A TCO is a Typical Cuban Operation and its what I (read: my family) refers to as things you can find only in Miami....
This past week a local ethnic market had a grand opening near my home and had some fabulous sales. I mean they had things on BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free) that I have never seen before: milk, coffee etc.
So, I tell hubby he should go by on the way home from work to just get a handful of things. That was Wednesday, he couldn't even park the truck, almost got in an accident and said there were even cops there to help with the traffic. He gave up after 20 minutes and came home.
So, we wrote a short list and gave 20 the credit card and he would go during the day. That was Thursday. His attempt was in the afternoon before picking me up from work. He gave up after 15 minutes of searching for a parking space.
His second attempt was on Friday. He was there early (by 9:30) and sent me a text: Does this place ever close? Says it took him a while but he did finally park. As he was walking to the storefront he saw a large group of people standing around and thought to himself OMG there cannot be a line to get in this place, that's ridiculous. As he got closer he realized they were standing at the exit door and couldn't understand why. He thought they were nuts and proceeded to enter the store. He looked around, there were no carts. Light bulb moment: that's why they are standing at the exit to follow people to their car and get their cart. He doesn't have that patience or time so he proceeds to the fruit and vegetable section to get the BOGO lettuce puts in the plastic veggie bag. Gets another bag to put in the plantains which are 10/.99. He how has 2 bags and heads to the milk section which he thought would be by the juice but not in this store. He finally finds it and grabs 2 gallons; again BOGO. In one hand he's carrying 2 gallons of milk and in the other he has 2 bags one with lettuce and the other plantains. He now goes the to vino seco which is also BOGO, scans the shelves, sees some are in plastic bottles - cool, dang those are on sale. The sale ones are glass. No fear he bought more bags. He puts everything down on the floor to bag the 2 bottles and picks up the milk and the plantains and the lettuce is gone. He looks around. OMG, someone stole his lettuce. He goes back to the veggies, gets lettuce again and notices that what he had grabbed as plantains were actually green bananas. He leaves the bananas and looks at a group of grandmas hovering the plantain section. He walks over and they are grabbing the last ones. The other stand there arms crossed to wait fro more to come out. He's outta there. No plantains for us today. He now goes to the coffee and bags 2 of those. In all of this he is seeing men walking around with stacks of meat on their shoulders, women with carts that have mountains of groceries that defy gravity. He's amazed at the chaos and the shouting going on amongst the shoppers and this is the child who goes Black Friday shopping.
He heads to the registers with his bag of lettuce, bag of coffee in one hand, bag of vino seco under his arm and 2 gallons of milk in the other hand. He figures its a toss up which register will move any faster than the other.
The checkout line crawls because the conveyor belt isn't long enough to hold all the purchases to empty the cart to refill with the bagged groceries. More yelling and chaos there. The person in front of him is a tad hard of hearing and the exchange between the cashier and patron is hard to not laugh at.
He finally gets home with his purchases and after we wipe the tears from our face from laughing so hard at his story he hopes we NEVER send him there again.
Too much fun!
Showing posts with label cuban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cuban. Show all posts
Monday, December 07, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Finally!
So, I did cook over the weekend. I did a lot of cooking over the weekend. Aside from the normal dinner routine, I made: Waffles, Crepes, Oatmeal cranberry cookies, a flan and roasted beets with a butter parsley that was yum-mo and I made what I'll call a quickie Beef Bourguignon using a can of Golden Mushroom soup as the shortcut.
It all came out well. My biggest coup was the flan. I have been trying to made kickazz flan for years. It's always been good but not great. You see, hubby family makes kickazz flan. His mom and his aunt knock it out of the ball park. It's so dang creamy. They have given me the recipe umpteen times and gone over how to make it over and over and every time I make it hubby, 19 and I always agree that it just doesn't measure up to theirs.
Recently, his aunt actually gave me the same pan that she makes it in because I have been insisting that my problem is the cooking time. I didn't think I was pulling it out at the right doneness. So, the thinking was that if I had the same pan and cook it for the same time as she does, it should work. My first attempt with her pan on Superbowl weekend was a hit with everyone but hubby and I knew it wasn't there yet. Close but not quite. I think it was slightly overcooked. So, I tried it again as my Valentines gift for hubby. It's his favorite dessert. When I flipped it, I was nervous. I sliced into in and like the way the knife felt running through it. I served it and let him take the first bite. All he said was 'ummp, you did it!' as he swallowed the first bite. I tried it and baby, I nailed it! I did it! It was the best flan I have ever made. Oh, so creamy and not overly eggy or dense. Perfect! Oh Happy Day!
Now can I duplicate this? Can I do it again? That's the big question. But for now, I will bask in the glory of my flan, thank you very much.
It all came out well. My biggest coup was the flan. I have been trying to made kickazz flan for years. It's always been good but not great. You see, hubby family makes kickazz flan. His mom and his aunt knock it out of the ball park. It's so dang creamy. They have given me the recipe umpteen times and gone over how to make it over and over and every time I make it hubby, 19 and I always agree that it just doesn't measure up to theirs.
Recently, his aunt actually gave me the same pan that she makes it in because I have been insisting that my problem is the cooking time. I didn't think I was pulling it out at the right doneness. So, the thinking was that if I had the same pan and cook it for the same time as she does, it should work. My first attempt with her pan on Superbowl weekend was a hit with everyone but hubby and I knew it wasn't there yet. Close but not quite. I think it was slightly overcooked. So, I tried it again as my Valentines gift for hubby. It's his favorite dessert. When I flipped it, I was nervous. I sliced into in and like the way the knife felt running through it. I served it and let him take the first bite. All he said was 'ummp, you did it!' as he swallowed the first bite. I tried it and baby, I nailed it! I did it! It was the best flan I have ever made. Oh, so creamy and not overly eggy or dense. Perfect! Oh Happy Day!
Now can I duplicate this? Can I do it again? That's the big question. But for now, I will bask in the glory of my flan, thank you very much.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Cuban Cooking
As you know I have been getting together about monthly to learn how to make Cuban dishes. This past Sunday I learned to make Frijoles Colorados . YUM!
It's one of my favorites and I was taught by my MIL and its one of her best dishes. It's really not that complicated. It's just a long process even with the pressure cooker. We had a wonderful time. Be sure to click on the link there and check out the recipe.
Of course, I took some home for 18. He loves them and is very pleased to hear that I "know" how to make them now. Of course, I will give it a try soon and we'll see how they come out when I make them.
It's one of my favorites and I was taught by my MIL and its one of her best dishes. It's really not that complicated. It's just a long process even with the pressure cooker. We had a wonderful time. Be sure to click on the link there and check out the recipe.
Of course, I took some home for 18. He loves them and is very pleased to hear that I "know" how to make them now. Of course, I will give it a try soon and we'll see how they come out when I make them.
Monday, March 17, 2008
What's cookin?
This was a food weekend!
I got another box of organic fruit and veggies from my organic food co-op. This week I had 3 fresh beets in there along with lots of other goodies. But the beets were exciting because I have never made beets. There's the whole trauma with the messiness because of the staining and how exactly does one cook beets. WELL, a good friend of mine sent me some recipes and I ended up baking them like a baked potato. I wrapped them in foil and baked them at 400 for a little over an hour. Once they were done the skins came off with a paper towel. I par boiled the leaves and sliced them up in ribbons and tossed them with the sliced beets and feta cheese and toasted walnuts and olive oil and cider vinegar. It was really yummy! The mystique is over. It was really easy- who knew!
Then on Sunday we had another Cuban cooking class. We learned how to make Cuban chicken Soup. Now, I've made chicken soup. But it didn't taste like this. It was YUMMY and easy! The whole thing didn't take more than an hour and half tops - and I think I'm stretching it. If you want to learn how, check out the other blog for the recipe and step by step instructions over here. I brought some for lunch today. It's such a nice way to spend the day. We sat around and chatted with my friend's parents, you could see how much fun they were having and how much they were enjoying teaching us and talking to us. I am enjoying these 'classes' so much.
I think next month may be Natilla. I've got to work on planning that.
I got another box of organic fruit and veggies from my organic food co-op. This week I had 3 fresh beets in there along with lots of other goodies. But the beets were exciting because I have never made beets. There's the whole trauma with the messiness because of the staining and how exactly does one cook beets. WELL, a good friend of mine sent me some recipes and I ended up baking them like a baked potato. I wrapped them in foil and baked them at 400 for a little over an hour. Once they were done the skins came off with a paper towel. I par boiled the leaves and sliced them up in ribbons and tossed them with the sliced beets and feta cheese and toasted walnuts and olive oil and cider vinegar. It was really yummy! The mystique is over. It was really easy- who knew!
Then on Sunday we had another Cuban cooking class. We learned how to make Cuban chicken Soup. Now, I've made chicken soup. But it didn't taste like this. It was YUMMY and easy! The whole thing didn't take more than an hour and half tops - and I think I'm stretching it. If you want to learn how, check out the other blog for the recipe and step by step instructions over here. I brought some for lunch today. It's such a nice way to spend the day. We sat around and chatted with my friend's parents, you could see how much fun they were having and how much they were enjoying teaching us and talking to us. I am enjoying these 'classes' so much.
I think next month may be Natilla. I've got to work on planning that.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Cuban cooking
Not too long ago was the inaugural Cuban cooking class. It's being documented over here.
I have been wanting to do this for years. I have talked about doing this for years with family and friends and it's finally happened. I am so happy about it. It means a lot to me. I don't know if I can put it into words but here goes. I didn't grow up here in Miami. I grew up in Northern Virgina and so my sense of "being Cuban" is VERY different from that of my friends who all grew up here.
In fact, growing up my family didn't talk a lot about Cuba and their life there, their exodus etc. I caught bits and pieces because I learned early on how to sit quietly and listen. Grown ups tend to forget that you are there and you pick up on all kinds of things. In any event, the gist is that Cuba wasn't a part of my upbringing the same way it is if you grow up here in Miami. My parents and grandparents all spoke perfect English. I didn't even study Spanish in high school. I studied French and by the time I graduated high school I spoke that better than Spanish. My Spanish was negligible and I couldn't read or write it all.
My grandparents and parents actually went to school here in the states and therefore acclimated very easily to American life. They had homes in the states, in Cuba, Madrid, Miami and Tampa since the early 30's and travelled back and forth with ease. My parents were very American and brought us up that way. I didn't grow up on the Cuban-American hyphen. My mother was adamant that we were American. I know that was a sore spot between my parents. My grandparents and father were very active in politics (that was why they relocated to Northern Va.) and therefore made many friends and enemies Cubans, Cuban-Americans and Americans alike. My father always put me and my brother in the forefront of any march or protest. I don't remember all the causes but I remember all the arguments. My mother always won only allowing us to participate if we carried American flags not Cuban flags because we are American not Cuban. Period. And so with that as a background, you can understand that meals at my home were meatloaf and mashed potatoes not palomilla and frijoles. My grandmother never cooked anything, it's just not her style. My paternal grandmother was the cook and although she ended up in Elizabeth NJ, working in a factory after her jet-set life, I always thought of her as my only proof of 'being Cuban'. Since she lived so far away, I never shared those things with her but I am always told that I am a lot like her.
I didn't grow up with the Cuban smells, sounds and tastes. I only experienced that in the summers when I would come to visit in Miami. It was a whole other world. Honestly, I never thought I'd live here. I always associated Miami with vacation not life, work and real world stuff. Nevertheless, here I am. For years, I talked about learning to cook the recipes that my husband's grandmothers made for us by heart, with a pinch of this and a little of that. Sadly, it never happened and we have since said good-bye to both of those ladies. And as I am now watching his parents, aunts and uncles get older and a little more tired I am determined to learn these things because I want to be able to pass them on to my grandkids and not have these meals just be a memory that my kids talk about to them but I want to pass them on to them.
I know there are a million restaurants that we can go to and buy the food already made but it's not the same. (I'm the one who makes Thanksgiving completely from scratch-just because.) When one of my kids ends up in Timbuktu and I can make Arroz con Pollo or Carne Asada and Flan, it will bring back a flood of memories and help create new ones for others. I love when 18 walks in the house when I am making Ropa Vieja and says "It smells like abuela's house when I was little." It makes me smile.
The kitchen is the heart of the home and I don't want to loose the Cuban beats. That's why I was so excited about the lesson a few weekends ago and look forward to those to come. We were taught to make ham croquettes. When my husband bit into a freshly fried one he said "I remember these." I later fried a few to take to my GM at the rehab center and when she took the first bit she said they were just like when she was little. It brought tears to my eyes. It took her to such a happy place and that meant so much to me to be able to do that. Memories...more and more I am convinced that's what it's all about...memories. Que siga la tradicion...
Mom, I know I'm American but I think I am much more than that and I embrace it all.
I have been wanting to do this for years. I have talked about doing this for years with family and friends and it's finally happened. I am so happy about it. It means a lot to me. I don't know if I can put it into words but here goes. I didn't grow up here in Miami. I grew up in Northern Virgina and so my sense of "being Cuban" is VERY different from that of my friends who all grew up here.
In fact, growing up my family didn't talk a lot about Cuba and their life there, their exodus etc. I caught bits and pieces because I learned early on how to sit quietly and listen. Grown ups tend to forget that you are there and you pick up on all kinds of things. In any event, the gist is that Cuba wasn't a part of my upbringing the same way it is if you grow up here in Miami. My parents and grandparents all spoke perfect English. I didn't even study Spanish in high school. I studied French and by the time I graduated high school I spoke that better than Spanish. My Spanish was negligible and I couldn't read or write it all.
My grandparents and parents actually went to school here in the states and therefore acclimated very easily to American life. They had homes in the states, in Cuba, Madrid, Miami and Tampa since the early 30's and travelled back and forth with ease. My parents were very American and brought us up that way. I didn't grow up on the Cuban-American hyphen. My mother was adamant that we were American. I know that was a sore spot between my parents. My grandparents and father were very active in politics (that was why they relocated to Northern Va.) and therefore made many friends and enemies Cubans, Cuban-Americans and Americans alike. My father always put me and my brother in the forefront of any march or protest. I don't remember all the causes but I remember all the arguments. My mother always won only allowing us to participate if we carried American flags not Cuban flags because we are American not Cuban. Period. And so with that as a background, you can understand that meals at my home were meatloaf and mashed potatoes not palomilla and frijoles. My grandmother never cooked anything, it's just not her style. My paternal grandmother was the cook and although she ended up in Elizabeth NJ, working in a factory after her jet-set life, I always thought of her as my only proof of 'being Cuban'. Since she lived so far away, I never shared those things with her but I am always told that I am a lot like her.
I didn't grow up with the Cuban smells, sounds and tastes. I only experienced that in the summers when I would come to visit in Miami. It was a whole other world. Honestly, I never thought I'd live here. I always associated Miami with vacation not life, work and real world stuff. Nevertheless, here I am. For years, I talked about learning to cook the recipes that my husband's grandmothers made for us by heart, with a pinch of this and a little of that. Sadly, it never happened and we have since said good-bye to both of those ladies. And as I am now watching his parents, aunts and uncles get older and a little more tired I am determined to learn these things because I want to be able to pass them on to my grandkids and not have these meals just be a memory that my kids talk about to them but I want to pass them on to them.
I know there are a million restaurants that we can go to and buy the food already made but it's not the same. (I'm the one who makes Thanksgiving completely from scratch-just because.) When one of my kids ends up in Timbuktu and I can make Arroz con Pollo or Carne Asada and Flan, it will bring back a flood of memories and help create new ones for others. I love when 18 walks in the house when I am making Ropa Vieja and says "It smells like abuela's house when I was little." It makes me smile.
The kitchen is the heart of the home and I don't want to loose the Cuban beats. That's why I was so excited about the lesson a few weekends ago and look forward to those to come. We were taught to make ham croquettes. When my husband bit into a freshly fried one he said "I remember these." I later fried a few to take to my GM at the rehab center and when she took the first bit she said they were just like when she was little. It brought tears to my eyes. It took her to such a happy place and that meant so much to me to be able to do that. Memories...more and more I am convinced that's what it's all about...memories. Que siga la tradicion...
Mom, I know I'm American but I think I am much more than that and I embrace it all.
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