There are so many things that were different to our Cuban sensibilities when we first arrived in the U.S. Mostly in the foods we ate.
The bread was different. The meat was different. When someone said 'hamburgers,' we thought, 'frita.' It wasn't the same.
"No es igual.""It's not the same." We seemed to say it a lot. Did everything taste different in Cuba? Or were our memories playing tricks?
One particular thing that brings back the memory of the difference in our tastes is Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream.
First, because we could not accurately describe it.
"It's like vanilla. But not."
"The color is richer."
"Maybe it's like French Vanilla?"
"It tastes..."
The color was right. But the taste of French Vanilla Ice Cream, while better than plain vanilla, was still not quite mantecado. We couldn't describe it. But we would totally know when we did.
It was one of those taste memories that you remembered perfectly. "I'll know when I taste it."
I scoured the internet. I got email inquiries. "Do you have a recipe for Mantecado Ice Cream?"
I tried and failed to make something close to the beloved Mantecado. I poured through my Cuban cookbooks always coming up a little short.
It was finally my friend, Ana Sofia Pelaez, author of the beautiful The Cuban Table Cookbook, who shared a brilliant recipe that she got from Suzy Batlle, the owner of ¡Azucar! Ice Cream Company in Little Havana.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Authentic Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream of My Memory. It's the rich, custard base that makes all the difference. *slaps forehead*
I should have known! The custard! Cinnamon and Nutmeg! But just a pinch. Barely a hint.
It tastes like all the best parts of my childhood with a rich appeal to the foodie in me. "Es igual." "It's the same."
July 19th is National Ice Cream Day. I think you should celebrate with some Authentic Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream and make some sweet memories, don't you?
Please watch my video and you'll get the idea. (Full recipe below)
Authentic Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream Recipe
6 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons sugar
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk, chilled
Directions
To prepare the custard, combine the egg yolks, whole milk, 1 cup sugar, four, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a a food processor or blender and pulse until well blended.
Pass the milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a 3 or 4 quart saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard covers the back of a wooden spoon. 4 to 6 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Chill the custard at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute.
Gradually add the remaining 5 tablespoons sugar and beat on medium speed until it forms stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
Add the chilled evaporated milk and continue to beat until it thickens slightly, 2 or 3 additional minutes.
Stir in the prepared custard and mix until well blended.
Process in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, 15 to 20 minutes.
Freeze until ready to serve.
It's totally 'igual.' But that's not important right now.
I'm so glad I will be seeing so many of you on Sunday at Dodger Stadium for Cuban Heritage Day. I'm excited to have my new coolest Dodger Blue Habana Brand Clothing tshirt to wear. I'll be there with my kids and I know it's going to be a grand "pachanga."
Congratulations to the winner of all this Super Cuban Dodger Swag.
I know you will enjoy all this beautiful awesomeness.
Felicidades, Cristina!
Please send me an email with HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it. Send me your mailing address and I will be shipping out your loot next week!
For those of you who are on 'Cuban time' and still don't have your tickets to Sunday's event, here's the timeline for all the fun.
Viva Los Dodgers presented by State Farm and Time Warner Cable at the historic 76 station will feature photos with fans from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal. Outfielder Alex Guerrero will take photos with fans from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Outfielder Yasiel Puig will greet fans on stage at 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and take part in a Q&A session alongside reliever Paco Rodriguez. Photos will be distributed to fans courtesy of Blue Prints.
“I’m an extremely proud Cuban-American and excited to be a part of Cuban Heritage Day this Sunday,” said Grandal. “I look forward to spending time with fans before I head out to represent the Dodgers at the All-Star game. My culture is a big part of who I’m and happy that the club organizes events like these.”
As part of Cuban Heritage Day at Viva Los Dodgers, musical entertainment will be provided by The Arsenio Rodriguez Project and Buena Onda. Dodger scout Mike Brito will also partake in a meet and greet with fans at 12:00 p.m.
Levy Restaurants will offer exclusively at Viva Los Dodgers this Sunday, the Cuban Dog. The Cuban Dog features a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog topped with ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and pickle chips and will be available at Viva Los Dodgers while supplies last.
Sunday’s Viva Los Dodgers is a pregame component of Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium which will feature Cuban music mogul and 19-time Grammy award winner Emilio Estefan throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
The Dodgers will present a community hero award to the Gavina family at Viva Los Dodgers. Gavina Coffee, a Cuban-owned business, has been a coffee tradition in Los Angeles since 1967. Cuban-American Alejandro Mayorkas, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, will throw Sunday’s honorary first pitch.
Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium is so close I can practically touch it. It's happening next Sunday, July 12th 2015.
Our friend and fellow Cuban, Emilio Estefan will be on hand to throw out the first pitch and it's going to be a wonderful day with all kinds of Cubanity (<--is that a word? I seriously think it should be) happening at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
Game time is 1:00 pm, but the fun starts at 11:00 am in Lot 6 with the fun Viva Los Dodgers Pachanga.
In honor of this auspicious occasion, I'm giving away a fabulous stash of all kinds of Cuban/Dodger related goodies.
I'm calling it the Super Cuban Dodger Awesomeness Giveaway. (I was inspired by my friends on The Cuban Heritage Committee, who are my muses.)
Get your tickets!
There's still time to purchase discounted tickets and enjoy the family-friendly Cuban themed Viva Los Dodgers pregame festival in Lot 6. Fans can enjoy live music, player autographs, and various activies. Entrance is free with a paid ticket to the game. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, click on this link to purchase.
Get your tshirts!
Then, you need to get your t-shirts, of course from Habana Brand Clothing so that you can appropriately represent.
Enter this giveaway!
But the best part is today's giveaway...
Sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium, Botran Rum, and My Big, Fat, Cuban Family, (Let's just take a moment to appreciate how accidentally cool this is. Thankyouverymuch) I'm giving away all the Super Cuban Dodgers Awesomeness pictured below.
Take a moment to appreciate all of this Cubania and Dodger swag.
• A Special Edition Dodgers Cuba/Puig shirt - autographed by Yasiel Puig #66 (Men's Large)
• A poly-spandex Property of Dodgers Baseball Club shirt
• A Clayton Kershaw #22 Bobblehead
• A LA Dodgers Team Name shirt
• An autographed copy of Emilio Estefan's autobiography, Ritmo Al Éxito
• An autographed copy of Daniel Amat's cd - Bilbao la Habana y vuelta
• An autographed copy of Gloria Estefan's beautiful cd, Mi Tierra.
• A bottle of Botran Reserva Ron Añejo - because Cuba Libre. Amen.
• Three (3!) LA Dodger Blue embroidered hats.
To enter this drawing for all of this Super Cuban/Dodger Awesomeness please leave a comment on this post and tell me:
What's your favorite thing to do at a baseball game?
Is it the 7th Inning Stretch? The Kiss Cam? Heckling the batter? Do you look fabulous in Dodger Blue? Tell me.
Please leave your comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Thursday, July 9th, 2015 at 11 am PST.
You have to be over 21 to enter this drawing, but you don't necessarily need to be Cuban or even attend the game. Also, I was not compensated in any way for writing this post. The giveaway items were donated and I am happy to share the love. Go Blue!
Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's giveaway. I so appreciate all your suggestions and I swear, reading all your posts made me HUNGRY!
I'll be working on some of the ideas you came up with in the next couple of months. If you haven't already, please consider adding your name to my mailing list (over on the right-->) so you can get product updates and be the first to know when I'm running another giveaway. (Hint - there may or may not be another happening this weekend, but that's not important right now.)
I chose three (3!) winners who will each receive the Cuban Food Poster in the size of their choice.
Each poster is unmounted and printed on heavy duty premium luster paper with archival fade-resistant inks. I will send the winner the size of their choice. They are available in the following sizes:
5" x 7"
8" x 10"
11" x 14"
16" x 20"
20" x 30"
Congratulations to ....
1)
2)
3)
Please shoot me an email with HEY! MARTA, I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it.
Be sure to include your mailing address so that I can ship your Cuban Food Poster ASAP!
Of course, if you didn't win, there's always the option to just buy yourself the poster. It's wonderfully affordable and it will look great in your kitchen (or Tia Cuca's).
My Cuban Food Posters are for sale over at my Etsy shop: Marta Darby Designs. The 16"x 20" is only $21.00 plus shipping and handling. And I also have a beautiful canvas available in a 16" x 20."
We had a big party this last weekend. We served a very cool Cuban sandwich themed menu. I'm going to tell you all about it in a few days, but today I just wanted to share that Every. Single. Person. that came through my kitchen made a comment about my Cuban Food Poster.
Every. Single. Person.
My favorite inquiries were the, "Where did you find that?" questions. At which point I made myself blush a little and cast my eyes downward and say, "Oh, that? It's my own design." (I've pretty much gotten this act down to a science, but that's not important right now.)
I even had an Italian friend suggest I do an Italian food one, which I think I absolutely will, but that's not important right now.
It made me think that it was probably time to do another giveaway, so here it is!
I'm going to be giving away Three (3) Cuban Food Posters to 3 lucky winners.
Each poster is unmounted and printed on heavy duty premium luster paper with archival fade-resistant inks. I will send the winner the size of their choice. They are available in the following sizes:
5" x 7"
8" x 10"
11" x 14"
16" x 20"
20" x 30"
It looks just like the photo above. Black background with white lettering and some distressing for an aged texture.
To enter the drawing for a chance to win one of the 3 posters, please leave me a comment on this post and tell me...
What's your favorite comfort food? (I'd have to go with picadillo, myself.)
Who makes it the very best? (Your mami? Tia Cuca? El Palacio de los Jugos?)
Do you have any suggestions for other food posters? (BTW, I already have a Salvadorian Food Poster in my shop.)
Leave one comment only, please!
Remember that if you want to enter the drawing for the poster, you must leave a comment on this post and I'll choose THREE winners on Thursday, July 2nd at 11:00 am PST.
Gracias and Buen Provecho!
If you're the impatient type (and you know who you are), my posters are for sale over at my Etsy shop: Marta Darby Designs. The 16"x 20" is only $21.00 plus shipping and handling.
I also have a larger size (20"x 30") and a (16"x 20") on canvas, but that's not important right now.
Also, if you haven't already, please consider subscribing to my mailing list so you never miss a thing! Look over on the right where it says JOIN OUR FAMILY! Gracias! xo
When I was in school (back in the day), one of the highlights of our young school lives was the arrival of the A/V Cart.
If you're not old enough to remember this from your own school days, A/V is shorthand for Audio/Visual (you're welcome) and the cart would usually hold a movie projector and possibly a record player. Eventually the A/V cart held a TV. I know. Mind blown.
Something wonderful was sure to happen when the A/V Cart arrived.
Also, there was always one impossibly nerdy kid who got to be the A/V Cart Monitor and wheel the wonderful promise of fun into the classroom. He was usually the smartest kid, who usually happened to also be the teacher's pet.
For the record, that was never me, but that's not important right now.
So, let's talk Summer. And movie nights. Specifically Darby Summer Movies which, in case you cared, is also an Instagram Hashtag - #DarbySummerMovies. So there's that.
But back to the A/V Cart. Last summer, Lucy's boyfriend Marc - who was instrumental in the building of my awesome farm table - built us our very own A/V Cart. Because we're not nerdy enough without having our own A/V Cart. Right?
He painted it black and put wheels on it, because A/V carts should just roll in, blend in and do their job without calling attention to themselves. I'm in love with it.
Isn't it a beautiful thing? The Optoma projector usually sits on top of that big black receiver thing. The 2nd shelf is for the dvd player and the speakers travel in the cart as well.
In fact, now that we have the A/V Cart, setting up for an outdoor movie is relatively painless, which is awesome because there are nights where we decide to do the movie thing about an hour before the sun goes down and we send out a text...
"Hey guys! Movie tonight? Be here at 8:30."
And we usually manage to get a pretty full house. Outdoor Movie Nights are very much a part of our own personal summer celebrations.
Most movie nights we have concessions - that's movie talk for "snacks." Candy and sodas and water bottles and chocolate bars and the brown paper bags hold popcorn. We usually include some fresh strawberries because they're super abundant around here in the summer.
We bought 3 dozen plastic stacking adirondack chairs from Lowe's to use as theater seating and we roll out a carpet under them which dissuades crawly things from biting bare feet. See how thoughtful we are?
Some Darby Movie Nights (#DarbySummerMovies. If you don't already, you should totally follow me on Instagram. I'm @Smrtqbn) we manage to come up with a theme and serve food accordingly.
Hot dogs for a screening of '42' - The Jackie Robinson Story
Sometimes we are really super organized and can get everyone here in costume. Yes. You read that right. Like we did for our Hercules Sing-Along.
I know. We would totally be winning the Gold in the Nerd Olympics here. It was a fabulous BYOT* night.
*Bring Your Own Toga
Other nights it's just us and our hard-working A/V Cart and that's okay, too.
I'm so glad Summer is finally here. The weather has warmed up to where we can comfortably do our movie nights. (#DarbySummerMovies) In fact, this coming weekend we're having a Summer Celebration kickoff which will include the movie, 'Chef,' which we seriously love, and a food truck type menu, which I'm super excited about. (I'll write about that next week in delicious detail.)
For now, I wanted to share about how awesome our summers are and how much #DarbySummerMovies (our own hashtag, people!) and how much we've come to count on our trusty A/V Cart.
We recently had the following conversation (about A/V Carts) around the dinner table:
Me: "There was always that one impossibly nerdy kid who got to be the A/V Cart Monitor. He was usually the smartest kid, who usually happened to also be the teacher's pet."
I have a love/hate relationship with my hydrangeas.
I love them when they're blooming and they're loving me right back, looking so happy to see me every day that they can't wait to give me gorgeous, long-lasting blooms. That's pretty much what our relationship is like right now. They bring the awesome every single day.
But I hate when they go dormant. That's when I spend a lot of time staring at their spindly brown stalks during the winter months and I wring my hands impotently and have an ongoing running internal monologue in which I argue (with myself) about whether this might be the year that they're not going to come back. And why do they hate me so much?? (Remember, I'm Cuban. The drama comes as natural to me as breathing.)
Ah, but look. This was taken just at the beginning of spring and after their first good fertilizing with Scotts Miracle-Gro®. See those little tiny buds? They're getting ready to bring the awesome that they're capable of.
Of course, I then have to remind myself that that is all part of the wonder and promise of gardening. Things that appear dead and gone return. Life finds a way and all is right with the world again. Joy and miracles exist in the world and nowhere is there a better reminder of this than in my garden.
Just make sure when you're fertilizing these lovelies that you don't pour fertilizer on the leaves, they tend to burn easily. And that you give them plenty of water.
For all you good homeschooled kids, like my own, you'll already know (because Latin and Greek were always on our list of Things to Know About If You Want To Be A Good Human, but that's not important right now) that the name hydrangea comes from the Greek “hydor,” meaning water, and “angos,” meaning jar or vessel. This roughly translates to “water barrel,” referring to the hydrangea’s need for plenty of water and its cup-shaped flower. You're welcome.
Artsy photo of Jonathan watering the hydrangeas.
So for now, my hydrangeas and I are enjoying a mutual love affair that will probably last through the summer. Thanks, Scotts Miracle-Gro® for helping me cultivate the awesome.
Remember to always read and follow label directions for the referenced products.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Scotts . The opinions and text are all mine.
I didn't know how they were going to pull it off. I'm talking about Disney•Pixar here.
I had seen the cute trailers and even watched the first 20 minutes of the new Disney•Pixar film, 'Inside Out,' and I was still unconvinced that they could pull off what they were attempting.
In this brilliant animated feature, Pixar uses the actual feelings of sweet 11-year-old Riley as comedic characters to tell the story of her emotional turmoil as her parents move her from the security of her idyllic childhood in Minnesota to all the unknowns of a new life in San Francisco.
Before I go on, I have to confess that at that point I was already feeling all the feels, as that was my own childhood story. Having been the newly exiled Cuban child in the U.S. and again moving from a new life I had already embraced in Florida to the unknowns of California.
Riley, I'm sooo feeling you.
Jockeying for top position from one moment to the next, her conflicting emotions - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust - take turns to take on the dominant role. This very human, but very abstract concept is astonishingly played out into a film that takes turns being funny, unpredictable, fabulously colorful, yet beautiful and incredibly profound.
I'd like to stop right here and give Pixar a standing ovation and ask forgiveness for doubting. (I know. Shut up.)
I don't want to give too much away, but the truth is, of the five emotions, we, the viewers are really, really rooting for Joy (Amy Poehler) to overcome Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) in the battle for influence over Riley's state of mind.
Kids will grasp the entire concept as easily as adults will, because the things happening in Riley’s external life are so compelling. She's adjusting to a new city, home, and school. With the move, she loses her friends and the way things were 'back home.'
It was a relief to me that Riley was equipped with only five emotions because I was already 'roller-coastering' along with her in her new life in San Francisco. But how would they resolve the ultimate conflict between Joy and Sadness??
Ah, but that's the genius of Pixar. Not only do they resolve it, they do it in a super satisfying way. Kudos to Director Pete Docter and Producer Jonas Rivera. They take you from wanting everything to be happy all the time, because... JOY! to helping you embrace the place that Sadness plays in our own inner dialogue. *mind blown*
My take-away is that Joy is not the only worthy emotion. Our lives can only be emotionally rich if we're open to Sadness, too. And yet, in all of this conflicting emotion, it never turns too serious or starts becoming too preachy.
Just go. See the film. It's fantastic. You may or may not find yourself laughing and crying (as I did) from one moment to the next and having Deep Thoughts about your own guiding emotions.
'Inside Out' is being shown with a new Pixar short, 'Lava,' which is nothing short of delightful. The director, James Ford Murphy creates a musical romance starring two Hawaiian volcanoes that spans millions of years in about 7 minutes. Genius.
*bows down low to the Brilliant Storytellers at Pixar*
'Inside Out' opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, June 19th, 2015.
I love getting my hands dirty as I plant and re-pot and freshen my flower beds.
It's not that I don't own gardening gloves. I do. Multiple pairs. But there's something magical and healing about feeling the soil on my hands and touching the roots as I gently press the plants I'm re-potting into their new larger containers.
And the movement of the fresh, brown earth slipping through my fingers is practically a religious experience for me.
I may or may not also talk to my flowers and encourage them to do a little bit better this year. Of course I help them with this. Technically, Scotts helps them with this, but that's not important right now. I'm still the one who gives them the pep talk, so that's something.
The other day, my mom - Luza, who is 101 years old - calls. She has some great old pots that need Summer flowers in them. When can I come get them? It's almost Summer, you know.
I have inherited 3 great loves from my mom, for which I'm extremely grateful: 1) Reading, 2) Cooking, and 3) Gardening.
So I pick up the pots and I bring them home. On the way back, I stop at Walmart and pick up some Scotts Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil as I start dreaming of the possibilities.
And I immediately went over to mijardinalidad.com and followed the Spring Garden Planting Guide and used that as a checklist for cleaning and sprucing up my garden. The tip about preparing the soil for planting is my very favorite part as this involves getting my hands really dirty.
As I pick out flowers and decide which pots to put them in, I get completely lost in what I'm doing. It's kind of like painting.
The sunflowers look pretty spectacular against the white picket fence, don't you think?
And this old wooden furniture seems more than happy to start its new life being repurposed this way. I stand back extremely pleased with myself. The new old pots also seem to be quite pleased with their new tenants.
As for me, I have washed my hands, even though I have a bit more planting to do, but I will save that for tomorrow, at which time I can also start planning for our Outdoor Summer Movie Nights, because SUMMER!
Remember to always read and follow label directions for the referenced products.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Scotts . The opinions and text are all mine.
Back in January when I had the sweet opportunity to visit Pixar and Skywalker Ranch (I will drop this into any conversation when given the chance, but that's not important right now), I had the good fortune to preview about 20 minutes of the new Disney/Pixar film, Inside Out. Read all about that here.
This preview whetted my appetite for the actual film and put me in an I-can't-hardly-wait state of mind. If you've seen any of the cute trailers for the film, you'll understand why.
I finally got to see the entire film and (wait for it...) interview the very talented people who made this film happen, notably Director Pete Docter and Producer Jonas Rivera as well as the amazing cast of voice actors.
I invited my daughter, Lucy to come along since she's my assistant and is already doing press for the college she works for. I hoped she would appreciate the junket and maybe be able to fill in for me if I ever needed her to. I tried my best to reassure her that it would be a fun experience.
The first two up were Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera, the director and producer, respectively. They spoke so respectfully and fondly of having both "grown up" at Pixar and the wonderful collaborative environment there.
Jonas Rivera: I think we found, as we were working, we both kind of grew up at Pixar. I've been there 20 years. Pete's been there longer, going back to the first Toy Story, and we've found along the way, I mean, Pixar's a place that − it's just made of a lot of really cool people, and it's an amazing place, we're spoiled with all the talent that surrounds us.
But we just realize we love kind of the same movies, and we love the Disney movies of the '40s and '50s and '30s, just that Golden Age, that, again, sort of echoing what you were asking about, just that feeling we had when we were kids that we didn't want to ever lose, going to Disneyland for the first time and all those things.
And I think, as we talked and started to work together, even back on Monsters, we were sort of craving a similar movie, which was completely different, whatever it was, different than the movie we did last. That was something we talked a lot about. And even finishing the film, Up, which came out six years ago, the very first thing was, like, "How can we do something completely different than that?" We're very proud of that, but it is always about character and emotion and that feeling.
And so I don't know. We don't sit around consciously going, "All right. Let's make a great movie." I mean, we hope that happens, obviously, but I think it's just like, "What do we wanna see? What did we love seeing when we were kids? What do we wanna take our families to? What are we gonna be proud of? Let's aim for that." And I'm lucky. Pete thinks them up. I just have to figure out how to make them. And so I feel very honored that this is my job.
Pete Docter: I think we have similar tastes and different but complementary skills and a mutual respect for each other and what each other brings to the show. I feel like, man, I can't see how I could be able to do these without Jonas, and I don't know if you feel the same way, but I think it's been a really great relationship.
As I sat there listening to these two inordinately talented guys, I just wondered what it must be like to be so good at what you do and work in such a nurturing environment. The answer to that question definitely shows up in their final product.
Next came the wonderfully talented voice cast.
Mindy Kaling (voice of “Disgust”)
Lewis Black (voice of “Anger”)
Amy Poehler (voice of “Joy”) and Bill Hader (voice of “Fear”)
Phyllis Smith (voice of “Sadness”)
How incredible is this collection of comedic talent?
So many questions for these folks. Where to start? And then, from directly behind me I hear a familiar voice...
Lucy Darby: As you all just have shown, you have an excellent experience with improvisation and I was wondering if you had that opportunity in the recording studio to improvise on the characters and the dialogs and if so how much of that made it into the final cut?
Wait. What? That's my girl, Lucy. Speaking right up and asking her question as if she had been doing this whole press junket thing her whole life. I was kind of awestruck. And a little freaked out. And angry at myself for not having asked the question. And full of joy that she was so fearless.
Here's their answer...
Bill Hader: We all record by our self so that’s – you know, we’re just alone. Actually, Mindy and I figured this out that we’re all actually reading with Pete usually so in the movie, we’re all just responding to Pete. All our characters were basically talking to Pete. I remember there was a part in the movie where I go up – were I said, “I’m taking the coward’s way out,” and I go up a thing. That was in the room and I remember Ronnie del Carmen who’s a genius. Ronnie del Carmen boarded out the sequence in Up, showing the relationship between the two people – we’re talking about that and he’s looking at me just drawing and he goes “So like that?” And he just drew it out the way you see it. It was unreal. I was like “Yes, something like that” and he just did it. Is that what you mean?
And then... they all started teasing each other and improvising and doing what they do best.
Phyllis Smith: Well, I had the privileged of recording with that lady there, with Amy. And we did have a couple of –
Amy Poehler: Yes.
Phyllis Smith: We had like three sessions together and there was –
Bill Hader: You guys got to record together??
Amy Poehler: Yes.
Phyllis Smith: Yes we did.
Amy Poehler: We recorded together.
Bill Hader: Wait. What?
Phyllis Smith: Yes, yes.
Bill Hader: How was that like, guys? How was that?? I guess no one wanted to record with me. How was that getting record together?
Phyllis Smith: It was great.
Bill Hader: Yes?
Phyllis Smith: Yes it was great.
Bill Hader: All right.
Phyllis Smith: Actually, Amy helped me through some lines.
Bill Hader: She helped you??
Phyllis Smith: Yes, some lines that I might have been having s little trouble with and she gave a suggestion to tweak here or there.
Mindy Kaling: It’s been like Amy and Phyllis have been like really click-y throughout this process – I can – they are…
Bill Hader: That is so weird. I’m just putting this together that I was…
Mindy Kaling: Today like Amy was just like really?
Amy Poehler: It’s just that we have some private jokes and we don’t want to tell anybody.
Mindy Kaling: And then they just went on to a movie…
Phyllis Smith: That’s all I’m saying.
Bill Hader: We’re going to Chipotle.
The entire press conference went on just like that. They talked about how much fun it was to make this movie. I was struck with how complimentary they were to each other and how much respect they had, not just for Disney and Pixar but for their cast mates. It was inspirational just to be present with this group.
Also, I couldn't help but be a little amazed at how Lucy just jumped right in and embraced the entire event so effortlessly. Like I said, I felt my full range of emotions when my girl just grabbed that mike and spoke right up.
And here I thought she'd be too intimidated to say a word. Obviously, I was very wrong.
It just goes to show that you really can't tell what's going on inside anyone else's head. Even your own child.
Pixar's Inside Out opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, June 19th, 2015.
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