because lobsters can't cook

i remember looking forward to making this cake for me and my roommates the whole drive from the Bay to SLO. delicious brown sugar topping, caramelized pineapple rings with cherries in the centers, all on top of the fluff of a buttery yellow cake. it was all coming together wonderfully. i successfully melted the butter and sugar together without burning myself like last time and the cake rose without overflowing out of the pan.

i pulled it out of the oven and let it cool for a bit. i grabbed a plate big enough for my cake to sit and put on a pair of green oven mitts. placing the plate over the pan i prepared myself to turn this pineapple upside down cake right side up. mid-flip, the pan slipped out of my sock puppet hands and delicious buttery goodness landed all over the kitchen counter. i pieced together what i could, but i lost my appetite as the image of the cake i had in my head disappeared. and that is why lobsters can't cook.

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cupcakes in the sunset

and now the story of the tye dyed cupcakes

unfortunately they needed a little nip/tuck cosmetic surgery

there were colorful little bebes, too

homemade chocolate frosting

and some crumbled heath bar to top it all off

we decided they looked like cupcakes children would make, but i told her that that's probably how i would be represented as a cupcake anyway. she smiled and said, "you didn't have to say that, but it's probably true."

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sitting in the kitchen

Three generations of women before mine walked in and out of the kitchen. Each time lifting the lid off a pot, stirring whatever happened to be inside,

and bringing in the delicious smells of my favorite foods. Homemade rice and beans, sopes, enchiladas, and flautas all topped off with my grandma’s special chile, so green and bold it’s enough to make even the most adventurous eaters nervous.

My grandma who told me to always make sure I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished at the end of the day. "Don't worry about the money, mi'ja. We need to look out for the people. I know you will."

Three generations of women passing down recipes and tastes that make me proud to call myself the fourth.

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