trinichefaholic

Good Friday

2011-04-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

So the holy weekend of easter is here again and as a young chef and man that likes his belly this mean that I get to indulge in lot of food . As a tradition my family and many others across Trinidad and Tobago, we prepare what we like to consider blue food . The menu usually consist of Dasheen,Cassava,Ripe Plantains.Sweet Potatoes,normal potatoes. Then of course there is the many different fishes prepared on this day , but the most common are Fried fish ,stewed fish ,salt fish ,salmon,mackrelle ,curried shrimps and smoked herring . So around this time the fisher folk make a hearty living and so do the farmers . So now I will like to see or hear what u guys made today.

-101 Caribbean things to eat before you leave Earth

2011-02-08T16:33:00.001-08:00

So after my long time of not blogging mainly because I had writers block(or just plain laziness ) I decided that I had enough time of being lazy and really wanting my creative juices to flow again. So after much thought and consideration I figured the best new addition to my blog should be as local as I am and then some. So this is going to be a daily post of Caribbean food that u should have eaten before your departure. Here's a brief history about the Caribbean so you can have a greater appreciation for where the different make up of cuisine came from.

The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the 15th century. In the 20th century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in the decolonization wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between Communist Cuba and the United States (US). Genocide, slavery, immigration and rivalry between world powers have given Caribbean history an impact disproportionate to the size of this small region. Source Wikiknoweverything
So to start off the series I have two of the more enjoyed Caribbean dishes to share with you. Do enjoy.

Bake and salt fish buljol

½ lbs Salt Fish (Soaked to rid of excess Salt) cooked or uncooked

2 Onions (Chopped small)

4 blades of Chive (Chopped)

2 Tomatoes (Diced Small)

1 Green bell pepper (Diced I think you got the idea cut everything small)

¼c Olive oil

2-3 tsps Fresh lime juice

1 hot pepper (add to your taste)

Directions

Flake fish or cube which ever style you want.

Place into stainless steel bowl with remaining ingredients and add lime to taste.

Add more or oil or lime to alternate taste.

Serve with Fried bake or sada roti(recipes to follow soon)

So check back everyday for the count down to 101 Caribbean things to eat b4 you leave earth

2011-01-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

Monthly Food SALE

2011-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Chefaholic's catering is having the start of its monthly BBQ. This will be a once a month event where u can order delicious chicken which come with amazingly delicious sides while still maintaining to be healthy. The first instalment of this BBQ event will be a chicken only affair with other meats coming in the upcoming months. All meats use will be halal and safety is our number one priority. You also don’t have to worry about portion sizes as your sizes will be very generous in size. Contents of the BBQ are as followed (chicken leg thigh/breast wing, vegetable rice, fresh salad, pasta salad and a cinnamon bun stick) all that in one box. There will also be a delivery service to offices from Arima to Port of Spain with orders 10+. Call 715-5315 for more info.

I wanner have my abs and eat cake too.

2011-01-17T20:29:00.001-08:00

So after having a nice convo with saramoh and she telling me how she made a cake tonight it got me feeling for cake, but then it dawned on me my diet doesn't allow me to have processed white flour. It sucks to be me right well not really I gonna be smexci in 50 days and you still gonna be well you lol. So after much research (all of five mins) I came across a cake which I can eat while still keeping my calorie intake to a healthy level. Oh oh and to saramoh place and time your best recipe against mine. So people here u go the recipe of the day. And remember keep cheffing.

LOW FAT CARROT CAKE

6 egg whites

1 1/3 cups white sugar

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9X13 inch pan with non-fat cooking spray.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites. Slowly beat in sugar, then applesauce, skim milk, and vanilla. Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and flour. Stir in, one ingredient at a time, pineapple (with juice), carrots, walnuts, and raisins. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in the preheated oven. It is done when toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean

The beginning of insanity

2011-01-13T16:02:00.001-08:00

So if you're a fitness buff or someone in the know of fitness DVDs you will know what I speak of. Insanity is a fitness DVD that promises superb results in 60 days if u follow the regiment to a t. The motto is dig in and get out or something along those lines. I started it today with a 25 min fitness test and boy o boy if that's only the test imagine what I have in store for me. But that's not what am here to talk about the DVD series comes with a very compelling nutrition guide. This guide comes with notes explaining the different food groups, recipes; explanation about good and bad fats even has an equation to accurately calculate your calorie intake. So to all my friends that are toning up for the carnival seasons I recommend this to you. Here's a few recipes out of the nutrition booklet enjoy and remember keep cheffing.

For Breakfast you can try this recipe

EGG WHITE BREAKFAST WRAP

4 egg whites

1 whole-grain tortilla

½ cup part-skim mozzarella chesse

Sliced tomato

½ cup cubes melon

In a non stick skillet coated with non fat cooking spray scramble egg whites .

Pile egg whites unto tortilla and top with chesse ans sliced tomatos . fold and toast in skillet for 30 sec all round

Serve with cubed melons

296 calories

32 grams protein

34 grams of carbohydrate

5.5 grams fat

3 grains fiber

For lunch you can try

Salmon Nicoise

3oz salmon

2 cups mixed salad greens

1 cup green beans , steamed

1 smallred potato boiled

5 olives

Fresh lemon , salt and pepper to taste

You can gtill poach bake or broil salmon .

Pile 2cups of mixed salad greens on plate mix with steam beans potato and top with cooked salmon drizzle with lemon and salt pepper

301 calories

28 grams protein

30 grams carbohydrate

8.5 gra, fats

7.5 grams fiber

Last but not least dinner

Citrus bake chicken glazes carrots

4oz boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2tbsp olive oil

2tbspleemon juice

½ tbsp paprika

Sea salt and pepper

1 cup carrot sliced and blanched

2 tea spoons of honey

Wash chicken

Season with olive oil ,leamon juice ,paprika,sea salt and pepper

Bake in oven safe dish in a preheated oven at 375 for 15 to 20 mins

Serve chicken with glazes honey carrots

297 calories

24 grams protein

28 grams carbohydrates

9 gramd fat

5 grams fiber

So they u have it a full meal plan for one day u can follw suite with easy to make recipes and nutrition filled meals also . these are just basic recipes u can double or even tripple them to meat your calorie intake .so remember stay healty and check back formore delicious recipes and keep cheffing

11/1/11 JUST GREATNESS

2011-01-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

So today i finally made into the registration office in Port of Spain, my journey there was simply to register my new business venture and also just for good measures mark the name of chefaholic as my own. So as of today am the proud owner of Chefaholic Catering Yay me!!!! So the real work has really begun i now have to go file for a BIR number finish my marketing and business plan also raise enough starting capital while going to school and continuing working . This is going to be a very hectic 2011 for me sigh , but all in all am very happy with my decision and i stand by it 10000000%. So unto matters of the blog , what are u guys eating to get in shape for carnival i know that u fed up hear that question but it inevitable you know you want to look your best on Monday and Tuesday even during the Feteing!!!!! So i did a lil research and found three recipes that can help boost your metabolism which helps keeps our energy level balance while tasting great and not busting your pocket, cause I know we still have allot of partying to do.

OPEN-FACE TURKEY VEGGIE SANDWICH

Lean deli meat (1-2 slices) and

1 cup bell peppers, sliced (use a mix of red, green and yellow)
1/2 cup onion, Thinly sliced
4 slices whole grain bread, toasted
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
1 pound cooked turkey breast, sliced
2 ounces Monterrey jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-inch skillet with non-stick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the peppers and onions until they’re tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet. Top each slice of bread with about a half teaspoon each of mayonnaise and mustard. Divide the turkey into four servings. Top the mayonnaise and mustard with turkey, followed by the bell peppers, onions and a thin slice of cheese. Heat in oven for about 5 minutes. Hint: You could also prepare this recipe in a toaster oven.
Serves 4.

Per Serving:

297 Calories; 10g Fat (31 percent calories from fat); 31g Protein; 19g Carbohydrates; 3g Dietary Fiber; 76mg Cholesterol; 558mg Sodium

Pan grilled salmon salad

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 each salmon fillets
1/3 cup walnuts
4 cups greens
2 ripe Bartlett pears, thinly sliced

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended. Drizzle each fillet with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of this vinaigrette mixture. Grill salmon on oiled hot grill, turning once during cooking, about 6 to 12 minutes per inch of thickness. Do not overcook. For the salad, spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast at 275°F for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss the salad greens with some of the vinaigrette. Mound the salad greens on a large platter. Top with the pears, warm salmon and walnuts. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salmon.
Serves 4
Per Serving:
491 Calories; 27g Fat (48.4 percent calories from fat); 37g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 88mg Cholesterol; 662mg Sodium

New Year New You (or so it should be right )

2011-01-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

WRONGGGGGGG loll you suppose to be good from last year u must strive to be your best at all time butt I know this is hard to achieve 100% of the time sooooo ill give you guys a Bligh . So happy new year from me and mu imaginary chefaholic team (do u hear them cheering in the background). So that was your good words of the year from me loll. Now on to business, I haven't been writing up a storm this year or late last year because simply I was tired as F**K!!! So as my status all over the place said this is the year of greatness in every aspect of my life (love, education, business, career and the list goes on). This year I look forward to exploring different cultures which mean different types of foods broadening my views and exposing my palate to exotic cuisine. so readers you all can start back to follow my blog on a regular kind of going to steal my padner idea whereas am going to post a recipe a day as to things I will like to cook and then on the weekend an going to make at least three of the recipes I featured during the week . So look out for today’s recipe as well as featured restaurant a new feature @chefaholic .so remember keep Cheffing !!!

Cakery (Con’t)

2010-12-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

So I had a very hard day at work today and the only idea I had to post tonight , was how to get a full nights rest to get back up to start again at 12 sigh!!!! So today's post will follow suit to where I left off with my cake series. Another popular cake this time of the year is the traditional sponge cake. This recipe is simple and many variations can be derived from them, something like the mother sauces u take five sauces and makes millions of variation. So without further hesitation and typing here is your post for tonight.

INGREDIENTS

Zest from 1/2 lemon

1 cup sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 teaspoon real vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

DITRECTIONS

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a blender or food processor. Blend until the lemon zest is fine. Add this mixture to the softened butter. Beat with a mixer on medium until fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs to the sugar and butter one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Add the water, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a different bowl, use a whisk to mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the rest of the ingredients. Mix on low. Then add the rest of the flour mixture.

Now beat at medium speed until the cake batter becomes shiny. The mixture should also turn a white colour. Do not skip this step or reduce the mixing time. The longer you mix the batter, the more air bubbles you create. This is what makes sponge cake recipes light and fluffy. This step of the sponge cake recipe should take about 15 minutes.

Pour sponge cake batter into two round cake pans that have been greased with shortening well and liberally floured. If they haven't been greased and floured thoroughly, your sponge cake recipe will stick to the cake pans.

Bake lemon sponge cake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for approximately 25-30 minutes. The sponge cake should pull gently from the sides. It will be golden in colour and spongy to the touch. It should spring back when touched. To be sure the sponge cake is done, test the centre with a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. Do not open the oven while the sponge cake is baking.

Remove the lemon sponge cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before removing the cake from the cake pans. Let the sponge cake cool completely before frosting it. A lemon glaze would work well with this basic sponge cake recipe. Of course, frosting a sponge cake is optional. Plain sponge cake recipes are delicious by themselves.

yur wa some sorrel o wa

2010-12-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

this is how excited some people get for sorrel

ingredients

2 lbs dried sorrel

2 cinnamon sticks (each approximately 3 inches long)

1 piece orange peel (fresh or dried, approximately 3 by 1-inch)

12 whole cloves

10-12 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar (or more to taste. Granulated will give a better colour.)

Directions

In a non-corrosive pot, bring 10 cups of water to a boil then add the sorrel, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and orange peel and stir continuously while the mixture boils for one minute.

Cool and cover with foil or plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to steep for 2 hours or overnight.

Taste for strength and sweetness. If it is too potent, add water or if too tart add more sugar. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a jar and refrigerate. (Discard the spices left in the sieve). The sorrel will stain so use a non-reactive glass jar or bowl. Don’t use plastic.

The Cakery

2010-12-15T20:18:00.001-08:00

So the countdown for the most anticipated holiday of the trini calendar outside of carnival is here, and we here at chefaholic can't wait for this special day. We're so anxious we have dedicated and entire post to the baking of cake. So in today's post am going to showcase four scrumptiously delectable baked treats. The first being the ever so popular TRINI BLACK CAKE. I assume that most trinis have already prepared that jars and buckets full of different fruits for example (currents prunes sultan raisins). Don't fear if u are still yet to do so there is still time so it's quiet easy grab a sterilized container ¾ fill it with fruits or whatever amount u have and cover it with cherry brandy and white rum cover container with lid and leave to soak in the alcohol . so people that was and always will be the first step in making black cake so here is the rest of the recipe and don't forget to send in your pictures to be featured on our facebook wall.

Fruit mixture

1/2 lb currants

1/2 lb raisins

1/2 lb prunes

1 jar cherries, drained

1/4 lb mix peel

2 ounces almonds finely chopped

1 Bottle white rum

1bottle of cherry brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramelised sugar

1lb brown sugar

1cup boiling water

The cake

1 teaspoon lime peel grated

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 lb butter

1 1/8 cups sugar

5 eggs

2tbspVanilla essence

1tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Prep Time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 5 hrs

To prepare the fruit mix: Finely chop currants, raisins, prunes, figs and cherries.(always chop please don't blend)
Combine in a large bowl with mixed peel and almonds.
Mix vanilla and ground cloves with rum, and pour the rum mixture over the fruit mix.
Stir to combine.
Cover the bowl tightly, and let soak for a minimum of 24 hours and up to one month.
Prepare the caramelised sugar on the day you intend to bake the cake.
Put brown sugar in a heavy pot.
Carefully cook over low heat stirring constantly, until sugar liquefies and begins to turn darker.
Do not burn!
When sugar has turned dark, remove pot from heat and gradually stir in hot water.
Mix well.
Let the mixture cool.
Preheat oven to 120 C (250 F).
Line a round cake tin with buttered parchment paper.
Stir lime peel and caramelised sugar into the fruit mixture.
Set aside.
Sift together flour and baking powder
Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until blended.
Add the flour mixture, stir to combine.
Add the fruit mixture, stir to combine.
Pour batter into the prepared tin and place the pan in a larger shallow pan filled with hot water.
Cook in the preheated oven for 2 1/2- 3 hours or until cake tests done.
Cake should shrink from the sides of the pan.
Cool cake in the tin for 24 hours before removing.
Let the cake ripen for some time before serving.
Fruit cakes keeps very well, but if you want to store it for a longer time, moisten it with additional rum from time to time.

T minus 10

2010-12-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

its ten more days till Christmas tell us @ chefahoilc what is a true trini Christmas to u

Trini Christmas Wine Punch(aka Sangria)

2010-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

So this morning I am straying a bit from the food and giving you a wonderful wine punch recipe. It’s usually called sangria but I added a few extra ingredients to give it a little kick. For those of you that aren’t too familiar with the drink sangria is a flavourful mixture of wine, fruits and clear carbonated beverage. Its origin is from the beautiful culture of Spain where this mixture was served in special ceramic pitches and drank mostly at large feasts. So here u go readers make enjoy and remember with this one designate a driver.

1 750ml bottle fruity red wine
2litres carton orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1 /2bottle Absolut Vodka
1/8 cup lime juice
2 apples, sliced
2 oranges, segmented
10 grapes
1 2-liter bottle 7-up

Prepare a large pitcher or bowl. Pour in the red wine, orange juice, brandy, triple sec, vodka, lime juice. Add in the apples, oranges and grapes. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least two hours and preferably overnight so the fruit flavours all soak into the liquids.

Before serving, add in the 7-up so the bubbles are fresh. Serve over ice. If you have extra fruit, freeze the pieces to act as natural ice cubes.

With the high volume of ingredients in this recipe, I would really not recommend trying to make this in a single serving size.

A very Maggi Christmas

2010-12-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

So Maggi, a subsidiary of nestle (ah think), had a promotion before their current promotion that required you to submit a recipe that depicts a creative use of sorrel and Maggi products. I made my submission and to my surprise I was chosen as one of the hamper winners! Yayyyy me!
So I collected my hamper today and I must say: "WELL DONE MAGGI!".
I can proudly say you'll don’t lie when you say the hamper is huge!!! Getting it home was a task but I am grateful and for this I say thank you and remember people text to win! Trust me you will want this hamper. Also, feel free to hit the 'follow buttons' and 'like' trini-chefaholic on facebook and follow me on twitter. Laters for now folks check back tonight for another festive recipe.

Taking the apple out of Christmas pie (well sort of)

2010-12-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

So today on work amidst the millions of orders coming in and when everything was seemingly going wrong with my brains, Rachel our sauté chef and resident Tobagonian in the kitchen found time to make an apple pecan pie and she was aided by the 'parrot' of our kitchen Gregory. Now seeing that this was a joint venture by two of our more senior chefs I presumed I was going to taste a piece of heaven on earth...*blehhhhhh* I was wrong!

Just to point out two major things you guys did wrong....well three. Firstly: where was your ice cold water? You can’t make pastry without it. Second: did I just see u bake the bottom crust first then add the filling and bake it over again?? Reallyyyyy???

*Sigh*

Third: for my readers, unless you want a sweeter than normal concoction, I suggest u don’t make the filling on the stove prior to baking...it never tastes good. So there you have it my brief tips on the perfect pie.

Now on to my newest creation thanks to the help of my double puppy team of advisors; one proving to be more helpful that the other *ahem ahem* but we still cool. I came up with an alternative to the foreign apple and pecans method of ingredients. I opted to go with pineapple and cashews and well to make it 'extra trini' throw in a dash of sorrel liqueur or sorrel syrup. So here you go readers! Tonight's, well morning's recipe:

Pineapple Sorrel Cashew pie

CRUST (recipe makes one double crust):
2 1/2 cups white flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces
5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
8 tbsp. ice water
Measure the flour, sugar and salt together. Stir to combine.
Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife. Don't over mix them.
Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half.
Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour.
Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that's about 12 inches in diameter.
Put the circle in a 9" pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife. Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.
Add filling (see below)
Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. Cut a couple slits in the top.
FILLING
1/4 cup sugar.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour.
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon .
Pinch of salt .
1 cup of pineapples (slice or dice medium size
1/3 cup of cashews
1/2 cup of sorrel juice
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel clean pineapple of all blemishes (the black eyes) Try to keep the size of the slices even.
Mix, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.
Stir in pineapples and cashews
Add sorrel and sugar to a sauce pan and bring to a boil getting it thick .
Mix with fruit mixture
Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.
OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminium foil to prevent too much browning.
Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
Bake 40 t0 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Paime pastelles long lost fruity cousin

2010-12-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

So after have a convo with cherry pye, about what different dishes her family prepares for Christmas out of the lengthy list this one dish stood out as a sore thumb. This was basically cause I never seen or heard about this before. Its name paime origin unknown (well to me anyways), but I was tempted to know more. After much research and shockingly finding more than I thought I stumble upon this sweet recipe. To my surprise and kind of disappointment a paime is only a fruit pastelle :(.lol but all in all its part of our diverse culture and history. So here you have it the recipe for yesterday. P

AIMEEEEEEEE ( yea i know i a bit excited can wait to try it )

Sweet Paime

Ingredients

2 Cups cornmeal

1 large grated coconut

1 Cup granulated sugar

½ Cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 Cup grated pumpkin

2 tablespoons melted margarine

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Banana leaves

You can also throw in some fruits in the mix make sure it isn’t to chunky

Method

Sieve cornmeal into mixing bowl, mix in thoroughly sugar, white pepper, powdered cinnamon, spice, grated coconut and grated pumpkin and mix evenly.

Add evaporated milk and vanilla essence and blend well. If too soft, a little more cornmeal may be added.

Wash and dry banana leaves; cut away main stem.

Roll leaves in pieces and put to stand upright in enamel or heavy aluminium pot, cover and cook until leaves are pliable. Remove and put top end below; cook a little longer.

Dry leaves, greased heavily with cooking oil, put a spoonful of mixture on each leaf, fold, and cover and cross grain with another leaf.

Place parcels in rapidly boiling water to which was added sugar and salt to taste.

Cook for 60 minutes.

Take out of water and drain on cake cooler.

Serve warm or cold.

Ginger Beer

2010-12-08T20:32:00.001-08:00

So we in full swing now shopping, cleaning, painting and well of course prepping the fruits. Although am not much of a fan I came across a simple as they come recipe for ginger beer it have noway you can get this wrong . For those of you that don’t know ginger beer is a local drink that is more or less drank around the festive Christmas time. It is left to ferment for At least one day to a week according to how strong u wants it to be. As I said before it’s a very simple process.

GINGER BEER

1 lb. fresh ginger

8 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar (or to taste)

lime peel

Direction

Wash and peel ginger

I prefer blending ginger seeing that this is the 21^st century and all make sure to add little water to mixture

Pour into large bowl add remaining water and leave to ferment (longer time means stronger beer)

After desire strength is acquired strain and remove all large particles

Insert lime peel and sweeten to taste

Bottle in sterilized bottles and refrigerate

Drink and enjoy

The Start of Christmas

2010-12-07T22:43:00.001-08:00

So after winning a hamper from Maggi for a contest they had on FB (still waiting for it btw )lol. I got the idea to do a post a day till Christmas about tradition trini dishes. So i shall start with all of our favorite pastelles.I got this great recipe from off of the Maggi Facebook page u should take a look. Remember if you have any recipes you would like to see here send them to trinimoasic@gmail.com or on our face book page. CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGER

Burritos by Puppy

2010-11-29T18:52:00.001-08:00

So i was was given a nice surprise of three consecutive days off maybe they saw how hard i am working or that next weekend just gonna be mad rush for our delish cuisine , what ever it be i am grateful. So i took the liberty of one of my off days to visit a good friend and pallywal Puppy. We did the usual catching up yada yada and stuff but the main event of the evening was when he exited himself to go to where no puppy has gone before lolol the kitchen. to my surprise this dude that is a stranger to these part whipped up a very hearty and healthy Burrito. To conjure up what i thought of it all i can say is wrap works better look out . The ingredients ii it were fresh and had that balance of sweetness and flavor from which i expect from anything i put into my mouth the mince beef had a savory nice moist texture while the lightly stir fried cabbage was not soft nor was it to hard and o my my fave ingredient the corn was sweet and tender just the way i like it and i must say i didn't get the rice but it worked like a charm.one down fall though i like my burrito skins lightly roasted for at least 2 mins these where not making them slightly chewy and not getting the original taste from them yea i know that was a rave review for a burrito but u gotta give props where props are due So congrats to u puppy for finding your way into the kitchen. keep up the good work

quick guide to stuffing turkey

2010-11-25T20:50:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBmQXy2otiQ&feature=related here a quick video on how to stuff turkey breast you can make your own special stuffings and toppings. look out for our trini Christmas menu and recipes from pastelles to ponche creme you might even see a ham in a crix tin. So come back to trini-Chefaholic to get your holiday recipes

Give Thanks on the foreign holiday

2010-11-25T20:10:00.001-08:00

So Thanksgiving is upon us, yes I know, I'm a tad bit late. I know this isn't a holiday that most Trini's celebrate, but as of many other habits we imported from our friends in the United States. Mind you, it doesn't have any meaning to us, I personally don't follow it because I give thanks daily to the dude above for my life and riches (which are soon to come).

I thought this to be the time perfect to post about the new stuff I'm learning in the kitchen. So we made a delicious turkey stuff with a sweetbread stuffing and topped it with my first taste of strawberry sauce that wasn't use on ice cream (Interesting flavor that you need to try).

I must say that before today I wasn't much of a turkey fan, mainly because the ones I ate were dry and not that well baked. But boy oh boy!! was this ever so moist and delicious (drool). For those of us who cant afford the whole turkey, you can always buy the breast which is way sufficient to serve about 4.

To get instructions on how to stuff the breast click over to the recipe section, where I posted a helpful video found on youtube along with previous recipes

Burfi

2010-11-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar.
3/4 cup water.
1 tablespoon grated ginger.
4 cups full-cream powdered milk.
1 cup thick or heavy cream.
multicoloured sprinkle.

Directions:

1. Grease a 9×9 inch glass dish.

2. Combine sugar, water, and ginger in small saucepan.

3. Boil for about 10 minutes, just until sugar spins a thread.

4. Combine 2 cups milk with cream, mix thoroughly.

5. Pour sugar syrup into milk mixture, mix well.

6. Stir in the additional 2 cups of powdered milk, mixing well.

7. Push mixture into greased dish using the back of a spoon.

8. Decorate with sprinkles (multicolored).

9. When almost set, cut into squares.

Post divali Post

2010-11-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

So its d day after divali and we all are full to the brim with curry and Indian delicacies. Well except me of course, reasons being I simply don't really do the house to house curry paranging. So I opted to stay at home and wait for mama chefaholic to bust a curry pot , well if curry was oxygen I'll be dead already cause up to now I can't get any curry. Sigh!!! What a waste of a good holiday. So the highlight of my divali night was my midnight run for punch and doubles turned into beef burgers

. Another highlight of what has become my hectic life of work, work a

nd more work Yay me was my buddies birthday which was dubbed golden prideeeee night.

Meeting up with them @ drink wine

bar a cool lil watering hole for the rich and famous i.e. me and well by association them too lo(Disclaimer i a poor black man eh ). I also manage to sneak in a visit

to the divali nagar , which in my opinion was a mass array of repetition of booths all selling the same thing expect for a selected few , but I did get a very short viewing of dudes break dancers moving to Indian beats which was pretty cool. I also learn what a burfi and gulab jamoon is. I wrapped up my divali weekend in work my new second home. So peeps that it for me look out for more frequent updates on my adventures to become a big time chef. Peace out and don’t forget to follow and check out some cool recipes I found for the divali weekend.

868 The Event

2010-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Genesis 868

I was searching for the last lime before heading back to school and to relieve me from some stress at work when a friend told me of a Gospel Rap/ Hip-Hop concert that would take place on the last Friday before school re-opens. I was up for that, since I had never been or heard of a gospel rap concert anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago. Rap music has a special place in my heart, so I wanted to know who was organizing this and who would be there and where to would be. My friend sent me the link to the event page on face book, the cast was impressive. The cast of ministers featured on that night would be impressive, all local rapper some of whom I have never heard of and others whose lyrical metaphors are etched into my memory; Shiselon, Jadee and Antus Keith well known in the Gospel Music arena. I had to ‘investi-quire’, so I asked the event organizer, Adisa Sampson aka God’s Farmer, some basic questions; Who are you? Why rap? Who are these people? and Why south?

· Who is Top Arts Productions

GF: Top Arts Productions is a new company geared towards promoting positive local talents and making in difference in Trinidad and Tobago and the entire gospel industry it was founded by Adisa "Gods Farmer" Sampson.

· Why a gospel Rap concert, considering all the controversy after the expose "The truth about Hip Hop" by G Craig Lewis?

GF: Genesis 868 is designed with the intention of portraying local rap ministers as MINISTERS. Also to show that the genre of music (rap) could be used to reach those who do not know about Jesus, not just to the young but also the young at heart. I do commend him for his contribution about “The Truth about Hip Hop", he did reveal some major facts about not only hip hop but also the musical industry at large. Unfortunately some of the things that were said about rap music might have been misinterpreted which may have led the stigma associated with the genre.

· What was the rationale for having such a diverse cast, with ministers who are new and relatively unknown?

GF: One thing that I always dreamed about when I just started ministry, was to be able to not just meet but to interact with the more seasoned ministers (but I did not have the opportunity). Genesis 868 will allow the younger ones the privilege to do so.

· Venue- Why south and what is the purpose for the event?

GF: Charity begins at home...lol. (I’m from San Fernando)
Genesis 868 is a fundraiser for God’s Farmer first album launch titled: First Harvest produced by Baby C of Righteous Records

Genesis 868 featured all the elements to make it a genuine Hip-Hop event which included: Rappers, DJ’s, free styling and dancing. The rappers fell into two categories fresh-meat; the new and up-coming alongside seasoned, better known artists. The venue for the event was the Upper Room Entertainment Centre in San Fernando. I met some of my friends, the members of the group Rappers inC (Rappers in Christ) who were my guides for the night and were a part of the fresh-meat cast.

The fresh-meat kicked off the event with rappers from all over the country, who would be typically be known only in their churches but this would be an opportunity for them to get exposure to a wider audience. The cast of this segment was quite impressive and diverse and included solo rappers, a group, and variations of rap that only Trinbagoians can produce. Ever heard of Jamoo music, (mainly associated with the Blackman Family) well there was Jamoo rapper by the name of Konata pronounced (co-nah-ta) and Rapso rap (sounds redundant, but was refreshingly new) by Malik Inniss, a passionate guitar strumming fella. Solo rappers such as Rich Angel with some smooth lyrics, D Bain D Artist- this man was the first to have the crowd moving, it was fun seeing him move. EDM’s eloquence had the crowd eating up every metaphor in his rendition about purity and relationship. There was one group performance by Rappers inC who thrilled the crowd with the combination of their individual styles, a metaphorical lyricist Cypha, freestyle genius X.V.I and Yung J the dude with the swag and rhymes to match it.

I originally was skeptical about the fresh-meat segment but I am convinced that the future of Hip-Hope (what I like to call Christian rap/ Hip hop) is in great hands. The DJ’s for the night were Djlivstrong from Tehillaradio.com and Christchild from 91.9fm on Sunday mornings maintained the hype of the crowd by playing the latest in gospel Hip-hop from Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Tedashii, Sean Slaughter and others. There was even a guest appearance by the versatile Winsee-Ann Cuffie singing two of her Hip-hop oriented song.

Did you know that former Soca singer Jadee, of Machel Montano and X-tatic sang rap?? He’s hollering about Jesus, Jadee along with the seasoned veterans Shiselon and Antus Keith ministered some of the crowd’s favorites. Dancing, and singing along was a full crowd of young adults who shouted Jesus to the beat of the songs and awed to the mastery of what some still perceive to be a genre that doesn’t belong in church. In the freestyle competition we experienced flows and rhymes that are filled with God’s word (literally) with verses being sang about different bible personalities. I was in amazement at the phenomenal linking of the bible with whatever beat the DJ choose.

In discussion with some of the ministers of the event many agreed that there is a need for the genre to be more widely accepted along with hopes of the event and others like it would bring a better understanding of the art-form and exposure to the up and coming ministers. Shiselon one of the pioneers of Gospel Hip-Hop in the country noted that it is a great evangelism tool to share the messages of the bible with youths as it is making the gospel available in a way they could understand. Gospel Hip- Hop is strange to many because gospel music is supposed to be hymns and slow worship songs but the level of difficulty in aligning life application of the bible and rhymes is one of the major differences that separate Gospel Rap/ Hip Hop from the rap we are accustomed to. You are now being presented with the positive lyrics that speak of purity and humility as compared to that of the love of power and frosted hearts which gives to you an alternative; you choose what message do you want to fill up on?

My hope is that we recognize that God uses humans to reach other humans and through whatever means possible, Music in general is a means by which God can reach many. We are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden, the Gospel Music industry would no longer be hidden, and I’m here to illuminate Christian music and events to you. I am Cherry Pye and I am looking forward to Genesis 868 version 2.0. and I know that it would be bigger and better.

for more pics click here

written by Cherry Pye

lantern festival

2010-10-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Lantern festival

So after an awesome evening of what I consider doing my part in the name of charity. I met up with my peeps and we headed over to THE CHINESE ASSOCIATION , for an evening filled of knowledge and eye catching design. For those of u that didn't know or heard about the event here's a tad bit of info. The Chinese association was form on October 16 1945 (and here I thought they only now arrive) , but their presence as a key player in our diverse culture has greatly been appreciated. Some would even go as far as to say they are the builders of tomorrow for trinibago , but say what they know how to throw a great lantern party lol. Chinese paper lanterns are a popular decoration at parties all over the world today for their colourful, festive look. But they have a rich tradition in their native land that is steeped in symbolism. Since 250 B.C., Chinese nobles and peasants alike have decorated their homes with lanterns to announce special occasions or wish for good luck... So this was the first lantern festival to occur in trinibago and my god where the pieces ever so beautiful. Lemma just get this out there I really thought I was going to see floating lantern thingys but my good friend point out to me that's a funeral thing SIGHHHH, but I still wasn't disappointed. Theme wise of course the place was lavishly decorated with traditional Chinese decor. As for the lanterns they carried the theme of the Chinese zodiac animals and a few assorted pieces. This was one aspect of the night which was interesting cause unlike some of our astrology signs I found these meanings behind the Chinese animals to be quite on point almost freakishly accurate. All in all I found the experience to have opened my mind and eyes to another culture and their ways. Which was extremely worthwhile. Check the pics below and until next time stay bless. Oh oh am currently taking orders for recipes for which u would love to see on the blog hit me up @ trinimosaic@gmail.com add us on fb, comment and of course hit that follow button. also check out this site i found to get a better understanding of the Chinese zodiac. http://www.rainfall.com/horoscop/chinese.htm