For the Love of Rice. (A Cuban Christmas Giveaway)

As we're nearing the holiday countdown and making all the preparations, I'm all about making lists.

I have a book with the following lists:

• My Christmas List
• My Crema de Vie Recipient List
• My Menu List
• My Grocery Shopping List
• My Stocking Stuffer List
• My Christmas Card List
• My Decorating List
• My Christmas Tag List (The to/from kind)
• My Video List (I'll explain this another time)

And on it goes.

As I was reviewing my Grocery Shopping List, I realized that all of my holiday meals involve rice. Talk about a staple in the Cuban home! Growing up, we had rice at every meal. Every meal, people.  We Cubans are nothing, if not committed to our rice.

And obviously our Nochebuena celebration is not complete without perfectly cooked white rice. Am I right? 

What else, I ask you, would so beautifully prop up our perfect Cuban black beans? (Can you hear that Angelic Chorus?)

Just in time for Christmas I have partnered with my friends at IMUSA USA to bring you an awesome giveaway. 

The Perfect Rice Cooker from IMUSA USA. Ta-da! You can also make any of your favorite "arroz con _____" in it.

To enter the drawing for a chance to win this beautiful IMUSA 5 Cup Rice (and Multi-purpose) Cooker, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or all of the following questions:

• Did your family serve rice for every meal?
• What else will you be serving with your Christmas Rice?  ;-)
• What's your Nochebuena and/or Christmas menu?
• What's your favorite "arroz con ______"?

I'll do a random drawing on Sunday, December 18th at 8 pm Pacific Time. 

{Disclosure: I received the 5 Cup Rice Cooker from IMUSA USA to use for this promotion and as a giveaway to one lucky reader. The opinion that it is fabulous is my own.}

Comments

[Michelle]

Growing up we had rice almost every meal. Of course it was also part of every celebration, including Nochebuena. This year is my daughter's first so we are trying to figure out what our family traditions are going to be. We've decided we'll have a Cuban dinner on Christmas Eve for my side and then Christmas dinner for my husbands side. And, wouldn't you know, our rice cooker broke so winning this would be perfect!

[Bea]

Rice every meal? Does a bear poopee in the woods? Nochebuena y mala; doesn't matter the ocassion we served it with rice. Christmas dinner will consist of black beans, pork shoulder, tabouli (homage to our Moorish friends and yummy with the beans), roasted garlic and rosemary swt potatoes, salad ( one jello based, of course), and lots of other goodies. All capped off with pumpkin spice flan, coconut rum cake with Guayaba filling, turrones, dates and figs, un cafe Ito y crema de vie!

[Aida Nava]

We are having as my kids say Christmas Food! Kabobs, hummus, pita, grilled tomato, maybe dates and goat cheese if i make it fresh and easy for cheese. A couple of christmases ago i had just had a baby and my brain was elsewhere so all we had in the fridge was what we now know as christmas food. (its also Celaya's birthday food). you think being mexican there'd be tamales or something but nah!

[Jenny Rodriguez]

My family until this very day serves rice with every meal. It is a staple in our family! However, I cannot cook rice to save my own life!! So a rice cooker would very much indeed be a life saver! With my Christmas rice, hopefully in my new rice cooker, lol, i will be serving frijoes negros, boneless ribs in mojo sauce, yuca, and rice pudding for dessert! My favorite is arroz con frijoles negros!

[bohemian babushka]

My favorite "arroz con"? Arroz con pollo says my head, pero arroz con leche says my soul. Thanks for another great post and giveaway.

[Andriacm]

My vote would have to go to arroz con leche...your recipe, of course :) Gracias for the great giveaway.

[Diana G.]

I'm a colombian who lived in Hialeah for many years so I can relate to eating rice with every meal. We can have a "calentao" for b-fast meaning the rice and frijoles from the night before, and then for lunch have arroz blanco with sancocho (soup/ajiaco), and then for dinner which is my favorite arroz cubano would be arroz congri OMG con masitas de puerco and maduros ....yumm that's a meal. Anyway I hope I win this because my arrocera se dano a few weeks ago after having it for 8 years (that's a long time)

[Dave Lapinel]

Rice with (just about) every meal growing up in the 1st generation Lapinel household. Our Christmas dinner now is a carryover. We will have fresh ham (mojo marinade, black beans and white rice. This year we will add platanos. For dessert flan and turron. My mothers arroz con pollo is something I still crave.

[C. Gonzales]

Rice is a must-have side on any Cuban plate; I tell my USA friends it's like the side of mashed potatoes or mac n cheese. Ropa vieja has to be my family's fave and they love to finish it with a warm arroz con leche before bed during these Kentucky winter months. The rice cooker would be a wonderful thing so that I dont have to worry about over-cooking the rice while trying to multi-task between kid homework, baths and cooking!!

[Patricia]

I dont how people DONT eat rice with every meal! Rice in my family is like salt&pepper.
This Christmas I won't be doing anything big since most of the family will be elsewhere. Maybe your "coke in the butt of a chicken" recipe, some rice, beans, maduru frito, queso frito...yum I just got hungry ;) For Nochebuena we go out to eat!
Favorite to eat and make is arroz con pollo...
Ok I automatically regret writing all of this now I'm starving!!!

Merry Christmas!!

[Virginia]

If I could, I would eat rice with every meal. My favorite is arroz con frijoles negros – I also make mojo whenever I can, because some in my family like to put mojo on everything, including the rice and beans. On the 24th, we always have rice, black beans, pork, maduros, yuca, mojo, and turrones. Anything else depends on how much time we have, because we also have to make typical American dishes for the other half of the family.

[Grace]

I grew up eating rice at every meal (of course, my mother would say!) Arroz always came with some kind of beans - negros, colorados, garbanzos, etc. When each of our kids (even my American stepson) went off to college, they each got a small rice cooker. My favorite Arroz is Con Pollo. My mother always made it mandatory for all us kids and our families to gather for a traditional Nochebuena dinner (arroz, frijoles negros, lechon, maduros, yuca, and various desserts, including flan and turron). This is our first year we wont do this due to her deteriorating condition, so it will be sad.

[Normie]

My family always has rice at every meal. When I married a non-Cuban he thought I was part Chinese.
For Noche Buena its always rice with black beans or
congri, yuca, lechon, ensalada, pan cubano, turrones
and flan.
My favorite arroz con leche.

Feliz Navidad!!!!

[Ava Guidoni]

Well, we have a American/Cuban Christmas since one half of the family is Americanos and the other Cubanos... So, we have an American style buffet at one table and a Cuban one on the other. That way everyone can walk around and get what they like. The American side will have turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean Casserole, salads and whatever kind of pies they make for that year. But, our Cuban side will have what I want ;-)... Arroz blanco, frijoles negros, lechon asado, yuca con mojo, platanitos, and who can resist the deliciousness of an assortment of turrones which is my dessert of choice forget the flan. Buen Provecho!!!

[Kiki Bacaro]

Rice at every meal? Doesn't everyone?? Just had Arroz con Huevos Fritos for breakfasts:)

Frijoles Negros, of course:)

Noche Buena is a combo of Cuban and Americano food. Arroz con frijoles, yuca con mojo, Paleta de puerco, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatos, green beans, etc. and Turrones, of course.

Arroz con Leche that my mom makes:) LOVE Arroz con pollo a la chorrera too though!

[Jennifer Bergerman]

Rice with every dinner and some breakfasts and lunches too:)

Frijoles Negros all the way!

See my mom's post above for Noche Buena meal:)

Arroz con leche that my grandma Wee Wee makes!

[Lucy L.]

As a Cuban-American living in Miami, I grew up eating rice with every meal and wouldn't have it any other way!

My favorite "Arroz Con ..." is an "Arroz con Vaca" my late abuelita use dto make. She would mix vaca frita with rice, add a sofrito (of course!) and top it off with some limon - BEST.DISH.EVER.

[Suzy]

Did we have rice with every meal? Oh for sure! Growing up in the Mid-Atlantic region in the 1970's my friends that we were weird as we rarely ate potatoes or had that wholesome American entre called Meatloaf. Our Noche Buena meal will consist of all the traditional goodies and my favorite arroz is arroz con leche. Merry Christmas!

[Michelle Bacaro]

Ditto above comments for questions 1 and 3:)

Favorite thing with white rice is red beans, I think I might secretly be dominican;)

Arroz con leche, grandma style!

[Michelle Bacaro]

Oops, THOUGHT my mom's and sis' comments were right above my post...Kiki's and Jennifer's.

[Maria Eugenia]

We ate rice at every meal growing up and I still make it almost every day. However, I have never owned a rice cooker! Our Nochebuena menu is the traditional arroz moro, lechon asado, yuca con mojo,y tamales (my favorite). For dessert we will have flan and several different turrones.We wash all this down with sidra and vino gran sanson. My favorite rice dish is arroz moro. Absolutely love it!
Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo, Marta y familia!!

[Ileana]

Rice was served at every single meal where it got to the point I'd run away from it. Glad to say, I embraced my Cuban-ity and I'm totally over it now. <3 rice! ;-)

What's your Nochebuena and/or Christmas menu?
Cuban tamales, frijoles negros, platanos frito, yuca, carne puerco (OMG my stomach is growling!).

What's your favorite "arroz con FRIJOLES NEGROS"

[Carmela C]

We have rice often, but not at every meal. Our household is American, Cuban and Italian. We have a little bit of everything: rice and beans, lechon, seafood, pasta, assorted cheeses, assorted pies and pastries, nuts, flan and tiramisu. My personal favorite "arroz" is arroz con pollo. Absolutely love it!

[Annie]

RIce at every meal, hear hear! Now that I'm married to an Irish-man, we eat potatoes or pasta, but growing up it was rice every day.

This year for Nochebuena, I am making a small lechon and will accompany it with arroz con frijoles negros, my mom's recipe, of course.

My favorite rice(s)? Arroz con maiz y arroz con leche!

[La cocina de Vero, al minuto y con comida]

My family eats rice every day at least once a day.
My Christmas Rice will be served with frijoles negros, lechón asado, yucca, and a couple of surprises.
The menu is the one above, I can’t tell about the surprises, but we are doing some scrumptious tapas, and of course delicious desserts, including turrones and some cupcakes for Santa (don’t tell him, ok?)
I just discovered my favorite arroz con this week, when I cook Paquito D’Rivera’s favorite recipe. You have to taste this, Martha… http://cocinaalminutoconcomida.blogspot.com/2011/12/paq-mans-rice-beans.html

[PastorGene]

Sorry. Never any rice on Christmas. Pastina soup... Spaghetti... Lobster. My fav arroz is YOURS con pollo!!!

[Esther Avila-Young]

Growing up in Cuba, we had rice every single day. I used to be in charge of washing the rice, measuring the water, salt and oil. It was one of the first foods I cooked, standing on a little stool at age 7 or so.

I will not be doing a Cuban Christmas dinner this year. My mom is in a Convalescent Hospital and my sister will be flying to the East coast, so we will go to a friend's house to celebrate Christmas eve and my husband's side of the family on Christmas day.

My favorite Rice is "Arroz con Pollo" and "Arroz con vegetales", which I can make on the rice cooker as well as on the stove.

Would love to own that rice cooker. I need one real bad.
Esther Avila-Young

[Adriana]

Rice at every meal? check
Nochebuena menu? really you have to ask? Lechon, arroz y frijoles negros, yuca con mojo, tostones and flan de queso.

My favorite arroz con are arroz con pollo and moros con cristianos (what a surprise no?)

[Mary]

My great-grandpa was a rice farmer in Louisiana, and our complete adoration of rice runs through four generations, the last generation claiming catsup and rice as their favorite combination (I'm guessing that the Miller-side of the family showing their influence.). So yes, rice often...v. often.
Undecided on the menu, but rice will be the in-between comfort food/snack of the day.
Arroz con queso...oh, and maybe salt, pepper and just a bit of butter.
Our big rice day will be New Year's Day when we'll have it with black eyed peas, jambalaya and greens--yum!!

[Lynnette Ventura]

My Mother and Father were both born in Cuba, and came here in the 60s. My mother cooked rice for me every single day and I absolutely love it!! My favorite rice is arroz con pollo, and moros. Which my Mother still cooks for me to this day. I don't like to eat a meal unless there is rice in it that my mother made. I will also eat it for breakfast with scrambled eggs. When I was younger and I spilled rice on the floor, my mother would make me pick it up one by one, so i think that is why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE RICE! Merry Christmas!!! <3

[Taleah]

As the daughter of a Vizcaina Judia & a Cuban Jew raised in Puerto Rico, rice has been & is a daily constant in my life. From Moroz y Cristianos, Paella (minus the crusteceans but with Kosher sea life!) Arroz con gandules,Lemon fried rice, Wild rice, Arroz con huevo frito y platanos maduros, Bilbao Breakfast rice with Cinammon Baked Plums, ummm yummm! Arroz frito Chino & of course the ever delicious Arroz con leche! Although I celebrate Hanukkah, we are invited to my friends home for Christmas & will be bringing my Pineapple rice casserole & may even attempt your Crema de Vie! My favorite rice dish is Arroz con Pollo either "A la chorrera" como dicen los Cubanos or "Ensopadito" como dicen los Puerto Riqueños! The funny thing is that my current rice cooker is on it's last leg & a new one would be most welcome! (Hanukkah gift?!)
Thanks for the opportunity & <3 your blog!
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!
Taleah

[A Fajardo]

Feliz Navidad to everyone. Growing up in a Cuban household rice was part of dinner every night. My favorite rice is arroz con pollo. Our Nochebuena menu is typical Cuban-arroz, frijoles negros, puerco asado, yuca, maduros, ensalada y para el postre flan y buñuelos. This rice cooker would be greatly welcomed as mine broke at the end of summer.

[Suyin]

As in most if not all Cuban families, RICE is a must... I grew up having rice with every meal and continued the tradition as I married and had a family. Unfortunately a few years ago I was told I have Diabetes, so rice is a no-no. We have it but not every night. Our Nochebuena menu is lechon, arroz blanco, frijoles negro, yuca, salad (with berro & radishes)watercress, for dessert turron is a staple on our table. My favorite is "Arroz con Pollo", delicious... I would love to have this rice cooker as I usually make it on the stove-top but all of my friends tell me I am missing out on an easy way to make rice and other rice dishes... Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[BFF]

I love rice! Especially the La Bomba rice from La Tienda! I think you turned me on to it! As far as Christmas goes, we usually go to our children's homes and so we have whatever they serve (Christmas Eve) usually breakfast and a soup at dinner. Christmas day I usually make Lasagna, however I have been known to make arroz con pollo which is my favorite rice dish...and of coarse it is your recipe! This is a fantastic give-a-way and I hope I win! Love you Marti!

[Gisela Zayas]

What cuban child didn't grow up eating rice for lunch and dinner?! Arroz con frijoles, arroz con pollo, arroz con salchicha, arroz con picadillo, and the list goes on! And we wonder why we are carb-o-holics? Our rice cooker was prominently displayed on the kitchen counter.

Noche Buena will have all the traditional cuban fare - lechon, yuca, with mojo of course, congri, maduros, ensalada de aguacate, and for dessert all things guava, flan and pastries. My favorite arroz con _____is freshly made white rice with 2 huevos fritos and platanitos maduro - YUMM!!!

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad Marta y Familia!