Make-Up Under 15 Minutes After Cooking His Favourite Meal Group Project Part B

As a Caribbean cook, I can honestly say that a lot of women in my field spend most of their time in the kitchen and neglect the time to dolls up; which is quite understandable. After facing the heat for hours, who really has the time to put on makeup and dress up in their Sunday best? Also, I like to describe myself as a “naturalista chic”, make up is not really my thing, but when I was invited by vintage fashionista Stacy Lyons and Cosmetologist Cindy Edwards to learn the simple art of fashion and make up in just about… thirty minutes I was willing to give it a try. I despise the idea of putting on too much make up, let alone taking hours to “cake up” my face. But as the end of year is approaching and there are lots of social events to attend, finally learning how to apply some simple and basic cosmetics will not harm. In turn I shared with these girls one of my “go to” dishes: smoked herring, coconut dumplings and cassava.

First we started with the food and I was in my element with this.

For Dumplings and Cassava:

Ingredients

1 cup finely grated dried coconut
2-3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1-1½ cups water
1 lb Cassava (peeled)

For Smoked Herring:
Ingredients
½ lb. Smoked Herring
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped finely
¾ lb. tomatoes, chopped
½ tsp Chadon beni
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp. chive, chopped
½ tsp. thyme, chopped (Spanish or fine leaf)
1 pot spoon olive/Vegetable/Canola Oil
1 small grated carrot
1 small hot pepper, finely chopped (optional)

Visit blog for step by step instructions on how to make this fabulous meal:

http://caribbeanflavours.blogspot.com/2015/12/carlas-coconut-dumplings-and-cassava.html

Vintage wardrobe

Stacy was our group member that volunteered to be our model.  She wore a classic cherry patterned wiggle dress with black kitten heels, pearl studs a string of pearls necklace, a classic Citizen’s watch and a red big pocket apron. It took Stacy all of 5 minutes to put on that ensemble…now that’s my kind of time!  And she certainly looked vintage. Feel free to check out Stacy’s blog page for tips on vintage fashion: http://fordaloveofvintage.blogspot.com

Make-Up

Cindy was able to make Stacy look authentic by applying some vintage make unto the canvas that was her face. This included the cat eye, a “fake mole”, rouge blush and a beautiful matte, ruby red lipstick that captured the makeup of the 1950s. To recreate this look check out Cindy’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/TJBslqUaj14. Cindy then gave Stacy a Lucille Ball up-do which was the frosting on the cake as she was the quintessential vintage woman.

Hope you enjoyed this blog feel free to post your comments in the box below

Carla's Coconut Dumplings and Cassava with Smoked Herring (Vincy & Trini Style combined) Group Project Part A

Coconut dumplings have been a long time part of the smaller islands kitchen.  Islands such as Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Guyana and Tobago make this treat on a regular basis.  A friend of mine from Guyana told me that they use the coconut juice to make the dumplings, whereas in the other islands, we use the actual coconut to knead the flour.  I was never really a dumpling lover but coconut dumplings always had a different effect on me.

I remember as a child growing up this was a must have when my father and his brothers are cooking their special one pot.  Going on a river or beach lime, there was always someone sitting with a grater, grating coconut away.  When the men cooked this dumpling, they made them big like cart wheels and very tight.  Sometimes when eating these dumplings, you have to focus on the chewing as to not choke.  Most times I could have only eaten one because these things were so huge that they filled you up instantly.

My fear with doing the coconut dumplings when I was younger was grating off my fingers.  The Lord knew I disliked it when my grandmother asked me to grate dried coconut. After grating the coconut, half my fingers would be gone as well.  My father heard me one day complaining about grating coconut and showed me the strategy as to how to not get my fingers in the way while grating.  I have mastered the skill but still not a fan of grating it.  Thanks to the invention of magic bullet or a blender, no longer do you have to grate coconut.  However, I find that grinding the coconut always give the recipe that authentic traditional feel. The second part of handling coconut I hated was trying to get the dry coconut out of the shell.  To date, I am still unable to accomplish this task.  The dried coconut always bounce around every time I attempt to hit it.  I don't think I should attempt it anymore because I might end up hurting myself with the cutlass.  Thanks to the grocery stores, I can walk in and buy a coconut without having a coconut battle.

Since I introduced coconut dumplings and smoke herring at my work place, it became an instant hit.  It is a big request from my colleagues.  There were many staff there that didn't know about coconut dumplings so tasting it for the first time left me with great reviews.  I have been asked over and over to show them how to make it.  So here is a recipe I am hoping would work.  I tried to use pictures for illustration purposes as I find it easier to explain something when there is a visual.   The pictures taken were my group project as well on how to make these delicious dumplings.

Coconut Dumplings and Cassava with Smoked Herring

For Dumplings and Cassava:

Ingredients

 1 cup finely grated dried coconut

2-3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1-1½ cups water

1 lb Cassava (peeled)

Directions:

1.   Put the flour into a bowl. Add the grated coconut, 1/2 tsp salt and sugar.

2.   Form a well in the center and add the water.  Mix together until a soft but firm dough is formed. You may need to add more flour or water to get the correct consistency.

   3.   Let rest for 10-20 minutes.

4.   Put pot of water to hot to boil Cassava and add salt to taste. Then, peel and wash Cassava properly.

5.   Boil Cassava until it is cooked.

6.   Form dumplings into the desired shape.

7.   Cook in a large pot of boiling water for approximately  20 minutes or until the dumplings float to the surface.

8.   Remove  dumplings and cassava from water and serve.  Cut dumplings into smaller pieces or serve as is.

For Smoked Herring:

Ingredients

½ lb. Smoked Herring

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small onion, chopped finely

¾ lb. tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp Chadon beni

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp. chive, chopped

½ tsp. thyme, chopped (Spanish or fine leaf)

1 pot spoon olive/Vegetable/Canola Oil

1 small grated carrots

1 small hot pepper, finely chopped (optional)

Method

Step 1: Boil the smoke herring for about 10 minutes to remove some of the salt.

Step 2: Drain, remove skin if it is not yet removed; wash and squeeze the excess water from the smoke herring and break into small pieces.

Step 3: Saute the onion, garlic and seasonings. Then add the tomatoes and carrots and cook until slightly brown.

Step 4:  Add the flaked smoke herring, all remaining ingredients, lime juice and hot pepper and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. Add more salt and water if desired.

Step 5: Serve cool with dumplings, cassava, fry bake etc.

Note: You can also use stewed meat or saltfish if you are allergic to fish or not a big fan of smoked herring.
Serve warm/hot and enjoy!  Remember to leave your comments and feedback.  Thanks for viewing!

Cassava Pone

Cassava pone is heavenly.  It is a popular sweet during Christmas season for Trinis.  I grew up in St. Vincent so it wasn't so common there.  My mom is a Trinidadian so we were fortunate to always have this dish. 

The worse part for me in doing this recipe is the grating of the cassava.  I hated it when my mom asked me to do this.  However, I was the first to want to taste when it was finished. 

Since the cassava pone is not so common in St. Vincent, my mom is always asked to make it for functions, weddings or church gatherings.  The smell of cassava pone baking and the aroma it gives, opens anyone appetite and have you hungry for hours because it takes a while to bake.  The other worse feeling is trying to eat a hot piece of cassava pone and getting it stuck to the roof of your mouth.  Look trouble.  Anyway, feel free to try out recipe below...

Recipe:

2 cups grated cassava (yuca)
1 cup grated coconut, fresh or dried, unsweetened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, melted...
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 8 inch square baking dish in a 350 degree F over until brown and firm to the touch.

Cut into small squares and serve.