Congratulations to the 2 lucky winners of the ¡Sabor! Cookbook.
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Ileana said...
If I was a chef, I would be famous for my Everything But the Kitchen Sink-PAELLA baby! And maybe your favorite might be anything with dulce de leche. ;-)
Reply February 28, 2011 at 12:48 PM
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sonia said...
My specialty? Lasagna con platanos maduros of course! Or maybe my jamon in mango sauce? Great contest and glad to see you're feeling better!!!
Reply March 01, 2011 at 06:10 AM
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I chose the winners by entering the number of entries (not the accidental duplicates, of course) into the True Random Number Generator at Random.org.
Congratulations! Please contact me by sending an email with your snail-mail address and put HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! In the subject line.
As for the rest of you: Thanks for entering and please SHARE some of those fabulous recipes!
My beautiful friend, Ana Quincoces, has authored an equally beautiful Cuban cookbook. (I say equally, only because the pages are filled with fabulous photos of both her and her food, and I can't think of which is more gorgeous, but that's not important right now.)
I know what you're thinking. And yes, she is even more lovely in person. She also happens to be an amazing woman and a good friend. So when this Hottest Chef contest began and Ana asked me, I was eager to help.
So I quickly jumped on Facebook and asked a thousand of my closest friends (=D) to please vote for her.
Ana easily won the competition in Miami and came in second in the Nationals. Felicidades, mi vida!
I'd like to think it was the "embullo" of all the voting MBFCF readers that secured her win. Either way, true to her word, she sent me some of her autographed cookbooks as a Thank You to give away here. I know! Generous, right?
Of course, for those of you that don't know, Our relationship goes back to the day she found My Big, Fat, Cuban Torrejas recipe and asked if she could include it in this very same cookbook. ("Claro que sí!")
Very cool, right?
For those of you who don't know torrejas, they are a Cuban version of stuffed French Toast. (I have a sudden craving for Guava and Creme Cheese....)
So, I have, not one, but two cookbooks to give away today. (Thanks, Ana!)
In order to enter the drawing for a chance to win this gorgeous Cuban cookbook, please leave a comment on this post answering the question below:
If I was a chef, I would be famous for my _____________. (Fill in the blank.) Your answer can be a fantasy or an actuality, but please remember this is a family blog.
Leave a comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Thursday, March 3rd at 11:00 am Pacific Time.
Can you guess what my answer would be? =D
Also, if you're not already a fan of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family on Facebook, please click this link or the one up at the top right of this site and LIKE it. That way, you won't miss any of the relajo!
It will go down in family history as The Year We Hauled the Red Chair Down to the Park.
Here's how the whole thing went down:
Eric and I went on a pre-Thanksgiving cruise (on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which I still have to write about, but that's not important right now). That very same (pre-Thanksgiving) weekend, my son, Adam and his girl, Stephanie came down from Redding.
Eric and I got home on Tuesday night. Adam and Steph were taking Lucy and Jon back to Redding with them on Wednesday. And they were driving so they had to leave relatively early in the day. Amy Kikita had to work but she didn't start until 11. And so, exhausted and bleary eyed, all of us managed to get ourselves out of bed because I wanted my Christmas Card Photo Shoot, please.
Our next door neighbor, Raphael (the amazing pro photographer) agreed to get up and shoot us. (That works on multiple levels...)
And because I didn't want us just sitting there being all "Hey, look-at-us-with-our-just-for-the-photo-shoot-Christmas-card-faces on," I insisted he attempt to get the Real Darbys.
Which is why we were NOT wearing coordinated outfits. We don't coordinate in real life, so no coordinated dressing for the photo shoot.
I had Adam and Jonathan haul one of our red leather chairs down to the park. That was quite fun for the neighbors. (Actually, I think they're used to the UDB* - *Unusual Darby Behavior.)
Adam got into it right away. Big red leather chair in the middle of the park? Let them talk.
Here are my men. I love this.
Then me with my girls. (My eyes were more swollen shut than usual, but whatever...)
Then Rafe did a few of the kids.
How cute are they? And then....the silliness began.
We couldn't help ourselves. It was too tempting.
We were having a blast, but none of them sang out and said "Christmas Card is me!"
Until we hauled the big red chair out into the middle of the street. That's when we really dominated the neighborhood. These were pretty much the favorites. I liked the element of surprise it adds.
But we finally all agreed on one that represented us best.
Even with Jon melted, we felt like this was ....US!
Your thoughts? Do you have a favorite? Tell me.
Also, if you click over to TikiTiki, you'll see this same card on another post, we have a wonderful offer over there. One lucky Tiki Tiki reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Snapfish.com. It's a pretty sweet deal! Go now!
I realize the times and dates of the TANGLED screening might not have been convenient for many of you, but thanks to those of you who entered the giveaway. The winners will receive One - Admit TWO pass to the pre-screening of the film.
I know that sounds confusing, but it still means that 2 people get in. So start looking for a friend to take!
Congratulations to the TANGLED winners in the following cities:
If I had 70 feet of hair, I'd gather all of my family together and get have the biggest group hug ever! I mean how else can you hug over 30 people at once, and then, when done I'd donete it all for the less fortunate :) my daughter would love to see it in Los Angeles
MIAMI:
Ody Fabregas said...
Marta,
With 70 feet of hair I can have 5 wigs made to help Children Battling Cancer. How awesome would that be?!!! Can't wait to see Tangled in Miami!!!!
I am in Houston, and with 70 feet of hair, I would plop myself down in a barber's chair and give my hair to Locks of Love. That would be a whole lot of wigs for deserving cancer patients.
Chicago! I would make a scarf to keep myself warm.
Congratulations to all you TANGLED people! Shoot me an email witht the subject line that says, HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG and I will forward you your Pre-screening pass along with your local theater information.
All four of my kids are grown now, but it wasn't too long ago that we religiously made plans to watch whatever new Disney offering was available. In fact, we haven't missed a Disney film yet.
You know that we love All Things Disney (especially Disneyland, see my Disney Scavenger Hunt as proof). That love affair started for me when I was very young and has continued through the recent release of Toy Story 3. (Yes, I wept copiously through the entire thing. Shut up.)
Today I am delighted to invite MBFCF readers to enter a drawing for the chance to win 2 Advance Screening Passes for TANGLED in 3D in each of the following cities:
CHICAGO - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00 PM
DALLAS - Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00PM
HOUSTON - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
LOS ANGELES - Monday, November 22 at 7:00PM
MIAMI - Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00PM
NEW YORK - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
PHOENIX - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
SAN ANTONIO - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
SAN DIEGO - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
SAN FRANCISCO/SAN JOSE - Thursday, November 18 at 7:00PM
From the press release:
Walt Disney Pictures presents "Tangled," one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the kingdom's most wanted - and most charming - bandit, Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi), hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower where she's been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief, and the unlikely duo sets off an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse (named Maximus), an over-protective chameleon (named Pascal), and a gruff gang of pub thugs.
Do we love just about anything Disney? Do we further love Zachary Levi?? (Chuck.) Umm....YES!
So we all agree this is a must-see? (I thought as much.)
Take a peek:
If you are available to attend the 3D Preview Screening of TANGLED at the time stated in your city, and you'd like to enter this giveaway which will Admit 2, please leave a comment on this post and tell me:
What would you do with 70 feet of hair?
Also, tell me what city you are in.
I will choose a winner from each area (so tell your out-of-town friends!) on Saturday, November 13th at 11:00 AM Pacific Time.
I think if I had 70 feet of hair I would invest in Brazilian Blowout product, but that's not important right now... ;-)
I feel so lucky to have been able to share my friend, Maria Soto Robbins with you all.
I think that for me, this is one of the richest rewards of blogging. I get to share, not just my life, but the people I've met along the way. I hope you all continue to enjoy Maria's art.
The winner of one of Maria's gorgeous art pendants is:
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Maria Eugenia said...
I LOVE the Palms and tinajon oil painting. However, they are all beautiful. Ms. Soto Robbins in an excellent artist.
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This is the piece Maria Eugenia said she loved:
Like many of you, I, too, have a hard time choosing a favorite.
Congratulations, Maria Eugenia! Please send me an email with the subject line: HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG and include your snail mail address so that I can forward to Maria and she will contact you directly.
Thank you all again for participating and for supporting another Cuban artist. (Yes, of course, I'm wearing My Lucky Hibiscus right now.) =D
One of the benefits of living my life so publicly on the blogosphere is that I get to meet some amazing people online. (Yes, I know how it sounds, but believe me, the folks I meet through My Big, Fat, Cuban Family are wonderful!)
Maria Soto Robbins is one of those. Here is her blog. We had been friends on Facebook and she has been a faithful reader of MBFCF, so it was a wonderful treat for us to get to meet her in person at Cuba Nostalgia in Miami this year.
Amy, Maria, & Me. Cuba Nostalgia. Miami 2010.
She's Cuban.
She's an incredible artist.
Do you need to know anything else? ;-)
So back in September when I gave away the REDBetty Crocker Cookbook, Maria happened to be the winner, and it occurred to me that MBFCF readers would flip over her work......and you will.....so I asked..... (Shameless. I know. Shut up.)
Maria has a fabulous ETSY shop in which she sells her paintings and then she also has miniatures of her paintings made into pendants.
Amy Kikita, Lucy, and I went nuts when we received these.
Maria sent a pendant to each one of us! I would get a photo of the ones the girls received, but I can't because they're both wearing theirs as we speak. In fact, they have been wearing them daily since we got this incredible care package, but that's not important right now.
Here's mine:
Lucy's is the Sunflower and Amy's is the Miami Beach one, but that's not important right now, either. It's on an adjustable cord with a clasp so you can wear it as a choker or as a pendant (my personal preference).
Maria has graciously offered to give away one of these gorgeous and beautifully-made pendants to a lucky MBFCF reader. Here's how to enter:
Go to her ETSY shop, Art by MSR then come back here and leave a comment on this post, telling me which one of her paintings is your favorite. (You will have multiple loves, so it's okay to share that.)
If you'd like to be entered more than once into the giveaway, (Yes! More than one entry!) and you're on Facebook, please go request Maria as a friend. Here's the link: Maria Soto Robbins.
Then come back here and tell me you sent her a friend request. (That way, you can see what she's up to and won't miss any of her cool offerings, plus you get two chances to win the pendant.)
I'll be choosing a winner on Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 11 AM Pacific Time.
I'm wearing my pendant today. In fact, I already named it My Lucky Hibiscus. Did I mention it was RED?? ;-)
I celebrated my 4th blogging anniversary (blogaversary?) at the beginning of this month. I appreciate that so many of you sent congratulatory emails and posted here and wrote happy things on my Facebook wall.
It was very cool to receive all the good wishes and all that, but my friend, Cigar Mike took the congratulating up a notch.
He sent me this.....
It's absolutely breathtaking, even though it's tricky taking a photo of a Fine Art Photo and I'm sure my pic doesn't do it the justice it deserves, but trust me, it's phenomenal.
Isn't it gorgeous? There are three things I love about this print:
It's peppers, people!
The peppers are in Fiesta colors (yay!) that perfectly match my kitchen. (Actually, it matches my entire house, but that's not important right now.)
He says this print reminds him of me because I'm spicy and sassy. I like that. ;-)
Me:"Mike, I love it! And I love you! Gracias!!!" (<--you can tell how much I genuinely loved it by the amount of exclamation points I used!!!! =D)
Me (again):"I need to ask a huge favor....can I offer this print as a giveaway on MBFCF?" *crosses fingers*
The Very Generous and Talented Cigar Mike:"Absolutely."
Do you hear that, kids? Mike is graciously offering to give away this 11 x 14 gorgeousness. This brightly-Fiesta-colory-wow-look-at-those-peppers print will go to one lucky MBFCF Giveaway winner.
Before telling you how to enter the giveaway for this print (did I mention it's a Fine Art print?), can I ask you to please visit his website at Mike Pancier Photography and be prepared to be amazed. (Go to his galleries section and check out his breathtaking cityscapes. The man is seriously genius.)
Now, in order to enter the drawing for those fabulously lusty peppers, please just leave a comment on this post and answer one or all of the following questions:
How do you use bell peppers in your kitchen?
What sorts of things do you make with peppers?
Do you use red, green, or yellow (or all)?
Bring it. Share recipes or links if you like. (I live for stuff like this.)
Me? Hello! I'm Cuban. Peppers go into everything that is good and holy about Cuban cooking. It's the basis of all the sofritos of the Cuban Cooking Universe.
So, tell me about your relationship with peppers. I will choose a winner on Thursday, October 28th at 6 pm PST.
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.
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
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!)
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). ;-)
Yep, I'm still writing about Betty Crocker. I warned you I had a lot to share!
Again, I want to reiterate that spending those few days with a group of proactive, excited bloggers in the Betty Crocker Kitchens will definitely be one of the highlights of my life. Seriously.
I think maybe because all of us got to just relax and play. You know how it is in Mom World. We watch, we correct, we applaud, but for many of us, we just forget to play.
So this post is dedicated to playing.
Okay, so our little mini-group made this cake. A Jack-O-Lantern Cake. Yep, it was as cool as it sounds. And easy, too. (Tasty is important, but easy is always a bigger selling point for me when it involves cooking or baking, but that's not important right now.)
The cake itself is made in a round oven-proof (Pyrex is my particular brand of choice) bowl.
Our particular group had the added bonus of including Michelle, the food editor for Gourmet Mom on-the-Go who, like a baking-prepared Mary Poppins, carried cake sprinkles and googly eyes in her purse. She pulled them out when it was time for us to decorate our pumpkin cake, much to the delight of myself and our other blog-partner-in-frosting, Julie, of Joy's Hope.
We got to play. In the Betty Crocker Kitchens. For me it was like one of those make-a-wish-type moments.
So we mixed food coloring and added fruit-by-the-foot leaves and an ice cream cone stem/hat. And, of course, the googly eyes. Googly eyes started to show up on everything.
And even if I do say so myself, ours was the best pumpkin. I liked the googly eyes and all, they absolutely gave it personality, but I confess, I liked the finished product better as just a pumpkin cake. (I know. Shut up.)
Here's the recipe:
Jack-O-Lantern Cake
2 boxes Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food or white cake mix
Water
vegetable oil and eggs or egg whites called for on cake mix box
Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack rolls (any flavor)
1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 2-quart round casserole or 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Make 1 box cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into casserole.
2. Bake devil's food cake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, white cake about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from casserole; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. (Got that? You're making two cakes, each in the casserole dish.)
3. Make and bake remaining cake mix using same casserole or bowl.
4. With sharp knife, carefully slice piece from top of each cake to make flat surface where cakes will be placed together to form pumpkin shape. (Cake scraps can be saved and added to another recipe such as pudding or trifle if desired.)
5. In medium bowl, place frosting; tint with 9 drops yellow and 6 drops red food color to make orange frosting. On plate, place 1 cake, rounded side down. Spread 2/3 cup of the orange frosting over cake almost to edge. Place second cake, rounded side up, on frosted cake to make round shape. Frost entire cake with remaining orange frosting.
6. Trim ice-cream cone to desired height for stem; place upside down on cake. Cut out eyes, nose, mouth, vines and leaves from fruit snack rolls. Place on frosted cake to form face. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Or you can just watch us do this.... Enjoy.
We're having some fun now, right?
Which brings me to today's giveaway. (What? Another giveaway? That's madness, Marta!)
General Mills has a very cool company store and I shopped around for the items that I wanted to giveaway. (Thanks to GM for generously agreeing to make them available to MBFCF.) And because I'm a complete uber-nerd, this totally caught my eye:
It's a Yahtzee game! A General Mills Yahtzee Game, people!
(Okay, so I bought one for my daughter, Amy Kikita who is a rabid Yahtzee player and I asked General Mills if they could send me one to offer as a giveaway. (Being the generous folks they are, they agreed. I'm sure they scratched their heads a little on this one - "You want a WHAT??" - , but that's not important right now. =D)
So to enter the drawing for today's giveaway, let's talk games.
To be entered in the drawing for the General Mills Yahtzee Game (A Yahtzee game, people!) , just answer one or all of the following questions in the comment section of this post:
Does your family play games?
Do you have a family favorite?
I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, September 15th at 11:00 AM Pacific Time.
Let's play!
My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog
My Big Fat Cuban Family is all about my Cuban American life. Enjoy my ramblings on my blog about my Cuban family, Cuban heritage, Cuban culture, Cuban life. And some decent Cuban recipes with pictures, too.
