Cook-Off #1: El arroz latino (Latino Rice)

Whenever you think of special occasions (weddings, birthdays, graduation parties, holidays, or even just a family get-together), you remember the people who were there and what you did, talked about, etc.  But do you ever realize these events all happen over food?  After all, what is a good party without food?? If you ask me, if there’s no food, there’s no party! 

Good times are always had when you mix some good food with some of your favorite people.  In our family, we all (and I mean all of us) eat together every Saturday.  So we’ve had our fair share of meal-planning, grocery shopping, and time in the kitchen!  About a month ago, we decided to “spice it up” (no pun intended) a little bit and conduct a “cook-off” at my house.  Naturally, one of the contenders would be Laura, my best-friend/chef.  And the other contender?  Our friend Gabriel, a native Dominican who moved here from Puerto Rico last year.  And so, Laura decided to be brave and challenge him on his own turf:  rice. 

Although the cook-off was all in fun, we did make it a competition!  Laura and Gabriel each had their “own” side of my kitchen, and everyone at my house wore nametags that said “Team Laura” or “Team Gabriel” (it was about an even split, if you were wondering!).  Both chefs dressed for the part—chef coats and hats, even!—and assembled their ingredients to begin their dishes.  Gabriel was doing the traditional rice dish from his country, while Laura decided to take the Mexican twist on rice.  Needless to say, my kitchen started smelling really good really fast!

Let the cook-off begin…

Team Laura vs. Team Gabriel

The line has been drawn...

Gabriel's game face is on...

The ingredients begin to simmer...

More ingredients...

 

 

End Result:  Laura's Mexican Rice

End Result:  Gabriel's Dominican Rice

This was such a fun night.  And no matter who the winner, we all ate REALLY good that night!  I can’t wait to have another cook-off.  To me, there is nothing better than a house full of my favorite people…and my favorite food! J


Oh, and if you are wondering just how good the rice dishes were, here's a picture of the end of the night...this crusty, deliciousness at the bottom of the pan is what the Dominicans and Puerto Ricans refer to as the "recao". It's worth the wait.



"el recao"...mmmm delicioso!