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 ...
Cuban recipes
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 ...
The “Sanweech Plancha” Winner
You know what I love about my readers? That you come in all shapes and sizes and have extraordinary taste in sandwiches. I confess that I'm surprised that a lot of you don't have your own sandwich "plancha." How do you grill, not just a Classic Cuban Sandwich, but what about a pan con lechón? Or a pan con bistec? (I may ...
The Sandwich Generation – A Rant, a Classic Cuban Sandwich Recipe, and a Giveaway
The term, "sandwich generation" is used to describe those adults who are caring for aging parents while still actively parenting their kids. While I'm grateful that my sisters and I share the load of caring for my 97 year old mom, Luza, I still feel the push-pull of having teenagers in the house and helping my mom with her ...
