My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog

Cooking on a Budget - Pastelitos de Guayaba

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have perfected the simplest recipe for making pastelitos de guayaba (Cuban guava pastries) at home.

Porto's, which is the closest Cuban bakery to us is still miles and miles and a half day's road trip away. So, when the craving for pastelitos hits, I just make my own. It happens a lot more often than I'd care to admit, but that's not important right now.

The pastelito recipe is in my cookbook, of course, which, if you don't already have it, you should get it, because you're being supportive and everything. (Was that the weirdest, clunkiest sentence ever? Yes, it totally was.)

Me and my cookbook. Photo Credit - TRProz.com

Anyway, my good friend, Carlos de la Vega who is one of the co-creators of the show "Wassup En LA?" and is a whiz with graphics and video has recently been a bit obsessed (in a good way) with making my pastelitos at home. 

'Wassup En LA?' co-creators Rudopho Zalez and Carlos de la Vega crushing on their copies of "My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook."

So much so, that he has created a most awesome video sharing the ease and magic of how to make your own DIY pastelitos de guayaba a la Marta. Also, here's the recipe:

Marta's Homemade Pastelitos de Guayaba

This is the first in what promises to be a really fun cooking series, "Cooking on a Budget. How to make Pastelitos de Guayaba."

Please notice my Naturally Curly Self at about the 1:18 mark. (Thanks for the shout out, Carlos!)

You didn't really believe homemade pastelitos were this impossibly easy, did you?

There's probably other things you don't know about Cuban Cooking. Don't worry. I'm here to help.

Click on the image for the link to My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook. Buen Provecho!

My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook for Christmas

If you'd like to own your very own copy of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook; A celebration of Cuban-American life around our family table or (even better!) would like to give it as a gift, my publisher, Blurb Books is offering a very nice promotion right now.

25% off with the promo code: BLURBGIFT-1 at checkout.*
Here's the link: MBFCF Cookbook

What are you waiting for? Merry Christmas to YOU!

Or, if you prefer...Feliz Navidad!

*Offer valid through December 15, 2013 -11:59 pm PST

Seven Years. (MBFCF Giveaway WEEK!)

 

You know that I'm all about celebrating.

Big events. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Summer. Dinner. I believe in celebrating. Often. And well.

Today marks my 7th anniversary here in this space. SEVEN.

My big, fat, Cuban family is 7 years old today. And so I'm celebrating. *fires off the confetti canon*

But first you have to sit through the usual recap of my 7 years in the Blogosphere. 7 years, people! I totally deserve a party. Or at least a recap. But before the 7 year recap, how about a celebratory video?

Yes, I think a video would be perfect. Enjoy!

Did you know I also have a YouTube Channel? I know. The over-sharing never ends.

Also, if you're following me on Instagram, you'd recognize that most of my life takes place at #CasaDeLaLoma. I'm Smrtqbn, by the way. (See what I did there?)

Year One. October 1st, 2007. I was delighted to have found my voice and an audience.

Year Two. October 1st, 2008. I was taking care of my family and sharing the stuff I had cooked. And people liked it. Who knew?  I also wrote a cookbook that year, which gave me something to give away. And so the giving away commenced in earnest.

Year Three. October 1st, 2009. Three years? I was amazed that I had been able to keep at it for so long. And I fell in love with you, my readers. Always kind and ever gracious. I felt like I had won the lotto.

Year Four. October 1st, 2010. I could have graduated from an institution of higher learning with a degree. Bachelor's in Bloggology?

Year Five. October 1st, 2011. It was a rough year, filled with some physical challenges, but then I became the "little Cuban that could" and just kept right on writing. (<--That last bit took tremendous grammatical focus, as do most of my blog posts, but that's not important right now.)

Year Six. October 1st, 2012. Six years. Add lots of great experiences and some amazing blog-friends later, I was still standing. Seriously so much to celebrate.

Which brings us to today.

Year Seven. I am so very grateful that I get to write and you are still there, reading and sharing your lives with me. You get my sense of humor and you seem to enjoy my writing style.

I have met so many of you in person and I'm always amazed and humbled by your enthusiastic response to whatever silly things I'm up to. I enjoy hearing from you on Facebook and Twitter and (even if I don't respond right away) I love receiving your emails.

And yes, of course I'm going to get to the giveaway, but first I want to say thank you. I would not be doing this at all if it wasn't for my awesome online and (for some of you) now real life friends.

Thank you. From the bottom of my big, fat, Cuban heart. Seriously. Thank you.

You may have noticed that I've changed up the banner up on top there and added color. It makes me happy and I hope you'll enjoy the things I've got coming up this year.

I have so much to celebrate!

In fact, I'm going to be celebrating ALL WEEK. From today, October 1st, 2013 through October 7th, 2013.

Seven glorious days and seven fun-filled nights of celebrating that I've survived and possibly even thrived right here on the internet. For this next week I've lined up some wonderful Cuban friends that I've met because of my blog who have graciously agreed to sponsor some very cool giveaways every single day for the ENTIRE WEEK to celebrate each of my SEVEN bloggy years.

I can officially call this MBFCF Giveaway Week! (7 days and all that...) Yay!

To kick things off - here's MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway #1

My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook

An autographed copy of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook. I know. Shut up.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win my cookbook and please answer the following question:

• When and how did you find My big, fat, Cuban family?

I'll choose a winner at the end of MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway Week on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 at 11 am, so you have lots of time to enter.

Thank you again and let the celebrating begin!

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*

Fricase de Pollo Recipe - a lo Cubano

As you know, I've recently been participating in Mizkan's™ Cooking Challenges. See here and here.

To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15), we were asked to share a recipe from our country, or "Receta de Mi Pais." 

For this challenge, I chose to enter one of my family's favorites, Fricasé de Pollo.

The Original Story* about the Fricasé de Pollo goes like this:

The first time my husband (then boyfriend) was to meet my big, fat, Cuban family, my mom made what we would consider a regular (albeit wonderful!) Cuban meal.

I spent days and hours preparing Eric for the meet and greet. I explained our customs, our politics, what topics were allowed and what NOT to bring up. I could have written a complete guide to meeting the Cuban girlfriend’s parents.

In fact, I still may. I think I’ll call it - “Huat to Especk if Ju Don’ Espik Espanish.” 

I coached him on what to say to my dad. I told him how he was expected to treat my mom. I told him our island history and my family history. I told him the number and names of all my siblings and their offspring.

I explained that if all else failed, to just nod and smile. I thought I had told him everything he needed to know.
For the dinner, my mom made a typical Fricasé de Pollo.

So it surprised me, after he passed the Cuban Family Review (with flying colors, of course), when he said:
 

“You didn’t tell me your mom was an amazing gourmet cook.”

“Umm… she’s not. She’s just Cuban. Like me.” 

 He proposed just a few days later. =D

*posted on Babalú blog on August 9, 2007

Fricasé de Pollo Recipe a lo Cubano 

(This recipe works well for both slow cookers and pressure cookers)

The challenge was to use one of the Holland House brands in the recipe. I chose Holland House White Cooking Wine. 

 

• 3-4 lbs. Chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. cumin
• garlic powder
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cups red potatoes, cut into cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 packets Goya® Sazón Completo
• 1 1/2 cup Holland House® White Cooking Wine
• 1 cup Bitter Orange Juice* (see recipe below)
• ½ cup green olives (stuffed with pimientos)
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 bay leaves

1. Make the sofrito by sautéing the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the onion is translucent.
2. Season the chicken pieces with cumin and garlic powder.
3. Add chicken back into the slow cooker or pressure cooker along with the rest of the ingredients.
4. In the slow cooker - cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5.
5. In the pressure cooker - cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
6. Serve over white rice.

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to promote Mizkan cooking wines, vinegars and marinades. I also received samples of Mizkan’s Holland House, Nakano and World Harbor brand products and promotional material from Mizkan to assist in preparing the posts. All opinions and recipes in this series are my very own.

* Bitter Orange Juice (Naranja Agria) Recipe

If you can’t get bitter orange juice in your area, it is just as easy to make your own:

 

• 2 parts orange juice
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1 part lime juice (I love using the little key limes for the taste.)

This is an ever-so-Cuban marinade for chicken and pork.

By the way, have I told you how much I love my digital pressure cooker? I do. I love it. ;-)

  

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.

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

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

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

martacperez@gmail.com said...

Congratulations! I love your Cuban recipes.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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)

Hey! I wrote a cookbook!

Today on the Tiki Tiki I share my very favorite Latin cookbooks.

As I was finishing the post, Adam came in with an ingredient question from one of my own recipes. At which point I remembered that hey! I wrote a cookbook, too! Yes, with my Cuban recipes. (Shut up. I know.)  ;-)

Perhaps the badge in my sidebar isn't quite as obvious as I originally thought. Hmm....

So, in case you missed it....

Hey! I wrote a Cuban cookbook! =D

It's the one that has the photos of all my family on it. And it's called My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook. (How's that for originality?)

Do you have a favorite cookbook? Tell me.

Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos or What Cuban Music Heaven Looks Like

We live about an hour south of Los Angeles. (That's how you calculate distances here in Southern California; by how long it takes you in traffic to get from one place to another.)

This is a wonderful thing because that means that we can go see shows in L.A. but not have to live there. See what I mean? Win-win. ;-)

And when summer begins the first thing we do is look to see who is in concert, because if there's anything we love, it's summer concerts. (Okay, we love any kind of a live show anytime of the year, but that's not important right now.)

Imagine my surprise and delight when Amy invited me to go see Andy Garcia and the CineSon All-Stars at the Conga Room in L.A. (Okay, let's just have a moment of silence in reverence. Thank you.)

Andy.
Andy Garcia.
Who has his own category on my blog because, well, he's Cuban and he's so cool. *Ay Dios mio!*

Here's Andy on cowbell.

And yes, I took this picture.

Notice how it's close-up.

How there are no heads in front of him obscuring the shot.

How it looks like it was taken from (where we were sitting) FIVE. FEET. AWAY.

Amy invited me to go because:
1) She enjoyed his music so much the last time she saw him and
2) I'm kind of a big fan. (I know. Total understatement. Shut up.)

So we got to the Conga Room early thinking we'd have to line up and maybe push some people around to get a good seat. Okay, not really, well, I may or may not have done that, but that's not important right now, either. =D

Anyway, relieved that we didn't have to manhandle anyone and because I lead a charmed life, we were able to get two seats IN THE FRONT ROW DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ANDY and where he would be bongo-ing and cowbell-ing and piano-ing for the next two and a half hours. (Shut up. I KNOW!)

The show was fabulous. If you have not heard the CineSon All-Stars do yourself a favor and get their music or better yet, go see them live.

I was seriously in Cuban Music Heaven.
Apparently, so was Andy. *sigh*

Of course we danced! When a Cuban conga starts, who can stay in their seat? Seriously!
And being in the first row gave us lots of room. =D

"Abre que voy!"

He played some of the hauntingly beautiful music from The Lost City.

And of course, a tribute to the Master, Cachao.

We had the BEST time.

We sang-along. We laughed. We danced. We clapped. We started the conga. (=D) We cheered for a Free Cuba.

Much to my everlasting delight, he winked at us and smiled at us and at one point even stuck his tongue out at us. (I know. Shut up. I'm guessing it was a purely defensive move: "I should be nice to those two noisy Cuban women in the front row directly in front of me, lest they get a little crazy.") =D

But do you know what kept going through my mind during the entire show?

Besides, "More cowbell, por favor!"...

This Cuban man should sooo have a copy of my cookbook!  ;-)

My Big, Fat, C...

A celebration of Cu...

By Marta M. Darby

Book Preview

Cuban guys can COOK - part 2

My very first post, which I wrote on October 1st, 2006 was titled Life on the Hyphen. 

That also happens to be the title of a wonderful book by one of my very favorite authors: Gustavo Pérez Firmat. In fact, if you look over to the right you'll find a couple of his books under Smart Cuban Authors.  Seriously. He's just brilliant.

So imagine my surprise and delight to find that he and his lovely American wife, Mary Anne often come over here to visit My Big, Fat, Cuban Family and are cooking Cuban food using......wait for it.....

My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook!  (I know. Shut up.)

Gustavo and Mary Anne Pérez Firmat enjoy pastelitos made from my recipe. (shut up!)

Hi Marta,
Thank you  for your wonderful cookbook.  I've been cooking my way
through it.....I really like using the crockpot.  It saves so much
trouble and makes ropa vieja like a dream!....
Our best to you and all of your wonderful family for the holidays. 
You are an inspiration to me.

Mary Anne Perez Firmat

(emphasis mine - I thought it was ironic because he's an inspiration to me, but that's not important right now.)

Thanks, Gustavo and Mary Anne! As always, make yourselves at home here at MBFCF. My blog casa is your blog casa.

Can someone please get me some sandpaper?  (Pa' darme lija!)   ;-)

Cuban guys can COOK

My friend, Val (from Babalú blog) sent me the following story:

"Henry was at my house on Sunday for the Dolphins game and mentioned that he’s on a list serv for his graduating class at Belen. Basically, it’s a net  service where men from that class post links and communicate with each other.  Someone had mentioned on the list serv about Cuban food and missing pastelitos de guayaba as he lives up north somewhere where there’s no Cuban food and Henry posted your pastelito recipe to the list serv.
 
He says that a bunch of those guys – mind you, Cuban, professional men that have no idea what a kitchen is actually for – actually made the pastelitos and not only loved them, but found themselves talking about and trading “pastelito baking tips” on the list serv.

It's all your fault they're all acting kinda gay."

Then, Henry (also from Babalú blog) sent me the actual thread:

From: Henry Louis Gomez
Subject: Re: [belen87] Pastelito Recipe

Here's your quick and easy pastelito recipe courtesy of Marta Darby of Babalu Blog:
http://www.babalublog.com/archives/008056.html

From: RD
Subject: Re: [belen87] Pastelito Recipe

Thanks for the recipe - it looks totally do-able ( and I can get the Ancel Guayaba here...)  It is clearly a Cuban cook, with the manicure and the bracelets while she cooks.....
R

From: Henry Louis Gomez
Subject: Re: [belen87] Pastelito Recipe

Marta Darby is one of the sweetest people in the world.  She lives in California and thus she's had to become an expert in Cuban cooking just to be able to eat.

From: Jorge C.
Subject: Re: [belen87] Pastelito Recipe

Awesome recipe (I had to try it out).


From: RD
Subject: Re: [belen87] Pastelito Recipe

Boy, the tone of this list has taken a post-election turn.  
Now we're exchanging recipes....  
R

OMG!  Isn't that AWESOME???  I just about wept because I was laughing so hard picturing the Cuban men exchanging "pastelito baking tips."  And I especially LOVE that one of them included pictures of his final product!

(BTW, my pastelito recipe can be found here.)

But there's more... from Amy Arnaz upon receiving my cookbook:

"Desi saw it just now and loves it! Tomorrow I'll take the picture and send it to you.  There are a few recipes in there that his Dad always made and we never really knew how to make them."

(NOTE: emphasis mine. BTW, Mrs. Arnaz, who is a lovely ballerina, has a blog called Insights from the Magic Tutu. Go visit her and tell her Marta from MBFCF sent you.)

To me, those were the very BEST compliments I could receive.  I often say that I'm not a "foodie" or anything, I'm just Cuban and I cook.  My goal is to make easy, delicious, Cuban-tasting food.

If I can get people (that is, Cuban professional men!) to connect to their Cuban roots by way of their stomach I feel like I've done a good job.  That Desi Arnaz, Jr. is able to connect with memories of his Dad in this way "puts the lid on the jar" for me.

Which is why I'm framing this picture and putting it in my kitchen:

Desi Arnaz Jr. (*sigh*) enjoys MBFCF Cookbook.

Well, okay, that... and because he's still so dang ADORABLE!    (Hi Desi! Besitos!!)

I'm making baby-back ribs today using the pimentón I just received.
Get yourselves over to Babalú blog for some Costillitas de Martica.

And be sure to tell any Cuban guys you know that I have a cookbook. ;-)

My Big, Fat, C...

A celebration of Cu...

By Marta M. Darby

Book Preview

Now.... can anyone tell me how to get a hold of Andy Garcia??? (hint, hint)  =D

People are talking...

You know I sent out a few of my cookbooks earlier this month - to the MBFCF 2-Year Blogiversary Winners and of course, to my darling Desi Arnaz, Jr. (sigh). 

This is what the recipients had to say about My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook:

Hi Marta,
 
The cookbook arrived this morning! I am so excited! It is gorgeous. I love all the photos and the family stories. You have such a lovely family. I can't wait to try some of the recipes.

Abrazos,
Annette

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

Wow! Great job on the book Marta! It is AMAZING, I'm not kidding you. The stories that segue into the recipes...the recipes themselves...some oldies but goodies and some I never woulda thought of like the guayaba and cream cheese torrejas??? What kind of genius came up with THAT one?? By the way, the day I received the book, I was boiling a can of condensed milk to make dulce de leche and I fell asleep and about an hour an a half later...BOOM! Racka, racka, racka, hissssss, hissssss.....(Mind you I thought my daughter had gotten home in a bad mood and kept sleeping) and then the horrific smell of smoke and burnt dulce de leche...ayayay...anyway, a few hours of cleaning later I sit down to read your book and there is another genius idea of CROCKPOTTING your condensed milk...nope, not me, I go the "blow up the house" route instead. Anyway, thank you so much for taking me down memory, early exilio lane and for picking me to win your book. Believe it or not, I was hoping for the apron, but this is SO much better...thanks Marta, your da bomb!

Posted by: Kiki Bacaro | October 12, 2008 at 04:54 PM

By the way, any ideas on how to get dulce de leche off of my popcorn ceiling:/ ?

Posted by: Kiki Bacaro | October 12, 2008 at 04:56 PM

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

Marta!
Got your book out of my PO Box this afternoon....Wow!  I love
everything about it. Recipes.  Photos.  And you have a daughter
named Amy too!
Desi saw it just now and loves it!  Tomorrow I'll take the picture and
send it to you.  There are a few recipes in there that his Dad always
made and we never really knew how to make them.  I guess I'll be
a busy lady for the next month trying out all of the recipes.  I'm
Polish but am becoming a good Cuban cook.
Thanks a bunch.  You're a doll.

xoxo Amy

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

(emphasis mine. =D)

I just thought you should know.  ;-)

Get yours by clicking on the link below:

My Big, Fat, C...

A celebration of Cu...

By Marta M. Darby

Book Preview

Speaking of Cuban heart-throbs...

Before there was Andy.... (insert heart flutter here)

There was Desi... (sigh)

That's right.  Desi Arnaz Jr.  (be still my foolish heart...)

Proud and handsome descendant of Cuban Royalty, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball (let's have a moment of reverent silence here - thank you). 

MY Desi. (heavy sigh) My First True Love. (in my 12 year-old mind, we were MFEO. "made for each other." =D)

THE Desi of my elaborate he's-Cuban-and-I'm-Cuban adolescent daydreams.  The would-be recipient of my Dear Desi letters (that I wrote only in the absolute privacy of my very personal pink-with-a-lock-on-it-we-all-had-one Diary, but that's not important right now).

Ah, Desi.... (heavy sigh.)

So imagine my surprise and delight when I received the following comment on one of my posts...

...............................................................................................................................................

Love, love, love your Big Fat Cuban Family blog. Found it by accident and can't wait to show it to Desi.
Muchas gracias!

Amy Arnaz

Posted by: Amy Arnaz (Mrs Desi Arnaz Jr)

..............................................................................................................................................

WHO??  And did she really say, "...can't wait to show it to Desi." ???

THE Desi?
MY Desi???

Feeling emboldened, I decided to send him a token of my unfailing love and devotion...

 

Sorry, Andy.  It had to be done. 

"The course of true love never did run smooth." 

~ Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

DISCLAIMER:  Just to let you know that I'm not as stalkery as all this sounds, I've exchanged emails with the lovely Mrs. Arnaz and she responded with the following:

"Yes, Marta, please blog me and also send the cookbook!  And autograph it
with kisses to Desi.  He'll love that!  He has taught me how to make alot of
Cuban dishes that he remembers from his father."

Emphasis is mine. And I am nothing if not obedient. ;-)

SHUT. UP!   =D

***ADDENDUM 10/7/08:

For the record, the Little Ricky seen on I Love Lucy is not the same person as Desi Arnaz Jr., although he is an incredible drummer in his own right - There is however, an amazing corrolation in their lives. Read that unbelievable story here.

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)

Smooth.

Picture this:
It's a super hot summer day and you're craving something sweet and icy cold, that is both filling and refreshing.
And you're getting a little nostalgic for the nearly perfect summer days of your island youth.
And you're 3,000 miles from the nearest Palacio De Los Jugos.
There's only one answer for this little dilemma:

Un Batido de Mamey
(a sort of Cuban smoothie made with the pulp of the mamey fruit which is not typically found in the U.S.except for in Hispanic markets - in the frozen food section - and is hard to explain, but just trust me when I tell you that it's a truly fabulous taste treat.)

 

You can find my recipe today at Babalu Blog. While you're at it you can find My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook here.
I know that was a shameless plug, but it was pretty smooth too, don't you agree? ;-)

My Big, Fat, C...

A celebration of Cu...

By Marta M. Darby

Book Preview

Lookout Rachael Ray!

Kikita here.

I've got exciting news!

After weeks and weeks (and weeks) of pressure, Mami finally cracked!  She gave in and started working day and night on organizing a cookbook.  Yes, you read that correctly, MY BIG, FAT, CUBAN FAMILY COOKBOOK is now a reality.
(Lookout Rachael Ray!)

It's full color and just gorgeous.  No, it's not every single recipe she's posted at Babalú Blog, but it's 25 of the best and brightest and it's full of the colorful love and life that makes her recipes so special.

We will be bringing a few (soft cover) copies to sell at Cuba Nostalgia (and I'm sure we can peer pressure her into signing them too!) so you can get your copy there OR you can click on the link below and order yours TODAY!

My Big, Fat, C...

A celebration of Cu...

By Marta M. Darby

Book Preview