My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog

Five. (A giveaway)

I sat down at my computer on October 1st, 2006 and wrote out my very first blog post with the title, "Life on the hyphen..." 

You're welcome to click over and read it. I lifted that post title from a book written by my friend, Gustavo Perez-Firmat, called Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way. In that book, he brilliantly describes how we Cubans "straddle" the hyphen between being Cuban and American. That so resounded with me that I was inspired to write about my everyday life here in The O.C. as a Cuban-American wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.

I've written about how I've homeschooled my kids, which is an odd proposition for someone with my history.

I often say that I'm 100% Cuban and 100% American. I'm quite proud of being a part of both of the cultures that have informed my life and personality and for the last five years, this blog.

I have been celebrating Cuban-American life here on this little corner of cyberspace for five years now. And I'm very proud of what I've created.

So, please, help me celebrate my Five Year Blogoversary. Five whole years, people! (I'm like Methuselah in the blogging world, but that's not important right now.)

I'm so grateful that I have had a place to share my stories and my kitchen and the cool stuff I get to do and the people who are so important to me. I'm humbled, too, by the constant and generous attention that you pay me.

I appreciate those of you who have been around since 2006 and have watched my children grow up on these pages. And I appreciate every member of my family who have been gracious enough to let me share their lives here. They are now used to having Mom pointing a camera at them and they're okay with seeing themselves in their fabulous goofiness. 

I am grateful to those of you who have just recently Googled a Cuban recipe and found yourselves here and have decided to continue coming back to visit. Please stay. My blog-casa is your blog-casa. ;-)

To celebrate this auspicious occasion, and as my way of saying thanks for reading my blog, I'm going to give away 5 (!) MBFCF items from my online shop, Cuba To GO! (because I can).

I'm giving away:

1) A MBFCF Mug:

2) A Cuban Spice Apron:

3) and 4)  Two people will win an autographed copy of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook:

5) And last, but certainly not least, an autographed copy of my friend, Gustavo Perez-Firmat's lastest and absolutely delicious book, The Havana Habit:

 

I thought it only fitting, since he was my inspiration for this whole thing. Gracias, Gustavo!

So, by now you know the drill...

To enter the drawing for a chance to win the above mentioned uber-cool MBFCF stuff, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or all of the following questions:

• If you're a regular MBFCF reader, why do you keep coming back ? 
• Do you also live "on the hyphen?"
• Is it the recipes? 
• The stories?
• The giveaways?
• Or is it like a bad habit you picked up that you can't break? ;-)

I'll do a random drawing on Monday, October 3rd at 12 noon Pacific Time.  

Happy 5th Blogoversary to me! 

*throws confetti*

Celebrating My 4th Bloggiversary - Winners!

I want to thank you all for your kind words and good wishes.

I love celebrating blog birthdays because unlike regular birthdays, I get to give stuff away.

It makes me so happy to be able to give back to you, even in this small way. I so want you to know how much I appreciate that you read and enjoy my stories and misadventures.

To choose winners, I used Random.org. I put in the number of valid entry comments into the True Random Number Generator and it gave me 4 random numbers that I matched to entries. So without further ado, here are the winners of the giveaway. 

Congratulations to the winners. And thank you to all of you. I love you MORE.

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1) The My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Mug goes to:

Marta Quinn said...

Congratulations on 4 great years, just a side
note: I mastered Arroz con Pollo thanks to your
recipe. Thanks for the recipes and the storys
Carinos tu tocaya, Marta

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2) The Cafe Cubano Mug from CubaToGo! goes to:

martacperez@gmail.com said...

Congratulations! I love your Cuban recipes.

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3) The Marta's Cuban American Kitchen Apron goes to:

Angela Garcia said...

Love you and your blog, Marta! I've had you bookmarked for about 3 years now, and you are a daily "must click" for me. Thank you for all the wonderful stories, insights, inspirations, and of course your delicious recipes (especially that magnificent guava glazed turkey recipe, which was a hit at my house last Thanksgiving!)

Carinos,
Angie G.

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4) The My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook goes to:

Mercy Arrate said...

Congratulations! May you (and we) enjoy many more years of the adventures of Marta!

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Once again, thank you. Congratulations to the winners. Please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG in the subject line (so I don't accidentally delete you) and send me your snail mail address so I can get your goodies out to you right away.

You truly make me happy (but that's not important right now). ;-)

Cada Dia con Marta Maria

I have been blogging now for 4 years and I'm celebrating! (It seems I'm always celebrating something, but that's not important right now.)

I started this blog on October 1st, 2006. I never pictured I'd still be going four years later. Four years, people! I thought by now I would have run out of stuff to write about. But, obviously, I haven't.

This surprises me, too. I sit down most days at my keyboard and wonder what I'm going to write about and the keyboard stares back at me and says nothing. But then, I start looking at my photos. And I remember that behind every photo I take there's a story.

Every day, no matter how ordinary, has a story.

And that, my friends, is the secret to blogging. Just tell your stories.(<--This bit of advice right there is like gold. You're welcome.)

So won't you celebrate with me? Here's to:

1. My Happy New Year.
2. My Blog Birthday.
3. My New Beginning.
4. The First Day of the Rest of My Blogging Life.

I'm celebrating that I get to tell my stories everyday. I love that you seem to enjoy them. I love that they are saved for posterity. (Win-win.)

To celebrate I'm giving stuff away. (You love this part, don't you?)

Since there are so many of you who tell me that you start the day with your coffee and MBFCF (this pleases me, by the way) and that you like cooking with me, and it's my 4th Bloggiversary, I'm inspired to give away 4 fabulous items:

1) A My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Mug

2) A Cafe Cubano Mug from CubaToGO!

3) A Marta's Cuban American Kitchen Apron

and of course,

4) A My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook

To enter the drawing for a chance to win the above mentioned uber-cool MBFCF stuff, please leave a comment on this post and I'll do a random drawing on Monday, October 4th at 11 AM Pacific Time. 

A big thank you to all of you who keep reading about and relating to the misadventures of my big, fat, Cuban family.

I look forward to many, many more bloggy years.

Mil gracias. De todo corazón.

[Disclaimer: That's not a real magazine cover. But you knew that, right? =D]

Win-Win

When I started blogging three and a half years ago, I thought about why I wanted to do this. I decided I wanted to write stories about my life and what it's like to live "on the hyphen." I wanted you (my readers) to feel right at home. I wanted you to laugh and cry with us. I wanted you to feel like you wanted to be friends with us and hang out with us.

I wanted you to feel like we were trading stories over a good Cuban meal or a cup of coffee and just sharing life.

I love being 100% Cuban and 100% American. (I know. I was never good at math anyway, but that's not important right now....)

My husband, Eric, has always reminded me to "write from your heart." And that's exactly what I try to do.

So as your comments and emails began pouring in, I was blown away. It seems that you like coming here to MBFCF and reading for the same reasons I like writing. (<--- Total win!)

Thank you all for your help and for your gracious comments. I had to reluctantly (because I wanted to give everyone something) choose four winners. 

(How I chose the winners: I entered your names into Random.org and had it generate a new name four times in a row.)

Drum roll, please....

1) The MBFCF cookbook goes to:

alby said...

When I stumbled across your blog, I just felt at home. Your family reminds me so much of my own Cuban family. Your mother is so darling at cute even at her 90+ years of age. I love how you share with others our Cuban culture and all the love behind it. It's just an amazing blog to read, and since I'm Cuban also I can obviously connect with your words. But it's great how even those who aren't Cuban can see and learn about the Cuban way of life, even though we may not be in Cuba at the present moment. Everytime I see a picture (like the one of your Mom sitting with her sisters laughing like school girls) it honestly warms my heart. This is a blog of Love & Family, which I think couldn't be any better. So this is why I read & will continue to read your blog.

Alby Perez-Vergara, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.

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2) MBFCF Mug #1 goes to:

jose s. said... what i love most about this blog is that you dont have to be cuban to enjoy it because it's about family and life and reading the posts here not only make me laugh but as in the posts that amy wrote about her trip to cuba also made me cry. i also ate cuban food for the first time when i made marta's ribs in my crock pot they were great! but i guess the reason i come back is because this site is just a very welcoming happy place that always makes you glad you stopped in.

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3) MBFCF Mug #2 goes to:

Kristen said...

I read your blog because you are my friend and you write interesting stories of everyday life. You find the everyday stuff note worthy (as do I). I appreciate that. Kristen B, Foothill Ranch, CA

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4) Marta's Cuban American Kitchen BBQ apron goes to:

Ody Fabregas said...

First, it was your sense of humor,
second, it was our mutual culture,
then I realized we serve the same Savior!
But now, we are family. ;-)
It's like fixing yourself a nice cup of coffee and getting a daily phone call from a friend to catch up. Ody F. Miami Lakes, FL

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Congratulations! Please contact me via email. In the subject line, please write: MARTA, I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG. Send me your snail mail address and I will send out your goodies ASAP.

Thanks again, everyone. I am seriously humbled by your kind words.

WHAT? Another Giveaway!?

Here at MBFCF we are putting together A Press Kit. (I know. Shut up.) It feels like graduation time.

We have received a few queries from various advertisers asking if they can advertise on our blog. (Crazy, isn't it? But, seriously, we're totally smiling from ear to ear.)

We couldn't have come this far without you, our loyal readers. You are all so supportive and wonderful. It warms our hearts to read your comments and to know we've had an impact on your lives. Even if it's just teaching you how to cheat and make pastelitos de guayaba. ;-)

And we totally love to have you share your lives with us.

We have to show how fabulous our readers are and why they keep coming back. So, can you please answer the following questions in the comment section:

• Why do you keep coming back?
• What is it, in your opinion, that makes MBFCF worth visiting?

We'd like to use your comments in our Media Kit. (I feel sooo accidentally cool.)

But we want to respect everyone's desire for privacy, so please sign your comment with a name and where you're from, in a way you wouldn't mind us sharing. Like this:

• Marta D., Mission Viejo, CA

If you're kind of shy, we still want to know what you think, but you are welcome to email either one of us:

• Marta - [email protected]
• Kikita - [email protected]

As a way to say "Thank You" for your comments, we're going to make this a giveaway. (I know. It's like a bribe, but that's not important right now.)

This post will stay at the top of the blog for the next week and on Friday, April 16th at 3pm we will announce the winner.

Thank you! (You can go ahead and queue up "Pomp and Circumstance now....")  =D

Look at what we're giving away:

1) A personally autographed copy of MBFCF Cookbook. (I still really, really love this cover. A lot.)

 

2) Two MBFCF mugs. So you can enjoy your morning coffee while reading the comings and goings of my big, fat, Cuban family.

3) One very cool BBQ Apron from Marta's Cuban American Kitchen.

 

Fun stuff, right?

So please, leave a comment, signed with your first name and last initial and tell me where you're from and why you like to hang out here at MBFCF.

And always remember this:

     "My blog-casa is your blog-casa."

                                                    ~ Marta  ;-)

... is a Magic Number

Three years ago today I started this blog.

I started writing about the people I love and the things we do and the places we go.

Along the way I found out three things:

• I love blogging. I didn't know that I would. But I do. I'm Cuban and a storyteller at heart. Blogging is a great fit for me.

• I love interacting with you. This is why I do quizzes and giveaways. I love it when y0u respond. (Plus, I love that I can make you happy, but that's not important right now.)

• I am related to an amazing group of Cuban people. So thank you to all of my big, fat, Cuban family who find themselves represented on these pages when they least expect it and are always good sports about it: Luza, Ofie, Annette, Laura, Rafa, Lisa, Alex, Frankie, Quinny, George, Darine, Mason, Miller, Helen, Daryl, Helen del Taco, Daisy, Benicio, Al, Juliette, Rudy, Carmen, Michael, Kimberly, John-Paul, Jennifer, Julie, Tony, Manana, Isaac, Nicole, Alina, Jay, Kelley, Katie Mac, Nat. And especially, Eric, Amy, Adam, Lucy and Jon. =D

  

So on this auspicious occasion that is The 3rd Blogoversary (<--that should totally be a word) of the Founding of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog, I would like to give stuff away. (Yay!)

I'll be giving away THREE fabulous MBFCF things:

1) My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Coffee Mug from Cuba to GO!

2) My Big, Fat, Cuban Family BBQ Apron also from Cuba To GO!

3) My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook

To enter the drawing for a chance to win the above mentioned uber-cool MBFCF stuff, please leave a comment on this post and I'll do a random drawing on Sunday, October 4th at 10 AM Pacific Time. 

Thank you all for making this the fun adventure that it has been.  MUAH! MUAH! MUAH! (<---that's 3 Big, Fat, Cuban Family kisses!)

Let's get this party started!!

(NOTE: That's not a real magazine cover. You know that, right? =D)

From Varadero. With love.

I entered the list of names into Random.org.

I hit send and came back with a winner.

I was sad because I had twelve entries and only one sign. =(

But I loved each and every story. And I suppose I could just make eleven more signs....or I could just name the winner.

*sigh*

Congratulations to the winner of the Varadero Beach sign, made by me with much love (insert drum roll here)......

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Kiki Bacaro said...

Can't find my post:( I believe I was # 2 or 3 to post....now I just feel whiny...I hope this counts or I'm gonna have to tell my "el farito" story again:)

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Kiki,

Please send me an email with your snail mail address so I can send the sign out right away. Make the subject line: MARTA, I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! so I don't accidentally delete it.

Thank you ALL for sharing your wonderful summer stories. I love you so much for that.

Besos!

Marta

"Ya, KIA, Ya!"

I drive around my suburban neighborhood in a minivan.
It's actually a KIA Sedona. And I like it. A lot.

We just call it The KIA. And that has become its given name.

Adam, who is 22 and who has, shall we say, a different driving style than I do, mocks me whenever I am driving and I accelerate to pass someone.

"Ya, Kia, Ya!" He shouts as if he were driving (no pun intended) a team of horses.

Mom accelerates.
Adam shouts: "Ya, KIA, Ya!"

It's even better when he does it with a Cuban accent, which makes it sound like he's yelling at the KIA to STOP.

"Ya, KIA, Ya! Por favor, basta ya!"

(Sorry, you have to actually speak Spanish to get that one and it's kind of impossible to translate. Just trust me on this. He's asking it to please stop.)

We laugh every time. (But then, you know, we're easily entertained...)

So, I had been thinking of getting a personalized license plate. (Okay, a VANITY plate. =D)

My original one, Smrtqbn (that also happens to be my Twitter name in case you want to follow me, but that's not important right now) has expired and I was trying to come up with a new plate.

SIDE NOTE: We applied for Cuba2Go, which is the name of my online business Cuba To Go!, and I got very excited about that, but the Braniacs Who Work At the California DMV wouldn't approve it (I am so not kidding about this!) because it sounded (wait for it....) racist to them. (Racist?? Seriously? Look at the stuff that has slipped by them!!!)

We even showed them extensive documentation that Cuba to Go! was indeed our business name and was REGISTERED WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA as such, but no go.

Which now left us pondering other clever combinations of letters to make some kind of a mobile statement as we drove around town in The KIA.

How about "Ya, KIA, Ya!" ?

Yay! How cool is that?
We got kind of excited about it, until we put the letters together as they would appear on the license plate....

It was my 95 year old Cuban mom who was the first to say it: "Parese algo Japones."

Yep. YAKIAYA sure sounds like a Japanese surname.

Shut up. I know. So, who needs a vanity plate?

I have other ways to recognize my KIA.  ;-)

Be it ever so humble...

Thanks to all of you who participated in the drawing for the mugs:

I took all of your names and plugged them into a list at RANDOM.org and the following names/comments popped up:

1)

Marti, I think I have been reading MBFCF for about two years. Actually, it's been longer that that. Wow - in the cyberworld, that's probably the equivalent to a decade! LOL. Although I was born here, my mom is from Oriente and my Dad is from Camaguey, although they met in La Habana. I've been to all three parts of the island and I enjoyed each one.

Feel better!

Posted by: Annie | February 17, 2009 at 04:52 AM

****************************************************************

2)

Oriente - la tierra de los martires y los calientes - please.

Posted by: val prieto | February 17, 2009 at 08:03 AM

****************************************************************

3)

Marta, my little touchstone to Cuba ... glad you are up & about! My mami is from Sagua la Granda, Papi from Guantanamo and my brother and I were born in La Habana, where, unbelievably, my abuela's house still stands today. I found your blog via Babalu Blog and am hooked on your recipes.
Besos y abrazos, amiga!
Ileana

Posted by: Ileana | February 17, 2009 at 10:42 AM

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Congratulations and Thank You for reading MBFCF and for sharing your lives with me. I can't tell you just how much that means to me. I often tell people that one of the highlights of blogging for me has been to be able to hear other people's stories.  I love how in your short 3 line comments you shared so much of yourselves. I'm so grateful.

Winners, please email me ASAP - in the subject line write: MARTA, I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG!  And send me your snail mail address and which mug you'd like me to send you.

And just for the record:

My mom, Luz Perez-Puelles, was from Puerto Padre, Oriente.
My dad, Rodolfo Antonio Verdés was from Pinar del Rio.
They met at the University of Havana, (this is from my mom's graduation & before they were married in 1939).
My parents stayed in La Habana, married there and started their family.
I was born in La Habana in 1955.
We lived in El Nuevo Vedado.  #33 Avenida de La Loma.

"Home is where one starts from." ~ TS Elliot

Happy Friday!

Ooops! I almost forgot....

If you didn't win, but would still like a mug, please get yourself over to my online store Cuba To Go! (I have other cool stuff there too. =D)

I *heart* blogging or $8.95 well-spent

I've been blogging for about 2 1/2 years now.
When I first started it was kind of a dirty-little-secret.  I just didn't know how to explain it. So I didn't.  But I know I was constantly looking for stories to tell.

Maybe it was an age thing?  Or an untapped (for me) creative outlet? 

I just know that as a scrapbooker and storyteller and accidental family historian I had stuff to say.  I honestly didn't expect anyone except my family and maybe a few friends to even read it. 

Eric (my sweet husband) was the one who encouraged me, "Just write from your heart. You have a lot to share."

And so I started my blogging adventure.

I researched blogging platforms and knew immediately that TypePad was the one that most fit my style.
Almost immediately I had to upgrade from the $4.95 a month Basic to the $8.95 per month Plus.  (No, I'm not quite a $14.95 per month Pro, but that's not important right now.)

And so I blog. I'm a blogger. A Cuban-American Blogger.

And I love it.

1. I get to write about the things I'm passionate about.
2. I get to cook and share my food with you. (If you lived nearby, I'd just invite you over....)
3. Blogging has made it possible for me to connect with Cubans all over the world. (isn't that crazy?)
4. Blogging forces me to think. (Always a plus.)
5. I get to blog about anything that's interesting to me or funny or serious.
6. It's the next best thing to being a stand-up comedian. (which I totally might have been, if I hadn't found blogging. =D)
7. If I Google "my big fat cuban family" I'm all over the first 3 pages of Google which makes me feel accidentally cool.
8. I really think the name of my blog is inspired. ;-)
9. My blog is mine. It completely reflects my ideas, my values, my point of view. (except when my daughters hijack it...)
10. Blogging is therapeutic at times.
11. My blog has helped me to meet some of my very favorite people.
12. Blogging gives me something to talk about. "So, what do you do?"
13. Blogging is easy.
14. My blog has given me a way to reach the next generation of young Cuban-Americans. I love that.
15. I've gotten to meet most of the Smart Cuban Authors on my list there on the right.
16. My blog is like an archive of my life.  (only a bit neater than my journal and with pictures!)
17. I get to celebrate the milestones in the lives of those closest to me.  I like that a lot. A Tribute post being much better and more thoughtful than a Hallmark card, in my opinion.
18. I get to be myself.  (Yes, I am genuinely this goofy.)
19. I get to write as much or as little as I like.  I get to write about deeply thought out subjects and I get to write "toss away" posts just because I feel like it.
20. Blogging has given me a reason to open a youtube account (I'm smrtqbn) and a twitter account. (I kind of suck at twittering so far, but I plan to get better.)
21. I love posting pictures to illustrate my stories.
22. Reading blogs is what I do each morning with my coffee. I make it a point to comment if I read something that intrigues or amuses.  I know that we bloggers love comments. (hint, hint)
23. Blogging lets me occasionally over-share with impunity.
24. Blogging has helped me find my voice - and it doesn't sound at all like what I imagined...
25. I'm VERY proud to be a blogger now.

And no, I'm not celebrating any kind of anniversary, but okay..... I'll still give something away....

I have mugs with each of the original provinces on them.  La Habana, Pinar del Rio, Oriente, Matanzas, Las Villas, Camaguey.  Leave me a comment and tell me which part of the island your family is from and (if applicable) how long you've been reading this blog. The winners will get to choose the mug with the Province of their choice.  I think it's only fair.

I'll do a drawing on Friday, the 20th, which, come to think of it is the date I posted my world-famous Guavalicous pastelito recipe which put me on the Cuban food blogging map.  So, there it is. Something to celebrate! 

Thanks for reading MBFCF.

I'm a blogger. I blog. I *heart* blogging.  =D

Drum roll, please....

Main Entry: win·ner 

Pronunciation: \ˈwi-nər\

Function: noun

Date: 14th century

1) one that wins.
2) one that is successful especially through praiseworthy ability and hard work.

The winner of the Cafe Cubano Mug:

i'm forgiving you (and kikita, ) only because i want that mug. .... and the apron too.
my dear child your sins are forgiven.

Posted by: daisy | January 12, 2009 at 08:26 AM

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The winner of the Cocina Cubana Apron:

 

Dear Marta,

I can't wait until you have some more time for blogging. Think of us your faithful readers. We miss you!

Carinos,
Maria Eugenia

Posted by: Maria Eugenia | January 12, 2009 at 06:32 AM

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 I took all of the names of the commentors and put them into a list at random.org and then randomized them.
Two drawings. One for each item.
That's how I drew the winners.
Please shoot me an email and write HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG in the subject line (so I don't accidentally delete).

I'm grateful to all of you for your patience and for your lovely supportive comments.  You MBFCF readers are truly awesome!
Just reading all of them make me realize that really, I am the real winner here.

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled blogging. =D

Guilt-free blogging

Okay, so I'm feeling a little bit guilty because I haven't been blogging lately. (shut up. I know.)

But frankly, I haven't been near a computer and I'm still up to my (Royal Shakespearean!) eyeballs in costumes and sets.

And there are still two more performances before I can breathe again (at least for a moment before I have to dress twenty-two Oompa-Loompas, but that's not important right now).

But, you see, this guilt thing works in your favor, because in order to assuage my guilt, I'm going to have to do something nice.

So I'm giving stuff away.

Well, I was intending to give something away anyway to celebrate this, my 700th post! 

(I realize that celebrating having written 700 posts by complaining that I haven't been posting just drips of irony, but that's not important right now either. =D)

1) A Cafe Cubano mug from Cuba to Go!

2)  A Cocina Cubana apron also from Cuba to Go!
(because that's my online shop and I can give stuff away if I want to. =D)

To enter, just leave a comment on this post letting me know that you understand and forgive me for the lack of posting and I'll do a drawing on Wednesday afternoon. How easy is that?  =D

So, until then... just talk amongst yourselves.  ;-)

The envelope please...

First, I want to thank all of you who left (such nice!!) comments and participated in The My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Two Year Blogiversary Giveaway of '08 (I think that name gives this silly contest more gravitas, but that's not important right now).  You are the reason I do what I do and I'm grateful for your feedback. Gracias!

Here's how I chose the winners:
1) I went to Random.org and copied all of your names into a list.
2) I then had it randomize the list 6 times - once for each drawing.
3) I copied and pasted the comments of the winners below.
4) I felt a little guilty that not everyone could win and had a moment of sadness. =(

Congratulations to the winners!  I will be needing your snail mail information to send out the goodies, so please email me ASAP. Send me an email with HEY, MARTA, I JUST WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line (so I won't accidentally send you into the junk box =D). I promise to keep all your information confidential.

And the winners are.....

My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Mugs go to:

Hi Marta,

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I love your blog and have faithfully kept up with it for the entire time....certaninly hope to do so for many, many more years!!! You and Kikita are the best!!!
I wish you all the best ALWAYS!!! You have a beautiful family and you're beautiful outside and in!!!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!!! :0)

Posted by: Lory Palau | October 01, 2008 at 06:23 AM

I can't remember if I've ever left a comment before ! Oh well, I still read your blog pretty much every day. Your are so blessed with such a wonderful family, and the traditions you maintain. I don't care if I win anything (it would be nice, but that is not why I am commenting). I wish you only the best, and I hope you continue to blog for many years to come.

Posted by: Mike D. | October 02, 2008 at 09:46 PM

Cuban Spice Aprons from Cuba To GO! will be going to:

I read your blog EVERY day. Thank you for being a part of my extended Cuban family.

Posted by: Elizabeth Gonzalez Prouty | October 01, 2008 at 06:57 PM

Congratulations!!! Happy Birthday!!! Feliz cumpleanos!!

Love your blog. Love your product line--especially those four kids! ;-)

I'm getting in touch with my inner Latin soul after two weeks in Italy. I know, it's not Cuba, it's not even Spain. But it's still....Latin.

Posted by: Susan | October 01, 2008 at 04:52 AM

 

My Big, Fat, Cuban Family (autographed!) Cookbooks  now belong to:

Me, me, ooh, ooh, me!!!! I am enjoying your blog (and your family) so much...and I've got MY own Big Fat Cuban Family!

Posted by: Kiki Bacaro | October 01, 2008 at 03:27 PM

OK, I'm shameless. My outlaws think I'm a golddigger (wrong) but they also think I'm cheap (right), so I can't bring myself to spend money on luxuries when our budget is tight (oh, that the ex-wife would remarry -- St Ann, St Ann, send Imelda a man). So count me in!

Posted by: class-factotum | October 01, 2008 at 06:06 AM

I'd like to send stuff out next week, so please email me as soon as you can.

Again, thanks to all of you who come over each day and so graciously allow me (and Kikita) to share my family and my adventures with you each week.  And now that you've come out of lurking, I expect you to comment often! 
Even if it's just to tell me, "Marta, honey, you're obviously tired. Go take a nap."  =D

BESOS!
Marta

In my dreams...

In my dreams, I never thought I'd be...

a) Blogging. (seriously, who blogs? =D)
b) Still going strong after 2 years. (2 whole years!!)

To date I've written over 600 posts and you've responded with over 2300 comments.  And I love that you follow me over to Babalú every other Thursday to try my latest recipes.

We are SOOO celebrating this week!

"How will we be celebrating?"  you ask.
(or maybe you're asking "why are we celebrating, again?" but that's not important right now. =D)

I'm giving stuff away.

Seriously.
And you know I'm no slouch in the gift giving department.

So, this week I'm giving away the following:

a) TWO My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Coffee Mugs.

 

b) TWO Cuban Spice Aprons from Cuba To Go!

c) TWO My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbooks.

To enter the drawing, please leave a comment on this post and I'll do a random drawing on Friday, October 3rd at 10 AM Pacific Time. 

This is my way of thanking you all for being such fun and faithful readers.  I am honored and humbled by your presence here.

Mi blog-casa es su blog-casa. 

Besos,

Marta

(POR SI ACASO: No, that's not a real magazine cover. And yes, I know I stink at Photoshop. Just having some celebratory 2-year blogoversary fun.  =D)

Dressing for success

Isn't she adorable? This is sweet CJ wearing a prototype of an apron for Marta's Cuban American Kitchen.

Her grandma is my best friend and a dedicated lover of all things Cuban, but especially Cuban food.

I get such a kick out of this. Some of my very first memories involve helping in the kitchen and of course, the greatest, most fun part was strapping on that apron.  It made me feel so professional and special.

Okay, so really, I still like any excuse to dress up, but that's not important right now. ;-)

Get your own apron here. Your Cuban food will taste so much better. Trust me. =D

Crunch Top Applie Pie Recipe: It's as Cuban-American as "Mami, Pastel de Manzana, y la Bandera" ;-)

I know you were wondering what we did with all those wounded apples from Thanksgiving.

Well, wonder no more.

The Galas (those are the red and yellow ones) went to my mom's and she reported that they are now two jars of delicious homemade applesauce.

The Granny Smiths (the green ones) went into a pie.  A good ole homemade Crunch Top Apple Pie.

But, but, but. . . (I can hear you sputtering. . .)

That's not Cuban food!

No. You're right.  It's Cuban-American food.  Lucy made it!  =D

She's a Cuban-American (version 2.0).  (Get your own 2.0 gear here.)

Sheesh!  ;-)

Crunch Top Apple Pie Recipe

Dough and Filling:
Dough for a double crust 9-inch pie (homemade, frozen, or refrigerated)
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples (like Granny Smiths)
1 (16 oz.) jar applesauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter, chopped into small pieces

Crunch Topping:
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 425° degrees F.

1) Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the dough.
2) Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
3) Stir in apples, applesauce, and lemon juice.
4) Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter.
5) Place remaining crust over top of pie.

6) Cut vents.
7) For crunch topping, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
8) Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
9) Sprinkle over top of crust.
10) Bake for 10 minutes
11) Then reduce heat to 350° degrees and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown.

Getting ready for the holidays here.  I made Crème de Vie (Cuban egg nog) over at Babalú today.  (Impossibly) Sweet!

NOTE: my culinary posts go live around 11:30 am Eastern - just in time for lunch. =D

We are fa-mi-ly . . .

I am the youngest of six.

We are five daughters.

FIVE.  CUBAN.  WOMEN.

With five strong and sometimes (many times) opposing opinions. Which is totally fitting for Cuban women.

I have a brother who lives in Texas  (I sometimes wonder if he didn't move so far away because he got a little tired of living with so many Cuban women, but then he has a Cuban wife, but that's not important right now. =D) but my sisters all live nearby.

My big sisters.
Which makes me The Baby.

Always The Baby.
No matter what I do or how old I get, I can't shake that.
It's always a part of my familial identity.
I am and will always be their Little Sister.

My sisters are all talented, beautiful, amazing and strong.
They are all wonderful cooks, too. (no surprise there!)
But we have roles that we play in the family unit that cannot be deviated from.

So here is how our Thanksgiving division of labor works:
The two oldest, Ofelia and Helen (back right) will do all the cooking.  Alina (in blue, bottom right) will bake the desserts.  Miriam (far left) who lives in the high desert and has to travel the furthest, brings drinks.  I get to send invitations, open my home, set tables and host.  I won't be called upon to do any of the cooking because that is the job of the two eldest. 

Sometimes I want to protest:  "Yes, but. . ." 

"No."

That is how it's always been. That is how it always will be.

Because I am:

• The Baby
• The Artistic One
• The Little Sister
• The Family Entertainment Unit (=D)
   

No matter what I am capable of in any other part of my life, or what my apron says!   ;-)

Get your own Cocinera apron or tee at my online store:  Cuba To Go!
And check out my Cuban Recipes at Babalúblog.
But, shh!  Don't tell Ofie & Helen I've been doing the cooking.  ;-)

What the hip chicks are saying.

I was nine years old when I became an aunt for the first time.  It was because of the birth of the first grandchild (who was in California) that my parents made the decision to move from Miami to the Left Coast.  My dad's reasoning was that if the bearded dictator couldn't keep our family apart, certainly a simple thing like Geography was not going to either.

So we moved. And my sisters kept giving birth.
My mom's gift to the new parents was a rocking chair.  "Un balancé." But really, it was kept at our house. Because it was my mom, the new grandmother, who rocked those babies.
Every Cuban baby in my family was rocked to sleep.
She would rock and sing, rock and sing, until that baby sighed deeply, which was the signal that they were asleep.

She would sing about how the beautiful baby who was born in the morning wanted to be taken to the bakery. Or the beautiful baby who was born at night wanted to be taken for a stroller ride.  (In Spanish "dia" rhymes with "dulceria" and "noche" rhymes with "coche.")  She sang about the sound the little chicks made when they were hungry and tired.  "Los pollitos dicen, pio, pio, pio. . ." 

She didn't have an amazing voice, but the rhythm of the rocker along with the sweet lullabies was incredibly comforting. (Here she is with my newborn Amy in 1983.)

When my own babies were born, it was a given that the first thing I needed (besides Agustin Reyes Agua de Violetas!) was a rocking chair, and almost unconsciously, I, too rocked and sang, until they sighed deeply and let me know they were sound asleep.
Being a mother, to me, is synonymous with holding and rocking and rocking and singing.  I would sing, too, about those hungry and tired little chicks saying, "pio, pio, pio." 

Imagine my delight to find that there was an inspired and talented Cuban company out there called Los Pollitos Dicen that had baby tee designs that captured those sweet Spanish baby sounds! (Just like the lullaby! How cute is that??)

I got to know Carrie via the internet when she Googled "Cuban baby tees" and found me and Cuba To GO!  were her competition. (I use the word "competition" very lightly.  Los Pollitos Dicen offers a unique and high quality product. I am awed by the simplicity and beauty of their designs. My stuff is more silly and fun in a more generic Cuban way. =D)  We have forged a friendship based on mutual respect and the familiarity of being raised in our inimitable Cuban culture and of being intimately acquainted with the Cuban-nagging sport of "el tiki-tiki." ;-)

I'm so proud to tell you that (our VERY FAVORITE place to shop, EVER!) Target (in their online Red Hot Shop) is featuring Carrie's onesies and bibs this week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

[WARNING: Shameless plug ahead:]

If you have a little Latino baby anywhere on your radar, or you just want your baby to be culturally hip =D, please go to this link.   

By the way, I'm still rocking and singing, but that's a story for another day. ;-)

(Note to Carrie:  you owe me leche condensada for this. =D)

Havana Surf Team Training Camp

The West Coast representatives of the Havana Surf Team (henceforth to be known as the HST)  will be in serious training all week on the beautiful beaches of San Diego, California. ;-)

I'll be bringing live reports from their training facility.

My job for the entire week is to document the adventures of the HST from paddle out to wipe out.

I will be doing lots of research on various subjects, too. Which involves a lot of READING. =D

And sadly, (=D) I won't be able to cook all week.  But I will still be directing the Team "comelatas."  ;-) (read "eat-a-thons")

If you have any questions or problems, the Home Office will be manned by AJ.
In the meantime, show your solidarity by getting your HST shirts here.

Go Team! =D

Beta testing

I do a lot of stuff.
A lot.
In case you don't already know, I have an online shop called CubaToGo! (see link on left side there).  I am constantly getting ideas of stuff I'd like to wear on a tshirt or cap, or even on a sticker or a mug.  Always related to being Cuban, because, well.... I am Cuban.  (And darn proud of it!)

So, I had this idea for a new design and I started playing with it, changing colors, typefaces and swirls.

For Lucy's birthday-party-murder-thing a few weeks ago, I changed the design I was working on ("Cubanita") to say "Beauty" and it found itself onto a tote bag, tshirt and a cd. 

This is all the stuff the girls found in their goodie bags.  I know it looks elaborate, but it was really more creative than costly. (Thanks to the dollar bins at Target and with special thanks to my sister, Ofelia, who works for Lancome and donated the mascaras & juicy tubes. Thanks, Ofie! =D)

Anyway, the girls, I found, really loved their tshirts. In fact, by the end of the night, they were all wearing them and gushing. Yes, they gushed.

And I realized I had come up with a winning design.

This is apparently known as "beta testing."  Who knew?

I just call it "trying out a new design that I would wear myself."  (but that's not important right now. =D)