Taste of the Caribbean

After spending a couple of days getting comfortable in Houston, my fiance and I decided to take a vacation in Saint Lucia Caribbean island. We did a lot in the island: mineral baths, dining in a tropical forest, shopping, swimming in the beach, and etc. Unfortunately, the pictures are stuck on the our camera or phone and I'm too lazy to load them up right now. So instead of pictures about our Caribbean trip, I will present you the taste of the Caribbeans:

Caribbean Chicken Wings

1. Wash 24 chicken wings and place in ovenproof pan.

2. Combine 3 oz dark rum, 2 oz soy sauce, 1 oz lime and 1 oz orange juices, 2 teaspoon orange rind, 1/4 cup of dice onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon mustard in food processor and combine to form a paste.

3. Pour paste over chicken wings, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

4. Bake chicken wings in pre-heated, 350-degree oven, turning and basting with sauce, for about 25 minutes or until the wings have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees for 15 seconds.

5. Remove chicken wings from pan and place on patter.

6. Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 teaspoon water, mixing well, and add to liquid in pan and stir until thickened.

7. Pour mixture over chicken wings and serve.

Caribbean Coconut Chicken Bites

1) Mix 1/4 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt, 1/8 tsp. lime zest, 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice, 1/8 tsp. Caribbean seasoning

2) refrigerate for 20 min

3) Top 36 Ritz crakers with: 1/2 avocado, cut into 36 thin slices then cut in half.1/2 lb. cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced, cut into 36 pieces. 2 Tbsp. BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE COCONUT, toasted. 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Grilled Jerked chicken with Mango Salsa

Chicken Preparation:

Cut the 3 chicken breast into six cubes per breast and brush the meat with 2 oz olive oil. Rub with 3.5 oz Raptor Caribbean Jerk Rub and skewer the chicken. On a medium-high heat BBQ grill the meat until cooked through

Mango Salsa Preparation
Combine all this in the bowl and seasoned:
1 cup Mango (small diced)
½ Red Onion (small diced)
1 tsp. Red Jalapeño (minced)
1 tsp. Ginger (minced)
3 Sprigs Cilantro (chopped)
6 Mint Leaves (chopped)
2 Scallions (chopped)
1 tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mamasitas Taqueria Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

For the shrimp:

* 2 tablespoons Special Seasoning
* 1 lemon, halved
* 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
* 1 clove garlic, finely minced
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 10 extra large tail-on raw shrimp

For the cocktail sauce:

* 1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce*
* 1 cup ketchup
* 1 tablespoon horseradish
* 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
* 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
* 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Rum Infused, Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Topping

You’ll need:

1 ripe pineapple

2-3 tablespoons of dark rum

1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of whipped topping (try to avoid the canned stuff.. get some whipping cream and make your own – musch more tasty)

1/4 cup of shredded coconut.

Peel pineapple and cut crosswise into 6 slices. Place in a bowl and drizzle the rum and sugar over the slices. Mix around so every piece gets coated (would be nice to let it sit for about 3-5 minutes – covered so the rum does not evaporate). On a medium hot grill, place the slices for about 10 minutes, turning once. Remember to watch closely since the sugars can burn and become overly charred.

Top with the whipped cream and shredded coconut… feel free to add a nice heaping scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Late Night Sweets

I was up late last night, with the tv on, and some empty boxes scattered all over the floor. I know I said I will not procrastinate, but I was craving for something sweet. I was drinking a cup of green tea and searching for food in the refrigerator, unfortunately, the only thing I found were expired cookie does. I was hesitant about this, but my craving overcame my morals about eating expired food. I guess it doesn't matter if the cookie still taste like a cookie, after all we are in a middle of moving our stuff to another state, so I don't have anything to create the ultimate desert. If I do, these are the sweet treats I would rather make (click on the images to find out more):

Beignet

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until your butter melts and the mixture starts to boil.

2. Remove pan from heat and add 1 cup of flour. Vigorously stir until all ingredients are well mixed and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms into a ball.

3. Add 4 eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix it into the batter.

4. In another Saucepan or frying pan, heat about 1 and 1/2 inches of salad or cooking oil to about 375 degrees (F). You can also use a deep fryer if you prefer.

5. Once the oil is hot enough, drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough into the hot oil and fry the beignets a few at a time until they are golden brown in color. Drain on paper towels, keeping them warm until ready to serve.

6) Top with confectioner sugar

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1) Beat 1 cup of butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1 cup of sugars,
beating well. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in 2 teaspoon of vanilla.

2) Combine 3 cups of flour and next 3 ingredients (1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of
baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt) ; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until
blended. Stir in one and half cups of oats, 2 cups of white chocolate morsels, and 1 cups of chopped pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

3) Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pavlova Parfaits


1. With a sharp paring knife, split one ( 7-8 inches) vanilla bean open lengthwise. Use the knife to scrape the
tiny black seeds into a small bowl; reserve pod. Add the 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
and 1 tablespoon of the whipping cream to the bowl and mix well to separate vanilla seeds.

2. Cut vanilla pod completely in half lengthwise. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan, combine vanilla
pod halves, 2 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and 1 cup of muscat wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat
and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly; discard vanilla pod halves.

3. Stir 3 cups of mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries) into wine mixture in pan. Chill berry mixture in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours.
4. Meanwhile, in the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine vanilla-cream mixture and remaining whipping cream. Beat until soft peaks form.

5. Cut 3 ounces of crisp vanilla meringues cookies into half inch chunks and put them into
whipped cream mixture. In a 12-ounce glass, layer 1/8 of the berry mixture, 1/8 of the
whipped cream mixture, and 1/8 of the pistachios. Repeat layering and top with a few fresh berries. Layer ingredients in the same order in 3 more glasses.

Pineapple Satays with Coconut Caramel


1. Trim ends from pineapple, then stand it on one end and cut off peel. Quarter pineapple lengthwise and cut out core. Reserve half the pineapple for another use. Cut each remaining quarter into 4 lengthwise slices, then cut each slice in half to make 16 thin wedges. Skewer each lengthwise.

2. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, swirling to
dissolve sugar; boil, swirling occasionally (do not stir), until just golden and honeylike. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 3/4 cup of coconut milk (mixture will bubble furiously).

3. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). Using a pastry brush, coat pineapple pieces with caramel sauce. Grill just until marks appear, then turn to mark other side, 4 to 5 minutes total. Put skewers on a platter, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of toasted coconut, and serve with remaining caramel sauce

Peppermint-topped Brownies


1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir 10 tablespoon of butter
and 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just
melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 eggs, sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter
mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of cocoa
powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula,
gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.

3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm,
beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with
only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 300°. Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2- by 16-in. baking sheet with
parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4-in. squares on parchment (5 rows of 8),
leaving about a 1-in. border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each
square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove
before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score 80 peppermint squares candies with a pizza
cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. Let
candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines. Arrange, bake, and
score remaining 40 candies the same way (you'll have extra squares; pick the prettiest).

5. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine 1/2 pound
chopped semisweet chocolate and 1 cup of whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.

6. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

7. Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares
to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife
clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, discard (or eat) scraps, and return
brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy a bit). Serve slightly chilled.