You...me...tube

F.Y.I we be youtubin. Thanks to my brother's new found love of time lapse i have a few youtube videos posted. So check meh out nah! LOL Gotta luv the brother. me iz landerchild on the tube

Chai Addiction

If there is one thing to know about me , know this... tea is to me like cigarettes are to a chain smoker. I have my afternoon tea down to a science! So why mess with a good thing right? Well let's not look at it as messing, simply as adding to the menu/repertoire. My newest obsession started when a Lipton Lady offered me a sample of their Spiced Chai with milk and sugar. Don't get it twisted I've known about Chai tea for a long time just never felt a compulsion to go out and try it (I have my tea fix already taken care of) but sip, sip ..... enter my latest joy "Spiced Chai Latte". I went straight to the hot beverage isle/section and bought a box. After tweeking it a bit I learned it takes more milk and sugar than regular tea and the milk has to be hot. Now onto the part I like best let's make our own Spiced Chai.....

Some quick googling taught me that Chai is basically Black Tea with a combo of spices including but not limited to ginger, cinnamon, clove, cardamon, peppercorns, nutmeg even some orange peel. Also there is no right or wrong spice recipe it's all up to you. So here's what I did to make Kat's Spiced Chai Latte.

SPICES

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

3 black peppercorns (cracked in half)

1 bay leaf

a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 inch orange peel (dried)

2 tea bags (normal everyday Lipton tea)

1/3 cup evaporated milk

4 tsp brown sugar ( brwon sugar adds it's own flavour)

I don't advise the use of cardamon if ur making less than 4 cups because the flavour is just that strong.

Take the spices and steep in 2 cups boiling water with tea bags for about 10 min, (longer if you have time and want a stronger tea). Bring it back to a boil and add evaporated milk and brown sugar. Strain and volia....Kat's Spiced Chai wholesome goodness. Recipe makes about 2 servings.

This can be served hot, cold, blended into a smoothie any way you like your tea!

I'm happy to report I'm down to 1 cup a day. But trust me, if you're a tea drinker this is one to add to your list. If you're not a tea drinker..... well hunny it's time you became one!

Oat Bread anyone??!!

Never trust what you find online! It’s a mantra for everything from definitions to social networks and oh yeah recipes, them to! Since I last blogged I’ve tried so many new ones and for every success there are ten flops. From Cornmeal Pancakes to Guinness Chocolate Cake and Gluten free Oat Bread (a good recipe I have yet to find). But oh the good ones!!!!!! I must say that some sites are proving to be quite indispensible and they help to narrow the search down but cry for help time!

I have Oat Flour and lots of it and no recipe to utilize it in. I’m trying to create a wheat free Oat bread but alas every oat bread recipe either calls for white flour or whole wheat flour AHHHHHH so if u have one or can point me in the direction of a Gluten free haven I would be happy as pie.

Start Random Testing

So change is on the horizon. I hav found that when it comes to eating out i like my tired and trues so not much has been happening on this page ...... HOWEVER I've also found that random recipe testing is kinda like random drug testing .... a real hit and miss. So this blog will now be dedicated to my personal successes and failures using recipes on the internet all of which claim to be tried and tested and guaranteeing jaw dropping results. So I’ll be journeying to my own little world with the use of my oven and stove top. Stay tuned.

On a final eating out note however!!!! Cold stone v.s. Hagen Daz?? Never get it twisted i love me my Soursop, Guiness, Sorrel and Rum Raisin from places like Willies and B's but as we get older when u and ur hunny want to jus chilax out over a scoop or two they just don't cut it.

I eh go front i always passing through Hagen Daz but i had to make a turn in Coldstone some time. The menu board hits u like a tonne of sugary bricks and the idea of mix it like you want madness can be overwhelming so after a step back i read and adjusted. Now you have to option of just having plain ice cream but seriously where is the fun in that!! Okay OKAY!! with flavours like cake batter it might have its fun elements but i wanted to mix something up.

The portions aren't small or medium they are like it, love it!! I liked the spread the atmosphere everything but the cashier but my peev about poor customer service will not cloud this post. I settle on a coffee lovers watever watever (cyah remember the name) They spread a large scoop of coffee ice cream on the cold stone fill the space with caramel. roasted almond and chunks of Heath bars. Mix mix mix and scoop it into a cup (i could hav had a cone or a waffle cup but i was jus cool. It was sweet coffee heaven! I slurped ate chewed and savoured it all. The portion was a little big but in my defense i had just had lunch! I could down it with ease had i had less in the tank to start with. All in all an enjoyable outing and definitely a repeat on my list but wat of the Hagen guys u ask?

Well they have been my ice cream haunt for some time now, simple, light portions with a sophisticated feel. They have a good offering of not just ice cream but shakes, drinks, desserts and such. All they need to add is a Panini menu or savoury pastry menu and they win me over. usually i hav almost anything caramel based but my top three are Banofee, Dulce de leche and randomly in there Mango Sorbet. I've had many a scoop before settling on these! I used to hav a scoop after dinner at some random place and always on a cone but i always found that the sugar cone is horrible and isn't worth the paper its wrapped in. So i converted to cup. Once again not a complaint except the random CSR altercation but...... oh wait! their pastries!! Oh lord if i say it once i sayin it again doh sell stale stuff!! I stop buying their dessert items strategically placed close to the register simply because they always look picture perfect but when u bite you can tell if they were delivered two hours or two weeks ago. I unfortunately had the two week old ones one time too many u know the whole fool me once saying nah.

So Hagen or ColdStone? Well in writing this post i started to feel like i'm trying to compare mangoes and pommecytheres. But Hagen Daz is good for an upscale light ice cream outing while Coldstone is for those "crazy get this ice cream craving monkey off my back" moments!!! Gimme gimme! know wat i mean? so happy eating and see u soon

Trader Jack's

I wasn't goin to write bout this place but i was irritated (to say the least) so here we go!
Trader Jacks Seafood grill/bar/family restaurant in Movie Towne's Fiesta Plaza.
The decor at Trader Jack's is so over the top that i swear Jack Sparrow would have been our waiter! The design team went all out with fish nets and pond and wooden bridges etc. Now what upset me wasn't the food we had cuz to be honest it was good stuff Grilled Chicken with Greens was well grilled but moist kebabs, lovely tossed salad and the Jerk Chiken with Linguini Alfredo was aight but what pissed me off was the fact that i could tell from the menu that their sister/partner stores were J. Malone's and Snappers! This menu was just a cut and paste of J malone's and Snappers menu with a couple "Caribbean Splashes".

Don't get me wrong I liked the minor alterations but would it kill u to at least change the font on the menu? And being a dessert hound i was especially peeved by the fact that the dessert menu is exactly the same at all three places. I understand that not every restaurant can make desserts from scratch and they try to save by buying the whole dessert menu from places like Hadco and Malabar farms all pre-packaged and ready to go but would it kill u to order something different!!!! Something that fits the theme of ur restaurant!!!! I mean seriously there are millions of companies making pre-done Key Lime Pie! Tonnes sellin Boston or Banana Cream Pie. Oh lord do i have to have Bailey's Cheese Cake, and Raspberry watever watever every single time !!! AHHHHHHHH!!!

So yeah Trader Jack was cool enough would recommend it for families and casual friend type limes, especially for the kiddies but screw you if u lookin for something original!

D Panyol Place

Wow dust of this page cuz I finally sat down to write. No one would believe that I visited this place in February and now bloggin bout it, but such is life i guess. The economic down turn was taking a toll on the journey! But we manage to get out there ever so often! Unfortunately I'm stickin to old favorites so hence not much to write about. However I got out the new Ins and Outs 2009 and happened upon Taryn's "The Panyol Place" on Mucurapo Rd. which boasts authentic Venezuelan cuisine in a cozy atmosphere. So when I was on the road and had the opportunity to stop for a quick lunch I gladly parked and tried their hand.

As I walked in I should have know better since it looked like a Spanish mini mart with snacks, groceries and what not. After walking down to the back I found the "restaurant" area which was very simple and homely. No menu, no menu board just a bain marie with a little shredded chicken,beef, black beans and Empanadas. I inquired about any other menu items and decided on a Pork Arepa (pork was in the back). While I waited I took a look in their drink chillers and for such a humble place they had quite a variety of foreign beers and specialty foods, even individual Tiramisu cups.

I got my Arepa and a piece of home made Carrot Cake, paid and left with lunch in hand. For $38.00 my bag felt real light but so are the times. Sadly I did not enjoy my Arepa.The pork was fried, chewy and tough cubes with lots of fat and the arepa was oily to no end. At the very least the cake was above board. So bad food in a shabby setting...... boo who!

I'm not sure if Taryn's was a shop turned restaurant or restaurant 1st and hard times hit so they converted into a pseudo mini mart but either way they should stick to one or the other cuz it looks like they are stretched thin and it's affecting the quality of their food.

Tandoori Hut Hut Hut!!

So I was checking out the Cre-Ole 2008 tryin to find somewhere different to hit but most of the restaurants i already knew and just wasn't feelin :( but hark a little spot close to where i work..... why not! So i walked to Shoppes of Maraval with two foreigners and took up my place at the Tandoori Hut counter. They boast of AUTHENTIC Indian Cuisine (i.e. no roti and buss up here!) It was a simple over the counter set up with seating available for dine in customers. It was pretty cool to see Tandoor ovens where stove tops would be in a traditional food outlet and even more interesting to watch them cook .

The staff were super pleasant and accommodating and since i was curious and there was no line i started “What would u recommend as the 'Tandoori Hut item' ?” The Cashier/Waitress/Part Owner went to town with suggestions based on meat preference, spicy or not, here or take away, sides i might like and so on. We finally settled on the Chicken Vindaloo with Garlic Naan, a Mango Lassi and two Gulab Jamon.

Numero uno Lassi as it was explained to me is a Blended Yogurt drink (think Yogurt smoothie) and its the shiznit! The Vindaloo was hot no tail but under all the fire was a highly seasoned, flavourful chicken dish. It was a brilliant red stew of sorts with pieces of whole star anise and spices. The Garlic Naan was to die for! fresh out of the Tandoor with little charred bits and full of flavour. The Lassi was the ideal complement to the hot Vindaloo because it cools the pepper much better than water or soft drink. The only damper on the parade was the Gulab Jamon..... it was way to soggy! Yes i know that it's supposed to soak in syrup and stuff but it was like eating a soaked sponge dripping with syrup in every bite..... not appealing . Now this experience was a good one i enjoyed my food, had enough to share with a friend and got some cardio in by walkin back up the hill but i will not be doing this often cuz this little run cost me $125. 00 and unfortunately my budget does not allow for such a lunch everyday. Pictures will soon follow.