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Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban!

"Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban" is a 234-page Miami Cuban cookbook packed with full-color pictures and 100 great Miami Cuban recipes.

ISBN 158685433X

We had a great time at Cuba Nostalgia this year, signing autographs, doing cooking demonstrations, and meeting a lot of nice people! The three-day event is a celebration of all things Cuban.

Highlights of the show are the same every year -- it's the music, baby!

There was plenty of singing, dancing, and a great party feeling. The mojitos and Cuban beer flowed freely and everyone was in a festive party mood.

We watched as thousands of tamales, empanadas, and tostones were eaten by the hungry crowds.

The artists are a big part of Cuba Nostalgia and people were snatching up original works and prints at a record clip.

We sold copies of our first book, "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban," and promoted our second book, "Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban" as well.

Raúl gets friendly with legendary Cuban singer and star of the Tropicana nightclub, Olga Guillot.

Raúl poses with Miami artist Humberto Benitez and an original painting that evokes the romance and longing of the Cuban immigrant.

Wisconsin artist Patricio Texidor displayed several prints of domino players that would make a great gift for the domino fan in your life! The originals are done in pencil to create these fine quality limited edition giclee prints. (MORE INFO)

Our good friends from Bodegón Cubano. It's a great place for Cuban music and memorabilia. Celebrity sighting: wasn't that a young looking Dan Aykroyd in the Bodegón booth?

Music and dancing -- always a highlight of the show!

Between December 1960 and October 1962, more than 14,000 children left Cuba as part of a mass exodus. Cuban parents who were fearful of the new Cuban government, sent the children away before they could be indoctrinated into the Communist Party. Named "Operation Pedro Pan" (Peter Pan), the Cuban Refugee Children's Program relocated Cuban youth to 30 states in the U.S.

About half of all children sent to the United States under this plan were united with relatives or friends. The rest were cared for by the Catholic Welfare Bureau.

Today, the Operation Pedro Pan Organization is trying to locate people who were sent out of Cuba under this program. Many children of the Unaccompanied Cuban Children's Program do not realize that the name "Pedro Pan" refers to them.

If you or someone you know was sent to the United States as a child during this period, please contact the Operation Pedro Pan Group. You can learn more about this important historical event, meet and reunite with those who shared your experience and be involved in helping needy children who are without parents today.

Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc. is a National Charitable Organization, with members throughout the US and abroad. Visit their website for more information.

Of course, Santa Fe cuisine is unlike Cuban cuisine in its celebration of the pepper in all of its varieties. Where Cuban food sticks to the mild side of the pepper world, cooking Santa Fe style allows us to really take a walk on the wild side with hot and spicy peppers. When we want to really spice things up in the kitchen, we really enjoy these recipes with their use of a dozen or more chiles that define Santa Fe cuisine.

Somehow the authors of "Southwest Flavors" have managed to create a style of "Haute Cuisine" without being pretentious, and that is an amazing accomplishment. No matter how sophisticated the dish, this is food that remains true to its more humble roots and never loses the earthiness and sincerity of its food origins.

We enjoy rice and we have been making rice pudding for ages. The authors include a savory version of rice pudding that is a real treat! Other favorites include the orange cilantro salsa, cream cheese pie with pineapple coconut sauce, and a unique "lasagna" laced with smoky chipotle and a poblano pesto that is very original. The roasted pineapple salsa has also proved very popular at our house. We've tried it with the fiery turkey as suggested in the book, but it also works well with several of our own dishes -- at least for the more adventurous eaters in our circle.

Southwest Flavors is an ideal book for people who enjoy entertaining with food. If you have a creative flair in the kitchen, this book will inspire you to think outside the box and will open up whole new pathways for your own creations. If you have been stuck in a less-than-creative food rut, Southwest Flavors will take you places you've never been before. With a clean look and excellent food photography, this book is a joy to cook with.

We have always been fascinated by the cuisine of Santa Fe, a new age culinary vortex that attracts the most creative spirits in the food world. Like Cuban food, the Santa Fe style blends cooking modes and techniques from several cultures -- Spanish, Native American, Mexican, and Anglo -- to create a rich new cuisine. We enjoy the fresh new tastes and the vitality of the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

Paella and Pizza by Tony Mendoza.