The list of my culinary heroes is long. There is good old Nitza Villapol, who, in spite of her embrace of communism, is still the definitive Cuban cook. Her Cocina Al Minuto is a must-have in every Cuban kitchen. Of course, there are the Three Guys from Miami, that I had the opportunity to meet in Miami a few years ago. Click here for that ...
Food and Drink
Lucy and The Wardrobe (and the Mamey Smoothie)
I was in Burbank with my girls recently. Our intention was to get a quick bite (and some provisions to bring home) from Portos. Portos is a divine Cuban Bakery that's not too close to where we live, but very drivable in a pinch. And we had business in Burbank so we weren't even cheating. Of course we were deluding ourselves. A trip to ...
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 ...
La Merienda (A giveaway)
It's around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Lunch was over a few hours ago, but it's still too early for dinner and you're already hungry again. What do you do? You must have a tasty little snack in the afternoon to hold you over until dinner, of course. Growing up Cuban in the 60's and 70's, the three o'clock hour ...
It’s the Little Things (A Giveaway from IMUSA)
Growing up Cuban has always meant turning normal size things into the diminutive form. When there were Everest-sized mountains of sandwiches, they were called "bocaditos." Or "just a mouthful." Lies. It took more than "just a bite" to consume these particular delicacies. We don't just drink café, we have a ...
Modern Day Thank You Notes
I have a love/hate relationship with the digital age we live in. I kind of hate that unless your phone is turned completely off anyone can find you at any time. For the record, I never, ever turn my phone off. Not while I have kids out in the world, which is most all the time, but that's not important right now. But I love when friends send me ...
Orange(!) is the new black. (A Giveaway)
I am waiting (a little impatiently) for my fabulous new kitchen appliances to be delivered. I think we're still about a week out from that. You would think I'd be totally content now since I'm getting all new appliances, but you know how it is, suddenly everything starts looking like it needs upgrading or replacing. *sigh* There is, ...
Giving back to our Veterans – Cooking With the Troops
In July of this year, my family and I were privileged to take part in a wonderful event in San Antonio, Texas where we got to provide a great, big, home-cooked, Cuban feast to wounded veterans at the Warrior Family Support Center at Brooke Army Medical Center. When I share the story of how wonderful it was to be able to serve our ...
Mizkan® Challenge # 4 – My Favorite Light Recipe – Pan Roasted Asparagus!
As you know, I've been privileged to take part in a series of Cooking Challenges by Mizkan® along with several other Latina bloggers. You can find my other challenge recipes (& videos!) here, here, and here. This week's challenge is My Favorite Light Recipe. It was kind of fun to take a recipe that I usually make with ...
National Coffee Day – It’s “taka taka” time! (A Coffee Giveaway, too.)
Don't ask me how I know these things. I just do. This is one of those geeky things that has gotten stuck in my brain and screams to be celebrated. Like Hobbit Day, which we always celebrate elaborately. Or like Pi Day, which also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday. Or even Star Wars Day ("May the 4th be with you!" - ...
Rice. An in-depth look. (And a giveaway.)
In keeping with our Hispanic Heritage Month, I've decided to tackle a subject that's near and dear to us. It's something that we feel absolutely passionate about. But we Cubans are passionate about so, so many things. (Well, everything, really....but that's not important right now.) I know I shouldn't be surprised when the ...
Fricase de Pollo Recipe – a lo Cubano
As you know, I've recently been participating in Mizkan's™ Cooking Challenges. See here and here. To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15), we were asked to share a recipe from our country, or "Receta de Mi Pais." For this challenge, I chose to enter one of my ...
Marta Makes Fajitas (I totally sizzled, too.)
Did I tell you we were on vacation this week? We usually take this week off to celebrate our anniversary and Lucy's birthday (that's tomorrow) and we spend a wonderful week laying around doing nothing but eating and surfing and sunset-watching and eating some more. It just so happens that this week I was due to participate in another ...
Famous Last Bites: A Cautionary Tale
Marta here. It's summer and the Orange County Fair is in full swing here in our little corner of the world. My Lucy went with her friends, her camera, and her appetite. What follows is her account of the crap unfortunate food choices available to her. CAUTION: Not for the squeamish. - - - I’ve tasted regret. And it’s ...
