A Jamaican Patty from Rituals Trinidad is a weekly ‘ritual’ of my own
It’s the start of another month, and with that comes the posting of my monthly roundup of those items that you all have been clicking (and purchasing) this month. Ramin Ganeshram’s ode to local cuisine “Sweet Hands” took a bit of a hit this month, falling out of the top spot. This may partly be due to it going (temporarily) out of print. However, I am happy to say that it is now in a new …

Church Street, Woodbrook, Trinidad, W.I.
It’s the start of another month, and with that comes the posting of my monthly roundup of those items that you all have been clicking (and purchasing) this month. Coming in on top is Ramin Ganeshram’s ode to local cuisine “Sweet Hands”. Unfortunately it appears as though the book has once again gone out of print. I have no idea if (or when) another run is scheduled so your best bet is to snag a second-hand copy. You won’t regret it!
New to the top 10 …

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From Epicentre.com:
Ginger is one of those ingredients that can be many things to many people. Not only is it used in cuisines around the world, but it also comes in a variety of forms fresh, pickled, dried, and crystallized among them
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People who bake may immediately call to mind the ground ginger they use in gingerbread or the jewel-like crystallized ginger they add to holiday cookies and cakes. Others think first of ginger’s savory contributions: the brightness that minced fresh ginger adds to Chinese stir-fry, or the refreshing tang of pickled …

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago
– Ramin Ganeshram

Book Description

Callalloo and Buss Up Shut, Mother-in-Law And Kuchela, Chip Chip and Doubles. The verbiage of Trinidad’s cuisine is both lyrical and mysterious. The variety of foods from this Caribbean nation and their fanciful names tell the story of a rich and eclectic cultural hertiage. A British colony from 1779 until 1962, during those years Trinidad & Tobago’s population grew to include East Indian and Chinese indentured servants who worked in the sugar plantations alongside former African slaves. Trinidadian food …

“Best Ever Lentil Soup” (link to recipe, below)
On a semi-regular basis I like to check what keywords are driving people to this site. Without fail “lentil soup” in one form or another is on the list. This surprises me as I often think that I am the only person who loves these humble brown beans (they certainly don’t elicit much response when I mention them to others ). If you are one such search engine browser feel free to check out any of the 3 most popular lentil …

Well, well, well looks like a simple Google search for recipes containing avocado and honey, has led me unknowingly into the seedier side of the Foodie-verse. Yes my dears, did you know that there is a whole section of cookbooks devoted to the goals of seduction and sensual (culinary) surprise?
The interplay of food and physical desire are as old as time. Just look at the biblical
Song of Songs or read/watch “Like Water For Chocolate“, if you need a refresher. Still, I must admit some of these titles made me …

Oops! It almost slipped my mind to let you all know the wonderful dal recipe that I used with yesterday’s Dosas.
This Tridoshic dal comes from a cookbook that I’ve been using for years called The Ayurvedic Cookbook.
I’m always interested in learning about the culinary traditions and philosophies of other cultures. Eastern cuisines in particular often fixates on the concept of warming and cooling foods. Maintaining a balance of the two within a meal, or strategically stimulating or calming ones system where imbalance is detected. This approach to balance …

Well there you go. I normally don’t post pictures of myself as I am a rather private person, however YumSugar’s “Show us your cookbooks” online event was just the thing for me to ‘momentarily’ come out of hiding
The book that I am holding up is Nava Atlas’ “Vegetarian Express : Easy, Tasty, and Healthy Menus in 28 Minutes(or Less!)“one of my oldest (and favourite) cookbook purchases. Its main selling point is that the menus can come together in under 30 minutes, and even more beautifully they don’t …

Last November Richard J. Perry, the author of The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1000 Classic American Recipescirculated a request to foodbloggers to review his new cookbook in exchange for a free copy. Being someone who loves cookbooks, as well as freebies, I merrily threw my hat into the ring.
When my copy arrived I was beyond psyched!
The Good Home Cookbook is a compilation of more than 1000 classic American recipes, and it goes above and beyond the call of duty! In the past I have been sorely disappointed by …

< ?php echo getad('verticalbanner'); ?>As a collector of cookbooks (and someone who loves to give homemade presents) Homemade: Delicious Foods to Make and Give is one that I return to over and over again. It even got me into making and bottling my own jams and ketchups! The recipes are a wonderful mix of traditional (chocolate cookies) and international fusion (chutneys, black bean hummus, ras-al-hanout). Instructions and techniques are clearly laid out and so far everything I have made has gotten rave reviews.
Sections include:
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Breads
• Candies & …