Season’s Greetings!!

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I have been away from my blogging duties, as I have been THOROUGHLY savoring the holiday season with family and friends!! It is my MOSTΒ  favorite time of the year! It is as if the whole world collectively decides to slow down and celebrate time together!

Growing up on the island, Christmas day was spent opening gifts and preparing for the family feast! But the next day, my Aunt Inez would gather us all together at her house for a Christmas Second Day Brunch. It didn’t matter if you were still recovering from Christmas Day’s food coma. When you went to her house, you wanted to fall in love with all the foods she prepared so we would have an excuse to gather one more time.

For the past couple years, I have tried to recreate that special feeling of welcome and late morning care my Aunt began. This year, I made a feast for friends and family to share. This “Rambling” is simply a way to memorialize that time together. With some island favorites, but mostly just good tasting food! If you “liked” my Facebook page, you may have already seen these and other goodies posted there! If you haven’t “liked” Crucian Contessa on Facebook, what are you waiting for? πŸ™‚

I hope your Holiday Season is warm, loving, and full of food memories! πŸ™‚

I also included a link to one of our traditional Christmas songs Ma Ma Bake Your Johnny Cake by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights. The image above is of a Johnny Cake. It is a type of fried dough that is made routinely on the island. Divine! Hopefully it helps you to feel like you are home, if you are from the island– or crave to visit St. Croix you aren’t!

Season’s Greetings, Everyone!! Read More

Bush Tea

If there is one thing we have an abundance of on our island, it is literally bush, grass, vegetation! Everything is green, not because it wants to be but because it literally has to be! What else should nature create when it has an over abundance of fertile earth, life encouraging sunshine, and enough rain to keep everything flourishing and alive. Crucians are nothing if not creative, and over time we have learned to use what is available to us in creative and necessary ways. And nothing is more elemental and nourishing than a steaming cup of Bush Tea!! Read More

St. Croix Food and Wine Experience

What a wonderful set of weeks! I received a message from the folks at the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience, asking me to put together a food demonstration to teach children how to make some of our local foods. Well, the former teacher and the current foodie in me were both thrilled!

The St. Croix Food and Wine Experience is a wonderful way of fusing food and philanthropy! Rated by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top Ten Food and Wine Festivals, the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience is in its 13th year of sharing and promoting all the culinary creativity on our beautiful little Rock! The funds generated from this event are then shared with various non-profits here on St. Croix! The power of food and community is simply unparalleled! I am so excited to participate this year! If you are on island, buy a ticket and support this event! If you are not on island, buy a ticket, pack your bags, and visit this magical isle! πŸ™‚

Visit their website to learn more about the festival at http://www.stcroixfoodandwine.com!Β 

Uncommoncaribbean.com!!!

It is a wonderful thing when those whose work you admire, admire yours too! Recently, the wonderful folks at Uncommon Caribbean asked me to collaborate with them and share a few recipes on their site dedicated to sharing the beauty of the Caribbean! They are so talented and their passion for all things Caribbean is easily seen by their beautiful pictures and words!

Check them out!! And don’t resist the urge to start packing your bags and heading for warmer weather! The first article they posted is just in time for the Christmas spirit, the Coquito Bread Pudding Rambling!!!

Enjoy it once more! πŸ™‚

 

Local Crucian Pineapples

Here on the island the food scene is exploding! Everywhere you turn more and more people are exploring the possibilities of foods that we can grow, cultivate, and share. One of my favorite farmer stands is run by a warm, and wonderful woman known simply to me as Mrs. Jackson. Her stand is perched right on Centerline Road. Whenever my husband and I find ourselves west of the Airport Road, Mrs. Jackson’s farm stand is a must stop! Read More