The Yuca Diaries

As some of you may have seen here before or through my Facebook or twitter updates, I recently went down to Miami to record a guest appearance on the show, Delicioso, hosted by Ingrid Hoffman and Maggie Jimenez.

Back in November, they ran an online poll where the public was asked to vote for their favorite blogger.  I received the most hits and was invited to the show as a result.

The experience was surreal. I showed up at the set early in the morning.  Like a true Cuban, I showed up with a small entourage… my mom, grandmother and brother all came along for moral support.  And I needed it, I definitely started to get a little nervous when I walked in and saw all of the cameras, personnel, lights. I felt better after receiving a warm welcome from Maggie, whom I had met in Dallas when I interviewed for the original segment, and from one of the producers who helped make my appearance on the show possible.  It was very cool to be able to see how the show was produced an recorded.

First they filmed Ingrid’s cooking segment, then they filmed the celebrity guest segment and then it was my turn.  I started getting incrementally more nervous, but finally I told myself to get a grip and I went up there, had the mic hooked up and said a quick prayer in my head, asking that I not look like a fool on national TV!  I spoke to Ingrid and Maggie for a little while before the segment was being shot, and then just dove right in.

They were both very gracious hosts, you could tell that they’ve got this down to a science.  They were so comfortable on camera that it made me feel more relaxed.  They asked me several questions, like why I started blogging in the first place.  I answered and said that I had really wanted to write a cookbook, but had no idea how, and that the blog seemed like the easiest and most convenient way to start documenting my recipes.  They asked me a few other questions and to be honest, I was so nervous that I could not, for the life of me, remember what I had said. It was only after watching the show that I realized what I said. After the segment was recorded, I was able to take a few pictures with the hosts.  I had a great time on the set and am thrilled to have had the opportunity.

Below are a few pictures of the shoot:

Salsita... the mini superstar of the show

Bunny Ears!

A cook's dream.... so much to pick and choose from...

Having a great time on the set...

So I just got back from a week in my Hometown of Miami. It’s amazing how fast it went. It felt like every single moment of my time there was programmed. The whole time I was there I was missing Brandon since he stayed home. I got to enjoy some of the things I miss most about Miami like spending QT with my mom. Seeing my brothers and cooking dinner for the fam. Having breakfast every morning with my grandma and mom and talking about all sorts of things… silly and serious alike. Meeting my friend Gaudy’s baby and hanging out with Ana and David like old times. I had a lot of time to think about things… amidst the hustle and bustle of seeing family and running around like a mad woman, I was able to reflect on a few things weighing on my mind. I am glad I got to see the ocean and visit my 93 year-old grandma. Not to mention eating my beloved Chicken Kitchen!!! My mom picked me up at the airport and handed me an ice cold coconut with a straw- yum the perfect start to a great time in the M.I.A.! I could have spent two more weeks there to see several people I was unable to see since time slipped through my fingers…. Having said that, I was so glad to come home. The anticipation of waiting for the plane to land, see Brandon and be in my own home was almost unbearable. All in all it was a good trip, but now I am back to the reality of waking up to the sound of the alarm clock and being at work all day… Miami where art thou?
Here are a few pics from my trip…

At Village Tavern with my aunt Cristy and the whole gang belowFishing in the Florida Keys with Ana, David, my mom, and Jacob
At Lunch with my mom and Ana

The most disturbing thing happened to us this week. One of the first things I do when I get home and put my stuff down is go turn on the lights over our aquarium. The fish have been looking somewhat sluggish, but Brandon and I cleaned our tank two weeks ago so it couldn’t have been that the tank was dirty. As I walked up to the aquarium to greet our little fishies, I saw, to my horror, the largest member of our tank floating upside down. He wasn’t alone either… one of the oldest members of our fish family also kicked the bucket. Poor zebra and blinky… they were nice fellows. They were old timers- it would have been a year that they were brought home from the pet store this month. Clearly, we are sad to see them go. It all started with one fish being sick. Before we knew it, it seemed as though this plague was spreading. A few days prior, one of our fish, Cobbler, started getting little white spots all over his little body and the following day he died. I decided that it was time to clean out the aquarium. I was a determined woman. Usually cleaning the fish tank is a two man job, but not this day. Brandon was working late and I had no idea how long he would be. As I cleaned the tank I discovered two other dead fish. It was so disgusting, but if the rest of the clan was going to be saved, cleaning the tank was their only hope. Brandon got home and helped me and before we knew it, the tank was sparkling. I hope this has rid the infestation that took over our beloved aquarium. Now we just have to mourn the loss of our fish family that have gone on to bluer seas.

I have started writing this post several times from different angles and keep on deleting it because this is such an important issue to our family that I wanted to serve it justice. It’s amazing how many things you take for granted until it happens to you, or someone you love. By the same token, strength and inspiration can come from adversity. To me, there is no greater example of this than my Aunt Cristy’s resilience and stoic stamina in dealing with her daughter’s battle with Autism. My aunt has endured countless trials without one complaint, something I don’t know I could do if I were in her shoes. At first glance you would never know that my little cousin Carolina, is Autistic. She is a bright, funny, and very affectionate little girl. She loves Dora the Explorer and enjoys playing with her toys like any other child. But the road to her improvement has been paved with many hurdles: tears, dozens of doctor’s appointments, and letdowns. It has been an emotional roller coaster that I hope few will ever have to face. Unfortunately, I know this is not the case. The statistics for Autism are astounding- 1 in every 150 children are Autistic. But what does it all mean? The American Heritage dictionary defines Autism as such: A pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. I am not a parent yet, but the idea of having a child with a disorder fitting that description is heartbreaking. So what is a parent, family, or friend to when facing this condition? These are a few things I can think of #1. Build awareness. Do research, read books, look up articles, do whatever it takes to become informed. There is no cure yet for Autism, but the more you know, the better prepared you will be when making important decisions such as seeking treatment, or modifying the child’s diet. #2. Network. Networking is important because we don’t have all of the answers yet. Sharing insights with one another can mean a small victory in helping your child lead a more normal life. It’s the little victories that make it easier to get through each day. In addition to sharing ideas, networking allows you to build a support system with other people going through the same things. This brings me to my next point. #3. Take each day at a time. Progress will not come over night, but as I mentioned earlier, the small victories are a big deal. Do not compare your child’s progress to other children’s progress. The only thing comparing will do is create a false reference point, as no case is the same, and neither is the rate at which a child advances. #4. Get involved. This is especially important in the case of Autism because as I mentioned before, there is not a cure yet. Building awareness about autism can only lead to developments in the cure, or at the very least improvements in treatment. I look at my little cousin and our family and all I can hope for is for her to grow up and lead a normal life- For her to be able to socialize with people in her age group, and go out with her friends- For her to get married and live happily ever after -For her to develop her talents and pursue her dreams. These are all things that I believe can be attainable, not just for Carolina, but for every one in 150 kids who have autism. I encourage everyone to visit Carolina and My Aunt Cristy’s WebPages for the 2008 Walk Now For Autism Miami fundraiser. You can check it out by clicking these links: Join Carolina and Join Cristy. Come out and show your support! Carolina and the rest of the family will be very grateful!

I was looking through photos the other day, and I came across a few from when Brandon and I lived in Medina Ohio. Medina was our home from 2001-2004. It was such a quaint little town. We lived in an old remodeled apartment right off of the town square. There was a Gazebo in the center of town surrounded by little shops and a great library. We used to walk around the square very often, especially in the winter time when we didn’t feel like driving in the snow. We would take our backpacks and walk to the library on the other side of the square. It was a great library. It had cookbooks, CD’s, DVD’s, comics, it really did not give us any reason to visit Barnes and Noble or Borders. We loved the town square, during the 4th of July they would deck the place with flags, and live bands would play in the center of the park. We really enjoyed living there. It holds a special place in my heart because that’s where Brandon proposed to me. It was mid January, and everything was covered in snow. We had just gotten home from work and decided that we wanted to visit the library that day. We were on a kick- watching old movies was our new favorite thing to do. We had watched Lawrence of Arabia, and I wanted to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s so we decided to check out what movies the library had. Like usual, we put on our backpacks so that we didn’t have to haul all those books and movies home by hand. It was such a romantic evening. We didn’t quite make it to the library before Brandon said to me, “it is such a nice night out, why don’t we sit down and talk for a while.” We sat on some of the benches in front of the Gazebo which was located in the center of the square. We held hands and talked. I rested my head on his shoulder just watched as snow fell on the ground. We were so young at the time I had just turned 21 and he was 23. We started looking at the Gazebo and admired its detailed architecture. It really was a moment that I will never forget. No one was out except the two of us. We stood up and walked into the gazebo which faced the city hall and the library. I was captured by the moment, because I didn’t even realize when Brandon took something out of his back pack. Suddenly, he called my name and there he was, by the steps of the Gazebo, holding a single red rose. He looked into my eyes, caressed my cheek and told me the most romantic things. Then as if in a fairy tale, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so emotional, I could barely speak. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was so surreal, so wonderful. We stood under the starry sky and just relished the moment. Of course it was no surprise that we decided to take pictures on our wedding day at the Gazebo. It was 17 degrees. The tops of my ears felt like they were going to break off, but it did make for some beautiful pictures, and beautiful memories. I sit here almost 6 years later and reminisce on what a wonderful time that was, and how many great memories we’ve had since then. Our anniversary is coming in March, and I want to do something really special to show him how much I love him.

The following day my mom,  my brother and I went out on my Dad’s boat. It was an ordeal to get out on the water but it was worth it. We loaded the bait, chum, fishing rods and our snacks and headed out into the sea. We went fishing for snapper. Yum I love snapper. We cut up bait and attached it to our hooks and began to cast the line. One by one the fish keep biting. Among all of us we caught a total of 15 fish, one yellow tail, 5 snappers, 1 strawberry grouper and the rest were grunts. I can’t wait to go back out on the ocean. I now have a new found respect for the bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be fishing”.

Some stories are just too funny and unforgettable to not re-tell. So here goes.
Preface: My father is a character. I have never met anyone like him. He is sooooo exaggerated. He would brush his teeth like 12 times a day, and used like 46 sheets of paper towel to clean the counter-top. There was never a dull moment with my dad around… but occasionally, (ok, more than occasionally) he would do something so extreme that it had to be noted in the Martinez history book. You’ll see why after reading.

Our house growing up had a large yard which had a canal behind our fence. Behind the canal were lots of pine trees. When we moved to this house, the area around us was very under-developed. In fact, one day there was an alligator in our neighbor’s yard- but that’s another story. My dad having grown up in a rural area in Cuba, kept chickens and roosters in our yard. He had a coup but also had free roaming chickens around.

One night at about 3:00 a.m. my dad comes into my room and wakes me up, he then runs to my brother’s room and wakes him up. I was about 8 and my brother was about 5. He is running around with a shot gun saying that a gorilla had invaded the chicken coup. I remember him clearly yelling ” I shot a gorilla…. it was taller than me”. “You have to see this… I shot a gorilla who was trying to eat my chickens”. I guess my brother and I never quite woke from our slumber enough to witness this spectacle but first thing the next morning, I ran to wake my brother up. We got dressed, put on our shoes and ran to the back yard to see the slain beast. We walked slowly towards the coup just in case he wasn’t quite dead. As we approached the monster, we saw, to our dismay, it was just a raccoon- and a little one at that. Can you believe it? I certainly cannot. A raccoon? Unbelievable!

A few years ago, there was a commercial on TV, possibly by hallmark or maybe it was by Keds… If I remember correctly it was around mother’s day. And one of the things that stuck out in my head was when the voice on the commercial said “Do you remember when your mother was the most beautiful woman in the world?” I stopped for a second and said to myself “yes, actually I do”. I remember my mom picking me up after school when I was little, or helping me with my homework, or making my Halloween costumes or baking chocolate chip cookies with me. My mom was the apple in my eye. Now that I live in Texas I miss my mom very much and look forward to spending time with her soon. I hope that one day I am able to be as great a mom as my mom is to me.