Paul and Penny

This is a Puerto Rican recipe that Nana, Josh great grandmother from Puerto Rico used to make for us all the time and we absolutely love it. I asked Nana to tell me how to make it and she wrote it down for me and then invited me over to watch/help her make it so I would know how. She was truly a godly woman that loved me and Hannah as if we were her own flesh and blood. May God always bless her because I KNOW she is with HIM! -Penny

Boil a chicken about half covered in water until about 3/4 of the way done. In seperate large stew pot, place about 3 T oil, 1 1/2 roughly chopped onion, 3/4 of a bell pepper chopped but, not too fine, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Start browning the vegetables and add 1/4 can of tomato sauce (use the rest of the can below in bean recipe) and about 1 t annato spice for color (or you can use 1 t paprika if you don’t have annato paste or powder) . Saute 2 cups dry white rice for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat in the above mixture to let the rice take on the red color. Then place chicken pieces on rice and add chicken stock to about 1 inch above the rice. Add about 20 spanish olives, and some olive juice, 2 -3 T of capers, 1/2 t oregano and a little drizzle of olive oil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or til rice is done. Nana said to watch your rice and if it’s too dry, sprinkle some water over it with your hands a little at a time.

Nana’s beans she served with it:

2 cans bush’s pinto beans in a sauce pan

cilantro leaves

2 large pieces of bell pepper

1/2 small onion in big pieces

rest of the can of tomato sauce from rice recipe and a touch of olive oil.

Simmer until sauce thickens stirring so it doesn’t stick.

Nana who lived in Oklahoma and my kids were raised around was a very good cook. She made this one day in 1998 and I loved it so, I asked her how to do it and she didn’t have a recipe but she told me how she did it and I will tell it the best I can here.

1 can Coco Lopez cream of coconut

add enough milk to cream of coconut to make a total of 3 cups

Heat it up a little and pour it over 3 cups old bread crumbled into large bowl. Then beat 2 eggs and add that, then add 1 t vanilla, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 salt and some raisins.

Spray an 8 x 9 glass pan with Pam and sprinkle with nutmeg, pour mixture in pan and bake 375 for almost an hour or when fork comes out clean.

When Josh was young he would go with his dad and pick cherries at Nana and Papa Williams house on Fritzland, in Norman, Oklahoma and then we would all pit the cherries until our fingers and nails were stained red! We would then freeze them in pint ziplocks and use them all winter-YUM!

For my pie, (I asked Nana how much sugar to use and got some tips from her).  I use 2 of our bags or 3 cans of sour cherries (14.5 oz each) and place them juice and all, in a saucepan. Add ¾ to 1.5 cups sugar depending on the tartness of the cherries and how sweet you like them. ( I usually use 1 cup). Cook til sugar dissolves

Then add a cornstarch and water mixture and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour into unbaked pie shell. ( I ALWAYS use Grandma Kathy’s “Never Fail Pie Crust”). Top with a second crust and bake at 400- 425 until crust is done.

–Enjoy, Penny