Celebrating Every Day or My Week in Instagram

Most people start the new year with big plans and a "let's do this" attitude. And I do, too, mostly...

But this year started off with crazy. Here's how I documented my week via Instagram. (Photo sharing app for smart phones.)

Jonathan had his first semester performances the very first week, which meant we were at the theater pretty much every single day.

The cold, drafty, no-warmth-to-be-found-anywhere theater. It was at that point that I caught what started as a cold and is now settling nicely into an upper respiratory infection, but the show had to go on, thankyouverymuch.

Which is how I ended up with not just a little sniffle, but a full-blown, old-school, sneezing-coughing-my-head-is-about-to-burst cold.

In between rehearsals and shows I took as much downtime as possible.

And I was so grateful for my husband who made sure I started the days with protein. (And coffee, and my iPad, but that's not important right now.)

It was a wonderful cast and the kids put on a great performance (even if the theater was as cold as a meat locker).

We all went and supported Jon. He's quite entertaining, you see.

I was so grateful that Lucy was doing the lighting for the show so she was able to drive every day. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we ate a lot of our meals in the car. Luckily we live in Southern California and there's an In N Out Burger practically on every corner. (Thank you, God.)

In between supporting Jonathan, we were supporting Adam's new Farmers Market venture: Pirate Pancakes. Lucy made the signs.

Adam made the pancakes.

So I pushed myself in spite of feeling so sick. There was one comfort in all this...

I have the long weekend to rest and get better and the Vicks VapoRub (Veeex Bah Poh Rooo) to help me recover.

You see? It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.

It says so on my wall.

When I'm not here on this blog, you can find My Big, Fat, Cuban Family on Facebook.

Or every day on Instagram documenting my daily life. I'm Smrtqbn.

Because over-sharing in just one place is just not enough for this Cubana. Happy Weekend, everyone!

The Best of MBFCF in 2011

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!

Cuban Cold Remedy: Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup (and VapoRub on your feet?)

I'm sick. And so's Eric. *cough, sniff*

We've got feverish-coughing-sneezing-and-hacking colds.  

*hack, sniff, achoo!*

A good, old-fashioned snotty-stuffy-headed cold. And there are certain things one does when one is Cuban (or happens to live with a Cuban) and has a cold. My friend, Chantel over at Yuca Baby addresses those Cubanisms in a hilarious way.

Right now I'm trying to build up my Cuban Immunity Arsenal* (*or C.I.A.) and gathering what I need. And the first thing I need, is Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup. 

Here's that recipe:

Sopa de Pollo (Cuban-style Chicken Soup)

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped up
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped up into small bits (unless you love cilantro, go mellow on this, but don't skip it.)
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil ( for sautéing)
• 3 Tbsp. white flour
• 8 cups of chicken stock (2- 32 oz. containers)
• 8 chicken thighs (keep the skin and bones on for now, they add to the flavor)
• 1 yuca peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I use frozen)
• 2 red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into cubes
• 2 ripe, cooked plantains (I use frozen - these add a surprising sweetness), sliced into rounds
• 6 oz. super thin fideo noodles. (again, go mellow on the noodles as they can easily take over the entire dish)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the green onions, cilantro, and cumin in olive oil. Quickly whisk in the flour.

Keep whisking to avoid lumps. (When the cilantro cooks, it looses it’s bite and leaves an incredible flavor. Don’t skip the cilantro!)

2. Immediately add 1 cup chicken stock, and continue to whisk until well blended.

3. Remove this mixture from the pot into a bowl and set aside.

4. Place chicken thighs and remaining chicken stock in an 8 quart stockpot.
Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

6. Add the yuca, potatoes, and plantains.

7. Simmer for another 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

8. Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and run under cold water in a colander to cool.

9. Skin and debone the soft chicken, manually shredding it into bite-size pieces.

10. Return the chicken to the chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture.

11. Add the chicken-chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture to the soup.

12. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and the noodles.

13. Continue cooking for at least 8 to 10 more minutes or until noodles are soft.

14. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

So now that I have my Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup, there's just one thing left to do in my quest to rid myself of this virus.

I'm rubbing it on the soles of my feet before bedtime and putting on some thick socks. I know. Shut up.

Eric calls it Cuban Voodoo. And I have to admit, I believe there are some mystical, healing properties to the VapoRub (or "El Bix"). And after the chicken soup, I'm feeling all nostalgic and wanting some childhood comfort. But I promise you that I draw the line at lighting a candle to San Lazaro. 

Never mind. It's a Cuban thing. But that's not important right now. ;-)

Ay Dios mio.

El Bix - A Cuban cure for all that ails you

There's a snotty-hacking-coughing-feverish-fluish thing going around here. It's not just a common cold, either. And the cough seems to hang in and stay for weeks.

My sister, Helen had it on my mom's birthday a few weeks ago. (She's still coughing.) And then Jonathan got it. (He's still coughing.)

[Stylized Cartoon photo of Sick Jon courtesy of the coolest iPhone app ever, but that's not important right now.]

Now, we are slowly passing it around from one family member to another.

Of course, once the first person gets it, there's no amount of hand-washing and avoiding the same airspace that's going to keep the next person from getting it. And so on. And so on....

My mom suggested I use, "El Bix."  That's Vicks VapoRub to you.

So I dutifully head to the drug store and choose the modern NON-GREASY version of Vicks VapoRub. Made by the same company. With the same inimitable eucalyptus fragrance.

 

My mom: "Eso no sirve. Tiene que ser el del pomito azul." (Loose translation: "This is worthless. It has to be the one in the little blue jar.")

I should add right here that my mom regularly purchases the Giant Industrial Size VapoRub and goes through it at an alarming rate. She uses it recreationally, slathering it on her neck and forehead every night before bed.

As a matter of fact, she credits her "Bix" for keeping her alive for all these years. My dad used to joke that she used so much VapoRub so regularly, that when she died, she wouldn't need to be embalmed. But I digress.

When I started coughing and hacking and getting the snotty-hacking-coughing-feverish-fluish thing myself, I used my VapoRub Cream. It's non-greasy, you know.

But the seeds of doubt were planted...

And so, the superstitious-do-what-your-Cuban-mother-tells-you-or-bad-things-will-happen part of my brain sent me back to the store.

I'm still recovering from the snotty-hacking-coughing-feverish-fluish thing. But now, I am using the UBER-GREASY Vicks VapoRub OINTMENT. Even the word "ointment" sounds sticky.

I can barely believe it myself.

I'm not sure it's working at all *cough, cough, hack, sniffle, a-choo!*

But I'm not taking any chances. ;-)