Welcome back to Geographic Bites after a two-year hiatus! Since my last meal, quite a bit has changed— purchased a house, transitioned to a new career, and lived a lot of life. I'm grateful for your continued support and for sticking with me through these adventures!

The ingredients for gallo pinto were ridiculously easy to find. I bought a yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, and black beans at my local grocery store. Regrettably, my schedule was tight this week, so it left me with no time to search for Salsa Lizano at local Latin American markets. Instead, I resorted to purchasing a bottle from Amazon. Sometimes, that's the best I can do, and that's perfectly okay!

The recipe I used: https://stripedspatula.com/gallo-pinto/

The evening before our meal, I made a a batch of jasmine rice to serve as the perfect "leftover" addition. Refrigerating the rice overnight allows the grains to separate effortlessly, preventing any unwanted mushiness. However, as I attempted to transfer the rice from the pot to a bowl, chaos ensued—rice ended up everywhere, from the floor to my hands and even the stove. I had no choice but to start over from scratch.

Moving on to the beans, I opted for dry black beans and began cooking them on the stove. Following the recipe's instructions, I expected them to be tender after about an hour. To my dismay, after three hours of simmering, they remained stubbornly firm. It was then that it dawned on me that we live at 6,500 feet above sea level which significantly impacts cooking times due to the lower boiling point of water (199 degrees). It was close to 9PM, and I was tired. So, I abandoned the slow-cooking beans and turned to my trusty emergency can of black beans tucked away in the pantry.

When Mason's returned from basketball practice, he quipped, "Brena, it's just rice and beans. And you've had to redo BOTH? It's supposed to be one of the easiest dishes ever." Needless to say, I ended up spending the night tending to that burn.

The following morning, I prepped all the ingredients in five minutes. I diced an onion, chopped a red pepper, minced garlic, and *gag* chopped some cilantro. With the beans and rice portioned out, I started by sautéing the onion and pepper until they softened, followed by a quick sauté of garlic until fragrant. Adding in the black beans and Salsa Lizano, I let the mixture simmer for just five minutes before incorporating the rice. A mere three minutes later, our meal was ready. Truly, I doubt it could get any simpler than this.

In the background, I sliced up an avocado, cut up a lime, and fried some eggs to serve as toppings and side accompaniments.

I absolutely loved it. The dish had a wonderful mix of textures, with the rice, beans, and veggies. The Salsa Lizano brought a burst of bright, salsa-like flavor, perfectly balanced without being too spicy. It was delicious. And the eggs and avocado were fantastic additions, adding more depth to, in my opinion, an already amazing dish. 

Mason added cilantro to his and said it "made it refreshing." I'm just going to take his word for it. 

I would say 4.5/5 and Mason says 4.25/5.

To find out more about Costa Rica, visit https://www.britannica.com/place/Costa-Rica.