[MaikaMatos]

Mucho gusto

Glad to meet everyone. I am thrilled to have found this website. I googled "dominican food." Hit the jackpot!!!

I am Maika and I was born in Puerto Rico. My parents are Dominican. My mom was actually born in Aragon, Spain, but was brought to the Dominican Republic as a very young child. I lived between the two islands until we moved to Queens, NY during my 13th year.

I have wonderful memories of living in the Dominican Republic from eating pan de agua con mantequilla y cafe con leche for breakfast to eating the traditional bandera dominicana. During a time, my mom had a lady bring us a "cantina" everyday for the noon meal while the house was undergoing some construction. The "cantina" usually had rice, beans, carne guisada and a very refreshing salad (such as repollo, tomatoes, radishes, with vinegar, oil, salt), sometimes fritos, etc. Aunt Clara's Dominican Cookbook has recipes to many of my favorite dishes.

What I love about food is its ability to stir up wonderful memories of childhood, time spent with family, holidays, trips, assignments, etc. My husband and I have spent the last 20+ years in Germany, England, and Spain and have recently returned to the US. I learned how to cook as a grown up after I got married. Having spent so much time away from family, cooking recipes from childhood was very comforting. I have this messy recipe notebook where I wrote down my mom's recipes. During her visit to meet her new granddaughter in Germany, she not only cooked my favorite foods but also showed me how to cook them. One of her favorite stories of that visit is the fact that I ate the majority (she says) of a pot of Habichuelas con Dulce she made. My American husband has never gotten a taste for them and I hate to waste food. So yes, I ate a few bowls.  Mind you, my daughter was born in August and they are more traditional for Lent. We go through all the holiday foods when my mom visits.  Over the years, I have added some other favorites from Spain, Germany, etc., to my messy notebook. I’m excited to learn from all of you and add many more. 
Buen provecho