For the love of guava...

WARNING: I've used a lot (!) of exclamation points in the following post. Such was my level of excitement...

In my family of origin and in the Cuban home where I grew up, we always had a couple of items in the pantry:

1. Cans of leche condensada (sweetened condensed milk).
2. Bars of guava paste.

I'm guessing that the way we used those two culinary (?) items might seem questionable to those outside of our culture, but they were staples in our home.

I'm also guessing that guava might be an acquired taste.

This doesn't, however, diminish my love for guava in any form, particularly when it comes to desserts.

Exhibit A - Pastelito de Guayaba from the nearest Portos Cuban Bakery:

The following exchange started when a fan of MBFCF posted the following photo on my Facebook fan page. (By the way, if you don't follow MyBigFatCubanFamily on Facebook, you really should. But that's not important right now.)

"Look!" My friend, Maria Prieto, tagged me in a photo:

They look like Fig Newtons, but made with guava?

GUAT?!!

I decided that I Must. Have. These. Sadly, this guavaliciousness is only to be found 3,ooo miles away... in Miami.

Then another friend posted this ad from Sedanos. Which I'm pretty sure only exists in Miami, which, again, is 3,000 miles away from me.

(I'm starting to take this personally...)

They're even on sale! Why, oh why, do I live 3,000 miles away from this guavaliciousness?

At almost the same time, I got an email from Reader Grace with the following photo:

And another from Geraldine raving about the guavalicious goodness of these forbidden treats. (3,000 miles away, people!)

And then this one from the lovely Christina Flores-Pina. Her blog is called La Cocina de Christina, and you want to go check it out. Trust me. (She can probably even tell you how many Weight Watchers points in these, because she knows stuff and is cool that way.)

The taunts photos were coming from everywhere. *heavy sigh*

But then, because MBFCF readers are fabulous that way....the offers started coming in, too....

My friend, Maria, who happens to live in Miami and near a place that sells the forbidden fruit bites, offered to send me some.

Umm....YES!

{Special NOTE: Maria is the fabulous artist, Maria Soto Robbins - here's a link to her artsy blog, who made the beautiful pendants that my daughters and I love and wear most all the time. Please check out her wonderful ETSY shop, art by msr, and give her some love.}

And another from Reader Gladys in New Jersey. (New Jersey, you might have noticed, is still 3,000 miles away from me. Just sayin.')

So now, I've got quite the stash of the fabulously amazing Conchita Guava Bites! (<--That exclamation point is actually part of their logo, but that's not important right now.)

And while we're on the subject, to the Conchita Guava Bites! (<--again) People, I'd just like to say that I'd really love a lifetime supply of these beauties for all this free press I'm giving you and also because the nearest store that carries these is 3,000 miles away. Just consider it, please. That is all.  ;-)

And to those of you who have so generously offered to help me maintain my guava habit, muchisimos besos!

And for those of you who would like to join in on the relajo that is MBFCF fan page, please "like" us on El Feisbu. Even if you're 3,ooo miles away. =D

Pastelito Delivery Service

The temperature has been in the double digits around here. So cooking has been a pretty low priority. If I do cook, it will usually involve the crockpot and rice cooker and me NOT in the kitchen for hours.

But last week, I baked! Yes, BAKED. And I'm not just talking about the day I spent too much time in the sun. (That's a story for another day...) ;-)

I made a big batch of my fabulous Pastelitos de Guayaba (homemade guava pastries). 

What on earth could have possessed me to go into the kitchen, let alone turn on the oven, you ask?

Desi, of course. (*be still my foolish heart*) My friend, Desi Arnaz, Jr. 

You see, I had promised to make him some pastelitos and the last few times we've been to Vegas (he lives close to there) we were unable to connect. But this time, his lovely wife, my sweet friend Amy encouraged us to come. They'd just be getting back from a trip, and he'd probably be tired and un-shaven, but would love to see me.

Could I possibly be deterred by a such a small detail as a vacation beard? Besides, all I heard was "... Desi would love to see you."

So I baked.

And, along with my Amy, drove through the Nevada desert in 110 degree heat to deliver the pastelitos to my friend (and teen crush, but that's not important right now. *she blushes*) Desi Arnaz, Jr.

 

He tasted them right away. (Notice the sign that says "JOY" directly behind him. Coincidence? I think not.)

 

He declared them to be delicious.

Desi: "Would you like some?"

Me: "Can you stop me?"

I have to reiterate what a delightful and fun-loving (not to mention, immensely talented) guy he is.

And of course, I'm grateful to dear Amy who took time out of her busy schedule to take us on a tour of the charming town of Boulder City, where the Arnaz's own and operate the Historic Boulder Theatre. Amy blogs over at Insights from The Magic Tutu. (If you stop by and say hello, be sure to tell her Marta sent you. =D)

The Two Amys. How adorable are they??

So, the Pastelito Delivery was a success. We're grateful once again to the Arnaz's for their gracious hospitality.

And once again, I forgot for a moment that he was the son of TV and Cuban Royalty. Until he asked if we liked his T-shirt. The one with the picture of "Mom."

I know. Shut. UP.  ;-)