Callaloo soup

You will need a ham bone (with some ham left on it, Eric is my supplier) or a pork hock.

Use a large pot, add 1 sliced large tomato, 1 large sliced onion, 2 frozen packages of okras and 1 package of frozen spinach and the ham bone. Add water to cover the ingredients. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil then simmer for ~ 1 hr. When the okra seeds turn pinkish, remove the ham bone and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Serve hot and pass the pepper sauce!

Caribbean night

We had our Dominican Republic travel buddies for dinner and a little Caribbean flair!
There were flowers palm trees and exotic birds pasted to walls to help create the atmosphere. Music filled the air and the welcome drink was a rum punch made with dark rum and triplesec.

The dinner menu for 8 was as follows:

Hors d'ouevres of mini meat pies, antipasto and mini egg rolls (all previous entries)

Callaloo soup (sorry, don't know how to spell it)!

Paella

Chocolate souffle with whip cream spiced with rum

Sweet and spicy roasted vegetables

Avocado mango, and pineapple salad

My sister Gillian's fudge

Anyone with any kind of a sweet tooth will absolutely love this fudge!! It doesn't take long to make, you don't need a candy thermometer and it tastes delicious... I warn you though, this fudge is addicting!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 lb butter
• 1 can carnation milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 750 grams of icing sugar (or 3/4 of the 1 kg pack)

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.

Add the brown sugar, milk and vanilla, stir well and bring to a boil.

Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool stirring occasionally.

Add the icing sugar a little at a time until the mixture is thick. Pour into 2 greased 9 by 13 pans or 2 rimmed cookie sheets. Cool over night, cut into 1 inch squares... enjoy!

Chinese beef and broccoli

Another quick stir fry... prepare everything in advance and then just whip it up when you're ready to eat!

You will need :

• a little more than 1/2 a lb of flank steak thinly sliced across the grain



• 1 tsp of corn starch



• 1 tsp sugar



• 1 tbsp mushroom soya sauce



• 2 tbsp wine (or vermouth)

Slice meat and marinate in above mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare:

• 1 small head of broccoli cut into Florette's



• 1 carrot sliced



• 1 medium onion quartered



• 3 cloves garlic sliced in 2

In a measuring cup add:

• 2 tsp cornstarch



• 2 tbsp of dark soya sauce



• 2 tbsp oyster sauce



• 1/2 cup water to mixture.. Mix together and set aside

Add2 tsp olive oil to a frying pan and add the pieces of garlic for 30-60 seconds. Add the meat and stir fry until just cooked. Remove meat from pan. Add the vegetables all at once. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover for 2 minutes. Add the measuring cup of soy and oyster sauce and stir until thickened. Add more water to get the right consistency. Add meat back into the pan and heat through. Serve with white rice and a green salad... enjoy.

Marcie's home made baked brown beans

These beans are just awesome...they are simple to make, you just have to plan the day before. I serve these beans with a tortiere and a salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups navy beans
• 2 large Spanish onions diced (to those of you who tried to make this dish with 21 onions, I apologize for the typo)!!
• 1/2 lb bacon

Sauce

• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 5 tbsp molasses
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Rinse and soak beans on cold water overnight

Next morning, drain and cover with fresh water and boil for 3/4 hr. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium to keep boiling.

Mix sauce together...

When beans are done, DO NOT DRAIN....

Use 9by 13 pan -put 1/2 bacon and 1/2 the onion on bottom of the dish. Scoop 1/2 the beans over the onion and bacon and use some of the bean water.

Repeat using remaining beans.

Slowly pour the sauce over the beans. Liquid should cover the beans...if not , use some of the liquid from the boiled beans.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 4 hours.. remove foil and bake for 2 more hrs. Add more bean water as necessary to keep moist.

Enjoy!!

Roast lemon herb chicken... apres ski!

After a day of skiing, it's nice to pop something into the oven and let it cook itself!!

Clean a 3-4 pound chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Take a few sprigs of thyme and a handful of parsley and stuff it under the skin of the breast and leg. Season with salt, pepper and 3 minced cloves of garlic. Sprinkle with paprika and dollop with butter. Bake at 350 degrees F for ~ 1 hour and 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Tent with foil for 5 minutes to consolidate juices.

Wash 3 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut in 3 and add to roast pan to roast for 1 hr.

Cut 1 pepper squash in half... remove seeds, add 1 tsp brown sugar and 1/2 tsp butter and add to the oven with the chicken and potatoes and roast for 1 hour. Scoop the squash into a bowl and serve with the chicken, potatoes and green beans....I just rested my weary bones while the whole meal cooked by itself!!