January 09, 2012

The Best of MBFCF in 2011

January 09, 2012/ Marta M. Darby

It's that time of year when I look back and see what has transpired in my life this past year. And it's moments like this when I realize how grateful I am that I started blogging.

Here's a time capsule look back at 2011 - MBFCF style. I also did this for 2010 and 2009 and I'm so glad I did. It's quite a compilation of stories I've got going on here. Do I sound surprised? The truth is, I sort of am.

If you're a regular reader, I thank you for hanging out here and keeping up with the "relajo" that is my online life here at MBFCF.

If you just recently joined the party, the following posts will give you a glimpse of what life is like here in my cyber-world as I walk you through my favorite posts over the last year. Welcome!

And if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook, please go "like" My Big, Fat, Cuban Family there.

Without further ado....here's the best of MBFCF for 2011. (NOT 2012! Not yet, anyway...)

1. An Historical Day - In which I celebrate my sweet Desi Arnaz Jr.'s birthday. *sigh*

2. On a clear day, you can see Havana - In which I tell about my Dad's amazingness as a storyteller on what would have been his 100th birthday.

3. El Bix - A Cuban cure for all that ails you - In which I celebrate the magical properties of Vicks VapoRub.

4. For the love of guava.... - In which I discover (thanks to a dozen or so online friends) the amazingness of Conchita GuavaBites!

5. The Hawk Walk - in which my three men have a wonderful adventure together involving a hawk named Mariposa.

6. Always Right - in which my kids hijack my blog on Mother's Day which leaves me in a puddle of tears.

7. N-E-S-T-L-E-S ... A Giveaway - in which I get to bake in the Nestlé Kitchens and was out-of-my-mind excited to be making REAL Nestlé Tollhouse Cookies in the Nestlé Kitchens. I know. Shut up.

8. It's a Small (Cuban) World, After All - in which my daughter, Amy Kikita and I inadvertently meet up with some long lost relatives.

9. How to make Cuban coffee with KILLER espuma. You're welcome. - In which my daughter, Amy Kikita reveals her secrets to making espresso.

10. Cooking with the Troops or Meet Team Cubanaso - the absolute highlight of my year, in which my big, fat, Cuban family and I fly to Texas and get to make a Cuban Nochebuena-style lunch for 300 wounded warriors and their families.

11. Fricase de Pollo - a lo Cubano - in which I continue my quest to share my love of all Cuban food.

12. Cuando Sali de Cuba - stories of courage and hope - A series I began for Hispanic Heritage Month (Cuban Style) in which ordinary people show extraordinary courage as they began new lives here in the U.S. I'm quite proud of this. And by the way, if you have a "coming to America from Cuba" story to share, please email me.

It's funny, but I sometimes wonder if anyone is reading my blog (statistics tell me you are, but that's not important right now) and if anyone cares about the silly things I write about. But there is one thing I know for sure and that is that I'm so happy that I've documented all of these stories, both mine and yours, and all of the happenings of this past year (technically, years - I've been blogging for 5 - count 'em!- years now).

MBFCF has become my personal legacy, and of that I'm quite proud. (Get the sandpaper! Pa' darme lija!)

Happy New Year!

May 30, 2011

N-E-S-T-L-E-S......A Giveaway

May 30, 2011/ Marta M. Darby

When I was a kid, it was a given that Nestlés made the very best choc-olate. If you're over a certain age, you're totally singing that in your head, aren't you? You are. It's true. Embrace it.

Imagine my delight to be invited to spend an entire day in the Nestlé Kitchens!

They invited me and a few other Latina Bloggers for an amazing lunch. To read the recap from Nestlé's point of view, click on this link from the Meals: from Nestlé Kitchens.

We were given a menu listing the following:

Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Cocoa-Spiced Pecans
Shrimp Ceviche
Moroccan Quinoa
Nestlé Abuelita® Enmoladas
Marinated Flank Steak with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
Original Nestlé® Toll House® Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies*
Berry Delicious Fruit Snacks
Wonka® Chocolate-filled Strawberries
Lemon and Berry Parfaits

And were then invited to put on some aprons and join Chefs Chris Garboski and Ani Simón in the legendary Nestlé Kitchens to help create this delectable feast.

* I volunteered to help bake the cookies. Recipe and details of how I ended up on Cookie Detail follows. =D

I'm sure they didn't know what to expect when they met us. "Us" included myself, Liz from Thoughts of a Mommy, Dariela from Mami Talks, Ericka from Nibbles and Feasts, and Catalina from Greenery in Mommyhood. But, when you get bloggers and mothers and foodie-types in a kitchen working side-by-side to put a meal on the table there's an instant familiarity that's formed.

I was lucky enough to get Chris Garboski, Manager of the Nestlé Kitchens to myself to help make the Classic Nestle Toll House Cookies. (I may or may not have knocked over a few people when it came time to volunteer for this, but that's not important right now.)

But, hello?! I have been baking Nestle Toll House C0okies since I first learned how to read in English and I laid eyes on the recipe on the back of that famously familiar yellow and brown bag.

Besides, there was also an iconic RED Kitchenaid Stand Mixer involved in this process.....I could barely help myself. ;-)

We made the Toll House Cookies with DARK Chocolate Chips which may not be available everywhere yet, but Chris mentioned they had them at WallMart, so there's that.

What was so cool about baking with Chris, whom I will from now on refer to as the Goddess of Nestlé Kitchens (or GNK), is that she gave me some great tips for getting the BEST cookies.

Thing 1) Use an old-school uncoated flat cookie sheet. Nothing with a lip or dark coating. The cookies will not turn out right. In fact, they will burn! To illustrate this point, she made me bake a few on a one of those dark, coated cookie sheets and they were burned to a crisp. After I got over the trauma this caused me, (I burned cookies in the Nestlé Kitchens!) I was glad she taught me that lesson.

Thing 2) Although the original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, Chris explained that using just one will make the cookies rise just enough to give them the perfect texture and it wouldn't hurt the taste at all. (She was totally right.)

Thing 3) Using a mini scooper device (not as big as an ice cream scoop) makes cookies that are just the right size.

Thing 4) Reserve a quarter cup of the chocolate chips and add them to the cookies once they're already on the baking sheet in a food-stylist way. Gently push a few of the chips morsels into the cookies just before baking.

Perfect. I know.

Okay, so here's me making the classic Nestlé Toll House® Cookies in the Nestlé® Kitchens. I know. Shut up.

And here's the recipe for the BEST Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (This is different from the recipe on the package, remember.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet (or Dark, if you can find them) Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375º F.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate morsels (and nuts if desired).
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.
Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I loved everyone at Nestlé. I loved baking in their kitchens and sharing the day with my fellow bloggers and the knowledgeable Ani and Chris.

If that wasn't enough, they sent us home with a fabulous gift basket full of all kinds of Nestlé goodies. (There's some La Lechera products in there that are not visible here, but which, just trust me, I got into right away.)

So, what does this mean to you?

Well, The folks at Nestlé have generously offered to send one of these Amazing Baskets of Nestlé Fabulousness to one lucky MBFCF reader. (Yay!)

So, for a chance to win a basket like the one pictured above, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or both of the following questions:

Do you like to bake?
What's your specialty?

I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, June 1st at 6 pm Pacific Time.

(I'm going to suggest that you "like" Meals: from Nestlé Kitchen on Facebook. I promise that they have the best recipes EVAH!)

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a basket of goodies and got to cook in the Nestlé Kitchens, plus a basket to offer as a giveaway. The opinions about Nestlé and their products are my own.

May 29, 2011

Marta's Birthday Month®

May 29, 2011/ Marta M. Darby

I know.

Everyone else celebrates their birthDAY. And some clever folks even celebrate Birthday Week, which I did, too, until I said to myself, "Self, we should try to see if we can drag out this birthday celebration stuff for the entire month of May."

No, I don't really talk to myself that way....or maybe I do, but that's not important right now. ;-)

And so I scheduled coffee with friends and mani-pedis and saw movies and went to fun places and ate fabulous meals. And I celebrated. And celebrated. And it all made me happy.

So here's a recap of the fun stuff I got to do in the month of May, which will henceforth be known as Marta's Birthday Month®.

For starters, I got to bake in the Nestlé Kitchens in Glendale. I know. Shut up. I was beside myself with excitement. (More of that story plus a generous giveaway from Nestlé coming up later this week.)

Lucy and I went up to Universal City Walk and had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Buca di Beppo.

Then we got to attend a preview-screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. (Thanks, Disney Pictures!)

We saw it in IMAX 3D. Here we are looking appropriately nerdy in our 3D glasses. (Totally enjoyed the movie, by the way. And this is now the 2nd photo of me in 3D glasses that I've posted on my blog. Is this going to be a trend?)

And we just happened to be in L.A. on the Clearest, Most Beautiful Day Ever. (Incidentally, that's the Warner Brothers studio lot in the foreground. Do you recognize it from the beginning of WB films? Note to self: Take the WB Studio Tour one day very soon.)

All that piratey fun happened on the night of the full moon. (Which was sooo amazing and here I was trying desperately to capture the magicalness of the moment with my iPhone 4G, which I love, but which couldn't quite do the Magical Scene justice, but that's not important right now, either.)

Sometime this month I also made my famous Arroz con Pollo, which happens to be my favorite Cuban food on earth. (At least, when I make it.)

And we went out to breakfast a few times. Breakfast, by the way, is my favorite meal to eat out.

My beautiful and talented friend, Tamera took me out for coffee and let me choose a bracelet from her awesome new jewelry collection. She has finally started blogging and sharing her awesomeness with the world. (Yay!)

You can find her online at Tamera Beardsley.com. Go visit her blog and be prepared to be totally inspired by her incredible creativity.

Close up of the bracelet. It says: Live out loud. Yes, that's my plan. Thanks again, Tamera!

As if things just couldn't get more festive, my gladiolus finally bloomed.

And so did my Stairway to Heaven. Jonathan is 6'2". The bush tree is about 15 feet tall and blooming prolifically, which just makes me fall in love with it every single day.

We celebrated my (actual!) birthday with dinner with close friends.

And my BFF, Pam sent me this gorgeous necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs that I may or may not have been secretly coveting. (Love you MORE!)

And her granddaughter, CJ made me this cute video:
"The birds are angry because it's your birthday and not theirs." Isn't she adorable?

We enjoyed another breakfast (did I mention it's my favorite meal to eat out?) out in the canyon close to us. Seriously excellent home cooked meals. Particularly breakfast. =D

Eric and the kids chose these beautiful climbers for the arch in my white picket fence. (Note: we have been looking for and not having any luck with finding a hardy climber to do what I want it to do, but that's not important right now, either.)

It's called Piñata. Isn't that apropos for a birthdaymonth gift?

My friend, Wanda got me these gorgeously intricate measuring spoons. I promptly announced that I would hang them in my kitchen, to which she replied that I must actually use them. Often.

I kind of have to work through that concept of actually using cool things in my real life. (Anyone else struggle with this? No? Never mind...)