choose a movie, it will be a ...
The Language of Love: Step-by-Step
My husband, Eric was busy with his latest "home project." My mom happened to be over here and taking in "el show" as Eric very carefully worked on cleaning the stairs. He started at the top and carefully swept and brushed each step. He had gone shopping for some Woolite Carpet Cleaner and then used Folex as a backup. All the cat ...
On a clear day, you can see Havana
When I was born, my dad was 44 years old. I am the youngest of his six children. (Still today and forever, I am the baby of the family, but that's not important right now.) On February 13th, 1961, he celebrated the first of many birthdays in the U.S. He was 50 years old. My dad was an extremely quiet person. He was not, as I recall, ...
Confronting Weakness
I don't remember the lesson having been specifically taught. But I know that insidiously I picked up what would always remain as The First Great Truth: "You must never show weakness or vulnerability." No, no one ever said these words to me out loud, and yet I learned them well, just as I learned to tie my shoes and speak English. It ...
An Historical Day
According to my friend, Amy Arnaz, the day that her husband was born, the news of his birth knocked the inauguration of President Eisenhower off of the front page of all the newspapers across America. Can you imagine?That was on Monday, January 19, 1953. This same baby who created such a stir on Inauguration Day, 1953, was also on the very first ...
Focusing on the Important Stuff
I started this new year with great hopes just like everyone else. I don't usually make resolutions, but I do choose one word that I think helps me clarify my intentions for the year. For this new year, I've chosen the word, FOCUS. I can sometimes be Felony A.D.D.* (*So easily distracted that it should be against the law. ...
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
The town of Deadwood, specifically the Deadwood Saloon was the place to be on New Year's Eve. After weeks of play, the biggest poker tournament west of the Mississippi had concluded and it was time to celebrate and the prize money was going to be awarded at a party at the famed Deadwood Saloon.In attendance were all sorts of visitors to ...
The Best of MBFCF in 2010
I started this tradition last year. I reviewed my posts for the entire year (which was kind of interesting in a wow-is-that-a-train-wreck? kinda way, but that's not important right now) and picked a mix of some of my favorites. These links are a pretty good representation of what it's like Living the Vida Loca, MBFCF-style. If you've ...
