Colorado's Cuban bakery loggin' some OT

Para que se les haga agua la boca... a few days ago, I got inspired into my cooking, specially into desserts. And even when the Cuatro Leches it's not originally from Cuba -- as far as I know, it's from Nicaragua -- a Friday night I decided I would give it a try.

Kind of remembering the good days in Miami, and erasing the calories from all my thoughts.

And let me tell you: apparently, the experiment turned out successful, because there were almost nothing left to tell another story.

Believe me, it was not complicated AT ALL. I started with a plain panetela. FYI, I don't have a clue on how to say "panetela" in English. :(

Anyway, I made my panetela from the scratch, going back to those not that far away days in Cuba when we managed to bake home-made cakes with only two eggs... But here, in the U.S., you can buy it plain; it's just that I wasn't lucky that day in our local groceries stores.

The rest was pan comido.

• 1 can of evaporated milk.
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 1 can of half and half
• 1 can of Dulce de Leche --fanguito o leche quemada para los recordamos los días en las becas y en las escuelas al campo de Cuba--.
• una pizca de sal --you know, for all that my Grandma was always saying, that all desserts always needed a little bit of salt--.

Mix the evaporated, condensed and half and half milks and add the salt. Cut the panetela into thick layers, and soak them thoroughly into the mix. Stacked them together using a layer of Dulce de Leche in between. Decorate the top with more Dulce de Leche, and add some colorful fruits if you need a bright touch.

And, voilá!!! Make a double batch if you're planning to invite some friends. If decide to experiment with a small one, just to see how it turns, then you are allowed to hide in the closet to eat, so not sharing with anybody else would be needed.

Back "arriba de la bola"

Long time no writing.
I know.
I've been busy. Actually, pretty busy.

The good thing about it?
Now I have a whole list --remember me, the lists, and following the lists?-- of things I have to write about. I have to do it as soon as possible, otherwise, details could get lost in time.

A sneak-preview?

• The Cuban bakery have been logging in some every time, to mostly delight other Cubans visiting Colorado.
• Working Mami in the U.S. is thrilled at her new job. I feels good they way I see it: before, I could only write about this issues. Now, I can actually DO something about them. At least, poner mi granito de arena.
• Nicolás is crawling a todo tren por la casa. That boy is full throttle 24 hours a day!
• Yesterday was my birthday. You guys know the drill: all the Cubans we could find in northern Colorado, with all the food you are not even able to imagine, a troop of kids around the house, and the dominó. The bad part? This year me tocó "la tiñosa"... and it does not feel good, AT ALL.
• You've got to see that boy and his flip-flops... you know... mami enamorada de esas paticas ricas.
• A confession? I still haven't started Nicolás scrapbook... not even because I got one that it's pre-canned.

A sweet and sour good bye

Today is my last day at the paper.

And it feels kind of weird, after almost three years in this endeavor: a whole new town, a whole new job, a whole new environment, and definitively, a whole new smell.

The opportunity I have in front of me is exciting, promising, and the offer is too good to refuse. Especially for Nicolás; at the end, he's gonna receive the greatest benefits.

We, the newsroom, are going to have a good bye lunch in a nearby Mexican restaurant, so I'll have to manage the picante, but it will be a great good bye. I'm sure of it.

So, after the deadline of this week edition, I basically have spent the time emailing my contact info to those that have been always on my side during these three years. Those that I want to keep in touch with.

And the desk looks weird when is so empty. I packaged all my stuff yesterday, so, this morning I'm working in a unusual cleaned up desk —for being a reporter.

But it's time to move one. And we need it.

MDH and I have always said we were born and started our life six years ago, when we arrived to the United States. That means we're are in a race against the clock that most people our age —with the advantage of being born here— don't even imagine.

We want the American Dream. That's why we need to go the whole nine yards.
And this is just another step. Another baby step that would help us to fill the gap.

That's why I also feel a sweet excitement. It's gonna be good.
It has to, because we don't have another thirty something years to waste.