Some Pretty Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

This post is long overdue and I'm sorrrryy! But I promise the wait has been worth it and this is why:

"Any word I use would be an understatement because that's how good they were…too good for words!" 

Some people don't like being in the kitchen.............................................well, I think you're cray but I also respect that everyone is different :-). For me, cooking/baking is relaxing and almost therapeutic. I love when things come out just right and when something doesn't, I just rack it up as a learning experience and try again. 

You know those kind've people that will slave all day in the kitchen and then when its time to eat all of the yummy stuff, they just don't feel to? Yeah, I'm not one of "them" in any way…at all…like ever. Well, the first time I made these I turned into one of "them". When the cinnamon rolls were ready, I didn't even try the icing! Instead of eating 3 like I usually would, (for quality control purposes of course) I just took them to the lime - Caribbean slang for get together/hang out - that I was going to unknowing of how good/bad/ugly they were.

Thankfully they were great (!!!!!) and I have made them a couple of times since and I hope that if you try to make them you enjoy the long process as much as I do and that your tasters are as impressed as mine were.

So I just said that this is a process and it is definitely that, not a difficult one, but still a process nonetheless. So if you don't have about 4 hours to spare then you should probably save making them for when you do have that kind of time. Rushing and cooking is not a good combination and only results in a bad mood when you inevitably make silly mistakes.

So here you go. Cinnamon Rolls that I got from Sweetopolita. She called them "Cinnabon-Style Gourmet Cinnamon Buns". I didn't change much if anything at all but I want to go through the steps with photos because visuals make everything seem a little more possible. I know, I'm the best :D.

Ingredients

Dough

1 (7g) package of instant dry yeast

1 cup whole milk, warm (not boiling hot!)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup margarine (I use Sunflower)

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour (I use Waitrose)

Filling

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 - 4 tablespoons of cinnamon (depends on how cinnamon-y you like it)

1/3 cup margarine, softened

Frosting

1/2 cup cream cheese (used both Philadelphia and IGA - both worked fine), softened 30 mins

1/2 cup margarine, softened 30 mins

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups icing sugar sifted (depends how sweet you like it)

I teaspoon vanilla flavour

1/8 teaspoon lemon flavour

Instructions

The first thing you're going to do is get 1 cup of milk and put it in the microwave for about 30-35 seconds, when you touch the milk it shouldn't burn you but it should definitely be warm. 

Pour the milk in a large bowl and add the yeast. This is what its going to look like when you give it a stir:

After about 5 minutes it should look like this:

Next up you add the sugar, margarine, eggs and salt. Mix it up until it looks like this:

(Not very appetizing at all)

Now you're going to add the flour. I sieve my flour while I add it because it will make the finished products even more light at fluffy. When everything is combined, dust your hands with some flour and knead the dough into a large ball.

Remember you're just bringing the dough together. You do not want to overwork it. Now this is the part where you cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour. This hour is a great opportunity to clean up a little and check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and your phone. Oh and its also a good time to prepare the filling. To do this you just combine the brown sugar and cinnamon until it looks like this:

When the hour is up and your dough has gotten a little bigger its time to get rolling! Roll your dough into a big rectangle on a lightly floured surface. It should be about 1/4 inch thick (approximately). Be patient when rolling the dough and really try to maintain the rectangular shape. It can be kind of frustrating at times but once again, beee patient!

When you've finished rolling the dough its time to start assembling the rolls! The first thing you're going to do is spread 1/3 cup of softened margarine over the surface of the dough. Then, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top, leaving about 1 inch untouched around the edges.

Gently roll the dough and make sure its tight!

Get a sharp knife and slice the large cinnamon roll into pieces that are about 2 inches long. You should get about 10-12 rolls based on how your big rectangle came out. Place these on a prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and let them rise for another hour.

While the cinnamon rolls are rising, you can make the icing! 

In a medium sized bowl, using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese and margarine for 6 minutes on a low speed. Change the speed from low to medium-high and blend for another 10 minutes. This is REALLY boring and I usually put some headphones in and listen to some music until its over.

Next your'e going to add 1 cup of the icing sugar and mix for 1 minute on a low speed. Add the remaining icing sugar and  mix for another minute. Add the vanilla and lemon flavours and mix for one more minute on a medium-high speed.

Transfer the icing to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least half hour before using.

Now your rolls have finished rising and the end is near!! Place the prepared cookie sheet in an oven at 400 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. 

Let the rolls cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes and top with some icing and enjoy!

The Little Things

Sometimes life seems dull. The keyword in that sentence is "seems" because even when things aren't as glamourous and fabulous as we'd like, I'm sure you can still look back on each and every day and pick a moment, an event, a conversation or something else that made you smile.

The reason why I said (typed?) what I just did is because recently, life has been feeling pretty dull. But I want to show you some little moments since my last post that were not dull at all, as small as some of them may have been.

Sunset
For me, glancing at a beautiful sunset or sitting and watching the whole thing if I have time can really make my day. Sunsets can be sooo beautiful and the minutes right after the sun has set are even better. When everyone starts turning on their outside lights and its dark, but not so dark and the sky is about a gazillion colours. Yep, you know what I mean, I think its breathtaking.

We also went to Naru on the South Coast recently and the sushi was amazing as always, and after much debate, we had the donuts which were so worth it (as always).. maybe one day we will forget the debate and just embrace the gluttony from the start. 

Baking always makes me smile, some people can't relate but those that can... go you!

(This recipe coming soon)

And finallyyyyy, selfies are always fun.

So there you have it. A few small moments that weren't so dull after all. I hope that after reading this you feel inspired to think about your "Little Things".

How do ya like your eggs?

Hellooo beautiful readers, its Friday, Friday gotta get down on Fridaaaay. Yes, I'm quoting Rebecca Black for the sole purpose of getting that song stuck in your head, you can thank me later.

Today is a very special day and that's because its my first ever recipe post! Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a shameless foodie and if you don't eat your food, I will (unless it has pickles). 

What I'm sharing with you today is something I tasted a few years ago and loved, and then more recently I started making my own version when I decided that it was time to start putting a bigger effort into healthy eating. My sisters request this all the time, even Shannon who could vie for the title: Pickiest Eater of All Time.

This recipe is really, really simple and it can be varied any way that you like based on what you feel for or what you have inna ya kitchen. So, without further ado, I present.. BAKED EGGS! (Stop making that face, they are actually really yummy).

Here's what you will need to serve about 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

6-8 eggs 
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 small-medium sized onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
1 medium-sized tomato, diced 
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 sweet pepper (any colour you like), diced
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated 
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 slices of packaged ham, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter (for the pan)

*These measurements do not have to be exact, its really about what you like and/or what you have. Sometimes when I have left over baked chicken I'll chop up 1 or 2 pieces and add that instead of the ham. And whenever I have fresh mushrooms I throw some in as well.

Method:

Pretty oven 350 degrees F 

Chop, dice and slice your broccoli, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato and ham (and anything else you want to add that needs chopping, dicing or slicing), and grate your cheese.

Melt some butter in your non-stick frying pan and add the broccoli, onions and garlic. Let this cook for about 5 minutes at a medium-high heat. At this point I add some salt and pepper to the ingredients in the pan.

Next, add the sweet pepper to the pan, mix the tomato and the tomato sauce together and add that too along with the sliced ham. 

Sprinkle the cheese on top of everything.

Now its time to add the eggs! Turn the heat to low and get a bowl. Crack the first egg in the bowl and be veryyyy careful not to break the yolk (this has no effect on taste but come on, I know you want your finished dish to be pretty). I usually add the first egg to the middle of the frying pan and the other five in a circle around it. You can do whatever you like.

When you've added all your eggs and salt and peppered them you can put your frying pan in the oven (make sure its safe to go in the oven!!) for 15 - 20 minutes.

And voila! Baked eggs!

These can be eaten at any time of the day really and they are pretty healthy too. Hope that you enjoy them!

Cuzz it up!

Today I had a Cuzz Cutter...yet another food gem that you can only find in Barbados. "Cuzz Cafe" is situated on the south coast of Barbados on Pebbles beach. It is very popular among locals and tourists alike and has been put on the list "101 Best Places to Eat Around the World". One of the chefs who was involved in the selection said: "It's a fish shack with a line out the door. From a cook's point of view, everything is wrong with their sandwiches, like the cheese on them, but they're so delicious." (Marcus Samuelsson, New York). I'd say that's a pretty accurate statement.

This "restaurant" does not really have a menu on display, but if you squint your eyes and look really closely into the shack, you can see a piece of paper with the menu options jotted down on it. The best thing to do is ask. You can get:
- Fish, cheese, and a fried egg
- Fish and cheese
- Fish and a friend egg
- 2 friend eggs and bacon
- Fried egg and cheese
- Cheese
- Fried egg

Cuzz is super affordable, the price of a cheese cutter (aka the world famous Bajan "cheese on bread") is 3 BBD and if you get everything it will be $11.

I opted for the whole 9 yards with the fried egg, cheese and fish cutter. It was delicious and really fresh!

Obviously if you go to Cuzz for lunch you are obligated to eat your sandwich on the beautiful Pebbles beach which is a few steps away, just sayin' :).

Not your average fast food joint

Barbados has amazing food at every level: from street food to fine dining there are so many delicious options. These options are (not always, but usually) small, modest and sometimes hard to find. Yesterday I had a late lunch at one of my favourite places. Situated in Eagle Hall, Bridgetown is an extremely popular small bar & rotisserie amongst Bajans. It's called R.A. Mapp (Mapp's for short) and the menu is very simple: rotisserie chicken and chips. You also have the option of tossed salad, macaroni salad or coleslaw but the chicken and chips are the stars of the show and the sweetness is definitely in the sauce. If you haven't had Mapps you haven't lived. Yes, it is really that good. 

Sidenote: If you are reading this and you aren't from Barbados I just want to clear up that we call fries/french fries, chips.

So whats the process when you arrive? Well when its not busy, which is a rare occurrence, you can just walk right up to the counter and place your order. But the words "Mapp's" and "busy" go hand in hand and they have a procedure for everyone to follow. If you aren't a regular it may all seem kind of strange especially since there are no instructions as to what to do. Lucky for you I was paying close attention yesterday so now I'm an expert! 

Ordering at Mapps:

1. Take a number

2. Wait for one of the ladies working to call your number

3. When your hear your number, shout your order

4. The lady will then write down your order on a plastic bag and she or another lady will go get it

5. When your food is ready they put it in the bag and you pay 

If the wait is long like it was yesterday you can enjoy a drink or run across the street and take photos for your blog (I may or may not be be guilty of the latter). 

Mapps has taken something so simple (rotisserie chicken and chips) and perfected it. The food is always fresh, full of the amazing sauce, and generally wonderful. If you haven't had  it make an effort to go because it will not disappoint. I have not tried the salad options but I have heard rave reviews about the coleslaw. Will have to try it next time!

The Best Party Ever

Cropover is a traditional harvest festival celebrated in Barbados annually. There's tonnes of history behind the festival but what's important is that it started as a celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest and has since evolved into Barbados' biggest national festival similar to Carnival in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago (muchas gracias, Wikipedia). What we Bajans do is a lot of partying for 2 months prior to the final day of the Cropover festival which is called Grand Kadooment. But that's a post in itself. Today I want to tell you about the party that I attended the day before Grand Kadooment, which is always the first Monday in August, called Booze Premium. It was a party on the beach (can anyone say "island life") and it was absolutely amazing. All of my friends and I agree that it was simply the "best party ever".

It was our first time attending Booze Premium and we arrived around 4pm because doors opened at 2 and we didn't exactly want to open up the place but at the same time we still wanted to make the most of what was promised to be the best party we will ever go to (until next year of course). We were greeted with glasses of champagne and the wonderful Russel gave us a tour of what was in store for us. Premium drinks, an amazing buffet lunch, champagne until the sun set, MASSAGES (yup, you read right), shots, a photobooth fully equipped with fun props, and live entertainment are just some of the things we had to look forward to. After hearing about all of this we were pretty much sold.

We had some champagne and a drink or 2 and then we decided that it would be best to eat while things were relatively calm as the party was still getting started. For the food you had an option of steak, chicken or fish and then there was a whole bunch of sides to choose from including some delicious Bajan Macaroni Pie. The food was fantastic and now it was time to really party.

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on about how phenomenal my night was but that's just selfish. I'll still elaborate a little, though :). We fully utilized the photobooth and even convinced management to let the kind lady stay for the whole night instead of leaving at her scheduled time, we drank shots and fueled up on Redbull when we were feeling tired, we saw the superstar herself: Rihanna (!!!) and we danced under the stars until the last song played around 10pm after which we were devastated that the "best party ever" was over. 

I think what makes the party so top notch is the obvious attention that is paid to detail. Its kinda like, anything you can think of is already handled and being presented to you on a platter and if you're having a problem the organizers are more than ready to rectify it for you. For example, we wanted the photobooth to stay for longer and all we had to do was ask and it was arranged! Sounds pretty magical to me. If you live in Barbados and do the whole Cropover thing or ever plan to come, I can't recommend this party enough. I'm sure you will have the time of your life at Booze Premium. Well, I certainly did!