The reasons for my absence......

Visited my home-country, the beautiful island of Trinidad

Experienced a beautiful sunset at Maracas Beach

After feasting on the world famous Trinidad shark and bake!!

No she didn't take all her camera gear with her on the beach! [yes I did]

Enjoyed the landscape at Toco

Beautiful Trinidad

Enjoyed a fascinating trip to the local market..more pics of the market coming soon....

Took many pics of the beautiful flowers in Trinidad

Had a great culinary experience on the banks of the Mathura River

New recipes coming soon!!

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Super Sunday French Toast

I call it Super Sunday French Toast because if you decide to vegetate or procrastinate and accomplish nothing else for the rest of the day(except religiously check "friends" statuses or look at pics after pics of total strangers on FB), it is still going to be a Super Sunday after you eat these.......you really deserve this after a long tiring week.......really..

My Sunday morning started at 8 am with trips to the supermarket and fish market. I LOVE the serenity of being out very early in the morning or very late at night. I comb the supermarket aisles and scan every product and ingredient, looking for a new find; anything/something/real whole natural food without nasty preservatives, chemical additives or "natural flavors". Ria the supermarket explorer. That's me.

After my morning adventure, I came home and made everyone's favorite, French Toast! I am continuing a tradition my mother started when I was a little girl. I vividly remember helping her make this delicious treat on Sunday mornings and now my baby is helping me do the same. These are the moments she will remember. Where there is good food, there is love, laughter and great memories!

Update 04-13-11:---My mom used Evaporated milk in her recipe, however the popular brand name that we are all accustomed to using contains "carageenan" which is detrimental to my health, being MSG sensitive and all, and probably yours(more on this in coming posts). I did some research yesterday and found an organic brand of evaporated milk without this bad stuff!! I even called the manufacturer/distributor in California to confirm that there are no hidden preservatives. I will provide the name as soon as I find it at my local whole/organic food market and personally analyze the label. I am so excited about this discovery because it has opened a new world of possibilities/recipes for me to share with you--like home made coconut ice cream!!!!!



Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons brown sugar, maple syrup or honey (Optional)

Dash cinnamon

Salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon

6-8 1/2 inch day old bread--brioche, challah, whole grain--whatever makes you happy

Butter

[Reminder: use organic ingredients if available, read labels!]

1. In a shallow bowl add eggs, milk, maple syrup or honey, salt and cinnamon. Whisk until blended.

2. Dip slices of bread into the egg mixture and allow bread to soak up some of the mixture. Flip and repeat.

3. Melt butter over large skillet or griddle on medium high heat. Add slices of soaked bread and fry until brown on both sides and fully cooked(fluffs up), flipping bread when necessary.

Serve with butter, more maple syrup or honey or fresh fruit.

Assemble ingredients (no need to run around looking confused, this really saves time)

Slice bread

Get the kids involved.....add milk..

Add eggs...please crack the eggs yourself...please..

Add salt

Add sugar, syrup or honey........no licking of spoon..

Add cinnamon...[and ask daughter to stop smelling it...she was so intrigued by the aroma...a mini me in the making I think..]

whisk mixture and add bread..

Now we are cooking....keep in mind that when sugar, honey or syrup is added to the mixture, the french toast tends to brown quicker, just lower heat and be patient until it is thoroughly cooked. If toast is golden brown but still not cooked, which can happen, it can be finished in the oven.

Voila!!!!!! Enjoy....











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My name is Jan and they named January after me........



As I mentioned on my Facebook page, I am working on several recipes but wanted to share this story with you in the meantime.

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting Jan. Driving back home (around 9 am) from the fish market, my eyes caught a glimpse of an old man sitting at a bus stop, eating heartily from two boxes of pizza. I drove past him, but quickly turned my car around to meet this person whose attention was so focused on his FOOD--and so much of it. When I pulled up along side him, he excitedly brought over a box to offer me a slice. "Hi, my name is Jan, they named January after me", he said amongst other things. I asked him for permission to talk to him and take his picture and he gladly obliged when he saw me reaching into my pocket.

He was happy to have someone to talk to. He told me that he lives in the "adult houses" a few streets away. He told me about his brother who is a computer programmer, how well he can sing and how good some people have been to him. He said with pride that a lady gave him 5 dollars one day. He told me he found the pizzas in a garbage can one block away and he is going to take it every where with him, even though it's heavy. That will be his "meals" today and for as long as it lasts. "What do you like to eat Jan"? "You!", he responded with a smile. I chuckled and quickly changed the question around. "No kidding Jan, what is your favorite food"? He responded, "diet coke and I am going to buy a lot", looking happily at the money I gave him, "and beer". "I said FOOD Jan, what do you like to EAT?", I said smiling at him. His eyes lit up and I finally got a response, "oh, lobster and clams!"

At that moment, I didn't care whether Jan used the money to buy "UN-organic" twinkies or his diet coke or beer. Let Jan continue to do whatever makes himself happy(except eat me of course). There are people with so many possessions who are downright miserable and here is Jan with not a possession(except his pizzas), so happy and carefree. After chatting for about 20 mins, I said goodbye to this happy person who touched my heart in many ways. As I was leaving he asked, "are you my cousin, are you SURE you are not my cousin...you REALLY are not my cousin?". "No, Jan, I am not your cousin, but I hope I see you around again."

Today I was reminded that despite our circumstances, we are about as happy as we make up our minds to be. We must also remember the less fortunate and give of ourselves, our love, our caring, our time, our money, our smiles and laughter--freely and happily. Let's make this world a better place, one day, one person at a time.

I plan to call the homeless shelter where Jan resides to see how I can help. I would love to cook a wonderful meal for all the folks there.



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Cilantro &/or Parsley Shrimp with Pasta

I made this Cilantro & Parsley Shrimp on Saturday for a quick lunch. Aside from the photography and measuring(which I am trying to get used to), this dish is usually pretty simple, quick to prepare and light--no heavy "full of preservative" white or red sauces from bottles or cans. Makes me happy.

I used fresh shrimp from the fish market but I recommend always keeping a bag of shrimp in your freezer for the day you are not all that motivated to spend hours creating a culinary masterpiece. [To defrost frozen shrimp, place in a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator.] The possibilities are endless with shrimps. Look out for more shrimp recipes!

You can use either cilantro and parsley or both. I used both here. I love using herbs (i.e fresh culinary herbs only) because of all the health benefits and with the olive oil and garlic, this is a pretty healthy combination--as long as you enjoy in moderation! No butter or wine in this dish, sorry! I served the shrimp with high fiber spaghetti, but it is just as delicious with Jasmin or Basmati rice or on a salad. Don't forget to add sliced avocado and tomatoes to that salad. Yummmmm.

Here's an old pic I had with regular pasta....

1.5-2 lbs. Raw Medium-Sized Shrimp, Shelled and De-veined

4-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Sprigs Each Fresh Cilantro and Parsley--enough to make about 4 tablespoons

4-5 Cloves of Garlic, use less or more

Salt and Pepper to taste.

1/2 Pound of your Favorite Pasta--Cooked [optional]

1. Shell, de-vein and wash if using fresh shrimp. If not, move on!

2. Finely chop parsley, cilantro and garlic using food processor.

3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, but not too hot, add chopped ingredients. Stir until cooked and ingredients have been infused into oil.

4. Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp is opaque (generally only 2-3 minutes).

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add favorite cooked pasta, toss and enjoy.

Note: *If you dislike or are allergic to shrimp, try it with chicken.

          *If you crave "comfort food", the Olive Oil can always be replaced with ORGANIC butter, but I didn't say that. Now go cook and make yourself happy......!

Clean and Rinse Shrimp

Assemble ingredients...if using more than 4 cloves of garlic...this is a good time to cancel all dates...

Add chopped ingredients to hot oil.....

Add shrimp (don't forget salt and fresh cracked pepper)...getting hungry yet?

Cook until shrimp turns pink...almost there, hold on..don't start picking at the shrimp yet...

Serve with pasta...or rice...or salad....wasn't difficult, right?

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Simple "OMG" Farmhouse Apple Cake



I found this delicious Apple Cake recipe in a local newspaper a few weeks ago. Erica Marcus of Newsday couldn't be more precise in her description that "this thin, elegant dessert [adapted from four seasons of Italian Cooking by A.J. Battafarano] is between a cake and a tart. The apple slices are bound by a custard that gets wonderfully caramelized on top." Now, I don't know about you, but any sentence that includes the words "apple", "custard" and "caramelized" makes me veeeery excited!!!! Ok, I will calm down..

By just looking at the ingredients I knew this apple cake was easy to prepare and destined to be a hit...and OMG and it was! The only words that came out my mouth repeatedly after the first bite were, "OMG...OMG...somebody stop me please!" No one did. Moments like this I get food-induced amnesia (I just made that up) and forget that I am 1. lactose intolerant and 2. I have about thirty books on health and nutrition sitting on my desk, all of which claim that sugar is not good for you(sorry..me). What can I say, life is challenging. I made two of these apple cakes the same day because I just had to share the experience with my neighbors.

I used brown sugar instead of white, organic milk-eggs-butter and apples and placed the pan in the lowest rack for the entire cooking time. The second time I made the apple cake, that thing called guilt made me reduce the butter (4 Tbls) and sugar (3/4 C), but it was still delicious! If you like the words easy and delicious, then this is the recipe for you!!!!

1/2 Cup Whole Milk
7 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Plus 1 Tablespoon For Greasing Pan
5 Golden Delicious Apples
2 Large Eggs
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom in foil so it doesn’t leak.
2. Measure milk into a microwavable measuring cup. Cut butter into pieces and add to milk. Microwave for a minute or two, until butter is just melted. Set aside to cool. [I used a pan on the stove top]
3. Peel, core and quarter apples. Slice apple quarters into thin slices, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. This can be done by hand or with a food processor.
4. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with a wire whisk until sugar is dissolved. Stir in flour, then add milk-butter mixture and vanilla. Blend thoroughly. Quickly stir in baking powder, then fold in the sliced apples.
5. Pour mixture into pan and place pan directly on the gas oven floor for 10 minutes. Transfer pan to the center rack and bake until cake is well browned on top and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about an hour longer. (If you have an electric oven, place the pan on the lowest rack for the entire cooking time.) Place the cake on a cooling rack. When cool enough to handle, run a thin knife around the cake and remove springform ring. Serve warm. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

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