How I got my grown kids to come home for dinner. . . I sent them this picture on their cell phones with the following message:"The food's brown, hot, and there's plenty of it."(from City Slickers) I'm cooking "Crockpot Ropa Vieja" today at Babalú. You're loving me now, aren't you? =D ...
Welcome To My Blog!
L’chaim (“to life!”)
On a recent trip to Florida, I made Eric go with me to the bowels of southwest Miami to hunt down the places of my childhood. This is me in front of Silver Bluff Elementary where I went to school as a newly arrived Cuban refugee. It was here that I learned to read back in the See-Spot-Run days. And it was here in this public school ...
The One With My Face
Straight talk for mothers here: Let's talk about mothering and the potential for homicide. If you have grown kids, I really don't need to explain myself. Of my four kids, Adam is the one who makes me the craziest. Smart. Moody. Enthusiastic. Clever.He has boundless energy. That is, until he can no longer hold up his body weight from self-inflicted ...
The Great Homeschooling Experiment
Lucy wants to be a writer.Correction - a published author.So she writes. Every day. This is one of the beauties of homeschooling. We make time in our schedule for the kids to explore their passions. She is 13 and in 8th grade and knows what she wants and is finding a way to get there. Frankly, I find her discipline and tenacity a little daunting. ...
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood
If you're driving south towards San Diego on the I-5, you'll see this amazing sight. Color. Color. And more color. Miles of color. "What is that??" It always makes me think of Moses:"I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight.." ~ Exodus 3:3 Of course, he was talking about the burning bush . . . But, this. . . This ...
The Usual Suspects
We took my mom to Legoland today. That statement right there sounds like a joke, doesn't it? Okay, so here's proof. Of course, in my family, we always seem to travel in a pack. (herd? gaggle? flock?) Whatever. We do stuff together.A lot of stuff. Well . . . just about everything. And we think it's NORMAL.Well . . . okay. It's probably not ...
The Cheese Stands Alone
I was willing. Really I was.A houseful of people to cook for?Count me in!But, it wasn't meant to be."Mom, can we just order pizza?"ORDER PIZZA??Blasphemy!Of course not. If you must have pizza, I will make homemade pizzas for a dozen people. Cheese, pepperoni, mushroom & onion, garlic, tomato & basil. And serve sugary drinks.And ...
Salsa Fresca Recipe: And now for something completely different…
I don't dare post pictures of what I have been up to in the kitchen anymore without posting the recipe. (I get emails...) I know I usually post about Cuban food, but I wanted to share one of my family's favorite foods with a Mexican influence. Believe it. My family moved to California in 1964. My oldest sister was pregnant with the first ...
A Decorating “Fiesta”
In the late 50's in Cuba, my family always spent summers at the beach in Varadero. By family, I mean my five siblings, 14 cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, grandmother. ALL OF US.My big, fat, EXTENDED Cuban family. The parents took turns commuting to and from Havana. All of us cousins were there for the duration. With so many mouths to feed, the ...
Salon Hair and Rum
There are certain rules that I live by as a Cuban woman.One very important one is that if I spend a Saturday morning at the Hair Salon (thanks, Kate!), I will not be cooking for anyone on Saturday night. And in fact, Husband should be prepared to actually take me out on a date. Seriously, Salon Hair should NOT be wasted. He's been ...
