This recipe takes me back to my childhood. The sweet smells that fill my kitchen while cooking this just brings a smile to my face. I find that when I am pregnant I am more homesick for the foods that I grew up with, especially desserts…which I would otherwise rarely eat.

There are plenty of ways to make rice pudding, but the best way is never the quick way…ever. This dish requires time – you will need about 1 hour to prepare it – and you will have to stir it often, so you won’t be able to leave the kitchen.

There are 2 “secret” ingredients that this recipe cannot do without: cinnamon sticks and lime peel. Save the ground cinnamon for sprinkling on afterwards, the sticks will give them a much deeper flavor and the lime peel gives it a special hint of the tropics.  Always remember that “time and lime make it fine”.

I believe this recipe was passed down to my mother from my father’s uncle’s mother who is Cuban. Continue Reading »

Yesterday I told you about how I was so afraid to make croquetas and pastelitos de carne (meat pastries). Here is the promised post/recipe for pastelitos.

I found the recipe here, and found it really easy to make – really really easy. The first day the spices were very intense, but the second day they had dulled down and were exactly what I remember. I can’t wait to make it again, but my pocket book needs to recover! These babies take roast beef! Continue Reading »