A Welcome of Sorts...

Welcome readers! I guess introductions are in order.  The name's D and I've been wanting to begin a blog for some time. Why, you may ask?  Well, in all honesty, all of this locura floating around in my head needs an outlet!

Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL

Frozen Tundra, New England

To summarize my life in a nutshell: I was born and raised in Miami, FL to Cuban parents. A little over a year ago, I packed up all of my belongings and along with my husband (we can call him Mi Gringito) moved approximately 1,500 miles North to a small town in Northern New England. Que cambio! I traded in my capris and tank-tops for thermal underwear and ice-cleats. The change was good albeit very different.  The climate works wonders for my hair, the traffic is close to non-existent, and people are a million times more polite. There are just some things that I truly feel that I took for granted when I was living in what some people refer to lovingly as Northern Cuba. For example: You can't get un cafecito anywhere! I have to go to Starbucks or something along those lines and pay what seems to me an obscene amount of money for an espresso shot.  Does. Not. Taste. Like. Abuelas. Most of the grocery stores have an "international" section that is, I kid you not, about a two-foot-wide section of shelf space that is mostly crammed with Mexican staples. But I digress.  I have been able to survive with the limited grocery selections and I sometimes call Mami for a care package. Thus far, she has sent me canned guava marmalade, sazon completa, una tostonera, a cafetera, chorizo...just to name a few.

Mmmm...Cafe!

I don't have the luxury of a Cuban restaurant every other block, so when I am craving the goods, I have to cook it myself.  I admit, I am getting pretty good at it and my Ropa Vieja tastes almost like Abuela's and that's saying alot!

So readers, you will get my outsiders view of New England life, some Cuban recipes (and not so Cuban) that I've conjured up in my boredom among other things.  I look forward to our wonderful life together!