Frog Tales

These are called subs, but really they are just a bowl full of yummy goodness.  Shallow bowls are a must as you end up cutting up the sub to eat it ... an uncut hollowed out kaiser bun might work really well if you wanted to make a mexican bread bowl. Ingredients  1 pound ground meat mix (I used ground beef and chorizo sausage - casings removed) 1/4 cup finely crushed tortilla chips 1 large egg, beaten 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus 3 sprigs 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, plus more for garnish 6 cloves garlic; 3 minced, 3 smashed 3 teaspoons ancho chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin Kosher salt 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cups canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes 4 crusty sub rolls, halved and split open Diced avocado, crumbled Mexican cheese, sour cream and queso, for garnish Directions Mix the meat, tortilla chips, egg, chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup scallions, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon chili power, 1 teaspoon cumin, and salt to taste in a bowl. Roll

Now, I know my Belle-Mere will say "Kaighley" (my kid sister/doctor) but in the culinary world it was a cross between Tourtiere and Shepherd's Pie.  I love the flavour of Tourtiere with the cinnamon & allspice, but I dislike pie crust ... and, I love Shepherd's Pie with it's mashed potato top, but dislike the mushy peas in it.  So, being my usual self, I tore apart two recipes and created my own special hybrid. Pomme de Terre Meat Pie Ingredients 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1/2 cup red wine 1 pound pork loin, diced into 1/2 inch pieces 1 pound sirloin, diced into 1/2 inch pieces 1/4 cup olive oil 1 onion, diced small 1 cup small diced celery, (2 or 3 stalks) 1 cup small diced carrots, (3 or 4 carrots) 1 tablespoon minced garlic, (3 or 4 cloves) 8 potatoes, quartered 1/4 cup butter 1 teaspoon ga

Wow, we've been here for a year now!  One year ago, we had just arrived to a house we had not seen the inside of, Alex and I venture off to get pizza for supper and we settled it for an amazing adventure.  Tonight we celebrated with Tandoori Chicken, Spicy Roasted Broccoli and Rice Pilaf served with a Fat Bastard Shiraz (it's on sale at GL Foods). Tandoori Chicken Ingredients 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1/2 cup yogurt 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons grated ginger root 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken breasts Directions In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, to taste, lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, garlic and ginger root until well incorporated. Add chicken and evenly cover with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat a g

Alrighty ... this one is a whole day affair that involves your slow cooker, the oven and the bbq.  These baked potatoes are topped with pulled pork, bacon, cheese, sour cream & chives and are a meal unto themselves.  Obviously served with Piton on the side. Pulled Pork Ingredients 2 onions quartered 2 tbs brown sugar 1 tbs paprika 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 (4 to 6 lb) boneless pork end or shoulder roast 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp red pepper flakes 3 tbs molasses 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 bottle Guinness 1 can tomato paste Place quartered onions across bottom of slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper.  Mix well and rub mixture over pork roast.  Place pork roast over onions in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, molasses, dru mustard and garlic powder.  Drizzle over roast.  Add bottle of Guinness to t

It's always fun to make your family assemble their own food. Buy Mandarin pancakes at the grocery stores for the best results. Small tortillas or Boston or iceberg lettuce leaves also work well. Servings: 12 Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 250-gram (8-ounce) chicken breasts boned with skin on Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder 16 Mandarin pancakes 1 head boston or iceberg lettuce 3 cups cooked rice noodles ½ cup hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 English cucumber, peeled and cut in strips 6 green onions, cut in 3-inch lengths Method Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear, skin side down, for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Remove from heat. Place chicken breasts on a baking tray. Combine honey, soy sauce and mustard, and brush over seared chicken breasts. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place baking sheet

We tried this for the first time tonight ... and it was a definite winner, especially partnered up with a Valpolicella from Italy.  We served it with rice and fresh veg with the leftover tzatziki from Sunday night. Molasses & Coffee Pork Chops Ingredients 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled 6 ounces molasses (about 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 3 cloves garlic, minced salt and freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon fresh ginger 8 sprigs fresh thyme 4 6-to-8-ounce pork chops (1 inch thick) Directions Combine the coffee, molasses, vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the ginger, thyme and pork chops in a 1-gallon zip-top bag; seal and shake to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the pork from the bag. Pour the marinade into a saucepan; boil gently over medium-high heat, stirring, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove th

Sunday night's meal had a significant vampire deflecting properties ... in other words lots, and lots of garlic. Buffalo, Garlic & Herb Chicken Wings Tzatziki Pita and Raw Veg I like tzatziki as a replacement for bleu cheese or ranch dip, because you can use it on the wings, the veg and the pita. Wings I cheated with this one and just used a package mix ... I used McCormick's Buffalo, Garlic & Herb mix.  Marinated them for 4 hours and grilled them on medium for 15 to 20 minutes. Tzatziki 1/2 English cucumber peeled and grated (I used a regular one, just scoop out the seeds) 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided 16 oz Greek yogurt 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 TBS fresh dill 1/2 tsp black pepper Grate cucumber and mix with 1 tsp salt. Place in a strainer over a bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Lightly press cucumber in strainer to remove as much liquid as possible; discard liquid. Place cucumber in a small bowl and add 2 TBS lemon juice. Stir in yogurt

Who are we, you ask? We are a family of five, from the far reaches of Northern Canada, who decided to move to St Lucia in the West Indies of the Caribbean.  We sold what we could, gave away what we couldn't sell, and threw away what was left.  We moved down with 15 suitcases and shipped down a few rubbermaid totes. Our specs ... Danielle and Steve - the adults (at least most of the time) and our lads Alex - 16 Sasha - 13 Kieran (Podamus) - 18 months It has been an amazing year and we really love living in this "wonderful, tropical paradise" ... we use this quote when the boys grumble about something, ie homework, we reply back "Yes, but u get to do homework in this wonderful, tropical paradise!".  As one can expect, u get a "yah, yah" in response.  Having said that, the older lads have done exceptionally well here in St. Lucia.  The private school they attend is fantastic and they have both surpassed our expectations.  Podamus, the not so w

We love really, really good food with lots of wonderful flavour!  The challenge is to see what new creation we can make and then to share it ... Last night's menu was a hybrid of a few different sources of inspiration. Steak wrapped in caramelized cayenne bacon with gorgonzola cheese Grilled veggie salad with feta Herbed mashed potatoes broiled with smoked cheddar Steak We've used the caramel cayenne bacon in an appie recipe before, and thought why not try it wrapped around a great piece of steak. 4  8 oz thick steaks (we used a london broil and cut it into pieces - the key is to have a steak as thick as the width of the bacon and as round as the length of the bacon) 1 cup red wine 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - evoo 1 tbs basil 2 tbs worcestershire sauce 1 tbs fresh ground black pepper 1 tbs montreal steak spice 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 4  pieces of bacon 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tbs cayenne 8 toothpicks 4 tbs Gorgonzola cheese Combine red wi