100+ Followers?!? Ay que rico!!!

About 2 years, ago I started Cup 'a Hot Chocolate.

A year ago this November, I was inspired to wipe the blog clean and start fresh! I didn't keep any of my old posts. I wanted a brand new blog under the same name.

6 months ago, I actually started learning about blogs. Design, communities, and I actually started looking around and following blogs I loved and liked to visit regularly.

Just 3 months ago, I felt like I finally started making my blog my own! I started writing how I wanted to and about whatever I wanted to and for the first time was proud to be able to say this is fully a reflection of me! Here's the post where that really took off...
For one thing, this makes it so difficult to decide on a blogiversary... but that's a subject for another day!

Today, I'm celebrating reaching 100+ followers!
I cannot express to you all enough what rockstars you guys are!! I LOVE getting comments from you guys and the constant support in everything I do. It's funny but so true how you can "meet" such amazing people through blogging. Such incredible and inspirational people have come into my life through this adventure in blogging I've started and I love it! I'm so excited to see what comes next...

I wanted to do something special to celebrate, so I decided to share something with you all! Most of the time, when I share something I've cooked, the recipe comes from some random source that I link back to. 

Today, I'm actually going to be sharing a family recipe!
 That's right my lovely followers- 

time for some Cuban deliciousness in your lives!!!

Some sabor!!
***My Abuelita's Fricase de Pollo***
y arroz con frijoles
aka My Grandma's Chicken Fricassee
and rice and beans

A couple notes before I start though- Cuban cooking is all very much a gusto, or to taste. Just as my grandma taught me, there are next to no specific measurements in this recipe! But I promise, it's so easy!! You just have to try it as you go and decide what you want more or less of. If you trust yourself, it'll turn out delicious!

Also- this is the easy way to cook it all! I like to call it "The poor girl's Fricase de Pollo" because I use onion powder alone instead of real onions and canned black beans instead of dry ones. I almost always have all the ingredients I need for this at home, so I don't need to depend on those extra items! Plus, if we decide we want Cuban food last minute, it's actually doable!

Aaaaand cooking time!

Ingredients, for the whole shbang-

1 pkg chicken tenderloins

White or brown rice, your choice

Corn oil, I use Mazola

Spanish Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

1 can Hunt's tomato sauce

Onion powder

Garlic salt

Ground Cumin

White Vinegar

1 can black beans (no seasoning added)

Cooking the arroz-

1. Add your desired amount of rice to the rice cooker and add just enough water so there is a thin layer sitting over the rice (about half a centimeter above for white rice and a full centimeter above for brown rice).
2. Add 1 cucharada, or tablespoon, of your corn oil and add as much salt as you'd like. I go a little salt heavy... But it's how I was taught!

Making the sofrito-

(This is the sauce that acts as a base for alot of Cuban and island cuisine. In this case, it'll be used to cook the chicken!)

1. Empty the contents of the tomato sauce into any deep pan you have a cover for! Fill the can 1/3 full with water and add that to the pan too.
2. Now, all the goodies- add a cucharada of corn oil (tablespoon), 2 capfuls of vinegar, and then a ridiculous amount of garlic salt and onion powder. Those are the tricky amounts to describe both here and in the beans. What I normally do is legitimately add enough onion powder to just coat the mix in the pan and then add a little less than that of the garlic salt.
3. Bring this to a boil and then reduce it to just above medium heat.

Now, cut down the tenderloins into little chunks. You can use chicken breasts or even cutlets here- I've just always done it this way because it seems to cook so well and it gives me the look I want to come out just like Grandma's... I also get crazy anal about cutting out all the nasty parts of the tenderloins.

Add the chicken to the sofrito and make sure you mix it so the sauce is really getting all over the chicken. Cover the pan and let it cook! I like to check back and mix it up a few times periodically while it's cooking. That way it all soaks up the delicious sauce!

On to the frijoles!!

1. With the stove on medium heat, empty the can of beans into a sauce pan. Then fill the can 1/3 of the way with water and add that in too. I've started adding even a little less water than that because I like for the beans to get as much of the seasoning as possible. If you're cooking for anyone that just likes the soup without the actual beans, more water makes it a little easier to do that.
2. Add just a splash of the spanish olive oil and corn oil  and then it's on to all the seasonings. Just like with the sofrito, make a coat almost of the onion powder, this time about the same amount of garlic salt, and just a dash of cumin and pepper.
3.  Bring this to a boil, and then add 2 capfuls of vinegar. 
4. Lower the heat and just let it simmer for 10 minutes. During all that I like to mix it up and sort of smush the beans as I go. It makes it a little thicker and that's how I like it!

By this point, your rice cooker should've popped, your chicken should look like the above picture, your beans should be harmoniously cooked and seasoned, and your kitchen should smell like you died and went to heaven!!

Aaaaaaaand dinner is served!! I like to make sure I get a good amount of sofrito on my chicken and even toss some over onto my rice too. 

Yes, it is that good.

Some people are a little scared to try Cuban food but I'm telling you now, this will become a staple in your regular menu! It really isn't too out there as far as flavors go. I often hear "How come it's not spicy?" ... I hate to break this to you all, but, Cuban food is NOT SPICY. It is in deed full of spices and we're known for our flavor! We don't really do the "hot" stuff.

I really hope you guys try this out! My grandma is the greatest cook I know and having her recipes now could not make me happier!!

So thanks again, my 100+ followers! I'm so happy to be sharing in this journey with all of you and I hope you keep coming by!

Lots more laughs, craftiness, deliciousness, and all around awesomeness to come!!

Till then...