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!

Expresso Iced Coffee

I really, really, really love coffee. There is nothing better than a cup of hot or iced coffee, in the morning or afternoon. The first time I tasted coffee was when I was a baby. My grandmother put some room temperature coffee in my baby bottle and I downed the whole thing! Ever since I've loved coffee. I love going to Starbucks when I can but drinking it everyday can get a little pricey, so I decided to try making iced coffee at home. It was super tasty and very easy to make. I don't like my coffee to become watery. When you buy at Starbucks they use ice cubes, so when it melts all that water gets in the way of your amazing coffee. Wouldn't it be better to make and use expresso coffee cubes? Well, the answer is yes! It's much better!  Hope you guys enjoy it too! Until the next one!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of water
Ground coffee
1 cup of 2% cold milk
1 tsp of white sugar

I'm making my coffee in a small expresso pot.

Get your ground coffee open.

Fill the bottom of your expresso pot with coffee.

Fill the top of the  pot with 3/4 cups of water and set it on medium high heat on your stove for 5 minutes.

When you remove the pot the coffee should look very dark.

Pour it into a glass container and let it cool.

Grab an ice tray.

Once it's cooled, pour the coffee into the ice tray and freeze it.

Remove the desired number of coffee cubes from the freezer.

I use three cubes per cup of milk.

Put the cubes into the cup.

Pour the cold milk over the coffee cubes.

Add the sugar. and swirl them a bit with a spoon.

They'll begin to combine.

Enjoy!

Pork Chop Stewed Rice

Lately I've been experimenting with stewed rice. I'm not usually a big fan of rice. I'll eat the ones cooked by me, my mother, or my grandmother. My husband on the other hand loves it and begs me to make it, so I promised I'd start making different versions of this dish. Last night I decided to begin my experiments so I took some pork chops I'd left seasoned in the fridge, remove the bones and chopped them up to incorporate them into the rice. The recipe isn't difficult, but at least for me, it's important to have everything chopped and measured ahead of time so everything goes smoothly. I must admit it was delicious and my hubby and my kiddo loved it. Hope you guys enjoy it too! Until the next one!

Ingredients:

Cooking ham (to taste)
Bacon (to taste)
2 large pork chops
1 tbsp. of salt
2 cups of white rice
3 cups of water
1 tsp. of tomato paste
1 tsp. of olives (dressed in capers)
2 tsp. of Sofrito
Sweet red peppers (to taste)
Olive oil


Procedure:

Preheat the pot to medium. Cut the ham, bacon, and pork chops.

Put the chopped ham and bacon into the pot.

When they begin to cook and change color add the pork chops.

Stir the meats with a spoon and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil.

When the pork chop looks almost cooked add the Sofrito.

Stir to combine well.

Add the sweet red peppers and the olives and stir again.

Add the tomato paste and stir again.

Add the 2 cups of white rice.

Mix it until combined.

Pour 3 cups of water and season with salt. Stir to combine.

Let it cook over medium high heat until the water begins to steam and evaporate. Once the water has evaporated stir the rice again and drop the heat to low. Allow it to cook for another 20 minutes on low heat.

After the 20 minutes take off the lid, and stir all the rice one last time.

Final product, ready to serve. Enjoy!