Blog Party #43 is here! The theme this month is “Spice It Up”. According to the event’s host Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness:
The chill of February has definitely gotten to me. I’m cold. I’m tired of being cold. I want warmth…but it looks like the only place I can find that is in the kitchen!
Well there are definitely no chills here in Trinidad, unless you count the damp rainy days we’ve been having here on an almost non-stop basis. Although the rain may be worrying the Carnival die-hards, I find …

Another hearty soup that I prepared on a damp, rainy night. It’s so thick and creamy no one will believe it’s also dairy-free! And, I can imagine that if there are kids or adults out there who usually don’t like broccoli this is a great way to sneak it to them as well!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
Source: unknown
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs. broccoli cut into small florets
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 medium)
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry …

Here I am sitting in front of the television watching Wolf Blitzer and his fierce beard interrogating various political pundits. It’s a gorgeous sunny and quiet Sunday afternoon. The kind of weather that we call ‘beach weather’, but I’m indoors. I’ll be heading to the supermarket in a while though to buy some ingredients for my first full day of ‘raw eating’. You see I’ve decided to try and raise my consumption of raw food to at least 50% of my weekly consumption. I’m a little nervous and excited, and …

I’m always looking for interesting and creative side dishes. The kind that can be used both formally and informally. This recipe fit the bill. Warm creamy potatoes and sweet pumpkin slices combine to create an unexpected comfort food vibe, while the vibrant notes of fresh basil, make it exciting enough for guests’ palates.

Braised Pumpkin and Potatoes
Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ lbs. pumpkin, sliced ¾-inch thick
½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced 1/3-inch thick
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 medium …

Is there a Trini who hasn’t chomped on an aloo pie? It seems that I’ve been eating them as long as I can remember. They were a staple in both my primary and secondary schools’ cafeterias (or as we call them ‘tuck shops’).
They are also easily found in the bakeries and eateries in and around Port-of-Spain should I want a cheap and filling lunch or breakfast.
So what are aloo pies? Well they are simply flat elongated puffy fried pieces of dough, filled with a spicy (and often peppery) mashed …

So what is the ’surprise’? Probably the pack of heat that this recipe delivers I used a whole scotch bonnet this time but would probably reduce that to 1/2 the next time I make this. It was a hit with my mom tho
Unfortunately my digital camera has officially passed away so I have had to use my cameraphone to take shots As I clear out my backlog of recipes you’ll see a mix of cameraphone and digicam pics, so don’t be confused …

At the time that I am writing this Passover is a little less than 24 hours away from ending*, and I’m starting to daydream about all sorts of leavened goodness. For those who don’t already know Passover is an 8 day period in the Jewish calender where observers remember and relive the Hebrew exodus from Egypt. Although most attention is spent on the seders (ceremonial dinners) that mark the first 2 nights of the festival, there are dietary changes that accompany the whole eight-day period. Most notable is abstaining from …

I expanded this one dish meal from a recipe in one of those little checkout aisle booklets that my mom has held on to from the 70’s
We served it with a crisp vegetable salad on the side. I think it’s a pretty flexible recipe and if there are chopped vegetables you want to use up and throw into the layers you should totally do that, I know I will

Today’s Blog Party theme was Hollywood (Lights! Camera! Action!). So, inspired by the movie “A Passage to India” I decided to make a batch of Aloo Tiki. But I didn’t know what alcoholic beverage to serve them with. I had read that beer goes well with Indian food however I’m not a huge fan of beer, and further more beer isn’t a cocktail (which is a requirement for Blog Party participation). Then I got the idea of a shandy, and that was when my imagination went wild! I knew I …

If I was to host a Tropical Thanksgiving, what would I serve? That question has been in my head with all the Thanksgiving promotions on the US television channels. So, for this post I thought that I would troll the ol blogosphere for Thanksgiving recipes with an ‘island twist’ that all can enjoy! It seems (from the telly) that everyone in the US celebrates Thanksgiving regardless of race, religion or creed, I find that really interesting. In my 5 years there I only ever experienced Thanksgiving once (my first year) …