My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog

I Love Coffee - A Winner

One of the most fun things about doing giveaways is reading over your comments. When I do, I often wish I could give every single person who entered a prize, but sadly, that's not possible, at least today it's not.

Anyway, the way I choose a winner is I take the number of comments (excluding any duplicates) and enter that number into the True Random Number Generator on Random.org. and that gives me the number of the winning comment. It's a lot more efficient than putting all the comments into a hat, and sooo much more 2015.

The winner of the Cafe La Llave Bag of Coffee Awesome (according to the very impartial Random.org) goes to......

Congratulations, Maite!

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'll get out your coffee goodies to you ASAP. 

Thanks to all of you for participating. (Maybe I could give out gold stars for Participation?) And a great big, thank you to Gaviña Coffee Roasters for their generous donation to this giveaway. 

Disclaimer: I received a bag of coffee items like the one shown to enjoy and another to give away. I was not compensated by Gaviña to do this. I just happen to really love their coffee. Also, all the opinions are my own.

The Spamerican! Tour Surprise - A Giveaway

I was recently invited to cook with celebrity chef Sunny Anderson. I know. Shut up. Of course I was going to attend!

The surprise was that she was kicking off The SPAMERICAN!^TM Tour and would be cooking - wait for it - with SPAM^®.

FYI: The SPAM Brand invited me to the event and provided me with a gift bag like the one I'm giving away. All the opinions and text are my own. 

Do you remember the ubiquitous blue and yellow can that was in everyone's mother's pantry? Go right now and read about the 6 simple ingredients that go into each can of SPAM®. It's okay. I'll wait.

Wasn't that interesting? 

I know a lot of us Cubans from my generation remember it fondly. In fact, my mom used to make a wonderful Arroz con SPAM^®. I am not kidding. In fact, I'd forgotten all about it until I attended the event and my memory was jogged. It was like Arroz con Salchichas, but with SPAM^® instead. And it was indescribably delicious.

Full disclosure: I just haven't eaten SPAM^® in a lot of years.

That all changed at this event. 

A group of us bloggers jumped right in with Sunny as she extolled the wonders of SPAM^®.

"For many years now, I have been a fan of the SPAM^® brand; its flavor and versatility lends itself to so many different cooking styles and recipes. The SPAMERICAN!^TM Tour brings together such a unique curation of SPAM^® dishes and is a celebration of the iconic taste that Americans and chefs, like myself, have grown to love."

I guess I shouldn't have been, but I was mildly surprised that some of the younger people present had never even tasted it in their lives. And I loved seeing their faces when they tried it for the first time. It was a where-have-you-been-all-my-life look of surprise.

The entire place was decked out in all kinds of SPAM-aliciousness. 

The SPAMERICAN!^TM TOUR kicked off at our event in LA with Chef Sunny Anderson unveiling a special menu.  The truck will be traveling to popular events across the country, it will feature partnerships with local chefs.

At each of the 12 stops, fans will enjoy a signature recipe, alongside some SPAMTASTIC^TM creations from local chefs, all while experiencing a taste of the brand's fun-loving personality.

Sunny made Coconut SPAM^® Spears with Spicy Pineapple Chutney. (recipe follows) While the cooking was happening, the SPAM^® Tour Truck kept sending out the tastiest creations. Imagine a cocktail party with all the hors d'oeuvres made with a little bit of SPAM^®. 

Guys, it was so deliciously genius.

The sweet and sour fragrance of Sunny's chutney was to die for. The SPAM^® was sliced into spears, rolled in beer batter and deep fried to golden perfection.

Here me now and believe me later...they were crazy-delicious.

Coconut SPAM^® Spears with Spicy Pineapple Chutney

Ingredients

• For the Chutney
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoons mild yellow curry powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts (plus more for garnish)
• For the spears
• 1 12-ounce can of any SPAM^® variety
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup soda water, ice cold
• A pinch of salt
• Canola oil, for frying

1. Make the chutney. In a small sauce pan on medium heat add the pineapple, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, curry powder, salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook while stirring until the pot begins to bubble a bit, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Stir until smooth. Pour this mixture into the chutney. Stir to incorporate. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Once cool, stir in the scallions (remember to leave some for garnish!).

2. Prepare the spears. Fill a large pot or deep fryer with canola oil, leaving a few inches at the top. Bring the temperature to 375° F. Cut the SPAM^® in half lengthwise and then cut each half into five long spears. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, coconut, cornstarch and lemon zest. Add in the soda water and egg. Dip the spears into the tempura batter and slowly lower the battered SPAM® into the fryer. Let fry for 5 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove to a sheet tray lined with a wire rack. Serve the SPAM^® spears with a side of Pineapple Chutney.

One of the funnest parts of this event, besides cooking with Sunny, was all of the supremely clever SPAM^® merchandise from the SPAM^® Tour. In fact, I confess I'm kind of becoming a SPAM^® Snob. (Don't judge me.)

And because I love you (and the SPAM^® peeps are supremely generous) I'm doing a giveaway for a great big bag of all that is good and holy about the SPAM^® brand. Believe it.

Also, you know what's really fun to say? SPAM^®. But that's not important right now.

The SPAM BAG Giveaway is for the following:

• 1 SPAM Tote Bag
• Sunglasses (these are Eric's favorite because they're super polarized)
• Cutting Sheet
• Can Holder
• Pen
• SPAM Can Bank
• SPAM Temporary Tattoo
• SPAM Spatula (say that 3 times, really fast)
• SPAM Slicer
• Wine Glass
• SPAM Cook Book
• SPAM Apron
• SPAM Mug
• SPAM Pennant
• SPAM Pot Holder
• And a variety of SPAM product

1) To enter this drawing for the SPAM^® Bag of Fun (That's not really what it's called, I just named it that.)

Please leave a comment on this post and answer one or both of the following questions:

• Tell me what your remember about SPAM^®.
• Go to this link: SPAM^® Recipes and tell me what sounds good to you!

Please leave your comment on this post and I'll choose one winner on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 at 11am PST. 

Also, as I was writing this post I keep thinking of this Monty Python skit. But that's not important right now either. I just cracked myself up.

Celebrating Mother's Day with My People

I love nothing more than gathering around a laden table full of delicious food and my favorite people. As a matter of fact, my favorite people happen to be my kids. 

Mother's Day weekend felt like it should have a lot of those moments. But of course, I wanted to spend as much time as possible just visiting with Amy and Adam. And enjoying my delightful grandson. So I opted for a super simple (but delicious!) menu. You know my motto: "Food Should Taste Delicious."

In this case I have a favorite go-to Chicken and Pasta Bake. It takes almost no time to put together (and I cheat a little by getting a pre-cooked chicken to save time) but it has a super wow factor when it hits the table. 

I was truly craving more time to connect with everyone, including my own mom, Luza. She's 101, as you know, and I felt like time together was much more important than creating an elaborate meal.

Also, my kids were all here for the weekend and because I don't get to see the two older ones as much since they've moved, I felt like incredibly blessed and  I was, of course, crazy-happy. My whole everyone-around-the-table-fantasy actually came true. 

Celebrating our family being together was paramount. And feeding them mass quantities, I feel, is part of my job description. Keeping it super simple was Eric's only stipulation. (I tend to make myself a little crazy working super hard in the kitchen  but that's not important right now.)

Fine. I can do simple with the best of them. This weekend was a total win. I didn't cook Cuban, although I suppose I could have. But I did go Italian. Read here about my mom and the Random Italian Thing.

I ran over to Walmart and picked up some Barilla® Penne Pasta. I planned on making a simple chicken and pasta bake that's always a favorite around here.

Once it's in the oven, I have much more time to visit and hold the baby. Win.

Chicken and Pasta Bake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 3 cups cooked chicken (I get one of the roasted chickens from the store to save time)
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided into 3 cups and 1 cup)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 (16 0z) pkg. Barilla® Penne Pasta, cooked according to package directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

3) In a very large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.

4) Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until onion is slightly translucent.

5) Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.

6) Stir in milk, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

7) Stir in chicken, 3 cups cheese, salt, pepper, and sugar.

8) Stir in cooked pasta.

9) Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

10) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly and the cheese is slightly toasted on top.

Serve with warm bread and a nice green salad. 

I'm kind of feeling like this may be a new Mother's Day Tradition. The next time you have all your people with you around the table, don't forget to go simple, but delicious. 

And by all means, be kind to your mother. She lives for this kind of stuff.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

My Mother's Day of Perfection

I was feeling a little sorry for myself because Mother's Day is coming and half of my kids are scattered all over the map. See this story.

For us Cubans, as is true for most Hispanic cultures, Mother's Day is like a High Holy Day. Am I right?

Either way, I was still going to celebrate with the 2 that are still here and of course, I'll be spending the afternoon with my own mom and wearing the mandatory Red Carnation, of course.

I was still kind of day dreaming about how wonderful it would be if we could have one big dinner together. Wouldn't it be awesome if they could all be here for Mother's Day? 

It was more of a fantasy than an actual prayer, however...

Through some miracle of work scheduling and life events, it turns out that I'm going to have them all with me on Sunday, May 10th for Mother's Day. BEST. GIFT. EVER!

*does the happy dance*

Because Amy and Adam are traveling here and have other commitments and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, I'm going to be making a very simple dinner. Technically, they have no reason to object since Mami's doing the cooking anyway, but that's not important right now.

You know how much I love to cook for my family. I'm just so crazy happy to have them all here. My goal is to get the most out of the weekend and spend every last possible minute I can with them. 

I'm proud to say that I have parnered with Barilla® Pasta to make a simple and memorable Mother's Day feast. I had to keep from making myself crazy with creating an elaborate menu. And I think we have achieved simplicity here.

I got the following recipe from Barilla® Pasta. It's simple and delicious and I'm oh-so-grateful that this is a wonderful start to a winning menu. I ran over to Walmart and picked up all the ingredients pretty easily. 

I'm making spaghetti, people! *everyone cheers*

I only made one substitution - the crushed tomatoes for the whole ones.

Barilla® Spaghetti with San Marzano Tomato Meat Sauce

Preparation Time: 20 minutes - Servings:  8

Ingredients:

• 1 box Barilla® Spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 1 stem celery, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup White wine (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano Tomatoes*
• 2 tablespoons basil* 
• 1 cup water
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved

 * NOTE - I substituted 28 oz. can of Cento Crushed Tomatoes because that's what my people prefer, and added two tablespoons of basil so I could get the same flavor because the San Marzano Tomatoes have basil already added.

Directions:

1) PLACE a pot of water to boil.

2) MEANWHILE, in a large skillet, sauté the onion, carrot and celery with the extra virgin olive oil. ADD the meat and cook until browned well.

 

3) INCORPORATE the tomatoes and 1 cup of water, season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. 

4) COOK pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions. DRAIN pasta and toss with sauce. TOP with cheese. 

5) OPTIONAL: After the meat is browned, you can deglaze the sauce by adding the wine and let it reduce all the way. 

There you have a simple, crowd-pleasing, absolutely delicious meal that everyone loves. Also, I'm not going to be spending hours in the kitchen, I'm going to be spending lots of time with the ones I love best. 

And isn't that what we all really want for Mother's Day?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

The Quinceañera Story and A Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

My mom just recently celebrated her 101st birthday. (It's still weird to say that.)

As people do when they get older, she repeats stories that she particularly likes or maybe it's that the memory gets fresher as time passes. Either way, as her birthday approached, she would tell the story of her 15th birthday. 

In Cuba, as in other spanish-language countries, the 15th birthday is a Big Deal. It's the quinceañera, people! 

For her 15th birthday, which she celebrated in 1929, she received a few gifts from her mother and great aunts. This day might have been lost down the memory hole, but for the other gift that she received that day, which was this photograph.

Her gifts were that beautiful Spanish Comb in her hair and the mantilla she's wearing. She also remembers vividly one of her aunts making her a big jar of delicious homemade mayonnaise. 

This is the memory that stops her in her tracks. She gets this dreamy look on her face as she time travels back to the taste of The Best, Most Delicious Homemade Mayonnaise. It was made with olive oil and eggs and a squeeze of lemon and apparently it was to die for.

I've heard the Quinceañera and Mayonnaise story a million times. And as we were approaching her 101st birthday, I was at a loss for what to get her as a gift. I wanted it to be special. 

Wait. What if I made homemade mayonnaise?

Yes. Perfect.

I wanted to make it simple, but I wanted the flavor to be exquisite. It's a simple process, but it's also a science experiment that can quickly go wrong if the ingredients don't emulsify well. 

Luza's Homemade Mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg yolk (at room temperature - very important!)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (I went with a Meyer lemon for color and flavor)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon mustard 
• 1 cup olive oil (I used garlic infused avocado oil for a lighter flavor)
• Salt to taste (I like kosher salt)
• Container for the mayonnaise, preferably with a top, like a mason jar

Directions

1) Place egg yolk, lemon juice, water, and mustard in jar.

2) Slowly pour over olive oil and gently whisk together. I used a whisk at the beginning, but traded up to an immersion blender towards the end.

What you're looking for is for the emulsification which is a fancy word for "when it thickens up."

3) Season with kosher salt to taste. Can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 weeks.

NOTE: It came out that dark yellow color because I used a Meyer lemon and organic egg yolks which tend to have more color. The taste was worth it.

Full disclosure: The unthinkable happened. It didn't emulsify on the first round.

I HAD BROKEN THE MAYONNAISE! I collapsed into a defeated mess. After all that careful choosing of the perfect ingredients and careful blending, I had failed. *sigh*

Thank goodness for Google, my self-esteem (and the mayonnaise) were not beyond repair.

Here's a tip: If your mayonnaise doesn't emulsify, get another clean bowl into which you add 2 room temperature egg yolks and a teaspoon of cold water. 

Now, add your broken mayonnaise to that and blend away. At this point I used the immersion blender because I was starting to feel a little superstitious, but that's not important right now.

Hallelujah! It worked!

My mom loved it. She was thrilled that I remembered the story. (Which, of course, was easy, because she's told it a bizzillion times, but that's not important right now.)

The party was a great success as we celebrated her 101 years on this earth. She was surrounded by those she loves most and it was a super happy day.

Are you looking for a perfect gift for your 101 year old parent? May I suggest a jar of homemade mayonnaise? 

Hipster Baby Shower

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Over-Sharing About My Parties Week. 

As you already know, I have a beautiful grandson who was born in August. His name is Asher David-Edmund and he is a gorgeous creature that we are all head over heels in love with.

Behold the besotted grandparents:

Before he arrived, we had a really fun Hipster Baby Shower (of course!) in honor of him and his mama, which I want to overshare with you today. It was Amy who dubbed it The Hipster Baby Shower. I think because we had really different from your usual baby-shower-type decorations and food. Read on.

The Invitations

The theme for the baby's room was foxes and owls, so I created an invitation with a sweet owl design. For the life of me, I couldn't come up with a cute fox that made me happy, but that's not important right now.

I chose the tan, green and brown colors because that seemed woodsy and owlish to me. I used Photoshop (which I always do) because I like that I can add drop shadows to add a bit of dimension and texture.

Our original plan was to have the party outside in my happy backyard with all the festive flags and things. However, it happened that that particular Sunday turned out to be The Hottest Stinking Day of 2014 here in Southern California with not a breeze in sight. 

So at the last minute (as in that very morning!) I made the executive decision to bring the party inside. Yikes! Freakishly small cottage-like house, remember?

But gratefully I have a very willing and understanding staff (ie. my family) and they quickly moved furniture and set up tables and things indoors while I was in the kitchen making delicious things.

The Centerpieces & Decor

I have seen baby shower decorations that are a banner-like clothesline full of baby clothes which I love because not only is it adorable, it's quite practical for the new arrival. But I wanted to do something slightly different for this event.

Also, I had a dream before they even knew that the baby was going to be a boy.

*Insert trippy dream sequence music here*  

In my dream, a little guy in denim overalls toddled up to me and I said to him in surprise, "You're a boy!" And he responded with, "You're my Wella!" And then I woke up. And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this baby was going to be a boy. Also, you may now call me, Wella. (FYI: Abuela is the word for grandmother in Spanish. It works.)

I had a brainstorm. 

"What if..." I asked Lucy and Amy, "We got slightly larger, toddler-size clothes and stuffed them? Also, I really, really need to find some denim overalls."

They both agreed that it sounded a little crazy, but they decided to trust me. So off we went to shop for toddler boy things. And can I just say...is there anything cuter? Beside toddler girl things? (Notice the overalls, please.)

Lucy created a Welcome Asher Banner using my Silhouette Cameo.  

We added summer flowers to add a pop of color and, of course, baby's breath. (See what we did there?)

The Menu and Recipes

• BBQ Chicken Skewers
• Mini Grilled Brie Cheese Sandwiches
• Beef Empanadas
• Spinach-Strawberry Salad
• Chicken & Waffles

The menu was fun and varied and everything still tasted good at room temperature, which made me happy. (This is where some of the Hipster vibe comes in.)

I pinned most of the recipes from Pinterest. I'll add the links.

BBQ Chicken Skewers

Mini Grilled Brie Cheese Sandwiches

Beef Empanadas (I used the same recipe as my Cuban Picadillo Pies® and cut them into 4 inch rounds, folded in half.)

Spinach-Strawberry Salad

Chicken and Waffles. Yes. I said Chicken and Waffles. I know. Shut up.

• Chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A
• Eggo Mini Waffles
• Maple Syrup

I placed 2 Eggo Mini Waffles in each disposable cup. Added a chicken nugget to each one and filled a squeeze bottle with syrup so that guests could add their own.

They were the hit of the day.

Because it was The Hottest Stinking Day of 2014, we just served ice-cold lemonade which was totally perfect.

Both our families showered the new parents with love and awesome gifts. And everyone agreed that the afternoon was a great (and delicious) success.

Look at how adorable all my girls are!

The Desserts

A friend of Alysha's made the gorgeous fox & owl cake pops. How cute are they?

Because I had already cooked everything else, I opted to keep the desserts simple. 

We picked up an apple pie from Costco because that just sounded like a fun dessert. Amy ordered some mini bundts from Nothing Bundt Cakes in assorted flavors. (I know. Great name, right?) Also, we offered some tasty Madeleines, because who doesn't love Madeleines? Am I right? 

All this took place in my freakishly small cottage-like yet air-conditioned home. (Win!)

The new parents felt loved and blessed and maybe just a little bit more prepared to welcome sweet Asher into their lives.

Also, call me, "Wella." 

Celebrating Gratitude

In my family of origin we have the custom of always sending out invitations to events that people already know about and are coming to anyway. Welcome to our own special brand of crazy.

Thanksgiving is always on the 4th Thursday of November. My sisters and I are pretty much in constant discussion for weeks ahead of the party. Who will bring what? Who is coming? How many? All those details that I'm pretty sure everyone's family discusses before major events.

Now, having all this information, we dial up the planning to include invitations to the people we already know are coming. Like I said, our own special brand of crazy. But it's our crazy and we like it.

I have also been one-upping myself every year when it comes to setting the tables and creating the atmosphere for the last few Thanksgiving celebrations. Here are the links: 

Styling a Quick and Easy DIY Thanksgiving and The Cuban Hipster Thanksgiving.

I went to Pinterest (where I spend way to much time collecting inspiration and if you don't already, you should totally be following me, but that's not important right now) and found an invitation design I liked well enough to copy in my own fashion.

Also, I've been throwing a lot of parties every month for the past few months that I haven't even written about. (Imagine!) I think I'll just have to write about all of that now that I have time to sit down before the Cuban Christmas Crazy begins around here.

I am now officially declaring that this first week of December will be:

Over-Sharing About My Parties Week. (It has to be done.)

Let the Over-sharing begin!

The Invitations

Here's my preliminary sketch:

Here's the finished invitation:

I was quite pleased with how they turned out. Also, if you care about these things, the fonts I used were Market Deco and Thirsty Script, thankyouverymuch.

So, I sent out the invitations the first week of November and everyone who was able to attend responded happily. We only had 20 this year because the people who usually travel, didn't this year and the ones who trade off holidays with other families went elsewhere. It felt more intimate than usual.

If you can technically call a sit down dinner for 20 intimate. Hello? It's a Cuban thing.

Paper Chain Garlands

I know. What??

Paper Chain Garlands. I became kind of enamored with paper chain garlands this year. You know, like the kind you used to make in school out of construction paper? Only in 2014, scrapbooking is a thing and there are a bizzillion choices for decorative papers.

For my color scheme, I chose oranges and purples, with touches of green and teal blue.

And in case you've forgotten, here's how to make paper chain garlands:

1. Cut strips of paper into 8" x 1 1/2" strips.
2. Create a loop and close it with tape, overlapping just the ends.
3. Link the next paper strip into the first loop, again closing with tape and overlapping just the ends. 
4. The finished chain is determined by how much paper and effort you want to put into it.

I recruited the fam and we created and hung yards of chains in less than an hour. As you can see, I hung the Give Thanks banner we made last year. Before we even got to decorating tables the place already had a really festive air. 

The Tables

When I'm entertaining in my freakishly small cottage-like home, we usually have to move furniture to fit the tables into my front room. We're getting so pro at this, I swear. 

We remove two big armchairs, the coffee table, a side table and lamp to make room for the two 8 foot long tables we put together to seat 14. Our regular dinner table seats 6. If we have more guests we "create" a room in the back, but that's another story. Because we only had 20, we were able to host everyone in one room. (Yay!)

I was originally going to use burlap tablecloths that I found online from a place that will remain nameless because when we opened up the package it reeked of petrolium. I decided to address that problem at another time and just pulled out my classic white tablecloths (which I have in multiple sizes, but again, not important right now) and grabbed some beautiful runners from Pier One. 

I used gold chargers for the base, my most favorite white dishes from Pier 1. They're called Antique Scroll and I have been collecting a few every few weeks until I had at least 14 to set the big table with. These are everyone's favorites and because they're white I tend to get lots of great mileage from them.

Once the gold chargers and dishes were in place, it seemed purple cloth napkins were ideal to pull off the look. 

I designed menu cards to be used as napkin holders. Mostly because I did a version of them for an event last month for a completely different group. I'll blog about that one later this week. All that to say that the whole menu-cards-as-napkin-holder-thing made me really happy, so I decided to use it again.

I created them in Photoshop, using the Market Deco font from the invitation and the cute silverware graphic. 

I was not in charge of the menu at all this year so we went with a very traditional all-American menu with a few add ons. 

I printed the menus on cream cardstock and cut them in half horizontally. We folded, taped the back, and slid the napkins and silverware in each one. I liked how striking it all looked. 

The place cards were simple. Everyone's names in the Thirsty Script Font with the fork-knife-spoon graphic to the side. These were also printed on cream cardstock. (I do all the printing on my home color printer, an Epson Artisan.)

On the smaller table I used some beautiful square white plates (that totally match my other plates except for they are square!) that I found at Home Goods. (Win!)

For the centerpieces, I grabbed a few bouquets of fall flowers from Costco and hastily (read, "sloppily") trimmed and put them into gold and silver vases and threw some eucalyptus leaves down and called it good. (Don't look too closely at the centers. I have other skills, I swear.)

 The overall effect felt elegant and warm. The paper chain garlands added a whimsical touch. Very much the effect I wanted.

The Meal

We had two turkeys. One roasted, one barbecued. Both crazy-delicious.

The sides were the usual suspects. I love using the disposable chafing dishes to keep the food hot. Not as pretty as serving dishes, but when you're feeding a hungry crowd they seriously appreciate the meal served hot.

The Photo Booth

Our dear neighbor (and fabulous photographer), Rafael always generously lends us his photo-booth-making gear and we set that up in Jonathan's room with a white sheet for a background. 

Then we march each person, family, couple, kids, whoever, in front of the camera and let the magic happen. 

While informal candids will always have their place in our celebrations, I usually have a very low-light situation in the dining area, so the photo booth setup gives us the photos we are wanting with the people we care about. We have so much fun taking turns having our silliness documented forever.

Also, it's becoming more difficult for me to host and document. The photo booth takes care of that for me. Thanks to Lucy for making it happen every year.

 

Plus, my mom, Luza (yes, she's 100!) totally gets into this part of the evening because she gets to spend at least a few moments with each and every person present.

Yet another way to track the growth of the kids. All of them.

Me and my grandson, Asher. *sigh*

I'm extremely grateful that I have to get to do all of this work to celebrate the gratitude I feel for all the good things in my life. 

What a gift.

A Delicious Lesson in Frugal Living

When I was growing up, my mom used to save up all the old crusts of bread from the previous week. I can still remember the place in the cupboard for the old bread. 

On Fridays (which was also Cuban Cleaning Day, which is definitely a story for another day), she would always bake a delicious dessert. We kids never made the connection, being distracted with the business of school and play, that the delicious dessert was a result of the bread leftovers.

Furthermore, it was a money-saving measure. Feeding a family a family of 8 must have been tough.

There are many things I took for granted in my childhood that now make so much more sense. For example, my mom did the grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. So Friday night dinner was inevitably, fried eggs over white rice. (If you're Cuban, you understand the awesomeness of this.) It was because we had basically run out of food. Who knew?

Last week in a fit of enthusiasm, I picked up, not one, but two loaves of wonderfully fresh sourdough bread from a local bakery. Seriously, is there anything better than fresh, hot sourdough with real butter? See what I mean? (Thank you for "getting" me.)

Of course, if you've ever had fresh sourdough bread, you also know that it doesn't keep for very long. We managed to get through the first loaf over dinner on Day One. 

But then, we were out on the 2nd day and before we knew it, it was Day Three and that sourdough loaf was, well, not exactly fresh anymore. (I would say any fresh bread shouldn't last too many days anyway, but that's not important right now.)

As I was cleaning out the bread box, I stared at that beautiful, and untouched (if slightly old) loaf of sourdough and just couldn't toss it. I suppose I could have made croutons, but I swear, it was just too beautiful. 

So I quickly consulted my Recipe Development Dream Team, which consists of Martha, Ina, Ree, and Rachael and together they helped me come up with the following recipe. Ree wanted me to add whiskey, and Rachael insisted cayenne pepper would add just the right kick. I ignored them both with pleasingly decadent results.

I decided that Frugality is the new Decadence. (Gracias, Mami!)

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Salted Honey Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups sourdough bread, cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2) Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, then add the milk, melted butter and vanilla.

3) Gradually add the sugar and mix until dissolved.

4) Place the bread cubes in a 9 inch round baking dish and pour the egg mixture on top.

5) Sprinkle the pecans on top and slightly press them into the bread. Bake until set, about 50 minutes. (Check and give it a little more time if you need to. The pudding will set a bit more once you take it out and let it rest.)

Salted Honey Sauce

• 1 stick (4 ounces) melted butter
• 3/4 cup honey (I went with the thicker spun honey for more flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of sea salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

1) A few minutes before the pudding is done, in a medium saucepan, heat the stick of melted butter with the honey, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat, whisking to combine.

2) Whisk in the cream. Drizzle half of the warm honey sauce over the bread pudding and serve the rest alongside. 

Pat yourself on the back for being so delicously retro and money-wise.

The Random Italian Thing or Mac and Cheese for All

We're getting ready to celebrate my mom, Luza's 100th birthday in another week. And of course, as we're trying to put this thing together, we've tried to include her in as many decisions as possible.

She doesn't care much about the decorations, she says. She trusts us with those, as long as they are bright, not just one color, but all the spring colors, but no red and absolutely no black. Oh, and flowers. Lots of flowers. (So much for the trusting us part... but that's not important right now.)

There are two other things that she has a very strong opinion about.

1) Send an invitation to every single person in her address book. This was a no-brainer and obvious to us, of course. The interesting part is that the names in her address book ranged from her first neighbor in Miami back when we first arrived in the U.S. back in 1961 to her old ESL classmates from the 70's. *shaking my head*

2) When we asked if she had a preference for the food we'd be serving, she said, "Yes, I want it to be Italian."

This second feature comes up randomly and at the most bizarre moments. Of course, there's a back story...

The Random Italian Thing

When she was growing up in the Cuban port town of Manatí (read some of that story here), the big cargo ships would come in to load Cuban's main export, which was sugar and they would unload whatever import happened to be coming from Italy (of all places). It was the Italians that captured her imagination. They were from a far away place called, Napoli, and they sang songs, like "Oh, Marie," and talked in accents and fascinated the residents of Manatí, particularly the children.

Apparently the entire family was enthralled with the Italian Thing. My grandmother, Osmunda (as my mom tells the story) learned to cook the most amazing macaroni. And every now and then, as happens to all of us, the craving for the food that her mom cooked overwhelms her.

So, the menu for the party is Italian with a Cuban spin.

In honor of that, I'd love to share this recipe for the most delicious Mac and Cheese. It's pretty simple and in fact, I did a test run the day of the Super Bowl Big Game and it was a hit with everyone. My grandmother, Osmunda's secret was to use chicken broth to cook the pasta and then make it in a flat pan so that every bite has cheese and crunch. I promise you will love.

In honor of Luza's 100th Birthday and the Random Italian Thing, I give you...

 

Flat Pan Mac and Cheese (estilo Osmunda)

• 3/4 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (you'll be dividing it up)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups whole milk (must be whole for the best texture)
• 5 cups chicken broth (divided)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 oz bread crumbs. (I use fresh bread and make crumbs with my food processor. This gives it a fresher
• taste.)
• 1 medium bunch of fresh parsley
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup Fresh Mozzarella, diced into small cubes (8 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt.
3. Boil macaroni for about 5 minutes. You want it "al dente." Drain. Do not rinse. Set aside.
4. In the same large pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
5. Add flour, whisking constantly for about a minute. Add milk and chicken broth, whisking constantly.
6. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.
7. Simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Note: It won't get too thick, but it should coat the spoon.
8. Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Measure 3 cups of breadcrumbs (Pulse bread in food processor to make crumbs or use packaged crumbs) and place in a mixing bowl.
9. Add parsley and garlic to food processor. Pulse until fine, then add to bowl with breadcrumbs. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Pour butter over top and mix with spatula until combined.
10. In a large mixing bowl, toss macaroni with grated the grated Parmesan — it's ok if the noodles are sticking together.
11. Pour the milk mixture (bechamel) over the top of the noodles. They should come apart easily now.
12. Line a long, flat, jelly roll pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Spread macaroni mixture over top.
13. Distribute the diced mozzarella cubes over top. Scatter breadcrumb mixture evenly over top of those. You can add any other toppings that make you happy at this point. I like it as is.
14. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is golden and the macaroni is bubbling. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

 Also, it's not too late if you would like to send my mom a Happy 100th Birthday Greeting. Click here and feel free to leave your good wishes in the comment section.

Taking the Cake

It's not often that the entire family has the same craving at the very same time, but occasionally it happens.

The dinner conversation started innocently enough. "Best dessert you've ever had. Go!"

"Mom's Chocolate Mousse."

"The triple layer chocolate cake from the Daily Grill."

"Lemon bars."

"Pastelitos de guayaba. Duh."

"No. Wait! Remember the warm butter cake from California Pizza Kitchen?"

That's where the conversation abruptly ended. We all agreed that yes, the Butter Cake we had had at CPK was the best thing any of us had ever tasted. I actually had a childhood cake experience that came quite close, but that's not important right now.

The conversation eventually turned to: "Mom, you should make it."

And so it was that I went on a hunt for the Best Butter Cake Recipe. It turns out that CPK is not forthcoming with their recipe and that lots of people try to replicate it with varying degrees of success. And truly, there are a lot of good butter cake recipes out there. I finally found one that made me happy in my mom's old Cocina Al Minuto Cookbook. (Go figure.) 

It's called "Cake Coriente." Or, Basic Cake. (Umm...no. It's kind of fantastic. Nothing basic about it.)

So I tweaked Nitza's recipe a bit and played with the cream cheese topping. The key to the cream cheese filling is that it needs to give it the sufficient gooeyness this particular butter cake requires.

I was going to make the cake in individual ramekins, but I stumbled upon these cool mini (5 inch) springform pans at Target (here's the link) from Wilton that made me very happy. And since I was adding the cream cheese, I thought the cakes might go all cheesecake on me, so I decided these were a good choice.

Warm Cuban Butter Cake Recipe

Cake Batter
 (makes 4 - 5 inch cakes)

Start with all the ingredients at room temperature (including the eggs). If any of them are too cold, the batter and the cream cheese layer won't set up correctly.

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Layer

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

1) Spray 4 mini springform pans (or ramekins) with baking spray or butter.

Prepare the cake batter as follows:

2) In a stand mixer cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar for 1-2 minutes.

3) Add eggs one at a time and beat on low for 20 seconds after each addition.

4) Whisk flour and salt, then add to creamed mixture. Beat on low until just incorporated, making sure not to over beat.

5) Add the vanilla.

Prepare the cream cheese layer as follows:

1) In a small bowl whip together cream cheese and granulated sugar until creamed, add egg and vanilla extract.

2) Pour cake batter into prepared springform pans then top with a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 60 – 75 minutes at 325 degrees (F), or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes.

You can go ahead and make the cakes a day ahead and refrigerate. When ready to serve, microwave until hot (approximately 40 seconds). With a kitchen torch, you can brûlée the top and sides of the cake to caramelize the sugar crystals, but this is not necessary. The cakes will come out beautifully. I promise.

Optionally, you may want to drizzle with guava marmalade, which takes this dessert to another level, but that's not important right now.

I think the very best part of this entire process for me was licking the beaters.

I swear, I haven't done this for years. I may or may not have traveled back in time a bit.

Also, I promise you, there's nothing "corriente" about this cake.

The Best Baked Potato Soup EVER®

For the holidays many of us get one of those beautiful spiral hams. You set it out on your table and it always gets oohs and aahs. There's nothing like a fabulous ham. Am I right?

For Thanksgiving we served two turkeys - one smoked, one roasted, and then there was also the spiral cut ham. Because we Cubans like an abundant table.

There are a dozen things to do and make with the leftover turkey. But what, you're probably wondering, do you do with the left over ham bone? You make the Best Baked Potato Soup EVER^®. Of course.

Okay, I know you can also make a really great split pea soup, but that's not my favorite. I'll write about that another day. Right now, let's make...

The Best Baked Potato Soup EVER^®

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone with lots of visible meat
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cups water
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 5 or 6 medium-sized red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes - You can also use Russets for a heartier flavor, but they take a little longer to cook and make the soup starchier.
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 4 pieces of bacon - cooked and crumbled
• green onions - sliced
• Sour cream to taste

Directions

1) Place ham bone, diced onion, water, diced celery, salt, black pepper, and white pepper in a big pot on the stove over medium heat and bring to a boil.

2) Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the ham separates easily from the bone with a fork.

3) Remove ham from pot and shred some of the meat from the bone. Discard any fat, then return to pot.

4) Add diced potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.

5) While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Be careful not to brown or burn the butter.

6) Add flour, stirring constantly until mixture thickens into a loose dough.

7) Stir in half-and-half, stirring constantly over medium heat until it's all creamy and thick and bubbly. Careful not to scorch! When it's nice and thick (you can tell by what's on the spoon), remove from heat.

8) At this point you can remove the bone and discard. When the potatoes are tender, stir the sauce mixture into the potato pot, stirring constantly. Let simmer until the soup reaches the desired consistency. The potatoes will break down a little and add to the thickness. It's kind of beautiful. You can add milk if you want it less thick.

9) You may want to add more salt and pepper to taste at this point.

10) Top your soup with bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions, and even a little bit of sour cream.

Congratulations! You just made The Best Baked Potato Soup EVER^®!

Buen Provecho!

Sharing is caring! If you decide to make this soup, please be sure and share with me. You're welcome to post on the My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Facebook page.

Here, have some "Pi"

Do you love fall? I truly do.

Although, here in Southern California, Fall is a little schizophrenic. We have very cool and blustery days and then the sun will come out and suddenly it's just a regular beach day. It even rained one day in September. We didn't know how to act, of course. We just don't know how to "do" weather.

However, the calendar moves on and with it comes Fall and Halloween and Pumpkin Carving.

It was a perfectly cool So Cal Fall afternoon. I think it was in the low-60's. (I know. Shut up.) We had a lovely relaxed day and the kids slaved over their pumpkins. Slaved, I tell you.

We even pulled out the power tools. Pumpkin Carving is serious business around here.

They carved. I cooked. Eric was stumped on what to design on his pumpkin, so he waited and sought inspiration on the web.

Meanwhile, I made a giant vat of to-die-for Picadillo. The aroma of all that Cuban food awesomeness just made them work that much harder. It was a beautiful thing.

Look at all of these amazing creations...

Still, Eric was uninspired.

I was so proud of my Pumpkin Carvers. Full disclosure here: I drew on my pumpkin with a sharpie and my crack team of Pumpkin People made the magic happen.

This is my version of Pumpkin Spice Latte. (No offense to those folks feeding their Starbucks addiction during this season. I totally get you.)

Sometime during the afternoon, they asked if I would make a pumpkin pie. Just to get into the Fall Mood, of course.

So I baked a wonderful pumpkin pie and inspiration finally hit my husband.

See what I mean?

Deliciously Simple Pumpkin Pie Recipe

• 2 cups of Pumpkin Puree (Note: this is not the same as pumpkin pie filling. It must be puree. That is all.)
• 1- 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk (Note: this is not the same as evaporated milk. Again, that is all.)
• 2 eggs, plus the yolk of another egg (That's 3 eggs total. This recipe sure does have a lot of parenthetical comments, but that's not important right now.)
• 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (That's what it's called. Find it in the Spice Aisle. See? It happened again.)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (Use real vanilla extract. Now I'm just messing with you.)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed well)
• 1 pie crust (I like the Marie Callendar ones in the frozen food section)

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2) In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree and sweetened condensed milk.

3) Add the eggs, vanilla, spices, and brown sugar.

4) Whisk everything together until it's perfectly blended.

5) Pour into the pie crust.

6) Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then lower the oven temp to 350 degrees F and bake for another 45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Watch the crust to make sure it doesn't get too dark. You can cover lightly with foil if it looks like it's browning too quickly.

7) Cool on a rack for at least a couple of hours before serving. (It will deflate a little as it cools but that's okay.)

8) Serve alone or top with a bit of whipped cream.

We Visited Coffee Heaven and Lived to Tell the Tale

I like love coffee. It's part of my Cuban DNA.

Growing up in a Cuban household, coffee was The Staple that was ever-present. I can remember having café con leche for breakfast before school. Of course, this was back in the day when no one was calling the authorities if children were given caffeine. But I digress....

Eric's coffee preference is a strong, sweet espresso, specifically La Llave by Gaviña. Mine a deep, rich Columbian roast. My favorite is Don Francisco, also by Gaviña.

The Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Roasters invited me to come up and take a tour of their facility, which I jumped on. A day surrounded by our favorite coffee? That's the closest definition of heaven I can come to.

The tour required us wearing hairnets. And in Eric's case a "beard net." (One of my favorite words in Spanish is the one for "hairnet." It's "redesilla," but that's not important right now.)

This is me and Eric in Coffee Heaven.

How attractive are we??

I so love the long and rich coffee history of the Gaviña family and their commitment to selecting the best coffee beans from around the world. Their dedication to quality is pretty much unsurpassed.

Our tour guide, Leonor Gaviña-Valls was wonderfully knowledgeable.

Leonor Gaviña-Valls and me. I predict hairnets will soon be back in style...

Eric was decidedly beside himself that we happened to be there at the exact moment they were running the La Llave Espresso through production.

Eric and and miles and miles of La Llave Espresso.

Also impressive was the fantastic collection of coffee roasters displayed throughout the facility.

Just a sampling of the many and varied coffee roasters found at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee.

After the tour, it was time for "cupping."

Like wine tasting, cupping is the art of observing the aromas and tastes of brewed coffees. You begin by noticing the different colors and textures of the coffee, before and after roasting.

The next step is to deeply sniff the coffee grounds as hot water is poured on them.

We look so pro, don't we?

Then comes the slurping. Loud slurping. The slurp gets the coffee all the way to the back of your tongue and it fills your mouth, engaging all your senses. Again, no polite sipping here. Slurp away, people! Noisy slurping is the only way. (Obviously, this was extremely fascinating to me. I even shot a video of the slurp-fest, which I may or may not share someday. Sorry, today is not that day.)

Also, a disclaimer: I may not be articulating the cupping ritual exactly. All I remember is that there was sniffing and slurping and there was coffee and it was wonderful.

We determined that Eric really, really likes the La Llave espresso. And I really like the Don Francisco. But then, we knew that. And honestly, if we didn't already love those brands, after spending a day with the Gaviña family we would be their biggest fans.

Our cupping experience was made all that more delightful by the knowledgeable Michael Gaviña who lives and breathes coffee and walked us through all the smelling, tasting, and slurping that is The Art of Cupping.

Check out this beautiful ad with Michael and his father, Pedro Gaviña.

We finished off our day at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee exactly as we had hoped.

Ah, nectar of the gods.

A great big thank you to the Gaviña family for their kind hospitality and for a delightful day.

Also, thanks for the surprise of lovely parting gifts. Coffee heaven indeed.

You're all invited over to my house. "Estoy colando!"

If you don't already, I suggest you follow them on Facebook: Don Francisco Gourmet Coffee. Café La Llave.

 

The Birthday Adventure

Lucy's been in Hollywood for the past month. She's doing an Improv Intensive at Improv Olympics West and has been living up there during the week and coming home (briefly!) to do laundry, regroup for a day before she goes back on Sunday afternoon to prepare for the next week.

Yesterday, (Sunday) was her twentieth birthday. (I know. It seems impossible to me, too.) We were a little stuck trying to figure out how to carve time to celebrate. 

So, last week, my friend, Jana and I decided to drive up to visit Lucy mid-week to celebrate her birthday. We took her to dinner at an impossibly trendy place in the LA Arts District. (That just sounds über-trendy, doesn't it?)

But wait. Let me tell you about the LA Arts District.

It's located in what appears to be an abandoned industrial area. Lots of warehouses and chainlink fence and graffiti. Jana had found the restaurant featured on the Design Love Fest Blog and we decided it looked to be worth our time.

It's just that the "neighborhood" (I use that term in the loosest way possible) looked a little, well, "urban." (I am trying to be kind here, therefore the use of the many quotation marks, because really, the more fittingly descriptive word is "sketchy.") Maybe it just depends on the way you drive in?

But we were on An Adventure.

Eat Drink Americano

Eat Drink Americano • 923 E 3rd St #101  Los Angeles, CA 90012 • (213) 620-0781

Amid the windowless warehouses and empty lots, there were lots of beautiful cars and barely enough parking. We figured that was a really good sign. This, we concluded was one of LA's best kept secrets.

I took this photo looking from the outside in to the restaurant. Notice the graffiti-tagged decorative building behind me.

Once inside, the atmosphere, was lovely. Welcoming, relaxed, artistic, but with a bit of an urban edge to it.

The beautiful hand-lettered wall seriously took our breath away. (You know I'm a sucker for giant chalkboards, right?)

The food was a little different, definitely delicious and (to my utter delight) served on carving boards. *makes note to self to collect carving boards for her next dinner party*

The service was fantastic. I have nothing but praise for Eat Drink Americano. We will definitely return. With friends. (Just to watch the look on their faces as we make our way to the entrance of the restaurant and take in the "local decor," but that's not important right now.)

They brought my birthday girl homemade peanut butter and dulce de leche ice cream (they saved her the last scoop!) and their "Pull Me Up" - A trifle of coffee and amaretto soaked lady fingers topped with custard and chocolate ganache. (Yes. It was as amazing as it sounds.)

They put a candle in the tiramisu-like confection. And we sang, "Happy Birthday." I may or may not have wiped away a tear or two for the joy of the perfection of the moment.

My girl is 20 years old. She's already experiencing so many new adventures in her life.

I'm just grateful she lets me come along once in a while. Even if I don't quite "get it."

The Great Cronut Hunt

If you're not up on your foodie news or have not been privy to any media for the last couple of months, or maybe you've been hiding in a cave, you may have missed the Cronut Craze.

Started in New York at Dominique Ansel Bakery, the cronut is a delicacy designed by the aforementioned pastry chef in his self-named bakery. The best way to describe this delicious treat is as a cross between a croissant and a donut. (Although purists will argue that it is neither.)

Since I was going to be in New York a few weeks ago, I thought I'd get myself to this wonderful place and try these babies for myself.

However, there are strict rules to be adhered to when attempting to acquire a cronut. You must arrive at the bakery 2 hours before they open at 8am and be prepared to stand in line. There's only a limited amount of cronuts to be had each day and only of whatever flavor the chef chooses for that day. So even if you get there at 6 am (I can't quite completely wrap my brain around this), you may not end up satisfied with your ($5.00 apiece!) pastry purchase.

Getting up that early to attempt to be somewhere in NYC at 6 am was a little bit too challenging, even for a die-hard croissant/donut lover like myself. And there apparently were none to be had later (at more reasonable hours) in the day. So I came home with an unfulfilled cronut^® craving, but that's not important right now. *sigh*

Where to Find a Cronut In LA

Lucy is up in LA for 5 weeks doing an Improv Intensive, so I went to visit her the day after I got back from New York. Ulterior motive: Find the elusive cronut^® somewhere in Los Angeles.

Señor Google (along with Yelp and Urbanspoon) pointed me in the direction of DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Only they call theirs DKronuts^® so as not to be infringing on any Cronut^® trademark issues. They promised a variety and they swore that they make them fresh all. Day. Long.

Could it be true? I decided to give it a shot.

DK's Donuts • 1614 Santa Monica Blvd  Santa Monica, CA 90404 • (310) 829-2512

I drove up to Santa Monica in the afternoon and arrived at DK's around 5:00 pm. The place was empty except for one other customer, but to my great and everlasting delight, the cronuts DKronuts^® were in and there was a huge variety to choose from. *insert angelic chorus*

Cronuts. Cronuts. And more cronuts! Or lots of flavors of DKronuts...

I was floored by the variety I found in this off-the-beaten path donut cronut DKronut^® shop. I snagged a maple-bacon one, because well, bacon. And there were Cronut DKronut^® Holes, people. Genius, I tell you.

Of course I had to get a Nutella one for Lucy.

Lucy and the layers and layers of Nutella Cronut DKronut^® goodness.

They were just introducing a Guava Cronut DKronut^® the day I was there. Serendipitous.

Guava syrup and light cheesy cream in between layers of cronuty kronuty love. My day was made.

How to describe this goodness? Well, it was flaky, like a croissant. And light. Surprisingly light, like a serious French-type pastry. But with a real donuty taste. And not greasy at all, which was a happy surprise. But rich. Oh-my-how-have-I-lived-this-long-without-tasting-this rich. In other words, it's too hard to describe. Go on your own cronut hunt and join the other True Believers.

Also, you know what's fun to say? Cronut.

Coming up next week: I think I figured out how to make these beauties at home. Stay tuned.

My (Accidentally Cool) NYC Foodie Tour

 Warning: Lots of fabulous food photos and details of my Foodie trip to NYC. Proceed at your own risk.

My plan was to arrive in New York, get to my hotel and maybe explore a little bit of the Tribeca area where I was staying before my Cooking Pastelitos for 100 gig on Sunday. I was traveling alone, which doesn't bother me. It was just the getting-from-one-place-to-another that I had to figure out.

The best direct flight was into Newark (which didn't look that far from my hotel on the map), but then that left me having to find my way into the city from New Jersey.

I put the word out on Facebook, hoping that maybe some of my local New York FB friends would tell me the best way to navigate their world.

Here I am in Tribeca having a quintessential New York Minute.

Enter my amazing and generous MBFCF readers...

Arriving in the City

"We would love to meet you and pick you up from the airport."

So it was that I arrived in Newark and was greeted by sweet Christy, her husband Koe, and their beautiful daughter, Sunny. I got to spend the first leg of my trip chatting with these lovely people and bonding over our Cuban similarities in spite of living on opposite coasts.

The ride from Newark to Soho.

Our route took us through the famous Holland Tunnel, which apparently is 10 times more crowded at any other time, but that's not important right now.

We arrived at the hotel where the Rodriguez's dropped off a very tired and very, very grateful Marta. (Also, isn't that the über-cutest child you've ever, ever seen?)

The NY Foodie Tour

I'd just arrived in New York City and frankly, I was hungry. I know enough about New York that answering the "where to eat?" question was not a simple thing, unless, of course, I was willing to get corner-store pizza (I was definitely not willing). New York has every kind of food in every kind of neighborhood, some more accessible than others.

Enter MBFCF readers Mario and Michele. He is Cuban and knows how much I love Cuban food, but I also mentioned that I'd be having Cuban food all day at CCC of NY event.

"We'll pick you up and we have a great plan for the evening to make sure you get to enjoy the best NYC food experience possible."

Obviously, I was in a beggars-can't-be-choosy position here. Also, I had seen enough of their photos on Instagram to know I was in good culinary hands. Plus, they totally understood that I was all about documenting the magic at all times which, gratefully, Mario subscribes to also. So I didn't feel too weird about taking pictures of my food and uploading them to my Instagram account.

(Parenthetically, if you're not following my adventures on Instagram, you totally should. I'm Smrtqbn.)

NYC Foodie Tour Stop #1: Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Chinatown.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor • 13 Doyers Street, New York, NY 10013 • (212) 962-6047

The oldest Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. It opened in 1920. Click here for a fascinating history of Nom Wah.

It was just around the corner down a narrow and slightly scary old New York Chinatown street, just sitting there awesomely in all its slightly dive-y glory.

We started at Nom Wah with appetizers, or Dim Sum in Chinese, consisting of a variety of egg rolls, dumplings and buns. I'd never had, but fell totally in love with the Steamed Shrimp Sui Mai (top left with the green pea in the center), Roast Pork Buns (bottom left) and fried Sesame Balls.

Let me be perfectly clear (lest it appears by the photographic documentation that we had completely thrown caution to the wind and were decadently indulging our inner gluttons): We didn't eat every, single thing. We mostly just sampled so that we got a taste of everything, and also so we could have room to enjoy the rest of the food on the tour. The night, after all, was young.

NYC Foodie Tour Stop #2: Katz's Delicatessen. Lower East Side.

Katz's Delicatessen • 205 E Houston St.,  New York, NY 10002 • (212) 254-2246

The central highlight of the New York Food Experience - good, old-fashioned, New York deli food.

Katz is where the infamous "I'll have what she's having" scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed.

Also, they give you an interesting ticket with numbers that are part of some kind of elaborate deli code when you first arrive. And heaven help you if you lose this Very Important Ticket. There's a $50 fine for losing it. Don't ask me why. The ticket is then turned in when you go to pay. If you have the actual back story as to why this is a thing, please share.

So, what to order? Everything on the menu looked so tempting.

We started off with a plate of Pickled Things. Sweet, salty, and oh-so-lip-puckery. I'd never tasted pickled green tomatoes. (I guess it's an acquired taste.)

Then we ordered Katz's Deli Seltzer and Dr. Brown's Celery Soda. (Because regular soda is for sissys.)

For the main meal, we decided that the hand-cut (!) pastrami on rye was mandatory, or better yet, real kosher hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut. Or both!

Again, let me reiterate that we split all of this deliciousness. (We were hungry. We did not have a death wish.) And although the hand-cut pastrami was fantastic, I could barely finish my 4th of the sandwich. (Plus there was one more food stop after this and we had to pace ourselves.)

This particular sauerkraut was wonderful. It had just enough tang to add lots of flavor but not overpower the hot dog. Being a novice at this, I don't know if all sauerkraut is the same everywhere. I've never really enjoyed it before this, so I'm guessing Katz's features the Cadillac of All Sauerkraut.

I just have to interject here that Michele, who was driving (in New York, people!) was the Goddess of the Perfect Parking Job. She could not only find, but she managed to squeeze her mafia-sized car into any spot that any New York City street accidentally offered up. Minstrels should sing songs about her ability to maneuver a car in between two others the way she did all over the city. (You, Michele, are my hero.)

NYC Foodie Tour Stop #3: Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain. Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain • 513 Henry St.,  Brooklyn, NY 11231 • (718) 522-6260

Home of the Famous Traditional Brooklyn Egg Cream. (Which, interestingly, has neither egg nor cream in it.)

The Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain is a beautifully restored old-school 1920's soda fountain in the very gentrified Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The atmosphere was 1920's-soda-jerk cool. The service was wonderful. The egg cream truly delicious. (Milk, soda water, and some truly amazing chocolate that doesn't exist on my coast.) That's the egg cream in the next photo, on the right.)

We also stumbled upon something called a Mr. Potato Head on the menu which involved vanilla ice cream, real peanut butter, caramel sauce and potato chips. Did you catch that? Potato chips! And caramel sauce! Over ice cream! (I guess you just had to be there...)

Okay, so I had a taste and I didn't love it. But then I don't particularly love peanut butter. And I'm not a huge fan of ice cream, either. But I really loved the idea of it. Ice cream and potato chips - together at last! Genius.

This is where our tour ended for the night. I felt like I got a fantastic sampling of all the gastronomical wonders that New York City holds. Bonus: I got to spend a really fun evening with the greatest people you will ever meet.

My blog has allowed me to have some really amazing opportunities. At the top of the list of Reasons I Love Blogging would be: Spending time with the most generous and thoughtful people on the planet. That would be my Cuban Cubiches.

Thank you, Koe, Christy, Mario, and Michele. You are the reason I *heart* New York.

 Also, next time we will find that cronut. 

Pastelitos de Guayaba. For 100.

When I agreed to go to New York City to bake pastelitos de guayaba* for the Cuban Cultural Center of New York's (Centro Cultural Cubano de Nueva York) 12th Annual Congress, I was not quite sure what I'd gotten myself into.

*Pastelitos de Guayaba. n. A Cuban pastry made with a delicate flaky crust and a filling of guava and sometimes guava and cream cheese. See Refugiados.

First a disclaimer, I have made my Homemade Pastelitos de Guayaba countless times. So many in fact, I can practically do it in my sleep. Of course, that's in my own kitchen. With my own pans. And my own family to help if necessary. It's pretty simple and relatively quick, though not without some struggles - specifically, guava paste is kind of a sticky pain to cut.

When I arrived at the International Culinary Center of Manhattan by myself, I wondered if I had bitten off more pastelito than I could chew.(<--see what I did there?)

(Please excuse the graininess of the photos. All were taken with my iPhone and I was experiencing a very high level of jet-laggy-exhaustion, and I know there's an over-abundnace of "selfies" in here. Just ignore that and enjoy.)

I arrived at the International Culinary Center of Manhattan at 7:30 am on Sunday morning. I need to tell you right here how accidentally cool I felt when they opened the doors and let me into this Mecca of Endlessly Amazing Kitchens.

The agenda for the day was to explore Cuban Cuisine: del casabe al mojito and let me tell you, that's exactly how it went down. I hope to get more photos and the recipes from the other Cuban chefs to share, but today I'm just telling you about my own personal experience cooking for 100 hungry Cubans in the Fabulous Kitchens of Perfection.

They were gracious enough to pick up the items I needed from the grocery list I sent beforehand. And I set to work, unwrapping pastry and cutting up guava paste (did I mention this is the most sticky and difficult part of this endeavor?) and preparing tray after tray of Refugiados (guava and cream cheese pastries).

The biggest challenge was trying to keep the attendees from snagging the pastelitos as they cooled before my 3:00 pm presentation. Picture this: A roomful of hungry hungry Cubans. The intoxicating aroma of melting guava permeating the air with the promise of Guava Awesomeness. They just couldn't help themselves. I can't say I blame them.

I also have to interject that because the theme was Cuban food, and because the sponsors were Victor's Cafe and Goya Foods, there was no lack of Cuban Flavored Deliciousness available all day long.

In fact, it was quite an embarrassment of Cuban Food Richness as tray after tray of food came out from one kitchen after another. (I seriously have to get the photos and recipes from the other chefs. There's no way I can do any of their creations justice.)

Victor's Cafe provided lunch. And believe me, everything they served was Cuban Crazy-Awesome.

Arroz con pollo, Ropa Vieja, Fritas, Lechón, Moros, Croquetas, Ceviche. Everything was seriously, to die for.

Now, while all this fabulous food service is going on, I'm still running back and forth between the Pastry Kitchen and the one stove I could figure out how to turn on, setting my timer for 25 minutes and checking on the cooling pastelitos, which were making a giant guava mess everywhere and I was seriously starting to panic and hey! did you just take another one of my pastelitos, mister? Don't think I don't see you trying to hide it in that napkin! I was only able to peek in to the other presentations because, well,  I was baking pastelitos for 100. (I actually made something like 160, but that's not important right now.)

Once they cooled and I was able to move them over to the large tray, they looked (and smelled!) pretty presentable.

When it came time for me to give my presentation, I pretty much completely forgot everything I was going to say. (Seriously, how sad is that?) Also, my hair was crazy-kinky-out-of-control-my-God-New-York-is-so-hot-and-humid curly, which I just had to not care about and carry on.

Me in the Pastry Kitchen of Awesome with my Uber-curls.

So I just spoke from my heart. I spoke about the love I have for our Cuban culture and how I am trying (pretty successfully, I think) to pass our traditions on and make them more accessible to the next generation, which is one of the major reasons why I blog.

I completely spaced on the "here's how to make pastelitos" part of my presentation, (I know. Shut up.) so I just sort of went through the motions. I think someone actually got this fiasco all on film, but I know for a fact that none of the participants were disappointed. The proof as they say, is in the pudding pastelito.

I also took recipe cards to share, which you can download for free by clicking on this link right here. You're welcome...

Guayaba Heaven: Los Pastelitos de Marta.

Trust me. No one went hungry.

Many thanks again to the CCC of NY for the invitation and for letting me share my love of Cuban food, my heart and my pastelitos.

How to Grill an Avocado - A Simple Recipe

{Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico. The recipe is my own.}

Now that it's summer and we are eating outdoors practically every evening (on my beautiful farmhouse table, people), I'm all about grilling. Which technically means that I do most of the meal prep and toss the salad and let Eric do the heavy lifting (but that's not important right now).

He's the Master of the Grill around here. And I'm happy to let him have the honors. I still do the shopping and decide the menu, but he stands over the grill with his tongs, Master of All Things BBQ.

When we're cooking pretty much anything on the grill (and again, when I say we, I mean Eric), we keep it pretty simple. A basic Cuban garlic marinade. A quick rub. You get the idea.

But now here comes the magical part? Did you know you can grill avocados? (I'll wait just a moment while that bit of awesome sinks in.)

That's right. Avocados on the grill. And I'm going to show you how. (And you will love me.)

How to Grill an Avocado - A Simple Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe avocados
• olive oil
• sea salt
• fresh limes

1) Split the avocado, remove the pit, and brush generously with olive oil.

2) Place on a medium hot BBQ grill, cut side down for about 2 or 3 minutes. The dark skin will start to look oily and the avocado flesh will look a little charred and bumpy.

3) Squeeze some fresh lime on them and sprinkle with sea salt. Now that they're grilled, they will also keep beautifully in the refrigerator overnight. (Who knew?)

They can be filled with pretty much anything you like, but I prefer mine plain with lime, salt, and a little of my Old School Cuban Salad Dressing.

Old School Cuban Salad Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. oregano

1) Whisk together all the ingredients until well blended. Serve at room temperature. (Note: The ratio of olive oil to vinegar is roughly 3 to 1.)

I love avocados, don't you? If you have a favorite avocado recipe, please submit your creation to the Avocados from Mexico page here.

De aqui p'al cielo!

Cuban S'mores Recipe. Believe it.

We're gearing up for the 4th of July around here. And frankly, that means All-American food. Burgers and hot dogs and stuff like that.

Eric picked up a fire-bowl-thing a few weeks ago from Home Depot. He thought it might be fun to enjoy a fire in our back yard every now and then. And he was right. We're kind of loving it. 

The combination of 4th of July, hot dogs, summer, and fire-bowl-thingy just scream "S'mores!" to me.

When I was a girl scout and went on my first camping trip, "s'mores" were on the menu. I was about 10 years old and still fairly new to this country.

All of us were given un-bent (<--is that a word?) wire coat hangers and marshmallows and I followed the lead of the other girls as they put their marshmallows into the fire. What strange food ritual was I being initiated into? 

"S'mores!" They said it with such passion. What was this food that inspired so much ecstasy?

Then I tasted my first s'more. And I got it.

The passage of time has not diminished my love of the graham cracker with melted marshmallows and chocolate prepared over an open flame, but I felt like it needed something slightly different. Maybe a touch of....Cubanity? (<--is that a word?)

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to..... *drum roll, please*

Cuban S'mores Recipe!

I know you're already asking, "How is this fabulousness achieved?"

The secret is in the Marias. Maria cookies instead of graham crackers. Genius. (Deliciously genius.)

INGREDIENTS

• Marshmallows
• Chocolate bars (broken into pieces)
• Maria Cookies (You heard right. MARIAS! It's what gives this s'more its Cubanity.)

1) Heat the marshmallow over an open flame until it begins to melt and brown on the outside.

2) Place a few squares of the chocolate on a Maria cookie.

3) Place the hot, cooked marshmallow on the chocolate.

4) Sandwich with another Maria cookie. If you like the taste of more chocolate, place more squares over the marshmallow before you top with the other cookie.

5) Allow the marshmallow to cool just a bit before eating.

Come back here and tell me how much you love this.

You're welcome!

You can get Maria cookies online at the Cuban Food Market.

{Full disclosure: This idea came from one of my Facebook followers. If you are not yet part of that "relajo," please follow My Big, Fat, Cuban Family on Facebook. Who knows what they will think of next? Damn Cubans.}

About the Monkey Bread or Rule Breaking 101

My mother-in-law has a wonderful Christmas tradition. Yes, you read that right. Christmas tradition.

I know it's only June, but there's a story here which applies.

She makes the most fantastic Monkey Bread.

Monkey Bread, for the uninformed, is a beautiful thing. Simply put, it's pieces of biscuit dough dipped in sugar and cinnamon and "glued" together to create a lovely baked, caramel bread ring. Seriously. It's a beautiful thing.

So, back to the Christmas tradition thing and how it applies today...

Eric's mom and Lucy usually make the coveted Monkey Bread the day before Christmas. It's their tradition. Grandma has taught Lucy how to make it, which, I just have to tell you, I absolutely love. I love that they do this together every year. I love that it's a family tradition being passed down through the generations. I love that they share this ritual.The rule is that Lucy and Grandma make the Monkey Bread every Christmas. End of story.

Monkey Bread is, seriously, Twelve Kinds of Awesome.

For Mother's Day this year, the kids offered to make me the breakfast of my choice.

"I wish there was Monkey Bread," I said wistfully. Because, as we all know, Monkey Bread can only be made at Christmastime and here it was only May. *sigh*

You know how, when you're a parent, you say things over and over and wonder if your kids are even listening? I think that one of the most satisfying parental moments are when my kids quote me back to myself.

"Mom, you know, there are no rules." (Let me be crystal clear: I absolutely believe in rules. But I also believe that in order to break the rules, you have to first know how to apply the rules. I usually say "there are no rules" when referring to holiday traditions and expected cultural norms, but that's not important right now.)

Picture the light bulb above my head turning on as the realization slowly hits me. "You mean...I could... have Monkey Bread? For Mother's Day??" (That's right. It was totally a double question mark moment.)

Monkey Bread! And it's not even Christmas! Get out!

There are no rules.

So I had a fabulous Mother's Day breakfast. With Monkey Bread. And I was delighted and oh-so very satisfied.

And there was Monkey Sauce.

The Monkey Sauce was a happy accident.

We had Monkey Bread! And Monkey Sauce! And it wasn't even Christmas! Because there are no rules!

Here's the Darby Monkey Bread Recipe with Lucy's tweaks. And her Accidental Monkey Sauce^®.

Read. And love.

Darby Monkey Bread Recipe (with Accidental Monkey Sauce^®)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury^® Grands!^® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup melted butter

1) Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2) In large plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

3) Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters.

4) Shake in bag to coat.

5) Arrange in pan. If you choose to add walnuts, do it now and add in-between the biscuit pieces.

6) In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.

7) Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown. The center should not be doughy. 

8) Cool right inside the pan for about 10 minutes.

9) Turn upside down onto serving plate.

10) Pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Accidental Monkey Sauce^®

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter

1) In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together until you have a rich, warm sauce. Serve warm. Pour over your finished Monkey Bread. What a happy accident!

By the way, Lucy also made the Monkey Bread with Accidental Monkey Sauce^® for Father's Day. Because, well, you know....

There are no rules. (You may quote me.)

“There are no rules.” -Marta Darby