Coconut and Rum Theme: Surfing Through The Caribbeans BM #81- Week 1 Day 3 A Caribbean cuisine theme would be incomplete without a Jamaican dish. Whenever one mentions the Caribbean, Jamaica is what pops up in my mind and I hear its one of the few countries where a Kenyan passport holder can go to without prearranged visa 🙂 A country that has a diverse population, the indigenous tribe, Africans, Indians, Europeans and Chinese. Under the Spanish rule it was called Santiago but after the British took over, they named it Jamaica. Some famous Jamaicans are Bob Marley, the reggae musician, Usain Bolt the sprinter, Chris Gayle cricketeer who plays for West Indies are a few I know of. Ian Fleming writer of James Bond…
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Continue ReadingCute bread rolls Theme: Surfing Through The Caribbeans BM #81- Day 2 Today we are visiting Guyana. Its a sovereign state on the northern mainland of South America. Before you think I’ve got my facts wrong about the Caribbeans, Guyana though not an island in the Caribbean, it is a part of the Caribbean region mainly because of its strong cultural, historical and political ties with the Anglo Caribbean countries and the Caribbean community. The official language is English and the other widely spoken language is Creole. A state with a diverse population consisting of people from Africa, Europe, China and India along with the indigenous people. Colonised by the Dutch and English, people were brought to Guyana to work on the plantations and rice…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: SURFING THROUGH THE CARIBBEANS TRINI DOUBLES What are Trini Doubles? Unique name but it tastes amazing. At first you may think that this is Chole Bhature (famous in Indian cuisine). However, it tastes different and the flatbread too is prepared differently. Having said that, most of the popular dishes in Trinidad are of Indian origin. Not surprising, as half of the population there are of Indian origin. Doubles is a famous street food enjoyed mainly as breakfast. But that doesn’t stop Trini people enjoying it as a snack or even as lunch.Doubles was first created in Fairfield, Princes Town by Emamool Deen (a.k.a. Mamudeen) and his wife Raheman Rasulan Deen in 1936. Â What do Trini Doubles consist of? It basically…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #101 SAAWAN/SHRAVAN VRAT SPECIALITY RECIPE: DATE COCONUT ENERGY BALLS What are Date Coconut Energy Balls? Simply put Date Coconut Energy Balls are as the name suggests energy balls. Generally energy balls are a combination of protein, good fat, carbohydrates and high in fiber snack. Usually enjoyed to curb hunger pangs in between meals, or enjoyed as a healthier dessert option as usually they may contain no refined sugar. Some may have agave, stevia, maple syrup, honey or any other natural sweeteners. The whole name of energy balls came about as they are often consumed after a workout. Date Coconut Energy Balls contain nuts, dates and desiccated coconut as the main ingredients. They are also known as Bliss Balls or Bites. Shravan –…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME:Â VALENTINE’S DAY RECIPE: STRAWBERRY MOUSSE (EGGFREE) Strawberry Mousse (Eggfree) Strawberry Mousse (eggfree) is a smooth, creamy, fruity and delicious dessert to serve during any occasion. Easy to make, its perfect for parties. Memories The first time I made strawberry mousse was when I was around 18. At that time, with no internet and Google, the only way I could try out new recipes was to follow Tarla Dalal cooking books. Her Strawberry Mousse recipe used strawberry jelly. For some years that’s how I made it. That is till Google came into my life and I started trying out the ‘real’ mousse recipe. What is Mousse? A mousse can be sweet or savory. Its soft food whereby air bubbles gives it…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: WE KNEAD TO BAKE RECIPE: APPLE DESSERT PIZZA What is an Apple Dessert Pizza? Did you know that tomatoes were brought to Europe around the 16th Century. Before that pizza topping did not include tomato. In fact it was anything from cheese, fruits, pine nuts, raisins to honey. Though not commonly found, dessert pizza do exist and are found in some of the pastry shops in Italy. Over time dessert pizza has evolved to include so many different ingredients that are commonly used for desserts – fruits, nuts, dried fruits, sauces, chocolate, candy, etc. After enjoying a fruity pizza as dessert during our trip to Italy, I had to try out an apple dessert pizza. We stayed at the Grand Dino Hotel in Baveno…
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Continue ReadingBaked Veggie Empanadas Baked Veggie Empanadas, made using a wholewheat pastry with a filling of fresh red beans, potato and corn. Serve as a snack or as a meal with a salad and homemade Tomato Salsa. What are Empanadas? Empanada is one and several are empanadas. They are stuffed pastry or bread which are either fried or baked. Originally from Portugal, empanadas are made in several South American countries. The filling varies from region to region. Generally beef is the choice, but these days its easy to find chicken, fish, other meat, vegetables filled empanadas. Also sometimes a sweet filling is used like apples, cream cheese, jam, pumpkin, etc. Interestingly, they are similar to the Italian Calzone, but are smaller in size. Also yeast is…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Potato Salad With Dill Mention Potato Salad to my hubby and only one type comes to his mind, the creamy potato salad with dill. Whenever I buy baby potatoes to try out a new dish, he will insist that I make his potato salad. The first time I made it for a dinner party, I used fresh cream. Though it tasted really good, by the time we served it, it had become like a big clumpy thick mass. Next time I made it, I added thick plain yogurt. That worked well. Slowly the cream got replaced totally by thick yogurt. Do we miss the fresh cream in it? Not at all. Fresh or Dried Dill While most herbs can be interchangeable for a dish,…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #33 Updated on 04/09/2020 Apple Crisp is one of my favorite desserts to make whenever I have guests over. Not only is it an easy dessert to make, but a versatile one as other fruits too can be added with apple. My old photo for the recipe was hazy and appeared un appetizing. Now it looks different. The group Foodies _ Redoing Old Posts, allows me to redo my old post, of which I have a large number. Breathing new life into them with new photos and better write up is what I like.  Its a bi monthly group, where members redo old posts and share on Facebook. That way we are able to get some bloggers’ love towards our…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #31 Updated on 07/08/2020 I must admit that when I first made calzone at home it was as flat as a pancake. Though the taste was amazing, the single click and how a calzone should look was just off scale…completely off scale. Amazing, how over years we tend to learn how to hone our techniques and methods. Admittedly, for this post I’ve not only changed the photo but altered the recipe as for sure this is much better than the old one. The recipe change is that I’ve used sourdough to make Sourdough Calzone. If it were not for the group Foodies _ Redoing Old Posts, this post may never have got a breath of fresh air and new look.…
