I don't know how I've gotten this far in life without making Homemade Pop Tarts. I didn't even know it was A Thing. Did you know it was A Thing? I guess it's because my old-school Cuban generation was more in love with pastelitos de guayaba. FOR A MILLION GUAVALICIOUS REASONS, but that's not important right now. So, my friends over at Melissa's ...
Cuban recipes
The Best Strawberry Snack Ever
This is a sponsored post by California Strawberries and Society Culinaria. The opinions are my own. I can't say where this simple recipe originated but I can say for certain that every time I've served it to my guests, it's always met first with happiness. "Yay, strawberries!" Of course, because who doesn't love fresh summer strawberries? ...
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 ...
A Very Cuban Picnic – “en cajita”
Summer and outdoor living just go hand in hand, don't they? It seems that since the weather has warmed up we are spending much more of our time outdoors. Sometimes that just means serving dinner out on the patio, but often it means packing a picnic and enjoying it somewhere... out there. Because we live in Southern California, one of my very ...
Taking the Cake
It's not often that the entire family has the same craving at the very same time, but occasionally it happens.The dinner conversation started innocently enough. "Best dessert you've ever had. Go!""Mom's Chocolate Mousse.""The triple layer chocolate cake from the Daily Grill.""Lemon bars.""Pastelitos de guayaba. Duh.""No. Wait! Remember the warm ...
Cuban Picadillo Pies®
I have a recipe today that was kind of a happy accident. Ever since I went up to San Francisco a few months ago to cook my Picadillo, my family has been clamoring for it. Yes, there's been clamoring. For the past few years I've been making my picadillo with ground turkey. It's just become a thing. When I cooked for the Blurb Food ...
Cuban Bruschetta. Believe it.
I know what you're thinking. You saw the title of this post and you said out loud, "There's no such thing as Cuban Bruschetta." That's also what my mom said. (But then she's a Cuban Mother and it's part of her job description to argue recreationally, but that's not important right now.) Lucy (who is the Bruschetta Expert of the family) asked, ...
Cuban Style Black Bean Dip Recipe
I love summer. I love that the days are so long and that everyone I know seems to be wanting to eat outdoors. We were invited to a barbecue last week. "Can you bring some kind of Cuban-style appetizer?" I usually get asked to bring some kind of Cuban-style dessert and then I usually make pastelitos for a crowd (See Pastelitos for ...
How to Grill an Avocado – A Simple Recipe
{Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico. The recipe is my own.} Now that it's summer and we are eating outdoors practically every evening (on my beautiful farmhouse table, people), I'm all about grilling. Which technically means that I do most of the ...
Starting our Nochebuena right – Thank you, Avocados from Mexico.
Nochebuena preparations are in full swing around here. The pig is happily marinating in the Mojo Criollo I told you about a few days ago. The Matervas are chilling in the fridge. Lucy is out in the world on a hunt for Turrones. Every time the phone rings or there is a text, it is Christmas related. My sister, Helen, calls: "We need an ...
Who Loves Me?
I'm still in Las Vegas (and blogging from my phone, but thats not important right now) and I just got the news that NBC Latino is featuring "My big, fat, Cuban Family" as one of the "Food Blogs We Love." I'm so honored to be able to share this great news with you today. Here's the link: Food blogs we love: My Big Fat Cuban Family ...
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Avocados from Mexico
Growing up Cuban meant we didn't eat many salads. And by "many," I mean, "none." For the most part, the only time green things appeared on our plates were the tiny, diced pieces of bell pepper in our sofrito. (For the uninformed, sofrito is at the beginning of most Cuban dishes. Sauteed onion, garlic, and green bell pepper ...
Ponzu Roasted Pork
When I'm cooking Cuban food, I have my familiar go-to items. I can make a good sofrito (sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper) in my sleep. And usually my marinade of choice is Bitter Orange (Naranja Agria). That is, until I found Ponzu. *cue angelic chorus* I am crazy-in-love with the citrusy goodness that is Ponzu. It's a lot like my beloved ...
The Best of MBFCF in 2011
It's that time of year when I look back and see what has transpired in my life this past year. And it's moments like this when I realize how grateful I am that I started blogging. Here's a time capsule look back at 2011 - MBFCF style. I also did this for 2010 and 2009 and I'm so glad I did. It's quite a compilation of ...
Cuban Cold Remedy: Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup (and VapoRub on your feet?)
I'm sick. And so's Eric. *cough, sniff* We've got feverish-coughing-sneezing-and-hacking colds. *hack, sniff, achoo!* A good, old-fashioned snotty-stuffy-headed cold. And there are certain things one does when one is Cuban (or happens to live with a Cuban) and has a cold. Right now I'm trying to build up my Cuban Immunity Arsenal* (*or ...
