2013 Vacation Pics.. ...

I've been recovering from a serious case of the flu/cold. None of my "all natural" magic potions worked immediately(like I would have liked). Oil of oregano, ginger and thyme tea, honey and lemon, apple cider vinegar, home-made soup, fish broth. You name it, I tried it. My body forced me into bed-rest for three whole days...and twelve days later I am finally getting back to the energetic old me(not referring to age). 

I am working on a post and stumbled upon our vacation pics. I know I never shared any pics of our vacation in Atlantis, Paradise Island last August--as I promised--and the guilt still bothers me. Before it slips my mind again, here are just a few (out of 2,000) of my favorite shots from our most recent cruise (and island tours) from Miami to Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman Islands. 

I was mesmerized by all the color in Cozumel...and more than a little freaked out by the head to the left--even though he was made using a dried coconut....

Had the local shrimp taco with all the fixings.

I enjoyed chatting with locals who were searching for collectibles on the beach..Rocks and bottle corks covered in some sort of coral. See the middle picture...

p.s. I have lost 5 pounds since the pic below...just saying...I was eating 10 times a day at the time this pic was taken. 

Pics taken on the grounds of a local restaurant. 

There is a doggie in the window. Literally. 

We ate chips and spicy salsa at a local restaurant. 

The kids ate chicken tacos. I had ceviche (not shown).

We also visited a tequila factory. 

 Beautiful local beach in Cozumel, Mexico.

Top Right--how the locals get around...I have no more words to share on this. 

 Church in Belize. 

Nuts is one of the most popular local snacks.

Local Market.

Belize--Kids at play.
Rivers.

Local dishes: 

Top Left: My choice. Shrimp and fish ceviche. I requested that they add no spices (sazon) and use fresh tomatoes instead of the canned ones they usually add. 

Middle Pic: The most popular local food is stewed chicked, rice and beans and plantain. 

Top right: Fried Fish, rice and beans and potato salad. 

Bottom right: I invited two local boys (Ernest and his cousin) to have lunch with us because they said they were very hungry. There is a lot of poverty on the island. 

These two are my absolute favorites...

....and reminders that we should never take our blessings for granted.

The colors of poverty.

Girls getting their hair braided. $2 US per braid. The father almost fainted...and probably wanted to braid it himself.  We always spend a small fortune on the islands...because of these two munsters...
ok...ok..my spending habits don't help either....I like to think that we are helping the local economy. Fortunately, my Hubbie exists to make us happy. 

Some of the weird and not so weird food I had on the ship. Clams, Frog legs(top right), 

snails, alligator fritters etc.
I shall never have frog legs again. Never. It tasted like chewy chicken. My hubbie asked why I wasn't chewing the bones like I usually do with chicken. I immediately lost my appetite. 

Also visited "Hell" in the Cayman Islands..

Grand Cayman Islands..I am seriously considering retiring on this island. Soon.
Tropical the island Breeze,
All of nature wild and free.
This is where I long to be.
La Isla bonita.

I want to be where the sun warms the sky, when it's time for siesta you can watch them go by. 

Beautiful faces, no cares in this world. Where a girl loves a boy and a boy loves a girl. Just saying...(Lyrics by Madonna--La Isla Bonita)

Saying goodbye is never easy.......

Talk to you soon..

With love,

---The Trini who loves to cook, eat, travel....relax..

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Gulgula Bread aka Banana Banana Bread

If you loved my gulgula (banana fritters) recipe, then you must try this banana bread recipe. They are almost twins, except gulgula is fried and this is baked. Both have loads of banana flavor, are moist, dense and delicious with a chewy crust. 

There are no special ingredients in this banana (gulgula) bread but what makes it extra special is the ratio of ingredients used. I have made it several times over the past couple of months, making lots of delicious mistakes [the reason the bread looks different in each pic] and tweaking the ingredients to obtain the perfect balance.  

[What's missing?]

The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting for the bananas to ripen. Before this recipe, there were always a surplus of over ripe bananas at my house, but now they don’t stand a chance. Waiting for them to be covered in brown spots is almost painstaking.  If that’s not enough pressure I have to tolerate Lani’s constant beseeching in her commanding, bossy, impatient voice. The voice that ends in a high pitched shriek and makes me quiver, “Are they ripe enough yet? When will they be ready for the muffins? Oh come ooon Mameee!!” Yes, it’s all my fault that the bananas fail to ripen quick enough. Talk about pressure! [I wish she didn’t inherit that “voice” from me...]

My quest for overripe bananas has transformed me into a Kramer of sorts[think Seinfeld]. Stopping by every Asian, Caribbean, American market and supermarket to inquire if they have overripe bananas…pleading with them to check “in the back”…Only to realize that there are no overripe bananas...anywhere. It’s a conspiracy I tell you. I even asked my mom for her over ripe bananas last week but, unfortunately, they were already destined for a healthier future—to be blended with berries, almonds, chia and flax seeds and other healthy green powders for her breakfast. Not my idea of exciting. I am sure they wanted to come home with me.

Ria's Baking Notes:

• [Vegetarian option]--At one point I forgot to add the eggs and they were still scrumptious. See pic below.
•  350 degrees was just too high, they browned too quickly.
• I like the combination of brown and white sugars but all brown will work also.
•  If the bananas are very, very ripe and sweet, you could decrease the amount of sugar to ½ cup--using equal amounts of brown and white. 
• If you under mix or fold in the flour, the result will be almost pudding like. You have to mix it just enough until the flour is completely combined.
• Once my hubbie failed to remove the banana bread from the oven at a certain time, as I instructed him to do in my absence, but luckily for him, it was still delicious.  The outside was darkdark brown and chewy and the insides were moist and bread like. So if it’s “chewy” that you're after, leave it in a little longer. 

[No egg muffins...left too long in the oven---still delicious..]

• The batter will make one 4 x 8 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans or 15 regular sized muffins (I use ¼ cup of batter for each muffin). 

Ria’s Gulgula Bread—(Banana Banana Bread)

2 cups ripe mashed bananas (about 4 medium)

2 eggs, beaten (room temperature)

1 stick organic butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup raw white sugar

1 ½ teaspoons aluminum free baking powder

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Lightly grease loaf pans or muffins tins. Lightly beat eggs.

In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt using a wooden spoon. [Can also be done in a mixer fitted with paddle. In my opinion, the mixer produces the best texture.]

Stir in brown and white sugars, then baking powder.

 

Stir in flour gradually.  Mix until combined. Do not over mix.

Fold in walnuts, if using.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans or muffin tins.

Bake for 50-60 minutes (muffins will require less time—about 25 minutes), or until brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave until it's dark brown if you want a very chewy exterior. 

When cool, remove from pan to a rack. Slice and serve.

Enjoy...

Cooking with love,

..for all things delicious,

Ria

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Aunty Jang's Pholourie

Pholourie is another very popular snack food in Trinidad. I vividly recall the parlour across the street from my primary school which sold the most delicious, melt in your mouth pholourie.  Everyday I would reserve money to buy me a bag at lunchtime. Hot and smothered with sweet boiled mango chutney, they would disappear before I crossed the street to return to school. It's truly one of the best memories of my primary school days. [Funny how my happiest childhood memories revolve around food!]

Last weekend I invited Aunty Jang, Mummy's youngest sister, to spend the weekend with me. We had lots of fun eating, walking on the beach, eating, walking on the beach, eating….and measuring the ingredients for this pholourie. [Several people requested this recipe and I am elated that it is finally ready.]

[Other popular Trinidad snacks]

Why Aunty Jang’s pholourie recipe? Aunty Jang inherited the gift of cooking from Nana(her father), who was usually called upon to cook at weddings and prayers in Trinidad. When he retired that esteemed position because of age, Aunty Jang assumed the responsibility. I have seen the lady knead what appeared to be hundreds of pounds of flour. When she moved to the US, she worked at several restaurants and is responsible for the large tray of pholourie at family gatherings. I am sure you would agree that she is highly qualified.

Most importantly, Aunty Jang is the fun, carefree aunty, the one who dances, sings and parties heartily. She is probably the one I inherited my tom-boyishness from. In her fifties (I am not allowed to tell you whether it's late or early 50’s lol) she was riding my daughter’s bicycle and playing "Skip it" with my kids. She is also the aunty who fearlessly drove anything with four wheels, which inspired me to want to drive too. The one with the outspoken faith who helped me find religion and took me to church where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, more than a decade ago…

Some people use split peas flour in their recipe but when you buy pholourie nowadays they are more than likely made using only flour, so that’s the recipe I am sharing today.  Do not be dismayed if they are not as round as in the photos. With lots of practice they will become perfectly round…….to match the perfectly round hips and belly you would get from eating too much, so enjoy in moderation nah and doh worry too much about perfecting de shape [Trini talk].

Enjoy as a snack or serve as an appetizer at parties and other gatherings with mango chutney(click for recipe).

Aunty Jang's Trinidad Pholourie

(Makes the amount seen in the pic plus a few more)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

½ teaspoon turmeric ( we only used ¼ tsp organic turmeric as seen in the pics but I increased it here)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons green seasoning

About 1 2/3 cups of warm water

About 4 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Note: I tested this recipe using both organic and regular turmeric (referred to as "saffron" in Trinidad). ¼ teaspoon organic turmeric produced the same color as ½ teaspoon "Trinidad saffron"..So go figure.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except water in a medium bowl.

Gradually add warm water and whisk "vigorously" with a fork until smooth and somewhat fluffy—see pic.

Cover with two damp paper towels and allow to rest until more than doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
[It will probably be more dense and chewy at the one hour mark]
We waited 2 hours and the pholourie was very light and airy. 

Heat about 4 cups of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. 

When hot, but not smoking, use a regular “eating” spoon to scoop the batter and another spoon to help shape and drop it carefully into the pot. Alternatively, you may use your hand to scoop up the batter and squeeze it gently into the pot, pushing the batter into the oil with your thumb. Oil hands or spoon before scooping out batter-----you may use oil or water. 

Do not overcrowd pot. 

Be gentle with the batter as you do not want to squeeze out the air bubbles.

Pholourie may flip by themselves in the pot but move them back and forth using a slotted spoon to ensure even cooking. 

If the heat is too high they may brown quickly and appear cooked but the inside will be uncooked. If they start to brown too quickly, immediately lower heat. 

When they feel light and are a light golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined bowl. Break one to confirm that the inside is cooked. 

Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.

Serve with mango, bandhania or tamarind chutney.

Wrap leftovers in a paper towel, place in a resealable bag or airtight container and refrigerate, up to one week.

Enjoy,
Ria

Pic of Toco, Trinidad

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