If You Don't Hear, You Will Feel

There's an old saying here in The Bahamas, "If you don' hear, ya gon feel!" Parents initially say this to an unruly child as a warning that a spanking is coming next if the bad behaviour doesn't stop. Sometimes the kids get it and stop immediately, other times, a spanking follows. (Please this is not a post about spanking. There are many opinions on spanking vs. non-spanking as punishment, this is not a post on that). 


As our children grow up, we continue to say this to them. But instead of the warning of spanking, it's a warning of disappointment,  regret and emotional hurt .  We want them to "hear" us when we encourage them to study, or to say no to drugs and alcohol, or to avoid getting involved with the wrong partner. So that they don't "feel" the disappointment of not getting into the college of their choice, or regret that DUI, or the emotional hurt of being in a bad marriage or relationship.


All parents do this. We say it everyday. We just want our kids to listen.  We want them to  avoid pain, disappointment and regret. Sometimes, our kids listen, sometimes they don't. As parents, all we can do is pray that they will make the right choices and be there for them when they don't.

Chocolate Ganache

I made this cake a few months ago and have been asked for the recipe for the ganache.
It's fast and easy.


Chocolate Ganache by Collette Peters:
Ingredients:

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 8 oz. heavy cream
• 2 tsp. flavouring or liquer

Place the chocolate in a large bowl (metal or glass).  Heat the cream in a saucepan just to the boiling point. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Wish until the ganache is dark and shiny, then let it cool to room temperature. If you want thicker icing, beat the cooled icing for a few minutes.

It Ended Just Like That (Mother's Day)

I had a great Mother's Day yesterday.  Home cooked breakfast, dinner and dessert. I slept a little, watched a little t.v. and even got to watch my favourite British soap "EastEnders".  That was the special gift from my husband as I don't get to see it here in The Bahamas. He did some technical mojo and I was able to watch it online.


At around 7pm I had this interesting conversation:
Boy: "Mommy, can you do me a favour please?"
Me: "What is it?"
Boy: "Can you make me a sandwich?"
Me: "Nooo Buddy, It's Mother's Day, forget it."
Boy: "Mother's Day is over Mommy."
Me:"No it's not!"(looking out the window) "the sun is still up!"
Boy: "Mother's Day isn't 24 hours, it's only 10.  Your time is up. Now can you PLEASE make me a sandwich?"


It was over just like that.  Any chances of me prolonging the day was fruitless because my time was up. Off I went to make a sandwich.

Election Day Bahamas 2012

It's Election day here in the Bahamas.  The day we decide which political party will lead our country for the next five years.  I won't go into detail about our electoral process except to say that parts of it make me feel as if I am living in a 3rd World country namely this:

Yes we still use indelible ink. And as I always do, I push my thumb all the way in and end up with a blackrot  looking thumb for the next week.  But it's a love/hate thing though.  I like it because I am proud that I voted and MAYBE my vote made a difference.  I think about others around the globe who do not have the same right that I have and I am grateful.

My country isn't perfect, but it is my home.  My heart will always belong here. 

21 days of Prayer for Sons

I'm a day late, but I'm glad I found this challenge. For the next 21 days, I will lift my son up in prayer.  Check out MOB Society for more details.

Minced Crawfish

Disclaimer: We use the words "Crawfish" and "Lobster" interchangeably here in the Bahamas.  The technical term for our lobster is called Spiny Lobster.  It does not have claws like Maine Lobster. So they are only harvested for their tails.

I haven't bought crawfish in years.  Generally I find that it's too expensive.  But I was in the mood for crawfish a few weeks back and got a few from my sister.  They weren't as big as these:

But they were $20.00 and enough to make a great dish of Minced Crawfish.

To prepare the crawfish, first,boil the tails in salted water until bright red/orange.

These are clearly under sized crawfish, which is against the law, I know. I was shocked to see these poor babies.  But I wasn't about to throw my $20.00 away on principle.

Next, let the crawfish cool and remove the flesh from the shells.  To do this, flatten the crawfish with the underbelly facing up.  Take a large sharp knife pierce the bottom of the tail and press down the middle. You can then open the tail and remove the flesh. Be sure to move the intestine tube in the middle.

This is what you end up with. Now you need to shred the meat. This is the most tedious part of preparation.

Now you can prepare your minced Crawfish.

MINCED CRAWFISH by Sapphire Ridge Chronicles:

Ingredients:

2-3 cups shredded lobster meat

Juice of 1 lime

1 medium onion diced

1 medium green pepper diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

8 oz. petite diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. ketchup or tomato paste

vegetable oil

Salt, pepper, and hot pepper to taste

Once your lobster is shredded, add the juice of 1 lime. 

Heat oil in frying pan and saute the onion, green pepper, garlic and thyme until onion is translucent.  Add the crawfish and saute for about 5 minutes. You want to almost dry it out. Then add your tomatoes and ketchup/tomato paste. Add your seasonings to taste.

Serving suggestion: white rice, cole slaw and fried plantains

Cookie Love!

I love to bake. Cakes, cupcakes, anything, but right now, I love baking cookies.
So this week, I'll be sharing my three favourite cookies! 


My friend just requested this recipe yesterday after I gave her some Oatmeal Raisin Cookies last week.
I originally found the recipe on Allrecipes.com  but I had to do a little tweaking.   You can have soft and chewy (my fave) or crispy. The texture really depends on how long you leave them in for.


OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup butter, softened

1/2 Cup white sugar

3/4 Cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 Cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 3/4 Cups quick oats

1 Cup raisins 

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. I usually soak my raisins in warm water for a few minutes to plump them up before I add them.  Make sure to drain/ squeeze excess water.  If soaking raisins, batter may be a bit sticky, no worries, use as usual.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes.