tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66415740522488310472026-03-24T06:26:53.108-07:00tales of a Caribbean Mama's cookingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-15494679616735314342014-05-18T17:10:00.001-07:002014-05-18T18:22:07.053-07:00

On weekends I like to treat myself. I like to starting my mornings in a healthy way. The idea of salad for breakfast may seem a bit strange but it is a great way to get a jump start on getting those recommended daily servings of vegetables. On any given day it is a struggle for me to consume one measly cup of raw veggies. I find that when I start with salad for breakfast, it motivates me to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-72647788936621751422014-03-16T15:03:00.004-07:002014-03-16T15:19:08.127-07:00

In Trinidad when something tastes good, we say that it is moorish because you want more of it.  Chef Jamie Oliver may have been thinking along the lines of a Middle Eastern influenced salad but I find the Trini meaning to be very applicable as well.  Moorish Salad (slight adaptation of Jamie Oliver's Moorish Crunch Salad) Serves 4 Ingredients 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-6782624438034089712014-03-10T15:55:00.001-07:002014-03-10T16:13:34.831-07:00

Is it truly a sacrifice to refrain from meat if you exchange it for a vegetarian dish this delicious? Probably not.  Lenten abstinence doesn't have to mean bland food but honestly this feels a little like cheating because it tastes so darn good. One of my favourite things to eat during Lent is doubles. Oh, who am I kidding, like most Trinidadians, I eat this religiously all

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-30141466027524794112014-03-04T16:19:00.002-08:002014-03-10T15:59:16.534-07:00

I haven't been on this blog for a long while and I am almost but not quite sorry. I always miss blogging when I have been away from it but at times it is important to show up in other places of my life where I am needed a bit more. One of those places has been my garden. Long time visitors to this site may remember this dream of mine. I am happy to report that my journey to producing

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-17244376521141776242013-12-15T12:50:00.000-08:002013-12-15T12:53:07.392-08:00

Food bloggers spend a lot of time reading other blogs for inspiration. I met vegan / raw food blogger when she contacted me to have me create a photo for her recipe book The Joy of Raw and Vegan Cooking which is available now on Amazon. Follow the link to preview her book which features some beautiful photographs. Also, you will not be disappointed to discover Shernell's blog where she

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-59570926845664890912013-11-06T09:59:00.000-08:002015-11-07T11:14:50.586-08:00

Parsad is a Trinidadian dessert that is served at Divali.  Visit any Hindu household during this time and you will be given a bag of parsad. The popular version is made with flour. However I much prefer to make my parsad with semolina. Cream of wheat is also delicious but the semolina version is my favourite. Parsad Yeild (4 servings) 1 cup evaporated milk  1/4 cup sugar 1

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-11259042089937804992013-10-17T13:12:00.001-07:002013-10-17T13:12:13.145-07:00

I am doing all kinds of happy dances today over this recipe.  As much as I love looking at pretty pictures of food, when it comes time to roll up my sleeves and get down to cooking dinner, I want stuff that's REAL. That means I shouldn't have to make a run to the store for specialty ingredients, nor should I have to enroll in cooking school to learn a complicated cooking technique.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-21200572707353585522013-10-08T12:00:00.000-07:002013-10-08T15:14:55.919-07:00

It is ridiculous how much I love curd. I love meringues too but really it's all about curd. I go crazy for passion fruit, lemon, tangerine...... any kind of curd so long as there is a egg rich, creamy, buttery,  conglomeration of sweet and sour. I can't seem to stop of dreaming up recipes that use curd. Yes, my life is in fact THAT boring. You may take a moment to roll your eyes

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-81527184798247426042013-10-01T12:21:00.000-07:002013-10-01T12:21:52.626-07:00

Around here we have a spirit of adventure about food. Quite a few times my friends will express disbelief that my children actually eat everything that I prepare and post here. They absolutely do - sometimes with a little more urging than at other times but I can assure you that we all eat the same meal. I am not saying that I never have meal time battles, I am just saying that we are

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-71252490751449637332013-09-24T16:09:00.000-07:002013-10-01T12:24:35.453-07:00

It's a little late in the year to be talking to you about a meal that I had nine months ago, isn't it? Yet these simple fried meat patties made such an impression on me that they have now been added to my regular meal rotation.  Way back in January my friend's dad made us these Karbanátky which he served with a potato salad ,home-made pickles and a dollop of sour cream. It's not a flashy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-86538409819739410422013-08-26T17:14:00.001-07:002013-08-27T12:57:44.213-07:00

It has been a fruitful holiday. We have been stuffing our faces with mangoes, West Indian cherries, yellow plums, and guavas. Wars are being fought over the few remaining sugar apples.  One  uncommon fruit which we found on a drive through the country side was fat pork.  Bite into it and the unusual texture of it's interior, white pulp will clue you in as to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-13557536344268265922013-07-29T06:09:00.001-07:002013-07-29T06:09:45.137-07:00

I do love early mornings, don't you? Unfortunately I love my bed more and you rarely find me out of bed before the sun.  So what was I doing up in the chill, misty, pre-dawn of the Santa Cruz Valley two weekends ago? For the longest while I have wanted to visit the San Antonio Green Market. This farmer's market is located in a valley not too far from where I live. It's a small

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-2462417286208397482013-07-17T09:35:00.002-07:002013-07-19T06:40:15.267-07:00

What's better than cou cou with stewed fish? Cou cou that doesn't need stirring until it feels like your arm is about to fall off, that's what. What's the worse thing a friend can tell you when you have been proven wrong? I told you so! Yes Cynthia my friend feel free to unleash the three most annoying words in the english language at me. You really did tell me so. Cou

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-21087032332889202362013-07-09T15:14:00.000-07:002013-07-19T07:46:00.016-07:00

This morning I made this super simple breakfast. It may not seem like much but for me it is quite the deal since breakfast is a meal I usually skip. Now that I am on a spiritual rejuvenation of sorts, i.e. vacation, I find myself wanting to rejuvenate my physical self as well. As such, I am making it my goal to improve on how I start my days.  Luckily this is not

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-29568150720520823692013-07-06T10:44:00.001-07:002013-07-06T12:17:50.787-07:00

It's the morning of my first day of summer vacation and I am giddy with excitement. There I said it, summer! In Trinidad some people assume that you are being silly to call the July/August long vacation, summer. We don't have four seasons like the temperate zone countries. So technically we don't have summer. It's perpetually warm here. What we do have is a period of more rain, then

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-48884869854559199092013-06-17T11:29:00.001-07:002013-10-05T14:56:37.952-07:00

So it might be that lately I am a little, just a teeny, tiny bit, obsessed with calamondins which are also known as calamansi. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they are a relatively unknown local fruit. Truly, I feel like the fruit version of a modern day orchid hunter when I rediscover some hitherto unknown or fallen out of favour produce. Some of you might remember me getting a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-27030506918089947402013-06-02T09:06:00.000-07:002013-06-02T14:35:34.329-07:00

I'm here to talk about smashing stuff. Can I confess that more often than not I arrive home in a mood that is more conducive to smashing things, rather than preparing dinner. These potatoes are two thumbs up, high five, secret handshake delicious AND they have the added bonus of giving you an outlet for burning off some of the day's stress. . Here is how you go about pretending

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-7022327388212172972013-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:002013-05-19T07:03:09.775-07:00

Today is a feel good day and all you need is fish broth, or maybe it's not such a great day. I'm sorry. Well now you definitely need fish with a squeeze of lime, layered over rough- chopped, root vegetables and green bananas, some salt, green seasoning and a hot pepper. This will cure what ails you. Promise. In Trinidad, fish soup is called 'broff' (broth) but there is little

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-66012755625729857352013-04-14T15:05:00.002-07:002013-04-21T14:12:33.727-07:00

I found this note stuck to my fridge. WARNING: Eat anymore of this cheesecake and containment will no longer be an option. Have just one more slice and I will tender my resignation.  Sincerely  Your Jeans. I am never ever making this cheesecake again. If I never make this cake again it will be too soon. I ate far more of this than was considered

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-59644936352367598802013-04-07T20:46:00.001-07:002013-07-29T06:03:54.806-07:00

A spoonful of lemon curd over my breakfast makes my medicine oatmeal go down in the most delightful way! To really appreciate how HUGE a deal that is for me I direct your attention to this. Those of you who make curd on the stove top know that it involves stirring, stirring, stirring AND stirring over a low heat until the thing thickens. It's a tedious

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-73955101584826030412013-03-31T09:38:00.000-07:002013-04-02T12:32:34.381-07:00

What a weekend! We are fortunate to have two public holidays and an extra long weekend to celebrate. This year we have a bit of an unusual situation as other holidays also fall within this Easter weekend so let me say Happy Easter,  Happy Shouter/Liberation Baptist Day and Happy Holi! Before I continue I must say thank you to my friend Gareth Leigh for very kindly allowing

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-4026280503761154352013-03-28T14:12:00.001-07:002013-05-19T07:09:25.187-07:00

Fish becomes the star ingredient in many Trinidadian homes during the season of Lent. Tomorrow being Good Friday we will be having Fish Broth. While planning for that I was reminded of the meal in the picture below. I was never satisfied with my initial images of this dish so I retook the photo. As you can see from the date I forgot all about posting it. Better late than never, I guess. The

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-21889266341134378192013-03-09T17:36:00.001-08:002013-09-24T16:13:48.733-07:00

The foundation of cooking meat the Trinidadian way is all about the seasoning. All meat (beef, chicken pork and fish) is marinated in a seasoning mix of crushed herbs, onions, garlic and peppers. This blend of herbs and aromatics is called 'green seasoning'. It is incredibly versatile and is good in soups, stews, rice, and bean dishes. Many Trinidadians whip up a batch of this stuff on

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-61209611045678562452013-02-12T09:14:00.000-08:002013-02-12T09:39:41.691-08:00

I know it seems like once again I have fallen off the face of the earth. I haven't. However last month we moved house and the new place doesn't yet have an Internet connection. Not having access to the Internet is a bit like falling off the earth, isn't it?  Seriously, phone company you could have told us when we applied for service that your technicians don't 'fish' for cable. It would

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03376726661081769681noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6641574052248831047.post-11765656558330158482013-01-01T13:07:00.001-08:002013-01-01T13:10:01.717-08:00

Nothing makes us yearn for home and family like a recipe that has been handed down for generations. That is why when my friend Debra told me that she was teaching her church group in Dallas how to make her grandmother's Christmas pudding I jumped at the opportunity to ask her for the recipe. I am excited beyond all belief at this share.....I remember this pudding so well!  I

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