All Things Caribbean Cuisine

Nigerian Wedding Party

2011-04-30T11:00:00.063-04:00

This by far was my hardest challenge. I was hired to cater a Nigerian wedding party for 200 people.

After preparing for one month I got everything I needed and started cooking and cooking.

Cabbage Salad

Stew Chicken

Fried Beef

Fried Chicken

Fried Fish

Roast Beef

Party Time

All Things Travel

2011-04-22T19:32:00.028-04:00

Hello Everyone!

For almost two years now I've been very busy.

I moved to a new house and also enrolled in a real estate class, working on my license.

One of the things I did was travel; I've visited Mexico and different islands in the Caribbean and ate some amazing food.

January of 2009 I discovered the world of cruises.

Which I feel can be the best way to travel. In a week you could visit one or more countries while meeting people from all over the country and sometimes around the world.

On my first cruise I went to Roatan, Honduras, Belize and Mexico. And on my
second cruise I went to the Bahamas…take a look.

Paradise Island Bahamas Paradise Island Hotel

Wonderful Treats!

Welcome to Grand Turk

Mayan Ruins in Mexico Mexico

Pool Side

Inside the Carnival Cruise Ship

A Summer Salad

2009-08-23T22:06:00.008-04:00

I love a healthy salad. I created this a few months ago when I wanted a tasty and protein fill salad.

What kind of meat? My favorite jerk chicken.

Chicken breast -1 half
Jerk sauce
1 can Kenny beans
2 cups roman lettuces
6 cups baby spinach
1 Red bell pepper
1 Green bell pepper
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 of a small onion (optional)
1/2 cup of cold cooked pasta (any kind)
salad dressing (any kind)

Season the chicken breast with jerk sauce. Bake chicken for 15 to 20mins at 350. Chop and set aside. Let it chill (u need to refrigerate your chicken, or your salad will be warm)

Drain the beans and set aside.
Chop up peppers and onions.

In a lager mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and then add about 1 or 2 tbsp of your dressing.

Enjoy!

Jerk pork (oven)

2009-08-23T21:41:00.002-04:00

1. 3 lb. of boneless pork loin
2. Jamaican jerk sauce. (Any kind)
3. 3 Tbsp of oil

This dish is easy to make.

Rub the sauce in to the meat, saving some for basting and dipping later.

Marinate overnight or for at least 2 hrs.

Pre heat the oven at 375.

In a frying pan brown the pork on both sides for 5mins.
Finish cooking the pork in the oven. Use the remaining jerk sauce to baste the pork. Bake for 15mins depending on the thickness of the pork loin.

Enjoy!

Thanks AL for the request on my jerk pork recipe. Working on my own line of Jerk sauces, will add soon.

Home is where the heart is

2009-06-19T01:37:00.012-04:00

Jamaica!!

Gosh I’ve been so busy lately. I wanted to post and chat about how much I miss Jamaica. I love the smell of the air (ocean and smoked food). I miss my people and my family. I was there last year; I’m hoping to get back this year maybe Christmas.

Here are some pictures of food you missed oh so much! Lol

Jerk Pork

Enjoy!

Let me "Jerk" you around alittle.

2009-05-27T01:36:00.010-04:00

I have been away on a wonderful vacation but now I’m back to “jerk” you around a bit.

One of my favorite dishes to make is jerk chicken. I love jerking the chicken whole (it’s so juicy when you cook it this way).

So what is jerk?

Jerk is the process of spicing and grilling meats, poultry, and vegetables. The most popular are jerk chicken and jerk pork. After you cook the meat with the jerk rub its then spicy, sweet and tender. In Jamaica “jerk” as a local fast-food served with bread or Festival (fried dumpling made with cornmeal).

Simple recipe

Whole chicken 4-6lbs
Jamaican Jerk rub

Wash chicken and season it with the jerk rub.
Let the chicken rest in refrigerator for 1 or 2hrs.
Bake the chicken for 1 ½ hrs or until it reaches 180-190 degrees.
Serve with white or brown rice.

Enjoy!

What's for Dinner?

2009-05-17T04:07:00.007-04:00

Curry Chicken

1 whole chicken
6 tablespoons of Jamaican curry powder
2 potatoes
1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 onion
3 stalks scallion
5 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic
2 hot peppers
2 teaspoons salt

Wash the chicken in lemon or lime Juice.
Chop the chicken up in to small pieces.
Chop the onion, scallion, pepper and garlic in to small pieces.
Add all of the ingredients (except the potatoes and water) to the chicken and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30min-1 hour.
Chop the potato in to small pieces. Fry the chicken until the chicken is sealed (5-10 minutes) Add the potatoes and water to the pan, cover and simmer until the sauce has a thick consistency 40 min.
You can serve the curry chicken with white or brown rice.

Enjoy!

My Second Attempt at Catering

2009-05-12T00:31:00.014-04:00

Piano Recital

Dessert Fantasy

Trats

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Cream puffs, cupcakes cookies

Carrot Cake, Chicken and olive roll-ups*

*My client wanted a dessert theme for the reception.

The chicken roll-ups were home made.

Fried Dumplings

2009-05-06T12:38:00.016-04:00

One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is fried dumplings or "Johnny cakes". They taste like biscuits that u would bake in the oven except it's fried. When it is fresh and hot, fried dumplings can be very crispy on the outside and slightly soft in the middle. It can be eaten with anything, eggs and bacon or ham, by itself and with some tea or coffee. But the "staple meal" is fried dumplings with Ackee and salt fish (sautéed fruit made with onions and codfish). Or mackerel (salt mackerel fish made with onions and tomatoes)

Here is my recipe for flakey dumplings in 5 mins.

Prep time 15mins. Cook time 2 to 3mins. Or golden brown

Fried Dumplings

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 teaspoon salt (in bowl)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cold milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture forms marble-sized dough balls. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time, just enough to bring the dough together with a firm consistency.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed frying pot over medium-low heat until hot
Break off pieces and form the dough into slightly flattened biscuits; about 2 inches across, with knife make a small cut at the top for ventilation.
Fry the fried dumplings, in the hot oil only until they become golden (about 2- 3 minutes)
Remove the fried dumplings and drain on paper towels to absorb the extra vegetable oil.
Make about 6 big so 20 small dumplings

Enjoy!!

My first attempt at Catering

2009-05-03T20:50:00.014-04:00

Piano Recital

Tropical fruit punch

Chicken meatballs

Mango and chicken sandwiches

Chocolate and peppermint cupcakes

Veggies

Fruit

Pineapple and coconut butter cream cake-it was verry good!!

Today, I felt like grilling.

2009-05-03T17:56:00.005-04:00

I thought hmm, barbeque jerk chicken would be great right now. But I don’t own a grill and it has been raining on and off for the last day or so. Yesterday, I saw my next door neighbor grilling ribs outside under a shade while it was raining, I don’t think he cared he just looked so happy, smoke blowing in his face a fork in one hand and a beer in the other. I need a grill!
Anyway, I’m making my chicken in the oven. I’ve mixed my jerk sauce and honey BBQ sauce together and basted the chicken with it. I wanted the chicken to have a lot of “hotness” or “kick” to it so I added some Nigerian hot pepper to my jerk sauce. This will add a lot of heat to the favor. What is it like? Just imagine putting fire in your mouth and while you’re eating your face is sweating and you had to blow your nose from all that pepper. Now that’s what I call “hotness”!!

You can eat jerk BBQ chicken with anything, but I would say plain white or brown rice would compliment it. As a side dish I would add cabbage salad (sheared cabbage steam /cold with carrots and bell peppers) on the side. You don’t want anything to overpower the chicken; it already has so much going on. Enjoy!

Welcome to my blog and my first post

2009-04-30T19:19:00.009-04:00

I’ve decided to start off by telling you a little bit about myself and where I’m from. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica; my family (father's side) is from Grenada-a small island in the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea near Trinidad and Tobago. I’m sure most of you have heard of Jamaica but not Grenada. There is so much history there but because this blog is about food I will sum up Grenada and say that it is known as “The Spice Isle” because of the spices grown there. Jamaica, in my opinion is the land of “jerk” jerk pork, chicken, shrimp etc. anything you can get your hands on can be jerked.

I started cooking at eight, well not cooking more like watching my mother and brother clean, cut up and jerk a chicken. My mother made me the “rice cooker” plain rice, not even rice and peas (white rice made with beans and coconut) sometimes I even burned that or added too much water to the pot. I think I really started cooking at age 12 with breakfast, which can be the easiest to do in Jamaican/Grenadian cuisine. Breakfast can be fast and simple, fried dumplings, eggs, porridge and buttered bread or Ackee and salt fish (sautéed fruit made with onions and codfish) and black tea.

For the last 3 years I’ve done my own study of Caribbean Cuisine which means I’ve eaten a lot of food and made my friends happy when I cook for them. I’ve started my own catering company which I will share with you later on as well as pictures (food love) and videos (my food appreciation). Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have and don’t be shy leave a comment or two. Enjoy!!