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Grilled Pineapple Soaked in Rum and Brown Sugar

Patty — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:57:20 +0000

This past holiday weekend I went home with some friends. Since having people over to my tiny apartment is really not an option, I thought I would take advantage of space at home and I do enjoy cooking with my mom. One of my friends who came had just finished business school, now I know she worked very hard but I also know she become enriched from her travels. Her suggestion was that we grill some rum soaked Pineapple for the BBQ. That this is what she had done every/one night on one of her vacations in school. While it was served as a snack at this bbq – it also serves as a great topping for burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. What we also found out that some people liked the burned wedges since some of our slices were not perfectly cut. This was a brilliant idea and a huge success they were loved by all!

1 Whole Pineapple (with skin removed and sliced ½ inch thick)

1 Cup of Dark Rum

¾ Cup of Brown Sugar

Fresh Ginger Zest about 3 Teaspoons

½ Cup of Water to dissolve the sugar in

Combine all ingredients into Pyrex dish and let pineapple marinate for at least 1 hour. Grill pineapple on each side for 1 minute.

Other ideas for flavoring: Honey, Lemon, Lime, Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Vanilla.

Eggplant Tomato Sauce

Patty — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:33:58 +0000

In search of a comfort food, one that I believe remains at the top of my list would a tomato sauce. I thought this would also be a good way for me to economize and bring lunch to work, One thing to remember with some sauces is I think they taste better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to meld together. So I went out and decided to make and Tomato Eggplant Sauce with a base of white wine instead of vegetable broth. Funny how as I child I would cringe at the sight of an eggplant and can’t say how many times I can remember my mother saying to me “Oh, would you just try it, you can hardly taste the eggplant.” Now, I love eggplant.

¼ Cup of Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves (Finley Chopped)

½ Pound of Eggplant (Finley chopped)

1 Bell Pepper (Seeded and Diced)

3 Small Tomatoes Chopped (about 1 ½ Cups)

1 -2 Tablespoons of Capers *

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped Basil

½ Teaspoon of Oregano

6 oz. of Tomato Paste

1 Cup of White Wine ( If need more liquid can add more wine or use a vegetable broth)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large skillet heat olive oil and garlic once oil has heated add the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and capers. Cook over look heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook with lid for stirring occasionally for 40 to 50 minutes. If the sauce becomes to think add more liquid.

*I really like capers and get excited when I think they will work in a recipe but I definitely put about 3 tablespoons in my sauce and can say the capers became over powering.

Spiced Hot Chocolate (Mexican Hot Chocolate)

Patty — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:09:04 +0000

I was visiting a friend in Atlanta and was so completely taken by this Mexican Hot Chocolate that I had. It reminded me of a spicy brownie that I like to make. Now the recipe called for Pepper Vodka. So I went in search of Pepper Vodka. But I was annoyed to find out that I was going to have to buy an entire bottle and the cost. I mean I am trying to budget here in this economy and I don’t have space and I was not sure I was going to even like this Pepper Vodka.
So the solution let’s try infusing our own vodka. Which made me think there are a lot of fun things
that one could infuse. I was even told you could infuse candy like skittles and starbursts into vodka. Ingenious I thought. We didn’t have a lot of time so this is what we did to
make our Pepper Vodka. One Liter of Vodka and 1 Tea Ball Filled with Chili Peppers and let sit for at least 36 hours. You could also chop chili Peppers and throw them into a jar of Vodka and then strain before using.

1 Cup of Milk
¾ oz of Khaluha
1 oz. of Pepper Vodka
3 Tablespoons of Sugar
3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder
A pinch of Cinnamon
Whipped Cream to Top

In a saucepan add milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir and heat milk to a comfortable hot temperature and pour into a mug. Stir in Vodka and Khaluha and top with Whipped Cream. Enjoy!

Broiled Yams

Patty — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:00:48 +0000

Sometimes I have the hardest time thinking of things to serve as appetizers that are simple and a little different. These worked out beautifully at my last dinner party when there were none left! A few little facts about yams: they are available year round, do not buy wrinkled ones or spouting ones, they should be stored in a cool dark place but not the refrigerator; and only keep for about two weeks because of their high sugar content.
2 Yams peeled and cut length wise into ¾ inch wedges
¼ Cup of Olive oil
3 teaspoon of ground cumin (depending on your taste buds)
1 teaspoon of paprika (depends on how spicy you like it)
salt and pepper

In a boil toss olive oil, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper. Broil for 5 minutes on each side. Serve with Ketchup.