White Rice

In Puerto Rico we eat rice and beans practically every day. It's a staple in pretty much every home. Making white rice is such a basic thing that I've taken it for granted, it didn't even occur to me to put it on the blog until now! This recipe is for a simple white rice that you can combine with any type of legume.

Ingredients:

2 cups of medium grain rice
3 cups of water
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Procedure:

1. Combine the water, salt, and olive oil in a large pot and put it on medium-high heat (6-7); bring to a boil.
2. Once the water starts to boil, add the rice.
3. Stir the rice.
4. Leave it at a moderate heat (5) without stirring it until it dries.
5. Once it's dried, mix and reduce the temperature to low. 
6. Cover and let it cook for 15 minutes. Stir once, halfway through.

Set your pot on the stove and pour the water in.

Add the salt.

Add the olive oil.

Add the rice.

Mix well, cover and let cook.

Let the water boil out.

Mix the rice after the water's boiled out.

Take in the smell and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Sweet Fire Chicken

This is an awesome recipe! My husband loves eating Sweet Fire Chicken when we go eat Chinese food so I decided to try making it at home as a surprise. He loved it, of course! Like most Slow Cooker recipes it's about putting it all together in the pot and letting the flavors meld together over time. The combination of spices, peppers, and pineapples together with the chicken is super tasty. My family loved it and I'm sure yours will too!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut them into cubes)

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 can of pineapple chunks, drained

For the sauce:

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes (if you want it hotter add another 1/2 teaspoon)

2/3 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of sweet red chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon of salt

4 tablespoons of cold water plus 3 tablespoons of cornstarch

Procedure:

1. Cut the chicken and bell pepper. 
2. In a bowl mix together the ingredients for the sauce, except the 4 tablespoons of cold water and the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
3. Add the chicken, bell pepper, and pineapple into a greased slow cooker.
4. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and give it a stir. 
5. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

After cutting the chicken and peppers prepare the sauce. First put the minced garlic in a bowl.

Then the pepper flakes.

Followed by the sugar.

The cup of water.

And the sweet chili sauce.

Lastly add the salt.

Mix thoroughly.

Put the chicken in the greased slow cooker.

Followed by the peppers.

And the pineapples.

Stir to combine.

Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

Put the cornstarch in a separate bowl.

Then add the cold water and stir to combine.

Remove the lid.

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the slow cooker, 30 minutes before serving.

Mix well.

Cover and cook for the 30 minutes.

It will come out super moist, soft, and tasty. Enjoy!

Homemade Cheese Burgers

This recipe is easy and tasty! It's a go to recipe in my house. I prefer making burgers from scratch than buying them frozen. It really doesn't take that much time to make. You can even make them the night before and leave them in the fridge, or you can make them ahead of time and freeze them and you'll have fresh hamburgers for whenever you need them or when your family wants to eat something quick.  My hubby just loves them! This was the first time I made them for my toddler to taste. He loved them! Kept asking for more! 

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground beef

3 Tablespoons of Steak Sauce

6 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 ounces of white onion

3 Tablespoons of cilantro

2 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes in  the fridge.
3. Make patties.
4. Cook them on the skillet.
5. Put cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese has melted. 
6. Serve on top of a bun and enjoy!

Put the ground meat in a bowl.

Add the Steak Sauce.

Add the six egg yolks.

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the salt.

Add the chopped white onion.

Add the chopped cilantro.

Mix all the ingredients well.

Once mixed put the meat in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mold the patties.

Aren't they beautiful!

Cook the patties on a skillet or a grill skillet. 

Once cooked, put them on a new sheet of parchment paper.

Normally I use the grill skillet but today I used the regular skillet.

Put the cheese on top of the cooked patties.

Put the in a 350 degrees oven for 5-8 minutes.

Nothing better than a simple cheeseburger!

Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken

I love to eat rotisserie chicken.  So while browsing through the internet one day, I got very excited when I found an extremely easy recipe for it (which I adapted to suit the taste buds of our toddler). I must say that this recipe isn't just the easiest whole chicken recipe you'll ever make, it's also super delicious and the chicken falls right off the bone. However with that tenderness comes an unfortunate truth... if you are planning on taking the whole chicken and putting it on a plater to present it to friends and family (like I did) you won't be able to. The meat will be so tender and juicy it will instantly slide off the bones and fall to pieces when you try to grab it.  But trust me, it won't matter... that's how good this chicken recipe is! That's how you know it's perfect! This is a recipe I do at least once a month. I hope you guys love it as much as us. Enjoy!! Until the next one!

Ingredients:

1 young chicken
3 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
1 lemon



Procedure:

1. Spray your crockpot or slow cooker with non stick spray. (I used Pam)
2. Combine all ingredients and rub them all over the chicken, inside and out. Or you can do it one by one like I did in the step by step pictures.
3. Cut the lemon in half and put it inside the chicken.
4. Place the chicken in the crockpot with the breast side down.
5. Cook on high for five hours or on low for nine. I made mine in five hours.

Note:  Do not add any liquid! It's not necessary. The cooking process will make the chicken release its own juices keeping the meat tender. (This is why I like to put the breast down.) 

Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl.

Add the paprika.

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the dried thyme.

Add the onion powder and Italian seasoning. 

Rub everything all over the chicken, inside and out.

Cut the lemon and squeeze all the juice into the chicken.

Put the lemon inside the chicken as well.

Put the whole chicken in the crockpot. 

Cook on high for 5 hours

Final Result! Decadent and juicy chicken! Enjoy!!!