This light salad is simple enough to assemble in minutes yet elegant enough to serve to company. The lemon juice really gives the beans much needed ‘sparkle’. Be sure to sprinkle liberally with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper for even more flavour and flair Tweet  Read More →

Late last year I wrote at some length on how ras-al-hanout had become one of my must-have ingredients. I had at that time promised the recipe, but it’s taken me a while to get around to actually sharing it As my supply was running low I figured this was as good a time as any to share this little ‘secret’, especially with those who may find their way here via Weekend Herb Blogging,... 

It’s been several months since I’ve last taken part in Happy Sorceress‘ monthly Blog Parties, and I’ve missed them! This month’s theme is the ‘Wild Wild West‘ and it took me a while to figure out how to interpret it. One of my first thoughts was to take it into a Wild Wild West Indian direction, but I thought that that would be copping out. Let me challenge... 

This recipe is a great flavorful way to use up ends of vegetables that you may have on hand. As everything is prepared in the oven cleanup is a cinch and your time is freed up for other things Tweet  Read More →

I have no idea why coconut and curry go together so well, but I’m sooo glad that they do This rice recipe leaves the rice grains moist and creamy Tweet  Read More →

I’m sitting here watching a Japanese chef on Discovery Travel & Living and finishing up my menu plan for this Mother’s Day. We’re gonna be having the following for a late lunch, and Tuesday mom and I will have a girl’s day out to see Spiderman 3. Hmm wonder what snacks I can whip up to sneak in!? • Fresh Green Bean Salad • Baked Ziti with Cauliflower • Friendship... 

I made this several months ago and it was the first time I had made a bread pudding that included fresh fruit It was extremely rich and decadent (that’s code for feel the pounds slide on). Definitely worth preparing when having company over. The next time I make it I will cut the crusts off for a more elegant presentation Did i mention it’s very rich? Tweet  Read More →

We don’t have spring here in Trinidad but after 5 years in New England I have pretty sniffly memories of that time of year. And I don’t mean sniffly nostalgic, I mean sniffly achoo sniffly… aiaiiai allergies! Other than that it really was lovely to see the earth spring back to life, bringing with it lots of young vegetables and fresh flavours. This recipe seemed perfect for Meeta’s... 

Jamaican Festival has to be one of my most favorite things ever. Seriously. It is just delicious. Slightly sweet cornmeal fried ‘dumplings’, they are traditionally served alongside spicy meat dishes, such as Jamaica’s infamous ‘jerk’. The sweetness offsets the meat, pepper and spices most sublimely, and the doughy texture is ideal for soaking up gravy and sauces. The... 

When I read that YumSugar was having an American Idol Food Challenge my mind instantly went to Paula Abdul’s bizarre TV appearances earlier this year when promoting the current season. Here in Trinidad we don’t get FOX (the channel that airs American Idol) so I’ve never seen an entire episode, but as we get many of the channels that discuss and analyse the results and controversies... 

One thing that many people (both Jewish and non-Jewish) don’t know is how many holidays and festivals there are in the Jewish calendar. Although the best known celebration is Hannukah (because of the proximity it shares at times to Christmas), Hannukah is actually a relatively minor holiday. For a full list of holidays in the Jewish calendar look here, some involve fasting but even more involve... 

Is there a Trini who hasn’t chomped on an aloo pie? It seems that I’ve been eating them as long as I can remember. They were a staple in both my primary and secondary schools’ cafeterias (or as we call them ‘tuck shops’). They are also easily found in the bakeries and eateries in and around Port-of-Spain should I want a cheap and filling lunch or breakfast. So what are... 

I was unable to handle solid food the other night and instead of Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge, this time around I was in the mood for French Onion Soup. I usually make mine using a recipe from Cooking with Three Ingredients: Flavorful Food, Easy as 1, 2, 3, however since I am still going through my copy of the Good Home Cookbook I thought I would use the recipe in there this time around. As I’ve... 

This was the last item in my Blogging by Mail package. I bet you thought that box was bottomless! I thought these ‘Jacques Pure Chocolate Hagelslag Granules‘ were just ‘sprinkles’ but they’re not! They melt in your mouth! (All the sprinkles I have ever tasted were firm, these are soft). I was very confused (and slightly grossed out) by the cover image which promoted... 

Pow is something that is familiar and loved by most, if not all, Trinis. They are basically steamed buns filled with a savory filling (usually pork, but chicken and vegetarian variations also exist). I found them impossible to find when I lived in the US, but some of that may have to do with the fact that at the time I didn’t realize that over there they are called ‘bao’ or ‘baozi‘... 

Well it’s been a while since I have posted a bread recipe. With rising bread prices here in Trinidad my mother and I have now committed to making our own bread on a full time basis rather than occasionally. Although my ciabatta bread recipe has been really popular don’t think that I don’t have a huge backlog of other recipes that I want to try. This one here (Brother’s Bread)... 

When I first read about Beck ‘n Posh’s British food challenge (titled Fish n Quips) I was immediately filled with curiousity, excitement and fear. You see, and I hope I don’t offend too many, most of my memories of eating in England are far from fond. Outside of fish n chips nothing really appealed to me or was anything that I wanted to taste a second time. Some of this may have... 

This recipe comes from the GraceFoods.com website and is my contribution this week to Weekend Herb Blogging (hosted this time around by What Did You Eat?) Tweet  Read More →

So what is the ‘surprise’? Probably the pack of heat that this recipe delivers I used a whole scotch bonnet this time but would probably reduce that to 1/2 the next time I make this. It was a hit with my mom tho Unfortunately my digital camera has officially passed away so I have had to use my cameraphone to take shots As I clear out my backlog of recipes you’ll see a mix... 

Although this is one of the last of the items in my Blogging by Mail package to be written up it actually was the first item to be opened. My mother is a nut addict and I had never tasted macadamia nuts before so it seemed like a no-brainer. Plus there was wasabi, and I haven’t had anything wasabi-related in years I really enjoyed these nuts because they reminded me of Brazil nuts (though...