American cars for the win?

Last week DC had a snow storm that was minimal when you compare it to the blizzards we had last year. The fact that this storm came right at rush hour, though, made the DC metro area crumble to its knees with traffic and furious drivers (who failed to top off their gas tanks before the storm hit) ditching their cars on the sides of roads, playing the blame game. Some people sat in traffic for up to 12 hours. Streets were completely gridlocked as the ice fell followed by inches of snow with thunder and lightning all over town. Google maps at 4pm looked like this.

Ay Dios Mio!

Google maps at 11pm looked like this.

Euw.

It was all sorts of no-bueno for many DCists.  But, while the city collectively pounded on their steering wheel, Coco and I played “catch the snow ball” because I had worked from home.

I've got this.

And while the city groaned, and Coco loved life, Charlie was stuck at work, because the city was completely gridlocked. He and a coworker (with an AWD Explorer) found ways to keep entertained, though. Consumer Reports may have rated Charlie’s Jeep one of the worst vehicles, but on snow-storm day, it’s Charlie’s time to shine. Notice the traffic not moving an inch in the background:

Arroz con Pollo by Charlie

Arroz con pollo is one of my favorite things to cook. This is a variation of my Abuela’s pressure cooker recipe. You get a whole meal in one pot and it’s one of those magic dishes that’s even better the next day (like lasagna). It’s ok if you don’t have a pressure cooker, just increase the rice cooking time appropriately. Thighs and drumsticks are more typical but I use a whole chicken because I like the contrast. If you’re trying to impress your new girlfriend, get some multicolored bell peppers, add diced pimientos and tell her that you used saffron.

1 4-6 lb whole chicken (or thighs and drumsticks)
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
5 oz can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
small jar of pimiento stuffed olives
1 lb yellow rice
16 oz beer
16 oz water

Break down the chicken into drumsticks, thighs and breasts (discard the wings and carcass or save for stock). Remove the skin from the thighs and breasts (else it becomes soggy) and cut the breasts into 3-4 smaller chunks. Brown the chicken with some olive oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat and set aside in a bowl (don’t cook fully). Add more oil if necessary and cook the onions in the chicken juice over medium heat until translucent (5 min). Add the green pepper and cook for few more minutes. Push the pepper and onions to the side of the pot, add the garlic to the exposed bottom and cook another minute until it smells great. Add the tomato paste, stir and cook for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw tomato flavor. Add the water, beer, bay leaves, olives & olive juice, salt and pepper, and stir. Submerge the chicken in the pot along with any collected juice and add the rice to the spaces between the chicken. Raise the heat to high and close the lid tightly. Once the pressure cooker starts making noise, reduce the heat to med-low and set a timer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, wait for the pressure cooker to calm down, open the lid carefully and stir. The rice should be slightly wet, if it’s very wet cook uncovered for another few minutes on low, stirring regularly so the rice on the bottom doesn’t burn. Make sure you don’t drool into the pot. Enjoy!

If you’re having guests over you can do most of the cooking before they arrive and take a short break between adding the chicken and adding the rice. Go entertain your guests, just make sure you leave the pot covered on a low simmer to keep the chicken in the safe zone.

And many more…

We will be celebrating Charlie’s birthday this weekend!

Mini Carlos

Consumption Reports: CPK Crispy Thin Crust

If you’re like me, you’ve caught yourself trying to come up with new ideas to nourish your strapping handsome bridegroom.  If you know us well, you know that Charlie cooks (better) more than I do, so you won’t be surprised to know that when presented with the opportunity to cook dinner, I defaulted to picadillo? beef bourguignon? blinking like I Dream of Jeannie hoping real food will appear? a pizza from my grocer’s freezer.  Not just any pizza, a California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Spinach & Artichoke pizza (I’ve seen fatter Cuban crackers).  The website refers to the pizza as “thin and beautiful.”  Labeling something, “thin and beautiful,” despite its having more fat than a vending machine cinnamon sticky bun (I know those things well) explains everything that is wrong with our society, and this pizza is no exception.  “Thin and beautiful” is okay for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but just like a model in [insert magazine that doesn’t pay me to mention them] looks okay on the cover, in real life… SIMPLY STARVING.  Take a look at how the cardboard upon which the pizza sat was almost thicker than the food item itself.  How can any respectable woman feed this to her Brawny man?  And then what am I supposed to eat?  A frozen pie crust full of shame?

So whatever you do, don’t let the cheesy spinachy-ness fool you!  Don’t pay $7 thinking this pizza will do anything other than make you think, “gahhh, I’m still hungry.”  Unless you want to follow that up with a hot dog I threw in the microwave for 30 seconds.