Ropa Vieja

Ropa vieja translates into "Old Clothe" its traditionally a Cuban dish that can be enjoyed in most restaurants in Miami or even better in my Mima's house in Miami Springs.

I actually got this particular recipe from her, she is Cuban and is one of the best cooks Ive ever meet. When I arrived here and realized that I couldn't just go around the corner to pick some up I knew I had to figure out how to make it authentically [ cause there just isn’t any-other way to have it]. I myself am Puerto Rican and Colombian so Cuban food was not my specialty.

She gave me step by step instructions and finished off with “add ingredients to your liking". For years I remember going to her home and every-time I was visiting she would ask what I would like for her to make, for me and later on for my children its not just a mater of how incredible this dish is but the true enjoyment and love that she adds to it every single time, it’s long humid afternoons in her home talking about life while gathering up some wisdom.

Bare with me as this is the fist time I actually attempt to measure how I make this,lol. This is something you can make in hurry if need be but if you can I would highly recommend taking a lazy Sunday afternoon to make it slowly so that all the ingredients can blend together and simmer to the perfect taste.


Flank steak or Skirt steak [same thing pretty much] My recipe today will look a bit different as the butcher messed up and did not give us the correct steaks and we realized it a bit to late but Im enclosing a picture from another site so you can tell the difference. This is what it should look like:



Here are the ingredients you will need:



3 lbs of flank steak
1 white onion
1 green pepper
3 long onions [chives]
1 tomato

Here is what they looked like when I finished chopping them.




I start the meat in a large pot and add:
1/3 Mojo
1/3 White wine
1/3 Sherry wine
2 teaspoons Garlic
2 splashes of Lemon [ this part Ive added as the acidity of it helps and it blends well with the dish without you noticing any difference after wards]
5 Cups of Water


Put on med-low heat for a few hours [Like I said it can be done quicker but having it slow cook really does make a difference and it facilitates the meat shredding.


Depending on how much juice you have left after a few hours you can either drain half of it or in this case we had it on for so long that most of it had already evaporating leaving just a bit left. In that case I simply add the remainder of my ingredients and leave the juice the meat is in.

On the side you will make

1 white onion
1 green pepper
3 long onions [chives]
1 tomato
Olives with red pimientos

Add a bit of Olive oil on a none stick pan preferably and once it’s heated you add all of the vegetables. Once its been sautéing for a few minutes add packets of sazon goya If your in a hurry you do not have to sauté the veggies but I prefer too.Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes and turn off the heat allowing it cool.



When you meat is ready and practically falling off the fork take out strained the liquid and leave it in the pot and put meat on a cutting board Allow to cool for a bit and then start shredding. Its up to you how you chose to do it but I take to forks and pull in opposite directions As I get a batch done I put it in the pot and add all the vegetables. Once all the meat is in you will add:


Tomatoes paste~ 1 medium can
Garlic~ 3 tablespoons
Mojo ~2/3 of a cup
Sherry wine ~2/3 of a cup
White wine ~2/3 of a cup
Cumin~ 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoon of Oregano [preferably fresh cut into small pieces or dry will be okay]
Bay leaves~6 whole
Sazon~ 4 packets


Then put it on med/low and allow to simmer for a few hours [anywhere between 1 to 3] depending on you. I know it seems a bit over whelming but I guarantee once youv completed this recipe a few times you will become a pro. And will find it less intimidating.

We usually make it with aside of white rice and possibly some Tostones [ Green plantains ] or a side salad and then serve!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce w/ Parmesan Cheese

One of my very favorites things to make and eat during the summer is grilled Romaine Lettuce. I am an absolute grilling, BBQing, outdoor sunny day fun enthusiast…

As a matter of fact I grill during the winter, rain or shine!lol. We have been lucky enough to have my husband’s father buy us a grill a few years ago and our Uncle Wayne and Aunt Susie who gifted us the wand and the chimney fire starter.


I saw this recepie on TV one time, when this wonderful Southern couple that have a cooking show featured it and I thought it was brilliant.

I gave it a twist and it paid off. It is such a simple recipe but one that is both refreshing and bursting with wonderful flavor.

Romaine Lettuce cut in half leaving the stem [ this will allow it to hold together] but I certainly would not suggest eating it, lol.

In a bowl or a sprayer would even be better add:

¼ ~Olive oil
1 ~ teaspoon of Cumin
¼~ Balsamic vinaigrette
2 ~ teaspoon of Kosher salt
2~ teaspoon of Pepper

At times if I don’t have a sprayer I will put it in a slip lock bag and turn it every now and again so that the juice can spread through out. Once you’ve let it soak for a bit and the grill is nice and hot [I make it as my very last thing after Ive cooked any meats etc] put it on the grill. You want it to get grill marks but not cook all the way. I usually put it on for 5 to 8 min depending on the size of the lettuce and the grill, we have a Weber coal one. If done correctly it should have marks but still be crunchy inside.

Once you have completed it take it off the grill and wait for it to cool off a bit. Slice some pieces of parmesan cheese. I use a carrot cuter and it helps slice them thinly giving it a great appearance.

1800's to early 1900's Stoves OH MY!

Stoves, no antique stoves are my thing. Well, lets not mince words here ALL ANTIQUES are my thing, lol. Especialy 1800’s to early 1900’s or Victorian era type things but Im very open to just about anything that is antique which may stimulate my vision.



I need to be hypnotized to figure out why on earth I melt when I see this stuff or perhaps it is my families fault. Years of collecting antiques [and even non antiques, lol] might have done the trick for me. Years of museums, paintings, Antiques Tiffany pens, and vintage dresses ect. Made me old stuff crazy….

Yes! YET ANOTHER THING I CAN BLAME THEM FOR ,lol ;oP Just kidding. I do the same with my kids. Part of me feels like jeez to spend all this money on old things that will be sold when you become an old thing might not even be worth it but then again I think, but they are all so pretty. Blame it one my lack of a shoe fetish that has made me succumb to an antique fetish, lol.

There are some very cool people that preserve these things which is fantastic to me. I have even found one place that makes new stoves with all the bells and whistles but with an outside exterior that resembles an old one. I love everything from stoves to old medicine bottles, Vintage advertising movie advertising form the start of talkies to silent films [Clara Bow I one of my faves] hell I even asked my husband as a present one year to let me go into a landfill in an old area to go digging I could wear protective gear and go to town [yes, he looked at me like I was nuts] but I swear that’s what they do in New England and they sell the stuff.

Here are some you should check out.
http://www.antiquestoves.com/index.htm


http://www.canadian-antique-stoves.com/stove-inventory.htm







My goal was that living in Cali I might find some old movie still’s [the glass types]. Im detouring again from the subject at hand……

One of my fave stoves:






My point is there are some very cool things out there and today I am tackling stoves. I could go on for days about them. Don’t worry I said I could not that I would, haha.


I did want to share some of this very cool stuff with ya’all and hope that you enjoy it nearly as much as I.


FYI,
I accept donated antiques ANYTIME!!! Just saying ;oD

Growing fruits and veggies right at home.

Has anyone seen Food Inc? It’s a wonderful documentary that strips away the blinders we have in regard’s to the food we are provided and how it is processed.

Even if you have engrossed yourself in eating properly, making nutritional purchases or organic vs. non organic foods I guarantee that there is something for you to learn in this film.

Its mesmerizing how something that was made to facilitate our abilities to have off season foods readily available at any time and maintain produce for longer times with out refrigeration has become our main form of purchasing fruits and vegetables.

It has disrupted our want to find fresh fruits or vegetables and accommodated an easier way for us which does not necessarily translate into a better way.

I am not against can foods though I do attempt to minimize the amount we purchase, I am not against processed foods in its entirely and have not committed to a full organic experience though for 10+ years I’ve purchased a certain number of organic food and have always had fresh veggies and fruits at our disposition I am concerned with the fact that less and less people seem to cook or incorporate fresh foods in their daily take.

When you process foods you loose essential vitamins and wonderful taste. Belive me if do not regularly try or purchase fresh foods you are SO missing out.I am hopeful though, Ive personally been wanting to plant a vegetable garden for years! And usually have spice plants at home. Lately Ive seen an incredible amount of homes around our neighborhood that have built thire own vegetable or fruit gardens and just yesterday in the middle of suburbia saw a home with a chicken coop right in the front which was hilarious a whole other set of question like “what will happen when a stray dog or cayote see lunch available in someones front yard" [which is not fenced though the chickens are, this aint South fl. lol] but that’s a whole new blog.





There does seem to be a bigger emersion of the natural and eco friendly, heck the First Lady has one,lol. Now we are seeing shows that teach you how to eat healthier, schools are eliminating high sugared foods and more and more vegtables are emerging in our grocery stores that we might not have tried before, like Swiss Chard, Bock Choy, pomegranate. green Chard ect. .


A home close to ours getting started on their garden..





My own son's school has a wonderful garden that the kids have planted which has everything from Bay leaves, chives, lettuce, tomatoes,grapes, swiss chard, artichokes, lemon grass and the list goes on. I find it fascinating that children can grow up learning and seeing this wonderful garden and it might entice them to try something new and good for them.

I think things are getting more balance and hope this resurrection of the more natural, more organic will translate into an overall happier and healthier life for all.



Here are some more gardens around our home that "doing it them selves", maybe this will be the final push we need to make our own.