Entries by Laura Carbonell

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In Defense of Print Books!

Traditionally printed books, like photo albums, are becoming a rare commodity. Yes, eBooks and digital storage seem to help us simplify and streamline. However, I dread the demise of print books, and I hope they’ll always have a place in our culture and lives. I’ll explain why. Fifteen years ago, I packed my belongings in […]

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Coping with a Midlife Crisis

The term Midlife Crisis originated with Sigmund Freud, who thought that in middle age, people began to be plagued by the fear of impending death. Since Freud’s coining of the phrase, the term is widespread in our culture and is often used to explain uncharacteristic, out-of-the-blue yet stereotypical behavior—a 50-year old man buying a flashy […]

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Kids Corner: Tortilla de Calabacín-Zucchini Omelet

When I was growing up, my abuelita had a hard time feeding her grandkids vegetables. I thought anything that looked green was either tasteless or dangerous. GREENS GO “UNDERGROUND” However, my grandmother did manage to get me to eat greens and vegetables by disguising them. One of the dishes she hid veggies in was tortilla […]

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How to Worry Less & Live More

Worry is defined as the anticipation of a negative future event. Healthy worrying helps us to find a solution to a problem that is likely to arise. This is proactive. However, unhealthy, obsessive worrying can be debilitating, paralyzing and harmful to your health. If you become so focused on the negative, you can’t be objective […]

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Potaje de Garbanzos—A Hearty One-Plate Meal

When I was a kid, this is one of those dishes my abuelita tricked me into eating to get me to eat healthy meals. I remember being amazed at her patience as she soaked the dried garbanzo beans overnight. Though nowadays we can get canned, ready-to-serve beans, they aren’t as healthy. PATIENCE FOR A PERFECT POTAJE So, […]

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Party Over? Beat the Post-Holiday Blues

First we prep for Thanksgiving and if that weren’t an ordeal in and of itself, we are immediately greeted by Black Friday. That’s the Holiday kick off. We get all revved up by stores’ ads, carols, tree-lighting events, family dinners, Christmas parties, kids’ end of school pageants and New Year’s Eve parties. December is a […]

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Does Traditional Marriage Still Make Sense?

When 45% of marriages end in divorce, something is amiss. Yet, even with this grim statistic, people still want to take the vows and believe in ‘Til Death Do Us Part. Maybe we should adapt to the times, make some changes, and rethink marriage. After all, our lives have changed drastically in the last 50-100 […]

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Holiday Finger Food: Abuelita’s Chicken Croquetas

CROQUETAS: MY ABUELITA’S LEGACY I was raised, from the age of two, by my abuelita. She was a hardworking woman who never complained; the “superwoman” of yesteryear who made sure we had varied, nutritious, and delicious meals every day. Dinner was always something to look forward to especially when the surprise was…croquetas! I love croquetas; one […]