Tradition vs. Convenience

Cuban coffee flows through my veins.  It's true! I swear!

When I moved away from Miami, I left my daily cafecito in the mid-afternoon.  That little pick me up that I totally took for granted -- gone! I still remember walking the mall on a freezing February afternoon and starting to sniff the air.  "Cafe!" I exclaimed to Mi Gringito. We happened to be walking past one of those gourmet coffee places and that smell could not be mistaken; the price on the other hand left a bad taste in my mouth.  $3.00 for a shot of espresso? Seriously? Some Hispanic in the Northeast is giggling his way to the bank at this very moment! I voiced my frustrations to Mami later that night during our daily text conversation.


Mami remedied this almost instantly by sending me a traditional cafetera in one of her care packages. She said that whenever I got the craving, I could just brew some myself. Awesome.  They sell espresso in the grocery stores (more on that later) so I didn't have to rely on care packages for that.

But here's the thing: I didn't learn to make cafe with one of those doohickeys...

We had a dual coffee maker for years in our house.  One side made American coffee and the other side made Espresso.  I can remember jumping for joy when it was my turn to make the cafe for my Abuelo -- heck, I even have a nice burn scar as almost like a trophy on my left hand for my efforts.

But I digress.

I've had this metal contraption in my possession for about a year and a half now and I think I've made espresso in it about five whole times.  Me. The person who in my early twenties would drink an entire colada at six in the morning so that I would have that peppy and perky smile at work.  Me. The person who thinks nothing of drinking a shot before bed because its an excellent night cap. Me. The person that as soon as I am picked up at the airport in Miami demands to be taken to the nearest cafeteria for a shot. What can I say? Soy vaga.

Anyhoo. My point is that just because I have certain tools does not mean I will use them.

My little story takes a bit of turn, though.

Mi Gringito loves caffeine.  Mi Gringito loves Dunkin' Donuts Coffee. He's known so well at the store by his job, that they only have to hear his voice to know his order: "Extra Large Hot, Extra Mocha, Extra Caramel with Skim only and a Turbo shot."

Mi Gringito is going to make us go broke with his consumption. I honestly think that he was absent from school on the day the vocabulary word was moderation.

He has a Dunkin' Donuts Card that has automatic replenishment so that he can indulge in his caffeine-laced beverage when he gets the craving. I don't care.  I was the one who got him the card and set up the account.  It makes my life easier and he's happy. The only problem, however, is this moderation thing that he knows nothing of. Once his card reaches a certain balance, it is set to replenish. I'm cool with that. I'm not cool with it replenishing three times in one week.

I had to do an intervention. I asked my loving husband what he got out of all that coffee? He mentioned that it tasted good and that it kept him energized and focused at work.  I asked him if he thought that maybe some espresso could have the same effect.  After all, he was paying and additional $1 (!!!) to add a shot to his coffee.  He responded, "Perhaps."

So last week I began an experiment. I wake up at 5am with him on the mornings he works anyway so why don't I use that awake time to productively make him his morning coffee (or fuel, like I like to call it)?

I used the cafetera every morning last week, but I don't know how I feel about it. It doesn't fit on my burner so I had to buy a metal thing to place under it and well, like I said earlier, I am vaga! What was I to do? Mi Gringito loves his morning cafe con leche and he has barely used his DD Card since I began the experiment. Heck, on the first morning he said, "Who needs Dunkin' Donuts?" as he gulped down the entire beverage in seconds.

Well, I did what any modern Cubanita might do: I went shopping for an espresso machine!

Now, I don't know if it's memory or nostalgia, but I swear that these machines were almost dirt cheap in Miami -- so you can imagine the hard time I was having when the least expensive I've come across is about $100. I was determined, though, and during yesterday's grocery run at Wal-Mart, I decided to check out the small appliance section.  I found a pretty decent machine made by Mr. Coffee for about $37. Not bad, if you ask me.

Today I made Mi Gringito his cafe con leche without even breaking a sweat. He even commented on how it tasted even better than the previous times (now I think he's just trying to sweeten me up!). So what if it isn't the traditional way on top of a stove? To me, this is the tradition: it was how I was taught and I'm not afraid of messing it up.

Now on to the subject of the actual espresso. This is something that kills me when I do groceries.  I mean seriously, how much is a cube of cafe in the stores in Miami? A little piece of me dies when I am paying nearly $4 for something I know is about $2 at Sedano's!

I went shopping the other day and was looking for some espresso and I get to the coffee aisle.  Not only do I have only three brands to choose from, they are all obscenely expensive in my opinion. I opted for the least expensive brand instead of going for what was tried and true.  I have never seen this brand before, but being called Cafe Caribe, it has to be good...right? Meh. When I got home, I Google'd the brand and came across this review. After brewing it, I can definitely agree with the author. Oh well.  Lesson learned. On this week's grocery trip, Mi Gringito walked to the coffee section and said, "Hey Babe...Pilon." Let's just say that I paid the $4 happily.

So, readers, I have two questions for you this time around: 1) What is better, tradition or convenience? and 2) Is it worth saving a few pennies if the product is not the same quality?

Seasons Come & Seasons Go

One thing I honestly love about New England is the ability to experience the seasons.  Living in Miami where we are in eternal Summer, I never appreciated things like flowers or even the leaves on the trees themselves.

Sunrise taken in Scranton, PA on our drive to our new home in New England

When we first moved up here, La Suegra would go on and on about how much she loved the Spring since it was like a rebirth after the death of Winter. I wasn't sure what she was talking about but I took her word for it.  I was told that we had moved up during a relatively mild Winter and that I should not use it as an example.

Spring came and it was ok.  La Suegra set up a little garden and she planted flowers and a few vegetables -- an attempt at becoming self-sustaining.

Eh, what's up Doc?

Cilantro that I conveniently use in my Ropa Vieja recipe

A fly!

In a few weeks, that little green ball will be a ripe tomato!

Summer was nice, maybe only about a week or so of Miami-like heat.  My only complaint was the lack of central A/C in this old house.

Then Fall came.  Wow.  Nothing can compare to watching those leaves change color.  The weather was crisp and gave me a skip to my step.  I started craving pumpkin everything (for a while there, I thought I was pregnant - me wanting to eat calabaza?). This is what people had been preparing me for all year.  When people would find out that I had just moved here, they'd say, "You will LOVE the Fall!". They were right! Que belleza!

Gould Hill Apple Orchard, Hopkinton, NH

Winter came next.  What can I say? Coño que frio, mis amigos! I started to think that I was an extra in a movie titled Ice Age 4: Afternoon of the Popcicles! Let me tell you, when its 5 degrees below - you know! I loved it, though.  I think that every time it snowed, I would stare outside the window at the pretty  snowflakes coming down.  I only really got sick of it when it was still snowing mid-April.

Our driveway became an ice way. Ice-cleats were all the fashion at this point!

Got Snow?

Not a greeting card -- that's our barn!

Spring? Where are ya buddy? It came late this year, but when it did, I was wowed. La Suegra was right! You really start to appreciate something when it isn't there 24/7.

I never thought I would see the end of the ice and the snow, but soon enough, beautiful things started sprouting from the ground. The trees got thicker and the bugs started to buzz.

Arizona Sun Blanket

Who doesn't love roses?

Columbine

Poppy

Petunia

Peony

Tulips

Lilac

The first day of Summer is just two days away and I am going to enjoy the season of my youth, but also mark it as my countdown to Fall.  I can't wait!

I love living in New England for all its beauty and nature and history.

Do you experience seasons where you live? 

Barriga Llena, Corazon Contento - Ropa Vieja

Mi Gringito loves to eat. This is good because I love to cook! When we met, I asked him if he had ever eaten Cuban food.  He said yes and that his favorite dish was Ropa Vieja.  Now, before a few months ago, I had never prepared this dish before.  No reason really -- maybe because Abuela's was so good I knew mine wouldn't even compare...

Regardless, I live to please my very loving husband and I set to prepare his favorite dish -- no pressure! I adapted the recipe for convenience and I make mine in a crockpot. Guess what! Abuela can retire because mine is that darn good! YUM, YUM, YUM!

Ropa Vieja

Ingredients:

2 Cubanelle Peppers, seeded and sliced*

1 Small Onion, sliced*

1 can (14oz) Tomato Sauce

1 can (6oz) Tomato Paste

1 Tbsp each Olive Oil, Cider Vinegar and Minced Garlic

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Boneless Chuck Steak (1.5 LB)**

1/3 C Pimiento-stuffed Olives

1/3 C Chopped Cilantro

* My grocery store also has pre-sliced fajita vegetables already packaged that is a mix of peppers and onions.  You can substitute that for the peppers and onion

** I buy anything in the range of 1.5-3 lbs...no one has ever said no to more meat!!

• Mix all ingredients except steak, olives & cilantro in a 3.5-qt or larger slow-cooker

• Top with steak; turn steak over to coat with mixture

• Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until steak is very tender

Is it done yet?

• Remove and discard bay leaf. 
• Tear steak in shreds using two forks. 
• Stir in olives and chopped cilantro

You know how I know I did good? Mi Gringito asked for seconds...a full plate of it!  It's a good thing I don't cook this way every day porque we'd have to roll ourselves up the stairs!!

Enjoy, mis amigos! Hasta la proxima!

Neapolitan Cheesecake Bars

I honestly wish that every recipe that churned out of my kitchen was 100% my brain child.  Sadly, its not.  I spend hours sometimes scouring the internet for ideas that I usually tweak with my own little dash of anything. I subscribe to at least half a dozen recipe newsletters ranging from Betty Crocker, Food & Wine Magazine, Kraft, and many more. Even if I don't use all the recipes, they are a great inspiration and starting place for at least 50% of my dishes.

I remember as a kid my mom would buy the Neapolitan Ice Cream from the store. I also remember how I would strategically eat all the vanilla and chocolate and leave the nasty strawberry behind. What can I say? I've never been a fan of fruit, let alone fruit in any of my desserts. (I will some day go into detail of my aversion to fruit in my yogurt). Que bueno that I at least grew out of my strawberry phase!

Mi Gringito works very hard and he comes home dead exhausted most days.  My greatest joy in life is to have something tasty waiting on the dinner table for him. When I think he needs an extra little oomph, I make him some sort of dessert.  I made this winner a few weeks ago for him and he made it a point to eat a bar (or two) at every meal. I admit, I snuck one (or two) myself and wowee!

I had the opportunity to make them again this weekend for a gathering of friends and I think Mi Gringito felt cheated because we left them at our friends house and I didn't make a separate batch for ours! Pobresito, but then again, we cannot have too much of this temptation in la casa or I will be forced to start wearing a muzzle!

Neapolitan Cheesecake Bars adapted from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:
1 Pouch (1lb 1.5oz) Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
1/2 C Butter or Margarine, Melted
3 Eggs
2 Packages (8oz each) Cream Cheese, Softened
1/2 C Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Container (12oz) Whipped Strawberry Frosting

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line a 13x9" pan with foil and spray bottom and sides with cooking spray

• In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, melted butter, and 1 egg until mixed well

• Press dough in bottom of pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes

• While the cookie is cooling, beat cream cheese, sugar vanilla and the two remaining eggs in a large bowl 

• Use an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is smooth

• Spread over cookie base

• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set
• Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes
• Spread frosting over cream cheese layer

• Refrigerate about two hours or until chilled (I left it in the fridge overnight and it was easier to handle)
• Remove from pan using the edges of the foil.

• Using a wet knife, separate into 6 rows by 6 rows

• I placed the bars in cupcake cups for easy handling at the party

• Store leftover bars covered in the refrigerator

It got rave reviews at the party and I swear that Mi Gringito ate at least six!

Here's a note: the longer this delicacy sits in the fridge, the better it tastes! Let me know if any of you try it.  Also, feel free to substitute ingredients to make this one less sinful.  I used fat-free cream cheese in an effort to lessen the blow and have considered also trying it with either Splenda or Truvia.

Hasta la proxima! Un beso desde el Norte!

Try Anything at Least Once...

I've got to love La Suegra sometimes...she tries so hard to make me feel at home that its sometimes a little funny.  She will come home from doing groceries with a huge smile on her face and in a singsong voice will tell me, "I bought you something!!!"

"Oh no," is the first thought that crosses my mind and then I usually smile when I see the treat.  I've made it my mission to find Spanish staples on my shopping trips and she's just helping me out.  The other day she came home with 8 cans of Goya juices ranging from Guanabana to Mango, a block of guava marmalade and frozen empanadas.  She's done good by me!

Sometime last year, we went to a potluck party and I wanted to show these Americanos what I considered one of the best appetizers on this Earth. I found some Mahon cheese at Sam's Club and I had a block of guava paste that mom had sent me in a care package. I wouldn't say that it was a hit, but I sure as heck enjoyed eating the leftovers for the following week -- I can even recall Mi Gringito and I making a meal of it one day when I told him that we needed to eat it before it went bad.

Mmmm...

La Suegra came home sometime last week and warbled, "I got something for you!" and I saw this huge block of cheese. Just by looking at it, I knew that it was either Manchego or Mahon (the rind gave it away) and I smiled.  Happy, but not.  I'm trying to avoid any and all temptations and that, my friends is a HUGE temptation! You're talking to the person that as a child would sneak into Abuela's fridge and take a bite out of whatever cheese was in there. Abuela would announce that there must be un ratoncito on the loose and I would giggle in a corner thinking I was the sneakiest thing this side of James Bond...but I digress.

So this hunk of cheese has been sitting in my fridge for a week now and I hear it calling to me sometimes at night.

"D...eat me! You know you want to! I'm so yummy!"

I finally gave in on Wednesday and pulled it out of the fridge when I was hit with the munchies. Now, I'm a weirdo in the sense that I will not eat any type of dairy without inspecting it thoroughly (expiration date, smell, look, ingredients) -- If I don't know how long its been there or what's in it, there's no way its going in my mouth. For some odd reason, I didn't do this with this particular hunk of cheese.  Maybe it was because I knew when it was brought home and I was the one who put it away, but whatever the case, I just grabbed it and cut into it. I stuck a huge morsel of it in my mouth and instantly said, "WOW!" as well as, "This is NOT Manchego nor Mahon!"

I grabbed the cheese and peered at the label as I popped another chunk in my mouth (readers, this stuff was DELICIOUS!) and saw that it was called Iberico. Ingredients: Cow, goat and sheep's milk.

Thinking back on it now, had I read the label first, I might not have been so keen to taste this cheese.  I'm glad I had a lapse in weirdness and gave it a go.  It's a sharp cheese, but its creamy with almost a buttery taste...After about two or three more morsels, I went back in the fridge and grabbed the guava paste and paired it with the cheese.  OH WOW! Party in my mouth!

I think I now have a new favorite, but I also know I need to eat this delicacy in moderation.  A 1oz serving  is about 120cal and 10g of fat. Who in their right mind would only eat 1oz of this yumminess??

Moo!

So my readers, what I want you to gather from this is to be open to new things.  Maybe something you've said you would never eat might be pretty darn good.  Give it a shot!

Hasta la proxima! Un beso!