I suppose this is what happens when you try to balance life, work, and blogging! You forget to post that on October 18th, one of your all time favorite Food Sites recognized the beauty and hard work of the things you create and love!

I think my original post on FB says it most honestly, “FOODISTA!! ARE YOU SERIOUS TODAY!!? Ok, so this is truly ridiculous (In an AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL way)!!! TWO postings by two major food blogging websites!! Foodista.com saw this on Tastespotting.com, and FEATURED it on their site!! So excited that folks are sharing the love and passion for the flavor profiles right here on our little Rock!! What an AWESOME day!! :)”  Contessa Avocado Eggrolls!!

There is something very elegant about hazelnuts. They are among my favorite nut flavors including pecans, walnuts, and almond. I ran into a bag of hazelnut flour in our local grocery store recently, and my curiosity tried to figure out a way to use it in a dessert. This light as air, tropical dessert was my mind’s reward. This is the first time I put this dessert together, so I have not quantified the recipe enough times to feel comfortable sharing it. However, I thought I would do a “Rambling” on it, and share it visually with you until then! Read More

Coquito is a drink that was brought to the island from our neighbor island Puerto Rico probably back in the 30’s or 40’s, when many Puerto Rican workers migrated to the Virgin Islands. This  elixir is similar to eggnog, but with the luxury of rum and coconut milk. It is a seasonal drink usually reserved for the Christmas Holidays. However, I love it so much I found a way to enjoy it year round.

On special occasions I cloak my love for this Caribbean-spiced drink in this incredible dessert. The word delicious is used a lot to describe food. But if you looked the word up in the dictionary you would see a picture of this bread pudding staring right back at you. No other definitions necessary! It truly is unapologetically DELICIOUS!!! Read More

It is a wonderful thing when the people whose work you respect, admire your work too! Chris De La Rosa is the creator of one of my favorite Caribbean Food Blogs, Caribbeanpot.com. I shared my recipe for Mango Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce with him, and he did an awesome job recreating it! Check out his video and be sure to like his page! One of the joys of Caribbean life is food sharing. This happens in reality and virtually! Go, Chris! You make us all proud! 🙂

Check out the video below for Mango Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce and ENJOY!!! 🙂

Lavender. There are some flowers that simply ache to be infused into baked goods. Rose, Lavender, and Jasmine are some of my favorite floral scents. While it is very underutilized in comparison to vanilla or cinnamon in baking, lavender can stand on its own as a flavor power player in almost every dessert. Read More

There is something to be said about life on an island. When you are raised in unapologetic beauty and history, it is easy to take both for granted after a time. In living here for most of my life, I find that there are still places waiting to be discovered and experienced. One of those places is the Carl and Marie Lawaetz Museum in Frederiksted.

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So it seems that my feet have finally touched the ground long enough to post this link to the Huffington Post’s selection of The Baked St. Croix on its website as one of its April Impressives!! Check it out! 🙂

 

 

This is a picture of the Cook House at the Whim Great House Museum located in Estate Whim on St. Croix. The museum is one of the best examples of what life was like on the island during Colonial times. The Virgin Islands is unique in the Caribbean in that it was the only set of islands owned by Denmark.  Many of our street names are still written in Danish!

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I couldn’t really call this dessert a “Baked Alaska” in good conscience, as it is way too tropical in its flavors. Fresh lime and passion fruit carry this celestial dessert into a truly island scented heaven!

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