The Holidays, Collazo-Schwietert Style

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

“It’s comin’ on Christmas, they’re cuttin’ down trees, puttin’ up reindeer and singin’ songs of joy and peace….” -Joni Mitchell, “River”

A couple years ago, I was on the phone with my friend, C.K. It was Valentine’s Day and she spent several minutes imagining what an “amazing, romantic meal Francisco must be cooking right now.”

I laughed and told her he was cooking an amazing, romantic meal, but that he was probably unaware it was Valentine’s Day. He’s generally oblivious to holidays and is often unsure what day of the week it is.

*
Earlier this week, some friends asked what we’ll be doing for Christmas. Francisco and I looked at each other blankly and fumbled for a socially appropriate answer. We don’t have a tree–in fact, I can’t really remember if we’ve ever had one– we haven’t bought each other presents, and we haven’t planned a meal that’s any more elaborate than the dinners he makes every day.

Our friends’ question made me curious, though. What were Francisco’s Christmases like as a child in Cuba? “Did you ever celebrate Christmas?” I asked him later. “No. Nunca. Ni Navidades, ni cumpleanos, nada. Yo nunca recibi un regalo.”

“Why?” I asked, curious that gifts were never given and parties were never planned for any occasion despite the fact that his mother is more pragmatic than emotional, expressing her love in ways that are hard, if not impossible, for me to understand.

“Besides being poor?” he asked. “I don’t really know.”
*
Once– after sulking for an entire day, hoping he’d finally notice I was pouting because it was my birthday and he hadn’t said a word, much less bought a present– I asked him why he didn’t really celebrate holidays even now as an adult.

“Well, every day is special,” he said. “So why should we wait for a certain day? Let’s just celebrate every day.”

And since that really is the way he lives, a gift he has shared with me, I have become far less preoccupied with holidays of any sort. In fact, just this morning I realized that we’re only 8 days away from Christmas….

Photo: nguarracino (Flickr creative commons)

Posted in Julie's Writing | 6 Comments »

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Marriage

Friday, December 12th, 2008

…sabía que vendrías,…
con tus ojos, tus manos y tu boca
pero con otro corazón
que amaneció a mi lado
como si siempre hubiera estado allí
para seguir conmigo para siempre.

…”I knew you would come…
with your eyes, your hands, and your mouth
but with another heart
that awoke at my side
as if it had always been there
to be with me forever.

-Neruda

*

If you had known me eight years ago, you would have known that marriage was the last thing on my mind. Among all my friends, I’d likely have been the last one you’d expect to get married.

And then, everything changed.
*
I fell in love with mi media naranja (my other half) and when we stood on a beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico with friends and family during our wedding, I knew that I had made one of the most exciting, important decisions of my life: the decision to wake up each morning and choose again (and again and again) to practice love, to practice radical acceptance, to make mistakes and practice forgiveness, to remain curious about and appreciative and unconditionally committed to another human being as amazing and as flawed as I am. It’s a conscious choice that I make every day.

*
I recently joked with some friends that I missed the days of marriage when everything I did was the source of fascination, excitement and appreciation for Francisco. The couple laughed, perhaps in recognition. Having articulated the thought jokingly, I turned it over in my mind for a few weeks, wistfully.

And then the lines of Neruda’s poem “El Dano” came to mind:

“Tú entre todos los seres
tienes derecho
a verme débil.”

“You of all people
have the right
to see me weak.”

Love, marriage… they evolve. Each new phase takes you to a different place, if you’re willing to go there together.

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Culebra, Puerto Rico

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco Collazo
*

Location: Playa Flamenco (Flamenco Beach), on Culebra, one of the two “little sister” islands off the mainland of Puerto Rico. Guidebooks say Flamenco is rated one of the 10 best beaches in the world.

Day and Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2008; 12 noon.

Number of People on the Beach: 16

Weather & Water Conditions: Sunny, breezy; one of those perfect winter days in Puerto Rico that’s neither too hot nor too cool. Water is absolutely clear. Strong waves.

Observations: Clean, white sand beach. No rocks in water. Rumor has it the beach will have as many as 2,000 people a day on the weekend. Glad we’re here on a Wednesday.

Happiness Factor: Immeasurable.

Posted in Francisco's Photos, Julie's Writing, Travel & Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

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One Ingredient, Four Recipes: Grapefruit

Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Text & Photos by Francisco Collazo

There are some foods we become so accustomed to using in one way that we have a hard time thinking of other ways to use them.

One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is experiment with these ingredients, pushing them to their limits to see how they can be used.

People love seeing these foods presented in ways they’ve never seen them before, with combinations that have never touched their palates.

Today, I’m starting an occasional series called “One Ingredient, Four Recipes.” I’ll be taking a single item and sharing four recipes I’ve invented or modified to use that ingredient in surprising and delicious dishes.

The first ingredient is grapefruit.

This week, Julie and I are in Puerto Rico, where our friends’ yard is full of fruit trees: plantains, mangos, papaya, and more. It’s grapefruit season, and the round sun-colored fruits are falling from the trees, leaving a blanket of yellow on the grass each morning.

Julie goes out and collects the grapefruit and makes fresh-squeezed juice. But since there are so many and we don’t want them to go to waste, I started to think of other ways to use them. Here are 5 recipes:

Grapefruit Martini

(serves 2-4, depending upon the size of your martini glasses)

-4 shots of vodka (Absolut has Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, but that’s not necessary)
-2 shots of Cointreau
-juice of 1 or 2 grapefruits (will depend entirely on how much juice each grapefruit has; if the grapefruit seems rather dry, use the juice of two).
-ice

Put all ingredients in a shaker. Shake well. If you don’t want any pulp in your martini, put a fine mesh strainer over the martini glass and pour the mix through it. You can garnish with a half slice of grapefruit or a cherry. I also really like to garnish martinis with wild hibiscus flowers, which impart a nice garnet color to the drink and surprise people because they’re so unusual. You can order tWild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup on Amazon.

Grapefruit Garlic Chili Marinade

Citrus juices form the base of many marinades, and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice makes a great marinade for fish, chicken, and pork. This recipe for a spicy, tart marinade gives you enough to coat two pieces of fish, chicken, or pork; double the recipe for four.

-juice from 4 grapefruit
-3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
-1.5 heaping teaspoons of chili powder. Alternately, if you have fresh jalapenos, I’d recommend roasting them on the stove top, deseeding them, chopping them finely and then adding to the marinade.
-If you happen to have any fresh herbs like cilantro or flat leaf parsley on hand, chop a generous handful and add it to the mix.
-2 teaspoons of honey (honey helps balance out the tartness of the grapefruit)

Once you’ve made your marinade, put it into a flat plastic or glass container and lay your fish, chicken, or pork on the bottom. Cover with marinade and let it sit for 3-24 hours. Then, remove the meat from the marinade and grill it to taste, either on a BBQ grill or on your stove top in a grill pan.

Grapefruit Ginger Vinaigrette

Like marinades, citrus fruit juices make good bases for salad dressings. One of my favorites at any time of year is a grapefruit ginger vinaigrette. Serves four.

-1 cup of olive oil
-1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar
-Juice of 2-3 grapefruit (again, depending on how juicy your grapefruit are)
1/2 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
-White pepper to taste

Mix well and toss salad with light coating of the dressing.

Baked Grapefruit

I was determined to come up with a way to use grapefruit for dessert!

Did you know you can actually bake grapefruit?! Yes, you can! It’s the simplest dessert but because few people have ever thought about baking grapefruit, they’re totally impressed!

-Cut a grapefruit in half.
-Sprinkle each half with brown sugar or drizzle lightly with honey.
-Sprinkle some cinnamon or cardamom over the top. You could also place a cinnamon stick in the center of each grapefruit half while it bakes, and the essence will seep into the citrus. For an easy but impressive touch, trade the cinnamon for a piece of star anise, placed right on the top of the grapefruit, in the center.
-Bake the grapefruit for about 10-15 minutes on 375F, or just until golden, then serve on a plate or in a bowl.

Do you think you might try these recipes? You don’t have to be in Puerto Rico to find grapefruit this time of year; citrus is one of the few fruits available in winter that is consistently good. Can you think of other ways to use grapefruit? Share your ideas below!

Posted in Francisco's Food, Francisco's Photos, Francisco's Writing, One Ingredient | 6 Comments »

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December, Puerto Rico

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

Text & Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo

I’d forgotten that you wake up with the sun in Puerto Rico.

This morning, despite having gone to bed at 4 AM, we woke at 8 AM, with light streaming through the bedroom window and the sound of roosters announcing the day, however unprepared we were to welcome it at that particular moment.

We’re here for a couple weeks, house and business-sitting for friends who own a guesthouse just outside the rainforest. The morning routine has changed a bit. Instead of going straight for the computer and coffee, I head up the hill and feed the chickens and dogs, then hunt for some chicken eggs. I walk the dogs, keeping my eyes open for passionfruit fallen from their vines. Then, I pick up the grapefruit rolling down the hill, having been loosed from their limbs. I squeeze six or so and make some fresh juice.

And then, it’s coffee and computer. I sit in front of a window and look all the way out to the ocean. I procrastinate by tracking cloud patterns.

We lived here for 2.5 years and there are a hundred reasons I’d never come back.

But waking up to this light… I have missed this.

Posted in Julie's Photos, Julie's Writing, Travel & Travel Tips | 6 Comments »

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