My latest Melissa's Produce Challenge Box arrived the other day and I was so excited. (Yay.) Let me invite you into my decision-making process when I open that box. Besides the oooh-ing and aaah-ing, I also have a moment where I assess everything that's in it and I make some notes about what food I could make in my attempt to use ALL the ...
Food and Drink
Cafe La Llave Fresh From the Pod
Every year in October I celebrate how long I've been in the blogosphere. Because I think milestones should be acknowledged and celebrated. It turns out that this happens to be my 13th year and I'm super proud of that. *takes bow* Please read my blog post, "Thirteen." Every year in the month of October I celebrate with giveaways from my favorite ...
Honey Balsamic Chicken and Veggie One Pan Meal
I've been up to my eyeballs in holiday planning. Wait. Did I hear one of you say, "Too soon?" I know. But if I don't start now, the magic doesn't quite happen like I want it to, so here we are. And because, holiday magic isn't going to make itself, I have to start making plans ASAP. So, I am particularly excited to share today's Challenge from ...
3 Times the Fun with Melissa’s Produce
Oye, people! I'm so enjoying the month of October. Because My Big Fat Cuban Family is 13 years old now which means all kinds of giveaways. I'm especially enjoying promoting all of my cyber-friends this month and I particularly love that they are sharing the love by sponsoring this super fun month of giveaways. I'm excited today to tell you all ...
Porto’s Bake at Home is EVERYTHING
A constant since the beginning days of this blog 13 years ago has been my declaration of love for Porto's Bakery. No es por nada, but they have always had consistently delicious baked goods and have always delivered on both quality and taste. We get an assortment of Cuban appetizers for our Noche Buena celebrations every year from Porto's, and we ...
Homemade Cherry Pop Tarts Recipe
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 ...
Impress the Guests Crispy Leaf Potatoes Recipe
Carnivores. That's what my people are. Serious carnivores. Every night at my table you'll find a beautiful top sirloin steak or glazed chicken or some fabulous pork dish, because Cuban. And when we're not serving rice and beans, we're singing the praises of potatoes. Sounds pretty dull, right? You'd be wrong there. My sides are never boring. ...
Porto’s Bake at Home
You probably read the title of this post a few times Porto's Bake at Home?? And you probably wondered, "Have all my Cuban pastry - since I don't live in Miami - dreams come true?" Today the answer to that would be a resounding, *"Si! Como no!" That's a big fat Cuban, *"YES, PLEASE!" {Disclosure: I have not been compensated for writing this post, ...
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? ...
Mami Likes/Loves Cafe La Llave – A Giveaway
This post is sponsored by my favorite coffee people, Café La Llave. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. Someone asked me the other day about Cuban Coffee. She asked the difference between Cuban espresso and "American" coffee. I kind of went off about everything that I love about Cuban coffee, from the beautiful aroma to the ...
Marta’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
When we first arrived in Miami from Cuba in 1961, a cousin took me to a bakery to get me a treat. Back then, Cubans had not yet taken over the town and this was an old fashioned cake bakery. She purchased a wonderful thing for me. It looked like a cupcake, but with a little more density. There was no frosting, but it had chocolate chips scattered ...
5 Things I’m Loving Right Now
There are things I like and there are things I love. (I'm not talking about the obvious, like husband and kids and grandsons.) Right now there are a few things in my life that have I more than love. Truthfully, I'm a little obsessed with them. I know you'll appreciate these as much as I do, because you have excellent ...
Abuela Vs Chef or When Buzzfeed Calls
The whole thing began when my son Jon's manager sent me an email. "I have a project that I think you'd be perfect for." I took a moment and said in my best Dr. McCoy voice from Star Trek, "Dammit! I'm a blogger, not an actor!" Okay, maybe I didn't really say that. In fact, what I did say, was, in the vernacular of the kids today: "YOLO!*" (*You ...
National Coffee Day Starts with Cafe La Llave – a Giveaway
This post is sponsored by my favorite coffee people, Café La Llave. The opinions contained in this piece are all my very own. It's no secret that I love my Cuban coffee. It's so very obviously in my Cuban DNA. In other words, it's a function of just being Cuban. In fact, one of my earliest memories is sitting at the breakfast table drinking my ...
Praise the Lord & Pass the Biscuits
I was invited to come try out the World Famous Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues in Anaheim. The following is a review of what we experienced as well as my own opinions and recommendations. We are regular church-goers. Our Sundays revolve around the rhythm of getting up to join our friends and family in worship and we often have lunch with our ...
