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

La Llave Coffee Basket - A Winner

Someone's Mami is in for a wonderful surprise.

Congratulations to the winner of the La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket for Mother's Day.

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Nery, please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON SOMETHING ON YOUR BLOG in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it. Also, include your name and mailing address so I can forward to Gaviña Gourmet Coffee so that they can ship that beautiful coffee basket out to you ASAP.  

Thanks to all of you who participated in this giveaway and for sharing your love of Cuban coffee. It never gets old, does it?

A very special thank you to my friends at Gaviña Coffee for their generosity. Also, go "like" La Llave on Facebook (if you don't already). They are always having promotions for some seriously delicious Cuban coffee goodness.

In case you don't know the secret to making Cuban Coffee with KILLER Espuma, here's my daughter, Amy Kikita to show you how.