Six Moments that Changed my Foodie Life in 2006

Thanks Nikki (Trinigourmet) :)

Guidelines: My thought in this meme is food items or events that changed your foodie life. Not some “oh, it’s the first time I didn’t put jelly on a peanut butter sandwich and used bananas instead” sort of change, unless you truly feel that affected you profoundly. That’s the key - it affected you profoundly, in some manner. A moment you can look back at and say “that was a defining moment”.
The questions are simple, the answers might be harder - an item, person, event, or place that had that effect on you, and why.
They don’t have to be big splashy things - sometimes it’s something very small and simple that changes the way we view the world - the famed “butterfly effect” (and I’m not talking about the Aston Kutcher movie). So, to those who want to participate, copy this and pass it on (and, if you’re so inclined, do a trackback to the originating post). Here are your categories:

1. An ingredient
2. A dish, a recipe
3. A meal (in a restaurant, a home, or elsewhere)
4. A cookbook or other written work
5. A food “personality” (chef, writer, etc.)
6. Another person in your life

1. An Ingredient
Ok I discovered this in the Dollar store and it is an absolute all purpose seasoning. You can use it in Fish, Meat, eggs, rice, anything savory!
It is Clover Valley Soul Food Seasoning. I highly recommend this.
I have it always in stock, and at 50 cents a bottle, I can always buy in bulk. I always use this to season meat, to add to boiling, bubbling dishes etc.

2. A dish/ recipe
Well since I started my Low carb Lifestyle I would say any low carb casserole including Eggplant. Eggplant gives that Umami that I really enjoy.

3. A meal
One day I went to Carrabas (italian restuarant), before I started to low carb.
I had some pasta meal but the bread and dipping pil with the seasonings...O. M. G.

4. Cookbook...
I like Jamie Oliver's mainly because they show him in prep stages.
A good cokbook to me means great pictures and Jamie's book delivers.

5. A food Personality
GORDON RAMSAY..Stressful but fun to watch.
I really like him a lot hahahh

6. Another person
I would say Bear.
He enjoys food so much and is so willing to try new things, that it inspires me to try out different recipes.
He even had me do a booklet for him so he could follow the low carb lifestyle! YEAH!!!

The process

The dough (easy buy at Publix)




The Sweet Peppers (Tip: you can freeze what you don't use, till you are ready for it)
The Sauce (secret we use medium heat chunky salsa and a dash (one TBSP) of sugar/honey)



The Pineapple (get the smaller bits. These chunks are large so we have to cut them further)



The Cheese (a mixture of cheeses..very cheap)











The sausages (This is a hot and spicy smoked sausage I use from the breakfast meat section)

Quick Dressing

If you don't know how to cook, and you are making a salad on your own, here are a couple ideas.

Marsha's Sweet Tart Dressing
Makes One- Two servings

2 Tbsp (6 caps full) Lemon Juice concentrate
2tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1tbsp sugar or honey
1/2 tsp black powder

Mix thoroughly by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Ingredianets should all blend in thoroughly. Taste to see if needs a pinch of salt.
Pour onto salad.


Modified Sweet Tart
Replace 1tbsp Lemon juice concentrate with 1 tbsp of blasamic Vinegar

Pizza is EASY

Once you can buy the dough at publix and roll it out at home hahah.
Add the tomato sauce, hot spicy sausage, sweet peppers and pineapple!
Voila!
A great pizza.
That you can't eat much of because you are doing a low carb lifestyle hahahah

BAOZI

We call it POW in Trinidad, so when I looked it up, there was nothing to be found.
I asked Nikki (The Trinidad Gourmet) and she is writing it all out for me and promised to have it on her site by midnight. I have only ever eaten ONE BAOZI ever in life. I love it but nver wanted to buy it very often because it looked a little bit unappetizing.
It is so white that it looks like uncooked dough from afar.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is like a steamed bread with a filling which can be meat or vegetables or anything you could possibly want really.
I want to try to make it.
I am still low carbing so I may not eat much but I stilll want to try it.
The Trini way is different of course.
The POW/BAO/BAOZI looks like bread, not dumplings. More like the second picture.


THANKS NIKKI!!!!!!!

Pow
1 pkg dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
about 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour unsifted
melted margarine

Filling
1 1/2 lbs meat cut into 1/4 - 1/2 inch cubes, season with 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp soy sauce.
Fry meat and seasoning in 1 tbsp oil over high heat (about 8 minutes), add 1 chopped onion and cook 2 minutes. Stir in Cornstarch mixture (see below) and cook stirring until sauce thickens.

Cornstarch Mixture
Combine 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sherry or 1/2 old oak rum and 1/2 water and 1/4 up water

Method
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water
2. Blend in sugar, oil and salt
3. Let stand in warm place until bubbly (15 min.)
4. Add flour and mix until dough holds together
5. Place on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 min.)
6. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour or more)
7. Meanwhile prepare filling
8. When risen, turn dough on a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute
9. Divide into 12 equal pieces
10. Roll each in 4 1/2 diameter, with outer edges slightly thinner
11. Place 2 tbsp filling in centre of each circle. Pull edges around and twist to seal
12. Place each bun on a piece of foil. Cover and let rise until puffy (30 min)
13. Cover and steam for 12-15 minutes. If a steamer is unavailable use a colander over boiling water.
Serve warm or cold.
Freeze if desired.

Winery

We had the Linden Reisling.
It was so very good, so sweet, so tart, so smooth, so wonderful.
The winery itself was rustic yet modern. The bathrooms were like magic hahah
I loved that experience.

The beer that taste like Chocolate

I was really surprised at this beer. I am not a big beer drinker but I was asked to try it.
It tastes like beer but when you swallow its dark chocolate. Sweet dark chocolate. In the back of your throat, so you want more and more. :)
The beer is surprising, very good, and costs about 6.00 US per bottle in the gourmet food store beer section.
It's called Trappistes Rochefort. I highly recommend it.

Easy Low Carb Entree

This is a salad.
Choc full of cooked peas and carrots, whole cherry tomatoes, artichokes (vigo brand rinsed) grapes, raisins, blackbeans, and cooked spicy sausage, in a light cream dressing.
I love this meal.
Fills me up.
Low carb (corn is starchy), and delicious. Yeh the lighting in my kitchen sucks.

Artichoke

The best artichokes to use for cooking, or in salads is the Vigo brand.
Packaged in brine, it doesn't have that sharp acidic taste like other brands and it is not oily.
I swear by this.
That is my tip for the day.

When you are in the US for a while you long for all things Trini.
Bear took me to a caribbean store that he found on line and we went through all the isles.
I described everything to him and he listened intently and asked questions. He bought everything I recommended to try.
He even drank a can of Trinidad Orange Juice and loved it.
Although I found out later that he didn't reconstitute it. I thought that was funny because when I was growing up, that juice had to stretch!!
We made two big jugs from one can!
I saw SOLO!
I saw Chubby
I saw Peardrax! I love Peardrax. Bear asked me why was it called drax. I said because it was carbonated. He wanted to know why DRAX. I thought for a while and made up an answer that didnt make sense..then told him I wasn't sure...Why do they call it drax?
We saw cow heel and sweetbreads and other innards. They also had black pudding which I described, and Bear announced he didn't think it would be a good idea to eat that. Thankfully I stopped eating that years ago, so I didn't crave it.
Who knew that grocery shopping could be so exciting!

Caribbean Food and the Americans Who Eat It

Bear was very interested in tasting all that I have ever tasted, so we found this store and went crazy in there so he could taste everything. He liked the doubles and the Jamaican patties a lot. He liked the chow mein (we went carb happy for one day), and the curry goat and white rice. We got Kurma, sweet red plums, Mango amchar, kuchela and pommceyterre chow. His favorite was the tamarind balls.
He despised the pommceyterre chow. He took one bite and said "No! This is not for me!" and promptly tried to stuff it back into the bag while he was driving.
I was laughing so hard with my mouth full of chow and trying to get him to stop!
Then I realized that the chow was NASTY..there was a bitter aftertaste that would not quit (preservatives I think). They really go crazy with the potassium sorbate in Trinidad.
The chow went into the garbage bag.
He also wanted to try the provisions, the green banana.
I advised against it. He insisted.
He ate one piece and decided it had to go. He asked sweetly (after his face showed utter discontent with what he had just consumed) if I wanted to try it, and I shook my head no!
The provisions went into the garbage bag, along with his mouthful of the black cake.
We also had channa. The only things that went into the garbage bag after that were the empty wrappers.

At the Olive Garden

I forgot to take a pic of my meal, because I was so hungry, but here is the salad..on my plate not in their bowl :(
And the dessert which was a Torte Chocolati :) The Torte had vanilla cream sauce and strawberries.

Winter Festival Eating

I had fried eggplant and fish. Then a funnel cake (I threw half away).
All the food there was really good to look at but so Pricey! Geez I feel sorry for parents!

World Aids Day

The Celebration of awareness is an important event.
What better way than to have cake!
Then to line up and eat cake.
See main blog for event happenings.

A day or so later

I did this...
Delicious with plantain chips :)
Oh sooooooo good.

Guacamole here I come

Sandy gave me this thing today.
It needs to sit for a couple more days...Then I make guac
I'll just list the ingredients
My delicious Avocado
Garlic (minced to high heaven)
Lemon Juice
Salt
Tomatoes
Dash of black pepper
Dash of my blend...Secret spice blend of mine

Epicurious Gift Guide

The Epicurious.com holiday gift guide is out.
Nikki I know this will interest you.
The books everyone wants: Rachel Ray is always a big hit but I think Ina Garten is making her way up there as well as Paula Deen.
Tyler Florence I believe has been settling down a little into domestic life even though he does more shoes on the food network, and Bobby Flay keeps losing all the cooking challenges.

Ok so they have books, wine clubs, travel deals, food baskets, gourmet foods, cheese, sea salt and oil collections, cutlery and fancy cookware.
I just like to look at all of it....It's like looking at a shiny new car or anything shiny. Shiny is good and mesmerizing.

Sandy's White Bean and Pepper Salad

My friend Sandy gave me this recipe after she made and brought in this salad for a party recently.
I don't normally like beans at all but the smell of this was so good that I tasted it.
YUMMY was all that I have to say about this. I am going to try it at home.
Maybe I will start to like beans more and more.

Sandy's White Bean and Pepper Salad
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 and 1/2 tsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried dillweed or fennel seed (crushed)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 15 ounce can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped green or sweet red pepper
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Stir together lemon juice, oil, suger, dillweed/fennel seed, pepper and garlic
Add beans/red pepper, cucumber and green onions.
Toss to coat
Cover and Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

This Salad tasted so fresh and crisp and cleansing. I ate a lot of it and it doesn't give you a heavy full feeling at all!

Currently trying out.....

Cuzzy's Key West Tropical Chipolte Sauce.
I think I may use it partly as a marinade and partly as a dressing.
Oh I took this pic on my dark brown faux fur blanket which I love.
It's one of my favorite things that I own.
I'll try the sauce (since they gave it to me to try), but this is not an endorsement. I looked at the ingredients and the majority of it is Soybean oil, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vinegar and Less than 2% of spice.
Everyone who knows me knows that the spice is always the major mart of my Marinades and sauces.

The FAMU Food Booth

Is the best at all the getdowns.
Check it out.
It's really the only place I get food from.
They always have long lines and the best smells of any vendor along the street.

Give it a Name

This is the first time I actually tried this dish.
Its a casserole of sorts.
First a layer of herb stuffing on the bottom, spicy sauteed eggplant, as the second layer, sweet raisin spicy groundbeef is next, followed by a crescent roll crust topping.
I think this will be a good one. I think I'll just share this one at work.
Then this is how a yellow cake looks before you cut into it or put the icing on.
All this stuff is so easy to make and takes no time at all..and as you can see I love using PYREX for almost everything in baking.
Oh Yeh. The lighting in my kitchen sucks.....

Roasting the Turkey

This is the raw, well seasoned turkey parts.
Parts are way easier and take a shorter time to cook than a whole turkey.
At the end there will be crispy skins and tender meat :)

Stuffing

I just made it because I wanted to.
It is a herb cornbread, raisin, ground beef stuffing with a sharp cheddar topping.
I don't know why I made it because I probably won't eat very much of it at all.
I like that I made it though...I can cook :)