When Amy was about 12, we had the opportunity to see Beauty and the Beast (the stage show) at the Music Center in Los Angeles. (At that time, Lucy was only 2, but that's not important right now.) I remember the show being so breathtakingly beautiful. And I remember my surprise that the Disney animated film could translate so perfectly to the ...
Thanksgiving
Curses! Foiled Again!
**The following post of daring ingenuity and all-around cleverness has been brought to you by the one and only Kikita. I've been temping.'Nuff said. Actually, there's so much more to say.I've done temp work before. I've worked all kinds of places. In fact, there was even a time when I worked as a "Staffing Agent" ...
The Christmas Card Photo Shoot of 2010
It will go down in family history as The Year We Hauled the Red Chair Down to the Park. Here's how the whole thing went down: Eric and I went on a pre-Thanksgiving cruise (on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which I still have to write about, but that's not important right now). That very same (pre-Thanksgiving) weekend, my son, ...
The Kids Are Alright
My kids are all gone this Thanksgiving weekend. And I'm okay with that. No, really. I am O-KAY. I don't know when this cataclysmic change happened inside of me. But I know that it did. Adam, whom I haven't seen for months because he moved to Northern California, was here for a few days and took Lucy and Jonathan back with him and ...
Celebrating My 4th Bloggiversary – Winners!
I want to thank you all for your kind words and good wishes. I love celebrating blog birthdays because unlike regular birthdays, I get to give stuff away. It makes me so happy to be able to give back to you, even in this small way. I so want you to know how much I appreciate that you read and enjoy my stories and misadventures. To choose winners, I ...
The EPIC Mr. Don’t Touch the Banana
The following post was written by Kikita, whose appreciation for bananas has led to endless laughter and entertainment. I can't tell you where or how it all started, but it started. I can only guess it happened on facebook because that's where most things happen these days.Let me be clear about something . . . I am not particularly fond ...
All Desi. All the time.
So we went to Vegas and Boulder City the week before Thanksgiving to see the fabulous Tormé Sings Tormé show. It was absolutely delicious and satisfying in every way. First of all Steve March Tormé's tribute to his incredibly talented dad (Mel Tormé) was both exhilarating to watch and yet tugged at the heartstrings as he sang while ...
Why I love my big, fat, Cuban family – Reason # 438. The Banana Incident.
Every year about this time, Amy and I start making plans. Of course, these involve places to go and things to do, and movies to make! You see, my daughter is an amazing film editor. (A little known fact, unless you've been reading my blog for the past three years and have been paying close attention, but that's not important right ...
Celebrating National Guava Month (Oh, yes I am.)
It's a special Monday, Pre-Thanksgiving Edition of Marta's Cuban American Kitchen. I have been trying, without much success, to declare November "National Guava Month." Sadly, no one seems to take me seriously about this, but that's not important right now. I've taken up the cause on my own. And today I'm all ...
Thankful – November 15
There's so much that I have to be thankful for. There's a Facebook prompt going around now that reads like this: Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." I invite you to take that challenge. If possible, see if you can also ...
Today. October 16, 2009
(Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook by way of Ali Edwards.) Outside my window...Serious sunshine. Purple and white cosmos in my garden almost as tall as me. I am thinking...about that stack of recipes I have that I want to try. There are old-school bocaditos I want to make and a Flan Cake I have been itching to try. (I think today is that ...
The Christmas Video
One of the gifts we give our family for Christmas each year is a movie. My daughter, Amy Kikita studied film for years and is brilliant when it comes to movie-making and film-editing. The process is neither quick nor easy. We spend hours, days, and weeks listening to music and looking at pictures and watching video footage of old home ...
Day One.
Happy first day of December! In our little corner of The Bubble that is Orange County, California, (I know bubbles don't have corners - it's a metaphor....but that's not important right now) it seems that it has become mandatory to decorate for Christmas in the moments following Thanksgiving. Seriously. The bird has barely hit ...
Cuban Recipes with Pictures
Welcome to Marta's Cuban-American Kitchen! Below is an easy-reference list of all the Cuban recipes I've posted either here at MBFCF or over on Babalú. Enjoy! Arroz con Leche Recipe Arroz con Maiz Recipe Arroz con Pollo de Perez-Puelles Recipe Arroz con Salchichas Recipe Arroz Frito con Lechón Recipe Arroz Imperial Recipe Avocado ...
On gratitude.
I feel weird. I am not cooking, nor am I hosting my big, fat, Cuban family for Thanksgiving this year. The hostess honor falls to my sister, Alina who, I should just add right here, is a wonderful hostess with a much, much bigger house, but that's not important right now. And we Darbys are going to dine with Eric's family, which ...
