Promise of a better Tomorrow

Promise of a better Tomorrow, originally uploaded by Photographic Design.

Hot Sauce

Crystal Hot Sauce, originally uploaded by bucklava.

My garden produces tons of hot peppers through out the summer. When it comes time to put everything to rest, I'm stuck with loads of hot peppers. This year I've decided to try and make my own hot sauce. I'm pleased with the results. since I've made way too much hot sauce, my friends and family will each get a bottle. The recipe I followed was one that I found out a Martha Stewart magazine. I did revise it some to suit my taste. If you like some of your dishes spiced up with hot sauce, and want to get adventurous, try making your own by following the recipe below.

Ingredients;

40 fresh Cayenne chilies, stemmed and halved

2 Habanero peppers, stemmed and halved

12 cloves of garlic

2 tsp sugar

4 tsp salt

8 cups white vinegar

Put all of the ingredients into a non reactive pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly, then transfer everything to a blender and puree. After you've finished , pour the mixture through a fine sieve, over a small bowl. Discard the solids. When hot sauce is cooled completely, pour into small bottles, or an air tight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

This is a thin sauce with a strong Cayenne taste. It can be used to liven up foods such as pizza, chicken wings, sandwiches, and sauces.

Our South Beach Vacation

Our Miami, South Beach vacation was fabulous. We all had a wonderful time. It rained a lot the first two days we were there, because of tropical storm Noel. We took our kids trick or treating at the shops on Lincoln Avenue. This street is supposed to be the place to be, if your in South Beach during Halloween. Needless to say, the kids received a ton of candy and they had a blast. I was enjoying all of the people and the very creative costumes many of them were wearing. I've never seen so many beautiful men and women walking around one area, in all of my life. Many of them looked as if they walked right out of a fashion magazine.
The food was excellent. We just loved the Cuban cuisine. We chose to eat Cuban food often while we were there, accompanied by the delicious Mojitos, which seemed to go down quite easily.
One day we took a ride down to Key Largo. We snorkeled first, then hiked through the mangrove trails off the beach. It was a picture perfect day. Later that same day, we ate some conch fritters, which I absolutely love, at a cute fish shack not far from the beach.
One night me and my hubby decided to hire a babysitter. What a fun night we had. We started our evening off with a few Mojitos at the Delano, a very high end hotel that many celebrities stay at. I've displayed a photo of the Delano above. We then had a delicious meal at "A Fish Called Avalon" located on Ocean drive. After dinner we finished our evening off with a night cap at this fun club called "Mango's," which is also on Ocean drive. Even though the evening was very expensive, it was well worth it.
Now that I'm back in New york state, My daughter has caught a terrible cold, it's freezing here and very dreary outside. I'm just praying for a ray of sunshine to peak out of the clouds to brighten my mood. Since I've never been a fan of cold weather, days like today make me seriously think about moving down south.

Miami Vacation

Photo by Frerk. Flickr

Tomorrow morning during the wee hours of dawn, me and my family are heading down to South Beach Miami. Even though I hate flying more than anything else in the world, I'm looking forward to the ocean, sun and sand. When I'm at the ocean, I make it a point to get up while the tide is very low, so I can collect all kinds of interesting shells, sea glass, driftwood and coral. I have a huge collection of shells and other sea treasures from my previous travels. Unfortunately, I won't have access to my blog while I'm away. Happy blogging to all and I'll be back next week.

Tonight, The Brightest Full Moon Of The Year

Anyone who happens to come across my blog this evening, tonight's full moon is supposed to be the biggest and brightest moon of the year. If you remember, take a quick peak up at the sky and see the absolute beauty of the falling leaf moon in full.


Photo by Naked Eyes. Flickr

Talcari

Photo by cwills. Flickr

Our dear friend from St. Lucia invited me and my husband over for some home cooked West Indian cuisine this past weekend. The meal he made us was absolutely incredible. One of the dishes he served for dinner was called "Talcari," which Is made with butternut squash. Talcari is served over basmati rice, or used as a dip with whole wheat pitta bread. We had it both ways and either way is delicious.
Our friend told us of an island tradition behind this butternut squash dish, the St. Lucian locals call "Talcari." He began by telling us, on the anniversary of a loved one's death, this meal is made for dinner, accompanied by sliced pita bread for dipping purposes. At midnight they go the deceased person's grave and place a plate of Talcari on top of the grave. After returning from the cemetery, the family gathers around to eat more Talcari and pita bread, as a way of honoring the soul of the deceased. I love to learn about different cultures and their customs, so I'm very happy he told us of this tradition. Another reason why I'm so thankful to him is, he gave me the recipe, so I could share it with those who may be interested in trying an exotic twist to butternut squash. He was kind enough to give me all the measurements. I decided to make this last night and it turned out perfect.

Ingredients;

1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced in small cubes

Olive Oil

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp black pepper or more to taste

1 tsp salt or more to taste

1 1/2 tbs curry powder

1 tbs turmeric

1/2 cup of water

1 tbs cumin

In a large skillet, pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat oil over medium heat. After the oil is heated, add onions and scallions. Saute them for about ten minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Add the curry powder and turmeric to the pan. Keep stirring the spices into the vegetables, until you start smelling the aroma of the spices. Add the diced squash to everything and cover for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take 1/2 cup of water and stir it into the squash. Continue to stir often while everything is cooking covering the pan afterwards. Once the squash starts to soften, stir in the cumin and start mashing it. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer, covered. You'll continue to stir and mash often, until the squash is done. You may need to add more olive oil, salt and pepper, a few times while cooking, to adjust the taste. Talcari is best served over brown basmati rice, on top of whole wheat pita bread, or by itself.

Halloween Stew

Photo by Jacob L. Barr. Flickr

With Halloween just around the corner, it's fun serving a few festive meals to get everyone in the mood to celebrate, when this ghoulish holiday arrives. One recipe that's worth it's prep time, is Halloween stew. Not only is it fun to make, just think of all the antioxidants and vitamin packed nutrients your giving yourself while eating this delicious meal. I would like to share this recipe with you, because I know you won't be sorry you've made it, once you try it.

Ingredients:

4 small pumpkins, with insides cleaned out and their tops set aside

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Large Leek, chopped

2 medium cooking onions

6 medium cloves of garlic

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium parsnips, chopped

2 medium celery stalks, chopped

1 tbs dried basil

1 tbs sage

1 tbs Italian seasoning

2/3 cup crushed tomatoes

4 cups of vegetarian vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1 can cannelloni beans (optional)

Romano cheese (optional)

Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean out each pumpkin, removing the seeds. After they're clean, coat them with olive oil and set them on a baking sheet, sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Place their coated tops in front of them on the sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up remove the pumpkins form the oven and set them aside, until your ready to fill them. Meanwhile, set the stove to medium and pour some olive oil into the bottom of a sauce pan. Heat the oil, then add the chopped leeks and onions. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and saute uncovered for about 10 minutes. When the onions and leeks have softened, add the chopped garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery, and all the spices to the pan, except for the bay leaves. Continue to saute uncovered over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. You may need to add more olive oil along with more salt and pepper to the vegetables. When the vegetables start to become tender, add 4 cups of vegetable stock, 2/3 cups of crushed tomatoes and bay leaves to the mixture. You may also add more salt and pepper to taste if desired. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. When the time is up, remove the pan from the stove and stir in a can of beans if desired. Salt and pepper the insides of each pumpkin and fill the cavity with stew. When they're all full, sprinkle the tops with Romano cheese and pop them in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes, on the middle rack of the oven.

When everything is done, remove the pan from the oven and carefully place each pumpkin into a serving bowl. Sprinkle each pumpkin with mozzarella cheese, then carefully place their cooked tops on them and serve. For some fun ideas on how to decorate the table you'll be serving this witches brew on, try placing a lit jack-o-lantern in the middle of the table, with additional Halloween voltives lit around the room you'll be dining in. This would be a great way to get most people into the spirit of Halloween.