I tend to feel extremely patriotic on this date in history, hence the following story and recipe.

Years ago, my big, fat, Cuban family moved to a sleepy peanut-butter-and-jelly neighborhood in Anaheim, California. Our house was at the end of a cul-de-sac where the other families had been living forever. They had their own neighborhood traditions, including a 4th of July Block Party. Life was predictable and quiet and everyone liked it that way, thank-you very much.

And then…. The Cuban Family moved in.