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Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

Bajan Desserts For Your Sweet Cravings

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

The tropical country in the east Caribbean is known for its pinkish sand beaches, luscious flora, and a variety of scrumptious feasts that include delicious and sweet desserts. Travelers can choose to dine in Barbados travel hotel, as most have classy bistros that serve Bajan food. Heading to the local restaurants and cafes on the island is also an option. Eating in a fancy bistro is surely a treat for tourists. However, dining outside on the local eateries is quite an experience. Also, asking locals about where to find cheap but tasty meals is a good way to save money, and at the same time enjoy scrumptious meals.

Most Bajan dishes are quite spicy, and it is therefore recommended to have something sweet at the end of each meal. Bajan Macaroni Pie, Bajan Black Eyed peas rice, Pudding n Souse, Flying Fish Cutter, Cod Fish Cakes are some of the heavy and stomach filling meals. After having your tummy filled with these meals try following it up with these specials.

Going natural

The Caribbean island is tropical and has many different kinds of plantation and vegetation that is growing in the country, which includes strange but tasty fruits. If you are tired of the usual banana, try eating plantain. It is a close relative of the banana but looks quite unappealing when raw. Usually served fried and topped with cinnamon. Another unique fruit is breadfruit. It has similar taste and texture to the regular potato but it is a bit sweeter. Among the must try fruits in the island are their cherries, with the bright red berries often turned to juice. It is also quite bigger than the regular cherries.

Yummy Candies

There are many Bajan candies available to satisfy every tourist’s sugar cravings. Local candies like guava cheese, tamarind balls, peanut brittle, and chocolate fudge are few of the candies that will surely make tourist’s meal complete. There are various types of candies available in the tropical country, and choosing a favorite may be a bit challenging since all of these candies have their own unique flavor.

Pastries

For diners who are looking for something heavy even after a stomach filling meal, the tropical country has a variety of cakes and pastries to satisfy every hungry visitor. The best known pastry on the island is coconut bread. For those who want fancier breads and pastries, they can choose from Bajan baked custard, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate icebox pudding. Those who are looking for something simple and classic, of course there is good old cheesecake or chocolate cake.

There are also candy shops and special cake stores inside some Barbados travel hotel that will satisfy every tourist’s confectionery cravings. There are also many Bajan desserts which are must-try for everyone visiting the country. Just keep in mind not to eat too much sweets or a trip to the dentist might be your next itinerary while touring around Barbados.

How To Cook Crock Pot Cooking

Monday, August 10th, 2009

How does crock pot cooking really help beat the heat? Simply put, the crock pot in and of itself puts off far less heat when cooking than an oven or stove top. This is the first and possibly the best reason to utilize the crock pot in your summer meal planning. You should also consider the fact that by not heating the house by using your stove top or oven you are also preventing your air conditioning (or other cooling methods) from working overtime in order to compensate for the additional heat that other cooking methods introduce.

This makes crock pot cooking a win-win situation as the costs involved in operating a crock pot are far less than the costs involved in operating a stove or oven in general. Whether electric or gas, your stove and oven are often serious energy hogs. Add to that the fact that you are not raising the temperature in your home by traditional means of cooking and you are using even less electricity.

Unfortunately for most, the general consensus has been that crock pots were meant for comfort foods and hearty winter meals. The truth is that the crock pot should be one of your best loved and most often utilized cooking methods if you can manage it. When it comes to cooking with a crock pot, the options are almost limitless. Almost anything that can be baked can be made in the crock pot and many, many more wonderful and enticing meals and treats as well.

Benefits of Crock Pot Cooking In addition to the cost benefits mentioned above when it comes to crock pot cooking there are many other benefits that are well worth mentioning. First of all, the bulk of the work involved in crock pot cooking takes place early in the day when you are refreshed rather than at the end of a hectic work or play day. This means that you are less likely to forget an ingredient or make other mistakes that often occur as we hurriedly prepare a dinner when we are exhausted from the activities of our day.

Second, many great crock pot recipes include the vegetables that insure we are getting the nutrients we need. So often, when preparing a meal at the last minute, vegetables and other side dishes are left out in favor of expedience. Crock pot cooking in many instances is a meal in one dish.

Another great reason to use a crock pot for your summertime cooking is the ease of clean up. Unlike pots and pans, most crock pot meals are made in one dish. This means that there will not be mountains of dishes to be either hand washed or loaded into the dishwasher (or if you are like me-both) afterwards. You can spend less time cleaning just as you spent less time slaving over a hot stove. Oh wait! Make that no time slaving over a hot stove. Once clean up is complete you can get back to enjoying the sun set, chasing the lightening bugs with your little ones, or waiting for the first star.

While there will never be a one size fits all best cooking method, crock pot cooking comes very close. If you have a crock pot collecting dust somewhere in the back of your pantry it is time to get it out, dust if off, and dig up some great summertime crock pot cooking recipes.