The year that’s coming to an end has been, on a personal level, quite productive, even if the results of all that work aren’t immediately visible.

Hatching books

I devoted most of 2025 to “hatching” books, putting the finishing touches on a collection of three theater plays: La hija de La Llorona, Hasta que el mortgage nos separe (both staged by Aguijón Theater), and a new one, A mamá le llegó el parole. And, as mentioned in another post, I finished The Novel Detective, which will be published in June 2026.

I’m also deep into another novel about my Galician ancestors. Until recently, I didn’t know much about my father’s family, originally from Lugo and Ourense, but thanks to my cousin Teresita I’ve started poking around, and I’m delighted by my findings.

Just imagine my grandmother Manuela, who hopped on a ship from La Coruña to La Habana, peeling potatoes to pay for her ticket… Manuela, who, after been in Cuba for thirty years, returned briefly to Spain and then crossed the ocean again to settle in Puerto Rico with her daughter Teresa, her son-in-law Argelio and her grandkids Teresita and Yeyito. Manuela, who, despite having lived in La Habana for only a third of her life, told everyone she was Cuban… There’s a lot to write about her!

My students, the authors

As for my students, they did have a book published this year! I took my ESL class to the Lea County Museum in Lovington, and thanks to a grant from NMJC, their essays about the museum were compiled in a book, Learning Local History.

Trips

Over the summer, Gary and I took a trip to London, because after studying theater at NMJC, I felt the need to see in person the very place where Shakespeare’s plays were performed centuries ago: the Globe. I’m indebted to Great Britain and owe it a return trip, and a visit to Coventry, where my dear comadre and soul sister Hisbel lives, along with my goddaughter Paulette.

We also made short, blink-and-you-miss-them visits to nearby cities, like Taos—our Taos—dog included. This little guy knows how to travel!

El majarete

On Christmas Eve, Gary and I visited our friend Richard, who made a delicious dinner: meatballs, pasta, and for dessert… majarete!

I remembered my maternal grandmother (Topeo, the Cuban one) singing the song that says: el majarete con leche, como le gusta a usted (majarete with milk… just the way you like it.) Here you can listen to the full song.

Majarete is very easy to make and uses just a few ingredients: fresh corn kernels (or frozen, which is what I used), two and a half cups; fresh milk, two cups; sugar, half a cup; a pinch of salt; cinnamon (both ground and sticks); a splash of vanilla; and raisins to taste.

This is the recipe, which my mother sent me from the book Golosinas, by Ramona Ballate Cruz:

1. Blend the milk, sugar, salt, and corn in a blender. (It is recommended to strain the mixture through a sieve, but my beloved Vitamax allows me to bypass this step).
2. Cook everything together after adding cinnamon sticks, vanilla, and raisins, and stir for 20 minutes until it reaches a custard-like consistency.
3. Pour into molds and sprinkle with cinnamon.
4. Let cool and… dig in!

What better way to end the year than with a spoonful of comfort? May this 2026 that’s about to begin be as sweet for you as majarete!