Okay, not quite. It was more like the coffee maker committed suicide yesterday morning. Poor Capresso had been headed towards its inevitable end for some time now, hacking and making wheezing noises, but we refused to heed the warnings. We didn't want to let it go. It was a great coffee maker. So it took the matter out of our hands and did the deed itself.

And left me coffeeless yesterday morning. *sob*

So this morning, since the Hub had the day off, thankfully, we got up, went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast (Huevos y papas... mmm...), toodled around Barnes and Noble for a bit until the rest of the mall opened up. Since we had coupons from a Thanksgiving shopping spree and wanted another Capresso coffee maker, we went over to Williams Sonoma and picked up this bad boy.

The upside is the thermal carafe that'll keep coffee warm for up to four hours. The downside is the grinder holds fewer beans than our old Capresso. Ah well, I'm sure we'll have a learning curve, but it should all be good in the end.

Because I'll have COFFEE.

*ahem*

Picked up some other stuff on sale, like a bubblegum pink apron for the Diva, since she's started adventures in cooking, and a spatula that's a good size for her hands and some new dishtowels. I also decided that if I ever decide that I want a new set of dishes, I may well go to Williams Sonoma-- they had some beautiful dishes.

But that's in the future. For now, the important thing is I have COFFEE.

This guy is a four star pastry chef. A guy who looks like that and can manipulate chocolate and pastry cream?

BLISS

Music and cooking will always be constants.

Clearly, yesterday was all about the music. Today, it's all about the cooking. Cooking is my therapy. It's one place I'm utterly fearless. And we're heading into the time of year where I love to cook best-- I live for soups, stews, warm desserts made with fall fruits, muffins and quick breads, anything comforting basically.

Last night it was "Hmm... those bananas look really ripe." So I made banana bread with a handful each of butterscotch and chocolate chips (big, dark Ghirardelli, mmmm...) The whole house smelled heavenly.

This morning, I decided that lack of football weather be damned, I'ma gonna make me some real football food. So I have a big pot of chili simmering on my stove. It's dark and rich and will continue to mature throughout the afternoon. It has fire-roasted tomatoes and green chilis and chipotle Tabasco and chuck and ground round, plus some nice Niman Ranch chorizo for a little extra bite. I performed a Maillard reaction on some tomato paste and threw it in, making it darker still. There are spices galore and a couple of Bay leaves just because.

And one of the secrets to making the spice come out? Sugar.

I have a baguette and sour cream and Mexican cheeses and once again, my house smells heavenly.

And when I'm cooking, it's all about taste and smell and to a lesser degree, appearance. While I like food to look appealing, of course, and while a beautifully presented meal is a rare indulgence, I don't need my food to be more dressed up than me. What good is pretty food if there's nothing of substance behind the pretty?

And best of all, the actions of cooking-- the mixing and chopping and stirring, combined with the necessary time to allow it to simmer, is kind of a good lesson to take back to the writing. It'll be done when it's done. I just need to relax and let it do its thing.

Of course, now that it's no longer nekkid, Jack is verrrrra interested in it.

Yeah, the antique ornaments, they stay put away for at least another year. Psycho cat.




Now, on to check the mojo and see if it's ready to be poured over the piggy leg. My hands absolutely reek of garlic.

Cuban food, oh, how do I love thee? (Enough that I weighed waaaaayyy too much at one point in my life.) There are so many things to love about the Cuban/Spanish-origin foods I grew up with. Not just the things we cooked, like arroz con pollo (chicken & yellow rice) or ropa vieja (translation "old clothes," but in reality a shredded beef dish in a rich tomato broth) but also the things that that you buy in Cuban bakeries and Latin supermarkets-- like croqueticas which are breaded croquettes filled with a ground ham mixture. Sure, you can make them, but my favorites were always the ones made by Caserita. And pastelitos—pastries made from a flaky, sugar-syrup glazed dough similar to a croissant and filled with guava, soft white cheese, or meat (those are called cangrejitos or "little crabs" and they're to die for. There's Cuban bread, soft and perfect for sandwiches, or soaking up al the delicious juices from meals or just simply toasted and spread with butter (tostadas). At the holidays, you get the sweets imported from Spain known as turrones. Oh man, these are amazing. It's a nougat based candy, I guess is the best way to describe it—the most traditional are the Alicante which is the almond and honey crunch:



Or the much softer one called Yema Tostada which is made from eggs:



It's crack, I tell you. Absolute crack. You can sit down with a box or two and before you know it, you're floating on a massive sugar high. Yeah, we never did holidays halfway around my house. We've done the big pig out in the back yard and of course, the smaller pernil (leg)—either way is fabulous, although I'll have to try Lara's chimichurri recipe.

Anyhow, since y'all have already been treated to two different recipes for lechón asado, I'll spare you yet another.

Now, those of you who know me, know that I'm a cookbook collector, with well over 700 volumes in my library. The irony in this is that a lot of Cuban cooking relies mostly learning the recipes through word-of-mouth and family tradition. A strict recipe? Measuring? What is this recipe and measuring of which you speak? Seriously—I think the first time I very earnestly asked for a recipe, I received a roomful of blank looks in return. So when it comes time to pass along Cuban recipes, I have to really stop and think about it because when I'm making them, I'm not really thinking about it.

The best part about Cuban cooking is simply how easy most of it is and intuitive. At heart, it's flavorful peasant cooking that makes use of easily obtained ingredients. And garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. It's a separate food group, I swear. Now these recipes aren't necessarily holiday recipes, but it's a quick, easy meal to throw together after a long day of holiday shopping.

Enjoy!

( Picadillo (Cuban Beef Hash) with white rice and platanos maduros )

Now, given that Mila is a pastry chef, I'd be remiss if I didn't have dessert, now, would I? Being from Miami, my idea of a perfect dessert is Key Lime Pie. Again, easiest dessert on the planet. By the by, Key limes—not the green limes we see at the store. Key limes are small, yellow-green, thin-skinned and have their own unique flavor. And if anyone ever presents you with a green pie and calls it Key lime? Run. Far away.

( Key Lime Pie )

Finally, because Mila's a pastry chef who appreciates excess, another one of my favorite recipes. A pie we lovingly refer to around these parts as "Chocolate Coma Pie."

( Chocolate Coma Pie )

Finally, if you'd like to sample some Cuban treats that I mention in my story or in this entry, a great place to get some online is Cuban Food Market. They carry most everything you might need to create an authentic Cuban meal.

Now, I'm hungry-- what about you?

Revisions

Take boy to get sport eyeglasses and cleats

Revisions

Make Key lime pie

Revisions

Make dark chocolate caramel brownies (or spice cake, haven't decided yet).

More revisions

Make Pavlova base

Revisions

The holiday music will make its seasonal debut during at least the cooking portion of the day since the day before Thanksgiving is the absolute earliest it should be played.

Why on earth did both of these characters (whose story I don't even actually know yet, btw) but why did they both have to be chefs?

Why did she have to be a pastry chef?

This is very, very bad.

Because now I want to make a tres leches cake topped with a flan layer and circled with dark chocolate ganache-filled piroulines.

Mind you, I don't need to make it.

I just want to.

This is gonna be a difficult story already. Damn them.