I've often shared how my family, instead of baking Christmas cookies for gifts, makes a super delicious please-don't-call-it-egg-nog Cuban "egg nog." We call it Crema de Vie and it has been a Cuban family tradition for as long as I can remember. I remember as a child getting to have a sip on Christmas eve. (Shut up. The rum was only used as a ...
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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 ...
My Big Fat Cuban Cooking Playlist
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 ...
Pastelitos de Guayaba Recipe (Guava Pastry)
Marta's Homemade Pastelitos de Guayaba Recipe (Guava Pastry) My husband is an Internet Marketing Guy. (He prefers to be called “The Marketing Guru,” but that’s not important right now.) He tells me search engine facts like: “Your site has had X number of hits today.” This information totally makes me feel cool, although I’m a little puzzled by how ...
My Big Fat Cuban Family Cuban Cleaning® Playlist
I love your response to my 8 Rules to Getting Your House Cuban Clean®. You were all right there with me in the ongoing struggle. I totally appreciate that. I also appreciate that as much as we hate (or love) cleaning, it has to be done.Of course, everyone knows that you clean much more effectively when you have great music playing and you can ...
8 Rules to Getting Your House Cuban Clean®
I wrote the following after years of struggle, not with dirt or cleanliness, but with guilt that my house was never clean enough. I hope it proves cathartic for those of you raised in homes where Cuban Clean® was a thing. Also, this is NOT a sponsored post. This is The World According to Marta. This is the time of year when you throw open all the ...
Arroz con Maiz Recipe – An Original Thanksgiving Side Dish Cuban-style
Thanksgiving with my big, fat, Cuban family is usually a very typical American feast. But because my family has so many amazing cooks, we're often trying new recipes and sometimes we like to put a spin on some old classics. Our turkeys have run the gamut from deep-fried to classically oven-baked to (my favorite) the Guavalicious ...
The Cuban Hipster Thanksgiving
When I host family or friends for a big, elaborate dinner, my delight is in designing the tablescapes. My job, as I see it, is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but not get too hung up on making things so department-store-perfect that it feels too cold and impersonal. It's fun for me to set a pretty table. It's much more fun to ...
Styling a Quick and Easy DIY Thanksgiving
I love a beautifully set table. I do. It doesn't have to be fancy or elegant, although it could be. My preference is for fun and welcoming. Here are some examples of Thanksgiving tables that I've done in the past here, here, and here. Today I want to share how I went about styling my Thanksgiving tables last year. So, buckle in and welcome to my ...
Japi Sanguibin (Happy Thanksgiving)
Happy Thanksgiving. My tables are set and awaiting the family tomorrow. We only have 26 because not everyone can come. I realize a beat too late when I tell people this that they think I am joking. Only 26 - ha! Being Cuban Americans, we appreciate that Thanksgiving is a holiday unique to this country. When we first started joining in ...
Hispanic Heritage Coffee Basket Giveaway
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: ...
Cafe La Llave Espresso Ice Cream
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 ...
Summer Café La Llave Basket Giveaway
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 ...
Cafe La Llave Espresso Coffee Coffee Cake
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 ...
Espresso Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting
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 ...
Hispanic Heritage Café La Llave Giveaway
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 ...
Sweet 16
I started writing this blog 16 years ago and I'm all about celebrating this milestone. It's my Sweet Sixteen, people! And is there anything sweeter than celebrating with Cuban pastries? When I started writing this blog, I wanted to keep a diary of sorts, slightly like a journal, a place where I could document my family’s comings and goings. I ...
I’m Loving It
As you probably know by now, my son Jonathan is an actor. He also works for Eric (day job), but he's been slowly and steadily building up his IMDb resume, and we're quite proud of what a hard worker he is. He gets auditions all the time. Gratefully, they're self-tapes, which means he is able to just send them in to casting when they ask. He's ...
Chicken With Peaches and Plums, Oh my!
It's been quite a while since I've received a box of goodness from Melissa's Produce. So I was quite delighted when they offered to send me their latest box of fresh produce.My son-in-law, Marc immediately snagged the Hatch Chile's, which makes sense because he likes the uber-spicy stuff, but that's not important right now. So I stared long ...
To Live Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure
•We kicked off our Darby Summer Movies last weekend with a delightful offering from my kids’ childhood: “Hook” with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. ?☠️??♀️??♀️✨⚔️•Introducing this classic to my grandboys made it fresh all over again. And all the twenty-somethings present did their own version of Time Traveling. They were thrilled to ...
