"...The fire pit glowed with passion, the flames created the colorful sightings of a growing child in the world of the unknown.."
Growing up in a third world country out in the very country side, it is in the girls' best interest to learn the arts of cooking to sustain their families. It is not optional whether you want to learn or not. It is a must.
Generation through generations, families have taught their daughters the "arts" and most follow those steps in their own natural ways, while others fall behind and simply cannot abide by such expectations.
At age 10, a girl must be fluent in creating a fire, making a tortilla by hand! And have a least had experience with a few minor burns while flipping the tortilla with your hand...(why not use a spatula?). In the country side, in a world of "poverty" a spatula has no room to exist. It's about the talents learned and passed down so that each individual girl learns her own methods.
So where and how does Cafe Con Pan mean anything to this cooking blog?
Allow me to take you a few seasons back. I was that young girl who carefully and very passionately stood there observing as my grandmas, mother, and aunts who devotedly prepared each meal from scratch. I simply observed.
It was not until a moment in our lives that I really needed to put into action what I had so passionately observed that I began to appreciate the need to be fluent in the kitchen. Mom, grandma, and the aunts were not around to aide us. (Let's just say we went through an episode of loneliness for a period of time).
My siblings and I had Cafe con Pan "Coffee and bread" for a few weeks while I continued to experiment, on my other blog "Millionaires of Knowledge" I have a brief story of "Cafe con Pan, our very own Don Napoleon." Feel free to read it, it is very important to dig into the memory of the actual context to appreciate this new blog. At least you will get a kick out of it.
It was not until that point that we were faced with such necessity to eat differently, learn to use what was available to be creative and cook something for my "kids" that I gave my all into learning through trial an error. I was only 10 (give or take).
From boiling the corn to make the dough, to using a "Piedra de Moler" to grind the corn and other things such as the cocoa beans, etc... (See small image below)
Cafe con Pan comes from my heart, from my own experiences of life. Each recipe will be accompanied by a brief story and a sprinkle of a different spice. I have learned that it is not whether you can follow a recipe, it is whether you can connect your soul with those memories created in the kitchen along with those you love the most.
I became that Woman at age 10, to be that fruitful mother of 4 (my siblings), and learn to give them my heart through the smallest of creations to what I have now learned and continue to learn.
Food is food if you have no meaning, if patience is not attached, and if the most important ingredient is not added - love.
So indulge your inner spirits and release your soul to feast upon the seasonings of life, the sparks of new adventures, let you spoon dig into the goodness of a revolving world of artful and crafty, yet the tastiest of flavors experienced.
Allow your taste buds to explode and rejoice with every bite! It is not about the diets or the calories, but the goodness that you make while stirring the ingredients straight from your kitchen, garden, or local farmer's market.
Learn to dig your fingernails into the dirt to experience the greatness of a fresh ingredient.
You will get a kick out the goofiness and experiments of each ingredient used.
In this blog you will also learn how to blend some vegetables, hide them from your picky eaters and always give them the best nutritious foods (just remember, never be detailed with them on ingredients!).
And finally, I might throw a few tips on gardening and digging your hands into the dirt to cultivate your own vegetables or at least the few common spices.
So enjoy! while I may have had a hard time as a kid and although the Title of this blog is "Coffee and Bread" DO NOT let that fool you!
It is my true inspiration of hunger taking over and simply satisfying that carnal desire of food with coffee and bread that lead to my discovery of my own talents.
Disfruta! Enjoy!
SPECIAL NOTES: I have never measured a single ingredient, nor calculated the math, however, I have learned to be precise and just with my foods. It is my style and identity. Feel free to improvise.
Also, I would love to hear from you and know if these are giving you any sort of encouragement in the kitchen. What makes this fun, it is that you can always tweak an ingredient or two to make the recipe your own.
Another point: I never taste my meals while cooking. Normally I use my hubby as the food taster. Although he loves SALT, I reserve that last ingredient for last. When I ask him to taste, he normally says, "it needs a little bit of salt, other than that, it is perfect." that right there tells me it only needs a small drizzle, a pinch of salt.
I have heard from those who studied the culinary arts that not measuring and not tasting your meals is the WORSE MISTAKE you can make. Save that for the ones who are technical. A real artist does not need to draw lines in before painting a masterpiece, they know when they can go over or when they can reduce the amount of paint they are using.
One day I do hope to go to a culinary school to learn other types of foods, deserts, and learn to use other spices. Also, please note that I am not a baker. If anything, I do not like to bake. I can, if I really am in the mood. You will get my recipes for great breads you can make from scratch.
Uhm, and it is only fair to mention that you will find some recipes that maybe at one point in time YOU might've shared with me, no worries, you will get credited! Even if I make it better than you ;-) Kidding.
Thanks for reading! Look forward to a world of flavors with you!
