Good Ole' Caribbean Christmas

Good Ole' time Caribbean Christmas

This is a time of celebration and giving, where families come together to enjoy one anothers' company. Food plays an important part as we tend to celebrate with foods and this need to reflect our different personalities and also culture.

Island style Turkey jerk

Three bean rice cooked in coconut milk

Sweet yams with a pineapple and cherry topping

Sautee tri color peppers and asparagus with a lemony poppy seed dressing

Carrot salad with red grapes

Sweet Potato pie with rum sauce

Recipes

Island Style Jerk

12-15lbs turkey

3 tbsp jerk seasoning or

1/2 cup liquid jerk sauce

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

1tsp salt

Remove gibblet and place in a pan with 2 litres of water, one each onion, carrot and celery, cook 11/2 hour on low to medium heat.

Rinse thawed turkey inside and out with cool water and pat dry with paper towel. Rub bird well with salt and jerk seasoning both inside and out, let sit 2 hrs in refridgerator. Make stuffing and

cool down, Remove turkey from refridgerator and rest for half an hour.

Preheat oven 350 degrees, stuff turkey in both cavities and close with skewers. Bake for 1 hour then lower heat to 300 degree, basting bird with margarine every 30 mins there after and bake 3 hours or until internal temperture reaches 180 degrees. Remove turkey to a serving platter

Garnish platter with fresh sprigs of rosemary

Make easy mouth watering gravy

Skim off 1/2 the fat fat out of roasting pan and put aside in a bowl. Over low heat in roating pan hop 1/3 of a csmall onion and 1 stalk celery, cook 5 minutes, sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour and work into drippings, removing all lumps. Add small amount of turkey stock and stir, keep adding

stock until gravey becomes thick, add salt to taste. Strain and serve.

Cornberry stuffing

1 box cornbread mix

1/2 cup cranberries

1 small chopped onion

1 stalk chopped celery

cooking oil

Sautee onion and celery in oil until tender. Follow instructions on cornbread mix package, add onion, celery and cranberries. Combine and stuff both turkey cavities this will make the turkey moist.

Three Bean Rice cooked in Coconut milk

1 medium chopped onion

2 tbsp margarine

1 tsp thyme

1/2 cup pinto beans

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 cup red kidney beans

2 cups uncooked white rice

1 cup coconut milk

2 cubes chicken bullions

1/2 salt

3 cups water

In a medium size sauce pan sautee onions in margarine until transulent add thyme and rice, stir in cocnut milk, beans, water, bullion and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, over and reduce to low heat

Cook for 15 mins, remove and rest for 10 mins covered before serving.

Sweet yams with pineapple and cherry glaze

4 cups uncooked sweet yams(potatoes)

1 cup butter

1cup brown sugar+ 2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup pinapple chunks

1 cup glazed cherries

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven at

Cut yams into small chunks and place into greased baking dish. In a small sauce pan melt butter, vanilla and sugar then, pour over yams.

Cover and bake for 30 mins. Uncover, add pineapple and cherries then, sprinkle with 2 tbsp brown sugar and bake at 400 degress for 10 minutes.

Should be a touch crispy on top. It's great to add marshmellow to this dinner at the same time pineapple is added

Carrot salad with red grapes

2lbs carrots shredded

2 cups of red grapes half

1/2 cup of reduce fat mayonaise

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

Combine all ingredients except grapes into bowl and incoroperate. 5 mins before serving add grapes and enjoy.

Tri Color Peppers with Asparagus and a lemony poppy seed dressing.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red prepper

1 yellow pepper

1 green pepper

1lb asparagus

1 red onion thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Cut peppers into 1/4 inch thick and sautee into 1 tbsp olive oil for 3 mins. Add remaing oil and sautee asparagus for 5 mins turning occassionally.

Remove, place on a platter, place slice onions on top of peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemony Poppy seed dressing

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp brown sugar.

1 tsp poppy seed

1tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Combine lemon juice, brown sugar, poppy seed and parsley in a medium sice bowl. Slowly add oil while whisking virgarously . add salt and pepper to taste

Dizzle over peppers and asparagus liberally.

Sweet Potato Pie with a slamming Rum suce

1 9" unbaked pie shell

4 large sweet potato

1/2 cup condense milk

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs vanilla

Pre heat oven 360 degrees

Cook potatoes until tender (not falling apart), cool and peel. Mash

potatoes, add butter, sugar, condense milk and spices. Pour intp pie shell

and bake for 40 mins. Serve warm with rum sauce.

Slamming rum sauce

1 pkg low fat vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup red rum

Follow instuctions on package using a 1/2 c up more milk, add rum and serve with sweet potato pie

.