"Now I'm off singing karaoke, further than I've ever been"

Sept 22

The coworkers and I took a beach break and brought the kids and the girls along. It was really hot that day, I guess everyone had the same idea as us. We dined on grilled red snapper and fried plantains and quenched our thirsts with ice cold homemade cherry juice and Prestige (Haitian National beer). Good times!

Although every cook has her own special technique, most Haitian fish, meat and poultry are marinated in delish spices that include citrus, adobo, parsley, scotch bonnet peppers and garlic.

Grilled fish on the beach.

Loving the neon and black & white print on my bikini 

It wasn't until I was working on this post that I realized that I was drinking around children. It is so common in many households that I thought nothing of it, but now that I'm back in the States, I feel a little uncomfortable about it.

I <3 sunsets

The HUMONGOUS lobster that the coworkers bought. I'm not into shellfish, so I didn't partake but it smelled delish, the juices were sloshing all over the plate.

Bikini top: H&M; Bikini bottom: Wet Seal

"I go back to black"

Sept 20

I took my sissy to the beach with me today.  I think I was rewarding her for something, but I forgot what. I treated her to some lobster, because she has never had it before. She didn't like it is my way of putting it nicely.

Black & white never get old

 The beach is one of my favorite places, the water soothes me

I made her eat every bite, I do not waste food

 My meal of grilled red snapper and fried plantains was delicious

Tank top: F21; Shorts: H&M; Bikini: Wet Seal; Sandals: Target

"I'll put a flower in your hair"

Sept 15
PauP (La Boule), Haiti

I finally met my 21st century pen pal (more like Twitter pal). Her name is Maureen and I've been following her on Twitter ever since I joined.  She was in the process of moving back to Haiti after having lived in New York for over half her life.  I lived through her experiences in Haiti vicariously.  I have often toyed with the idea of moving back home.  She lives near the capital, which is about 3 hours (without traffic) from me.  I spent the weekend at her house.  She and her mom were such wonderful hostesses.

Sherry moved back to Haiti as well

We met up with her friends for pizza, drinks and music.

Rum Sour (the unofficial official drink)

Pizza was delicious

I don't remember the name of my drink but it was great.

Jeans: JC Penny; Top: Marshalls

"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell"

Sept 3
Jacmel, Haiti

I love finding new restaurants.  Food is a big part of my life.  I love meeting up with friends and catching up over a good meal.  However I don't have any qualms about dining alone if friends are not available.  My hometown does not have many 'nice' restaurants, more like takeout places.  If one is looking for fine dining, a hotel is usually the go to place.      

This is the Hotel Florita.

The vines were so charming and the natural decor was so rustic that I couldn't help but love it.

I was enamored with their courtyard.

If not for the schizo mosquitoes, I would have stayed outside longer.

Let's not forget my meal.

Avocado/tomato/green bean salad = DELICIOUS

Grilled red snapper, fried plantains, rice (not pictured)

Dress: H&M; Sandals: Spring

Creole Cooking

ALERT! This is not a fashion post...

Welcome, welcome,
So as many of you know if you've been following my blog for even a day lol; I am Haitian.  With that being said, I love, adore and delight in the goodness that is Haitian food.  You may ask what constitutes as Haitian food and how is it any different from other Caribbean foods like our neighbor the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, or Jamaica.  I will admit that we eat almost the same staple dishes (rice, root vegetables, lots and lots of meat and fresh being that we are islands) and they are seasoned almost the same way (Adobo, bouillon cubes, scallions, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers).  However, just like your Mom, Grandma Agnes, and Aunt Chrissy make their turkey differently using almost identical ingredients, that is what separates Caribbean food.  As much as I love my homeland's traditional dishes I must admit that I do not cook them often.  The prep and cook time is sooo long and tedious that I am no longer hungry once the meal is ready.  I sucked up my impatience and took one for the team on Thursday.  Another thing with most Haitian cooks (and I sure most longtime cooks as well); we don't use measurements we cook by sight.  There are many sites that have recipes for Haitian meals, but one of my favorites and most accurate is Poto Mitan.  Without further ado ladies and gents, I present to you Rice and Pigeon Peas with Fried Red Snapper:

Yummy Yummy in My tummy!

I can be very Haitian at times.  I love almost all types of Haitian food, I love most genres of Haitian music.  I support a lot of Haitian events, both nightlife and cultural.  One type of Haitian food that I love is maimoulen.  It’s cornmeal (polenta), that can be cooked alone, with beans (like rice and beans) or in this case with spinach and tomatoes.  This dish is traditionally served with pollock for breakfast.   

Kitchen God

I have a love hate relationship with cooking.  Sometimes I work magic in the kitchen, other times I feel like I made gruel.  It always seems to be hit or miss with me.  But my saving grace is my baking skills.  I’m a pretty good baker.  But I also happen to love the basics and aesthetics of cooking.  How beautiful and vibrant are the colors of the tomato, onions and scallions?  

Moo!

While I was at the supermarket last week, I noticed a long piece of meat in the frozen meat section.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a cow's tongue!?!  I've heard of this delicacy but I would love to hear someone who has eaten it to tell me what it tastes like, and how to cook it?


Update: I had cow tongue fritters while on a brunch date with my girl Z, and it tasted like ground beef.  I was of course disturbed that I was eating a tongue, but otherwise it was fine.

When you're here you're family

I went to dinner with my sister and some friends to have a belated birthday dinner for the sis.  Her birthday was on the 22nd of November so I don’t even think it counts.  However we all got free dessert because we were out celebrating her birthday lol.  No complaints here.  I’m not really into Italian food, and I’ve only been to Olive Garden once or twice so I didn’t have high expectations for dinner.  Dining out is more about the experience which includes the food but also includes the company I’m in, the service and the ambiance.  I can tell you the company that I was in was hilarious.  We had quite a lively and dirty conversation during dinner that I’m sure caused a few raised eyebrows from fellow diners.  

Not Tapas but small Plates

I met up with my friend Z to catch up on all the things going on in our lives.  We went to Cuchi Cuchi, an eclectic restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge.  The decor was so over the top, the waitstaff had cool 1920’s? flapper outfits on.  Z and I always order several appetizers to share, so we can grub while we gab.  We had a Moroccan chicken dish with couscous and grapes, deep fried tomato from Mexico and potato croquettes from France.  How cool is it that we got to traverse several continents without being groped or viewed naked?  I always have fun meeting up with Z because she is that friend every woman should have, supportive, great listener, funny and she knows when to give her input.  I hope I’m as good a friend to her as she is to me.