I'm obviously very outspoken about the things that I love. The big things don't need to be spelled out: God. My husband. My kids. My home. It's the little things that are telling. Those little things that you might not guess about me when you first meet me. Or even if you have known me a long time. Those are the things that intimately ...
Cuban-American Life
I hope you enjoy my posts about my crazy and wonderful Cuban-American life.
Japi Niulliar
Celebrating New Year's - the Cuban way.You have to pay close attention now, because this is a little complicated. In preparation for midnight, you will need:12 grapes. (One for each month of the year) Champagne or cider. (to wash them down) A bucket of water. (representing anything bad that happened in 2006) And a suitcase. (that's if you're ...
Cucufate Pictures Presents . . .
An explanation. My mom was in Miami last year visiting her big brother (she's almost 93 - what are these people made of??).She was helping him clean out closets and things and found an old box full of old 8mm and Super 8 film reels. There was footage of my parents back in 1950. There we were as small children playing in the sand in Varadero ...
My Big, Fat Cuban Family
Noche Buena.There were 32 adults and 6 kids under the age of six at the party. It was LOUD. As only a house full of Cubans can get. We all talk at the same time and try to make ourselves heard. Somehow we manage to keep track of all the conversations, even with all the multiple levels of voices. There was much laughter and chaos. The lovely kind ...
The Great Race
The countdown has begun. We are out-of-our-skin-excited because.... We're taking a ROAD TRIP to Porto's Bakery in Glendale. woo-hoo! Amy, Lucy and I are braving the busiest freeway system in So Cal for the most amazing papas rellenas, pork tamales, croquetas de jamon, pastel de pollo, and of course, refugiados. And I haven't even mentioned the ...
Violetas on my mind
I am a Cuban woman and I wear expensive perfume most of the time. (BTW, if you didn't know.. the two are synonymous.)I don't feel completely "dressed" without my perfume. Perfume and lipstick. Those are my staples.The other day I read this beautiful post over at Babalublog about memories triggered by familiar smells. Titled: El ...
Salud!
I don't know anyone who truly likes egg nog.And then they try our Cuban Egg Nog and all perception changes. We call it Creme de Vie. ("creme" rhymes with Auntie M. and "vie" rhymes with More For Me! =D) Rather than making cookies for gifts, we make and "package" the Creme de Vie. (we also keep a whole lot for ...
Enough is Too Much!
Our invitations for Noche Buena just went out. I'm quite proud of them. I wish I could invite you all, but I can't. This year we're not hosting this event at our house. We agreed that my nephew's home is more spacious and will accommodate the 40+ people who will be attending. This doesn't mean I'm off the hook, though.As you can see, I still ...
Hammer Time
DISCLAIMER: The following post will probably only make sense to Cuban-Americans (and probably only to my immediate family). Read at your own risk. =D I am the youngest of six. Four older sisters and one brother. One of the beauties of being a Cuban exile, is living and growing up around people who are bilingual. It was always a party (it still is)! ...
Language Lesson
Cucufate. n. (koo-koo-fah-teh)1. To confuse things in such a way as to cause confusion all around you. 2. a screw-up. We have been using this term idiomatically in my family as far back as I can remember.We have taken to calling everything we do a Cucufate (big screw-up). This might be one of those things that is very specifically Cuban. A few ...
