Welcome to Casablanca Cooks. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Blanca. I live in South Florida with my husband and two of our three daughters. Our oldest daughter has recently moved to Charleston for her first job out of college. Our middle daughter is in high school and the youngest one is 10 going on 20. Other family members include a sweet and very quirky Weimaraner named Luna and two cats, Ernie and Roxy. I also help care for my disabled, elderly mother (her name is Blanca too). When I work outside the home, I am a registered nurse in a high acuity neonatal intensive care unit. I keep pretty busy as you can see and it’s not always easy, so why throw a blog into this happy mess?
I love food – eating it and cooking it – and when I was too young to cook, I enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen. I especially love to bake. Baking is my essence. It soothes and feeds my soul, inspires me, and is so very therapeutic. I have toyed with plans to open a bakery and have in the past made a bit of money on the side from it. I’m self taught and have learned quite a bit from reading cookbooks, watching video tutorials, and by making many, many mistakes.
Anyway, because of the responsibilities in my life at the moment, namely my job as a nurse, my kids, and my mom, that plan never seemed to take shape. I decided to switch gears to something that fits better with my life and I turned to blogging. I am excited to share my love of food and hopefully, will make some new friends along the way.
I come from a culturally diverse Hispanic background – Nicaraguan on my mom’s side and Cuban on my dad’s – filled with so many fun and tasty recipes. I am excited to share those with you. As if that weren’t enough, I married a man from New Orleans, where, if you’ve visited you know, that food traditions run deep. With all the rich, cultural food possibilities surrounding me, I am inspired to share.
More about me – I have a sweet tooth and it is happiest eating crème brulee, pineapple upside down cake, flaky pastries of any kind, and chocolate. My favorite savory foods are usually swimming in sauce and served over rice.
It is my hope that, in these pages, you will find delicious and achievable recipes…many of which pay homage to my culture, my husband’s culture, and my sweet tooth. I believe that our kitchens should not add weight to our already hectic lives, but rather help to lighten our burdens and lift our spirits. My goal is to fill the soul as well as the belly. The recipes here are simple, yet special. I hope you think so too.