Grilled Tilapia Tacos. Photo credit: Colin Erricson/www.robertrose.ca

Saulsbury's book, in the Tiki Tiki store.

By Camilla V. Saulsbury

Many of the fundamental ingredients of Latin cooking are not only nutritious, but are superfood superstars. Think beans, stone-ground corn tortillas, fresh fish, cilantro, mangoes, bell peppers, pineapples, avocados —even traditional Latin spices, such as cumin and cinnamon are nutritional powerhouses.

The key to keeping it healthy is to keep the added fat to a minimum. In place of Cheddar cheese and sour cream, for example (which are not traditional ingredients anyway), opt for more traditional, flavor-packed ingredients—a squeeze of fresh lime, fresh cilantro, salsa fresco and some dice avocado—all of which deliver great health, minimal calories and incredible taste.

Some other simple swap to consider:

• Multigrain or stoneground corn tortillas in lace of white flour tortillas
•  Long grain brown rice or quinoa (the ultimate Latin American superfood of the ancient Incas) in place of white rice.
• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
•  A crumble of Cotija cheese or other traditional Latin American cheese in place of Cheddar cheese.
• White fish tacos (frozen white fish, as well as budget-friendly tilapia fillets, work beautifully) in place of ground beef tacos.
• Fresh tropical fruit (e.g., melons, pineapple, mango, papaya) for dessert.

Latin Superfoods

Here are three of my favorite Latin American superfoods that are inexpensive, convenient, and likely some of your favorite ingredients already. Viva Latin cooking, in all its healthy glory!

Black Beans
Shiny, oval black beans are an inexpensive addition to the diet. Nutritionally, they are high in the indigestible portion of the plant known as insoluble fiber, which can reduce cholesterol. Their extremely high magnesium content means they are an excellent food for people at risk of developing or suffering from heart disease, and are also rich in minerals and antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, flavonoids that can help prevent cancer and blood clots.

Mangoes
Mangoes, grown throughout the tropics, are fruit superstars. Their orange flesh contains more beta carotene, which can protect against some cancers and heart disease, than almost any other fruit. They are also a valuable source of vitamin C, potassium and vitamin E, and contain a special enzyme that can be a soothing digestive aid.

Avocados
Avocados are very high in fat, but it is mostly heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat. The oleic acid contained in monounsaturated fats can lower the risk of breast cancer; further, these fats can help to reduce “bad” blood cholesterol levels. Avocados are rich in nutrients, including vitamins C, E and B6, folate, iron, magnesium and potassium, and the antioxidant plant chemicals beta-sitosterol (which can also help lower blood cholesterol) and glutathione (which protects against cancer).

Grilled Tilapia Tacos with Mango Salsa Recipe

This dish showcases tilapia’s outdoorsy side and the bright, fresh flavor of early summer mangos in tropical tacos that are perfect for lunch with friends or a light dinner eaten al fresco. Brushing the delicate fillets with a spiced lime vinaigrette seals in their juices and intensifies the flavor of the tacos.

Preheat barbecue grill to medium-high

Salsa

• 1 cup chopped fresh or thawed frozen
• mango
• 1⁄2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1⁄2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1⁄4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Tacos

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1⁄2 tsp chili powder
• 1⁄4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 4 skinless farmed tilapia fillets (each 4 about 6 oz)
• 4 8-inch (20 cm) whole wheat tortillas, 4 warmed
• 2 cups shredded purple or green cabbage

1. Salsa: In a small bowl, combine mango, red pepper, cilantro, red onion, salt and lime juice.
2. Tacos: In a small cup, whisk together cumin, chili powder, salt, lime juice and oil. Brush on both sides of fish, coating evenly.
3. Grill fish on preheated barbecue, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until fish is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Flake fish into small pieces.
4. Fill warmed tortillas with fish, cabbage and salsa.

Tip: According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, U.S.- and Canadian-farmed tilapia are the best choices because the supplies are abundant, well-managed and farmed in an environmentally friendly way. A good alternative is tilapia farmed in Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras or Ecuador.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories 370
Total fat 9 g
Saturated fat 2 g
Cholesterol 88 mg
Sodium 579 mg
Carbohydrate 34 g
Fiber 5 g
Protein 41 g
Calcium 52 mg
Iron 1.7 mg

Excerpted from 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking by Camilla V. Saulsbury © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Image: Colin Erricson/www.robertrose.ca.

Camilla V. Saulsbury is a food writer, recipe developer, cooking instructor and fitness expert/personal trainer. She has been featured on the Food Network, in the New York Times and on Today and QVC, and has won numerous top cooking competitions, including the Food Network’s $25,000 Ultimate Recipe Showdown (Cookies Episode).

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Mango Paletas! Mexican Popsicles Recipe
2. Café Flan Recipe
3. On the Menu: Grilled Spanish Bacalao

Healthy Salmon Cakes for Lent, or anytime.

By Nicole Presley

Many Latinos practice Lent from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

There are many dishes that take me back to the Lent of my childhood. For instance my grandfather always made shrimp cakes with nopales up top on Friday’s during Lent.

I was never a fan of the salty shrimp cake but wanted to introduce the tradition of not eating meat to my son and give him a dish that would remind him of Lent when he gets older, so a few years back I started making salmon cakes with freshly poached salmon. This is my recipe. I hope you will enjoy it this Cuaresma!

Salmon Cakes for Lent

Ingredients for salmon cakes:

• 2 1/2 cups poached and shredded salmon
• 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/4  cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/4  teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
• 1  heaping teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dipping Cream for Salmon Cakes

• 1/2  cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

In a large bowl combine shredded salmon, yellow bell pepper, grated carrot, green onion, mushrooms, and red onion. Mix well to combine.

Then add in dill, sesame seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, Lawry’s, and spicy brown mustard. Mix well.

Now add eggs, and mayonnaise, then add in the bread crumbs. Mix well. All ready to fry.

In a large sauce pan over a medium heat add vegetable oil and allow to get hot. Then take 1/4 cup of salmon mixture and pat in your hands to form a patty. Place in the pan and cook on either side for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the dipping cream: Mix sour cream and mustard together. Serve atop salmon cakes for a sensational experience. ENJOY the salmon cakes!

Nicole Presley, a Tiki Tiki contributor, writes an original recipe food blog called Presley’s Pantry from her home in East Los Angeles. Apart from working on her blog everyday, she dedicates her time to raising her 2-year-old with her fiance, and dotes on her Mother. 

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. ¿Vege-Que? Healthy Eating Week Series
2. Mexican Albondigas Soup Recipe — Easy, Rico!
3. Mango Paletas! Mexican Popsicles Recipe

 By Jessica Olivarez Mazone

Ruega por Nosotros…

I am Texan, Latina, and Catholic. One thing that I have always admired growing up was the glass bead rosaries my Abuelita would pray with during church, funerals, and as a daily method of meditating.

I would watch my Abuela kneeling on the red-carpeted kneelers, her blue rosary clicking against her silver, hand-made wedding band.

Click, one Hail Mary, Click, her fingers moving rhythmically, as she stared above her lit candle at the Virgen De San Juan at the basilica in Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, praying for what I would never know. I simply watched Abuela, in her simple black dress and her hair covered with the black veil she used when praying.

Since then, I have had a fascination with rosaries and I suspect it is a way to keep a part of my culture alive. Abuela has been gone for almost 20 years. I was looking at her cross statue that is hanging on my wall. Her rosaries, hung askew atop the stone crucifix, are different colors. They look like a timeline of her life, the different styles as they hang there in reverence, constantly in prayer.

One Hail Mary

Devotion, prayer, reverence, beauty is what I have always associated with the rosary. A calmness of self and spirit, it is a time for meditation.

It was this yearning that led me to create my first rosary.

I researched online how to create a rosary. The methods were all unique. Stringing, Knotting, wire wrapping, but as a beginner I knew stringing would be the best option.

Fifty-nine beads create a rosary, 53 Hail Mary’s and 6 Our Father’s.

When I started beading, I never thought I would make a Rosary. I started with bracelets and earrings. I strung my first rosary, praying with each strung bead, perhaps out of habit. It was a St. Benedict rosary.

As I became more confident in myself and my ability, I expanded to include gemstones. I looked for unique crosses and settings. I expanded the norm of Rosarios. I have rosaries made of Tiger’s Eye, Sponge Coral, Lava Rock, and Crystals. I made long ones, prayer ones, wearable rosaries.

Catholicism and the Latino community are so interconnected that it is hard to tell when one part of our culture ends and another begins. It is as if being Catholic is just another part of who you are, a customary version of traditions and ideals that are passed down through the generations even when we are no longer Catholic.

My Catholicism was a mix of indigenous folk tales, legends, prayers, and cleansings. I miss Abuela. I miss her placing the lace black veil over her head as she knelt in church.

Each time I string one, each time I finish one, I think of my Abuela.

Jessica Olivarez Mazone is the Tejana behind TejanaMade, a blog dedicated to her love for South Texas, Tex-Mex, her mixed-race family, and her heritage.

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Being Cuban, One Afternoon at a Time
2. The Miracle Eyes of Jesus
3. Citas, in the Time of Recession

By Cynthia Martinez

When I was younger, and still in the dating scene, I thought boyfriends never loved me. Not one of them ever expressed love towards me with confetti, pan dulce, and/or over the top novela-like scenes.

And I equated that lack of action as them not being interested. I just couldn’t understand why everyone wouldn’t just express their love for me by going into a rendition of Sandra Cisneros’ You Bring Out The Mexican In Me.

For those of you who have never read the poem, she basically says, love makes her violent and over-dramatic. And I totally feel she’s talking about me  and 99 percent of my female cousins (like all families, we have that one token “normal” prima).

My family had taught me to love someone by yelling, crying, and throwing food at them — all while wearing something out of Walter Mercado’s closet. Not by saying… I love you…because, who says that?

So there I went from relationship to relationship, wondering why all men were clueless jerks. And the men perhaps wondering why I would offer them pan dulce every time they said I love you. But in my defense, who shows love with just words?

After several of my relationships ended due to lack of communication from speaking different emotional languages, I found myself passionately re-enacting a Delores del Rio scene where I cried and threw stuff, because that’s how I was taught to show heartbreak. Yes, I learned how to love off a soap opera.

I only knew how to love in one extreme or another.With several heartbreaks I found myself going on various man-hating voyages. You know the kind…the one where you swear off men, but secretly find yourself wondering what your future husband will look like as you eat your emotions away with some fancy ice cream, while telling 99 percent of your primas your plans for becoming the Asexual Woman of the New Millennium. Needless to say I was one very dramatic teenager/young 20–something.

But Then I Grew Up

But then something happened…I grew up. I started to analyze my life and how I communicated with those around me . I found that emotionally, I was a horrible communicator…and just maybe, that could have been why I chose people who could not communicate with me in return…just maybe. Because the truth was I acted out the emotions of love, but never truly allowed people to feel them.

Up until my mid-20s, I had always thought that to love was loud, in your face, and proud — much like those novelas I was addicted to as a child. Anything less than that… was not love in my book. Instead of simplifying my love life and stating how I felt, I hoped they would guess by how much confetti I threw at them. And instead of enjoying and feeling the moment someone told me they loved me, I found myself waiting for them to prove it with a Juan Gabriel song (which by the way is still the best way to make my heart melt).

I’m not saying those actions were not love, they just weren’t the most effective ways to express it, and most importantly, not the type of love I was truly looking for. There is something to be said in knowing that “I Love You” is all you need to feel loved.

With time I found I lessened my novela re-enactments and increased stating words that made people feel loved. I found that love was best enjoyed when expressed and felt in a manner that was conductive to growth, and not based on the heated display of an emotion.

Eventually, I even found a man who speaks the same emotional language as I do: he too suffers occasional caprichos and carries confetti in his car for my enjoyment.

Y Tu?

How do you express love, and how has it affected the relationships in your life?

Cynthia Martinez spends her days trying all the newest fad diets and nights shoving her face with pan dulce, because isn’t that what all good Latinas do? After leaving the world of labor relations to pursue her artistic passions, Cynthia can now be found writing over at  Fat Girl Escapades.

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Why I’m a Shameless Telenovela Fan
2. I Know Love…Remains
3. I Know Love … is a Fresh Start

Making Flan Caramel

By Bren Herrera

Okay, chicas and fellas (those gutsy enough to explore beyond grilled cheese and eggs), making flan is not rocket science.

It is, however, an art and one that requires a certain level of technique.

I’ve been toying, for lack of a better word, with making flan for over 15 years and I’m still always learning something new. That’s really only because I love thinking outside the box and find a need to create mucho sabores. The classic vanilla flan is extraordinary and I’d say the most popular one, but why stop there!? It’s such a decadent, rich and creamy postre that deserves sitting on a pretty pedestal of colorful and aromatic flavors.

You can see more of all those luscious flan creations here. For now, the one trick to making a superb flan is the caramelo. I hear a lot of grunts and
frustrated home bakers when they’ve either burned their sugar or didn’t get the right color.

Tips for Making Flan Caramel

1. Know that the amount of sugar you are working with will depend on the size of flan you’re making. Start with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar for an 8-inch flan mold.
2. Use the mold that you’re baking the flan in. This will eliminate transferring the caramel and will minimize wasting some good, good, stuff.
3. When caramelizing sugar, make sure to constantly stir with a wooden spoon, so as to prevent clumping and burning!
4. If using a gas stove, keep your heat at medium temperature but continue to stir until sugar has melted down to a liquid. Gas stoves will liquify quicker. If using an electric stovetop, keep temperature at medium to high, continuing to stir until it has completely liquified and you’ve achieved a lovely cognac color.

Y ahi! You should have a perfect caramel to coat your flan mold.

Flanboyant Eats Flan Recipes

Earl Grey Flan by Bren Herrera

Try these recipes from my blog, Flanboyant Eats, and let me know how you do.

• Cinnamon Creme Flan, a delicious combination of creme cheese, cinnamon and dark Jamaican rum.
• Goat Cheese Flan with Brandy Reduction Sauce, the reduction is made with French Brandy and apple cranberry juice.
• 9 Spice Rum and Ginger Flan, a sexyt flan for two recipe to make for a sweetheart, or for just for you, of course.

Bren Herrera is a professional singer/songwriter, classically trained cellist, self-taught chef and published writer. The Cuban-born Herrera, who lives in Atlanta, writes the food blog, Flanboyant Eats, and the fashion site, B So Chic!

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Café Flan Recipe
2. A Match Made in Heaven = Flan + Cake
3. Dulce de Leche de Tia

by Sujeiry Gonzalez

Once upon a time there was a girl in her 20s who loved the wrong men.

The men she longed for were never available. Not emotionally or otherwise.

But they were fine.

Donning goatees and blessed with a nose with a long bridge, the squinty-eyed fellows caught Sujeiry’s attention instantly. She’s not half bad either. Her long and full hair can go from curly to straight. Her exuberant smile warms a room. And let’s not forget her tiny, yet round Dominican booty.

The story continues with a culprit – a bottle of Bacardi mixed with Coca Cola and bouts of insecurity. Drunk dialing was this 20-something’s poison. She’d stand on street corners and yell into her cell phone: “WHY WON’T YOU LOVE ME!”

She sobbed on shoulders and crumbled on bar stools. She emailed long accusatory letters only to later regret her pendeja*a. You see, Sujeiry was once unsure of her worth.

And so she chose the wrong men.

Men who cheated. Men who didn’t reciprocate her love. Men who left her for the ghosts of exes past.

Those were her Love Trips – the journey and relationship stumbles that have led to the present moment where she realizes she is amazing.

Making Better Choices

I know I am amazing.

At 33-years-old, I make better choices. My experiences haven’t brought me down or embittered me. On the contrary, they have served a purpose. I am more aware of my actions and myself. I know the motivation and intention behind my words and choices.

No longer a naïve and insecure 20-something, I refuse to chase men. I demand to be courted and respected. See that cutie by the bar? If he digs me, he must approach me. If he wants to get to know me, he must wander over, stand beside me and talk to me. Offer me a drink (Bacardi and Coca Cola is still my favorite) and, before the night ends, ask for my number.

This wasn’t always the case. I wasn’t always this strong and wise. We all have our weak moments, don’t we? We, as women, often put ourselves second and third and fourth. We don’t always give ourselves enough value.

I was once that girl. A girl in her 20s who loved the wrong men.

Until she realized she is worthy of love.

Sujeiry Gonzalez is the author of “Love Trips: A Collection of Relationship Stumbles,” from a collection of columns for Blogger, MiGente and SiTV. Her comedic personality, unique voice and talent have led her to pen relationship highs and lows for Latina magazine and online sites such as SoLatina and Mamiverse. Find her stories, videos and much more on LoveSujeiry.com.

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. I Know Love … Can Mend
2. Ask La Comadre: In Love With the Wrong Man
3. Love and Ability

By Angela Fregoso

Let me curar you of “Susto.”

Hay mi’ja tiendes “Susto!”

Is Susto some kind of a disease? No, this is a comment you often heard from your grandmother or a great aunt if you grew up in a Latino family, and which I especially heard all the time growing up in the Botanica my grandmother opened more than 60 years ago.

So, for Susto — which is described by a soul or spirit rocked by a shocking event — then came the egg, pierda de alumbre, calming tea, the candles and incense to cleanse you of the shock and anxiety that you had just experienced.

These days, you can actually purchase a Susto Set with complete ritual instructions to reverse anxiety symptoms caused by shock — any kind of shock. (Susto, by the way, also is known as “espanto.”)

The Susto Set includes a Guardian Angel candle, dressing oil, an ojo de venado, (mint marigold) also as known as Yerbaniz tea, and complete ritual instructions — if you don’t have an abuela or Tia to do it for you.

The Ritual to Reverse el Susto

The first step of the ritual is to light the Guardian Angel, place three drops of dressing oil inside the candle followed by a meditation session of your petition. The Guardian Angel is one of the patron Angels assigned to protect and guide a particular person and can be traced to the 5th century.

After you light your candle and spend time meditating on your petition, the next step is to burn the Pierda de Alumbre (Alum Crystal) in a pan. While the rock melts an image will form and will reveal the event that caused the “Susto.”

Now you can start focusing on a solution. The Susto Set also instructs you to carry the ojo de venado for protection from negative energy.

Another common belief in the Latino culture is that some individuals’ negative energy is so strong that their penetrating eyes can cast bad luck and give you mal de ojo or, in English, Evil Eye Disease.

If you feel your dilemma needs an extra strength approach, you can go to a Spiritual Reader, a Healer or Curandero who will pray over you and cure your symptoms with an egg. It is spirit cleansing.

Finally, the Susto ritual requires you drink Yerbaniz tea for nine days before you go to bed.

The Healing Rituals of Latino Culture

The Susto Set Ritual is one of many rituals that have been passed down by word of mouth in the Latino culture. But, there also are candle rituals for love, luck, money and protection. Whatever you need

And then there also is the drinking of teas for ailments. Latinos have been drinking teas as a form of traditional medicine for centuries.

A very popular herb at the moment is the Nopal tea. This tea is extracted from the cactus plant and is sold in many forms and also mixed in with other herbs and teas like green tea, Milk Thistle and Pau D’Arco. It supports healthy sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure already in normal range and supports a healthy bone structure.

There’s also Chaya tea, a common tea traditionally used in Mexico. This tea is packed with vitamins and minerals and thought to be especially good for diabetes

Now, the use of traditional folk medicine has become a billion dollar industry. There are hundreds of herbs commonly used as preventive medicine But, what tea formula was brewed in your kitchen growing?

Practicing Rituals Before it Was Trendy

I truly believe Latinos are way ahead of their time. Long before the popular Yoga and meditation classes, Latinos were performing rituals to calm their anxieties and to find a sense of purpose.

Long before the modern expansion of the all natural approach use as preventative medicine, Latinos were commonly using herbs as a form of healing.

Long before self help coaching seminars, we were going to Curaderos for words of wisdom and long before the feminist movement, we were turning to the strong women in our lives for guidance and direction.

Embrace your herbal remedies, continue your rituals, listen to wise man or woman in the neighborhood and honor the strong women in your life.

As yes, I still carry an “ ojo de venado” in my purse.

Y Tu?

What traditional folkloric beliefs did you grow up with?

Were you ever despojada? Did you ever get treated for Susto, or know someone who did?

What rituals and remedies do you still practice?

Angela Fregoso’s grandmother opened her first Botanica more than 60 years ago and eventually operated more than 13 grocery stores. Angela, a licensed attorney and business consultant in the Houston area, is the national marketing director for the family business, called Tex-Mex Curios, which operates in Corpus Christi and online. 

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Despojos, Azabaches and Other Rituals
2. Questioning Latino Terms of Endearment
3. The Difference Between a Latino Kid Party and an Anglo Birthday Party

By Jessie Nuez

¡Ay! Gran Poder de Dios!

¡Ay! Virgencita de la Altagracia ilumíname el camino a la tranquilidad.

María Santísima que estaré yo pagando!

Dios de la Vida, Padre Celestial, cuida de mi que no quiero cometer una locura hoy!

Dios de la vida, Padre Celestial dame la fuerza para no cometer una barbaridad!

¡Valgame, Dios!

Any of these phrases sound familiar?

Prayers for Miracles and Fortitude

Calling out to los gran poderosos, el Señor y los Santos for help — often asking for patience, serenity and fortitude was, and still is, a rite of passage.

This great phenomenon of echarle un grito al cielo has been passed down by many generations of Latinos and continues to comfort through the desire to darle un chancletazo a alguien, or to simply let out some steam — preventing us from committing a heinous act.

My most recent grito al cielo went like this:

“Ay Virgencita del Altagracia dame paciencia para no volverme loca!”

I was sick and so was my son. Vicks-Vaporu-on-the-chest sick. That sick.

Paciencia needed, indeed.

El grito al cielo helped.

It usually does.

Y Tu?

How do you remember your mom, or abuela, or dad praying out loud, pegandandole un grito al cielo? Whether they were angry, frustrated, hopeful, seeking patience in the face of kids or a daily difficulty?

Do you remember a lot of “Dame paciencia!” (Give me patience!)

If you’re a Latin kid, I am guessing you heard quite a few colorful versions at home.

Jessie Nuez was born and raised in New York City. She can be found talking about social media and technology on Twitter (@jessienuez). You can also find Jessie writing on her bilingual site Hecho Para Mamá.

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Dicho: No Escupas Al Cielo
2. Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina

What I Overheard About Santa

By Cynthia Martinez

I was one of those kids who acted like she believed in Santa Claus until I was 13. Well, 13 was the last year I was allowed to get away with my “believing in Santa charade” — something I did for my own personal gift gain.

You see my Santa bubble was busted when I was 7. At the time, my family and I lived in a studio apartment in Echo Park. Bless my parents for trying to pull a Santa trick in the same room that I slept in.

And though 7-year-old me was really proud for having solved the mystery of Santa Claus, my mother failed at answering how he came to our house with no chimney, I didn’t jump up and down as I had wanted to do, screaming at the top of caprichosa Iungs: “I GOTCHA.” And it wasn’t because I was taking the high road, it was because I overheard this whispered conversation in the middle of my parents Santa Claus shuffle:

Mom to Dad: “Ayy dios I think we went overboard for these brats”
Dad to Mom: “Yea…how many more years of this do we have?”
Mom to Dad: “No se, don’t they stop believing in Santa when they’re like 12 or 13?”
Dad to Mom: “Hmmm, well I guess they better appreciate the extra presents while they can.”

Now there was more to this conversation but, in all honesty, it’s a blur, because at that very moment I realized that if I acted all Sherlock Holmes I would be spending the rest of my Christmas’ without Santa presents, and that was not a reality I wanted to live.

So I kept my mouth shut and even threw in a snore to throw them off the scent, just in case. The next morning I woke up and acted as if Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, los Tres Reyes, and the Easter Bunny were all in my living room/bedroom and very loudly exclaimed how I loved Santa and would die if anything would ever happen to him or Rudolph, for that matter.

Pretending for Presents

And every year following that year, I would do the same routine. I would begin the usual routine of acting like a Saint starting on Thanksgiving (because everyone knows Santa’s memory only goes back to his last turkey binge). And, of course, I would have my Santa letter ready by December 1st in order to ensure proper delivery.

To be honest, my favorite part of my Santa-believing charade was my letter writing campaign. While my sisters and cousins asked for the newest this or that, I would write long letters highlighting the worst moments of my year and then often asked for peace on earth and if he could just take my sisters away.

Basically I asked for the impossible, perhaps if anything, to make my parents feel guilty and then compensate by giving me the gift I’d been hollering about all month like my She-Ra Barbie doll, or even better that doll that was taller than me (don’t judge, let’s remember who was lying first.)

My last letter to Santa went a little something like this:

Dear Santa,

I hope this letter finds you well. It’s me Cynthia, by the way, the forgotten child of Eleonora and Julian, just in case you too forgot who I was.

This year I have been a really good girl except for a small incident here and there, but it’s because…..let me just come out and say it. They SAY YOU ARE NOT REAL! Santa don’t get hurt, I believe in you! But having to deal with defending you to my little sisters especially has caused us to fight more than regular this year, so I’m sorry for that. I just get so mad when they say you are not real. Anyways Santa say hi to Mrs. Claus. Dad said he saw a picture of her and she looks like she’s been eating your cookies this year, so I’ll put out some extra ones for you.

This year all I want is for my parents to give me extra love and for my sisters to go away.

Love You,
Cynthia

Christmas Never Was the Same

Shortly after that particular Christmas, my parents spilled the beans on Santa, I was 13 and acted devastated and, oddly, found that ice cream was my only comfort….And then my parents found out about my little Santa charade when I got a little too ice cream happy and had started handing out Santa Charade advice to one my younger sisters.

Christmas, to be honest, has never been the same…with less presents and all.

Cynthia Martinez spends her days trying all the newest fad diets and nights shoving her face with pan dulce, because isn’t that what all good Latinas do? After leaving the world of labor relations to pursue her artistic passions, Cynthia can now be found writing over at  Fat Girl Escapades.

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. On Santa’s Knee. Barely.
2. Chicana Christmas: La Virgen, Las Posadas y Los Tamales
3. Feliz Navidad and Happy New Year

By Bohemian Babushka

“Si-i-lent Night, Ho-o-ly Night. All is calm, All is bright…”

As a child I remember being enchanted and entranced by the haunting music of Silent Night. Not only was the melody so peaceful and calming, but the lyrics spoke of a dreamlike world, one that could only live in my imagination.

Silent? Calm? In a Cuban household? JU SO FONII!!!

Bueno, we did get the “bright” part of it right. OK, OK, si, I know, I found out years later that this song is also in Spanish; I didn’t know that and thought it must be a school-only song because it definitely didn’t reflect any Christmas I had ever known.

And how about White Christmas or the ever popular, Winter Wonderland? Niñita de Miami, I knew these had to be make-believe, kinda like Frosty the Snowman. Now, the Little Drummer Boy- at least that one had a drum in it and I could relate.

As an adult I, of course, enjoy a slew of holiday songs, with topics ranging from sleigh bells to the sentimental. However, my first Spanish Christmas song will always be my all-time favorite, Mi Burrito Sabanero.

The classic version of this song is the one we played in our fiestas Navideñas, and no one sat when this was on, everyone danced, young and old. ♫♪Tuqui, Tuqui, Tuqui, Tuqui, Tuqui, Tuqui, Tuqui, Tu ♫♪

Isn’t this the perfect Christmas song? It tells the story of Christ’s birth, es bailable, the voice of the little boy pulls at the heart strings, and it’s even a bit comical if you visualize it. The Little Drummer Boy done up Latin-Style. Come on now, can’t you just see that burrito trotting hurriedly to see the King while the claymation Little Drummer Boy is being jostled up and down?

Esta bien, it’s true, I’m a child of the ‘60s, but you have to admit, the visual will get you smiling. And isn’t that what the songs of the season should have you do? So be it for glorifying or gratitude, joy or joyful memories, sing and celebrate from the heart the true reasons for the season.

Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.

The Bohemian Babushka is a First-Generation, coffee-crazed Cuban-American raised in Miami.  Mother of 3, grandmother of 4, she speaks straight from the heart and shoot straight from the hip. Some have described her as a “human shot of espresso” because she’s Earnest in her Extremism. Almost 50, always nifty, sashaying in heels and soliloquizing in Spanglish. Basking in being bilingual- blabbing and bailando all the way.

Mi Burrito Sabanero Lyrics

Con mi burrito sabanero
Voy camino de Belén,
Con mi burrito sabanero
voy camino de Belén,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén.

El lucerito mañanero
ilumina mi sendero,
El lucerito mañanero
ilumina mi sendero,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén.

Tuqui tuqui tuqui tuqui
tuqui tuqui tuquita
apúrate mi burrito
que ya vamos a llegar.

Tuqui tuqui tuqui tuqui
tuqui tuqui tuquita
apúrate mi burrito
vamos a ver a Jesús.

Con mi cuatrito voy cantando
mi burrito va trotando,
con mi cuatrito voy cantando
mi burrito va trotando,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén.

Con mi burrito sabanero
Voy camino de Belén,
Con mi burrito sabanero
voy camino de Belén,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén.

Tuqui tuqui tuqui tuqui
tuqui tuqui tuquita
apúrate mi burrito
que ya vamos a llegar.

Tuqui tuqui tuqui tuqui
tuqui tuqui tuquita
apúrate mi burrito
vamos a ver a Jesús.

Con mi burrito sabanero
Voy camino de Belén,
Con mi burrito sabanero
voy camino de Belén,
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven
voy camino de Belén.

Juanes Does Mi Burrito Sabanero (Video)

Like it? Share it. Help us grow! Gracias for subscribing!

Un poquito mas:

1. Mango Season
2. Googling for Cultura
3. Virtual Thanksgiving with the Tiki Tiki