Mother’s Day Buñuelos

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On Mother's Day six years ago, I lost my son, my only child, to the war in Iraq. Every Mother's Day, since that day, I have felt unable to write for this blog about anything else besides what this loss has meant to me. How could I? Our children, for better or for worse, define who we are. At whatever age, they are the sun around which our lives revolve. The loss for me, then, has meant reworking the way I live my life, to find purpose, meaning and direction in the chaos. And to learn to find joy again. … [Read more...]

Crepas de Cajeta for Cinco de Mayo

A version of this post originally appeared last year on DailyGrito.com.  Post by Gilda Claudine. Photos and recipe by Gilda Valdez Carbonaro.

The Battle of Puebla that took place on the 5th of May in 1862 holds little significance for us today.  Many people think that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain which, in fact, took place 41 years earlier and is celebrated on September 16.  What you need to know for the purposes of this post is that what began as a regional victory celebration upon the Mexican Army’s surprising (albeit temporary) defeat of French forces in Puebla over a century ago is now a virtual symbol for Mexican pride and heritage. … [Read more...]

A Recipe Signed, Sealed, Delivered

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It's been about two weeks since my niece sent me an email asking for some of my old recipes. She's a college student here in town, but she's doing a semester abroad in Uruguay. When she's in town, here at the university, we have a standing date on Tuesday nights when she comes over for dinner, sometimes bringing a friend. We catch up over dinner talking about her life as a university student, her classes, her quirky professors, her political activism.  I sigh to myself...how time has passed. I allow myself to imagine our son at the table with us too. At the end of the evening, we load Natalie down with her uncle's homemade bread and enough leftover meals to last several days. When she asked me for a certain recipe recently, or even any of the things she's eaten here, there wasn't an obvious answer.  I needed to know what was available or seasonal. Cooking is about looking around … [Read more...]

He Who Eats in War Zones

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I have an uncle who’s more like a big brother. He’s the guy who took me on terrifying rollercoaster rides when I was a kid; teased me mercilessly but also defended me against merciless teasing; and drove crazily along mountainside roads in Spain while I white-knuckled it in the back seat. … [Read more...]

Regarding Zapote

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El hábito no hace al monje or the habit doesn't make the monk.  Who is to judge what is ugly or what is beautiful in nature? Beautiful things can sometimes disguise the nothingness, the insipidness within. When something is not attractive, we tend to overlook it. We humans have our universal rules of beauty or disgust when we judge what we eat. We are enticed by food that is pleasing to the eye, food that delights and triggers beautiful thoughts of past meals. The tropical fruits you find in markets in Mexico are all you need for a perfect and glorious ending to a meal, for example.  What's better than a platter of coral-colored papaya, bright yellow mango, crimson watermelon, and purple tunas arranged in sections like dazzling jewels in a display case?   In the case of the zapote, I had been eyeing it for years, wondering whether in its ugliness there might be an unappreciated … [Read more...]