food – Page 2 – Just a Dash

Bits of Home

October 16, 2013by SymoneFLeave a Comment

Last weekend I had what I’d call a Bajan weekend. On Saturday, I decided to try my hand at coconut bread (we call it Sweet Bread) and I felt like if I was going to do something so reminiscent of home, I could only carry on the theme for the whole weekend. Needless to say, my first time at Coconut bread was a hit as I did several mini loaves and posted a pic of them on Facebook alerting my other Caribbean people up here and that it was a first come, first serve.

I wasn’t ready for what was about to ensue. Four were collected by the end of the day and everyone who tasted it, loved it.

Now I’m not a chef, (I’ve ruined quite a few meals recently and in the past, ask my husband @davidfowl) but my mother passed on enforced some of her cooking skills upon me. I’ve managed to work up a reputation that if I say I’m going to try cooking something or give someone something to taste that I’ve cooked, it’s greeted with open hands, that reach out for more.

It’s always a good compliment and you want to do more even when the recipe calls for a lot of work.

I hadn’t done a “Sunday Lunch” for a long time for my husband as I’m trying to work on my diet for health reasons. But since I’m not supposed to have coconut I figured this weekend I’d just take a break as I just needed to have this reminder of home. Needless to say my husband was very excited. He loves to eat. I started Saturday evening (yup after all that baking) so that I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed on Sunday. I invited a couple that we spend most weekends with to enjoy the food and company as we recently went by them for dinner and they gave us a some traditional Armenian food that was amazing! I didn’t get pics of lunch (sorry! I just dove in and ate). But the spread included flying fish, macaroni pie, rice and peas, gravy and my husband’s cucumber salad. It was good!!!!!!!!!

I won’t be sharing my own recipe for the Coconut bread but I can research one if you want. We’re keeping certain recipes within the family and I love it that way. I’ve been here for 5 years now, and my love for home grows every time I try to recreate a dish I grew up on especially after having to hunt for ingredients that are close to what I get from home.

Barbados will always be home :).

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Squash Soup

August 30, 2013December 17, 2016by SymoneF2 Comments

My husband has been craving pumpkin soup and since I can’t find pumpkin I decided to try a squash soup and see how it goes. I’m on a low-fat diet (per doctor’s orders) and I searched for a recipe to guide me on the Spark Recipes app on my phone. I roasted two chicken breast halves, with the bone, to shred and mix in. My soup came out a little sweet and the chicken but the chicken mellowed it out to the perfect flavor. This is what I came up with:

Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 large squash

1 med sweet potato

2 granny smith apples

4 inches of ginger

1 med onion

4 cups low fat chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Method:

Cut onion into eighths and cook it in the butter until it starts to turn a little brown. Add chicken stock, squash, ginger and sweet potato and cook on a med heat, stirring occasionally. When squash and potatoes are cooked, but not falling apart, add apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until apples are soft. Puree in blender and enjoy :).

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As I said, mine came out a little sweet. You can replace the sweet potatoes for regular potatoes if you want or use one apple instead of two. I was just having fun with this recipe and I’m going to continue to try different ingredients with it. Since Fall/Winter is coming, I’ll definitely post any good soup recipes that I’ve experimented with that work.

Squash soup

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I’ll Show YOU!

August 20, 2013by SymoneFLeave a Comment

My husband posted that last night. I honestly don’t remember what prompted it but he decided that he had to prove to us (his sister and I) that he can cook. Oh I remember, I showed him this kitchen towel with some others yesterday:

Throughout the day I kept checking my phone to see if he’d send me a text saying he’s going to pass on the cooking. I was waiting for him to say to me that he’d pay me to do it and say that he did it (this did come up at one point but he said he’d cook lol).

After the gym he said we have to go to the supermarket. He had shepherd’s pie on his mind but then he remembered another simple dish my mother used to do – mac n cheese but with Campbell’s Cream of Chicken and minced chicken mixed in and he wasn’t baking it and making it a casserole.

We had vegetables home so we didn’t need to get any if you’re wondering where they are. Throughout the evening we were taking pics and updating the post which, at last count, had 31 comments.

It’s like this – my husband doesn’t do any of the domestic stuff around the house, except take out the garbage. I have hinted that a cup of tea or breakfast would be nice sometimes but I’ve kind of spoiled him with just doing everything myself. It’s also our arrangement since I do not work and I’m the more domesticated one anyway. Also I’m scared of what he may whip up thinking he’s a chef – ketchup in my eggs… no thank you!

Anyhow, we came home and he said the kitchen wasn’t ready for him to start cooking. It should’ve been spotless……… Luckily he was joking because if he was serious he would’ve gotten a good chunk of my mind. I washed up a handful of things, wiped up the stove and cleared part of the counter for him to get to work.

I was a bit worried with how he was dicing the onions but I only asked if he wanted to use the chopper and he declined so I went back to tidying up the sink and all.

He asked me to taste the chicken and after I did, I kindly placed a few seasonings next to the counter and left. 🙂 We kept updating everyone on the post and added some pictures.

I gave very little input. I put my diet aside in order to not discourage him. This was his night and was going to be supportive.

I was quite surprised at how it came out. It was good! I would’ve had more but I couldn’t go crazy with the cheese. I have to go and clean the kitchen now. That was not part of the deal and I know he wasn’t thinking of doing it anyway. He says he’ll clean the stove but I’ll probably get to it before he does. Many of his friends and family had very little faith in him but to me he’s the little engine that could so I just kept quiet and answered most of the questions that came my way without any worthy input.

Don’t think this’ll happen anytime soon again (probably another 5 years) unless someone puts the challenge to him. But I’m not forcing anything on him, he has to do it in his own time. I just had to share this fun night with you. Hope you had a chuckle or two from it.