2 skinless, boneless Salmon fillets

Liquid honey (such as Billy Bee)

Parsley

Red pepper (ground or flakes)

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Direction:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan and place fillets. Drizzle a little honey to evenly coat fish. Sprinkle salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garnish with parsley. Drizzle a little more honey if desired and bake for 10-20 minutes or until fish is cooked through and is flaky. Severs 2.

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes (boiled but not mushy, skinned)

1 stick of Celery

2-3 tspoon of Mayonnaise

1 1/4 tspoon yellow mustard (or just a squirt if using French’s)

1-2 wedge of lemon

1 slice of tomato (seeded)

1 small onion

salt & pepper

Direction

Chop potatoes into bite size pieces and put in a bowl. Squeeze juice from one lemon and mix. Chop celery, onions and tomatoes into small pieces and add. Add mustard, Mayonnaise, salt & pepper and mix until everything is well combined. Taste and if desired, add more lemon juice, mayo and S&P. 

Serve immediately or wrap bowl with plastic wrap and use withing a few hours.

 Tip: You can add other ingredients such as red pepper and parsley and sever with grilled or fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs….the possibilities are limitless!

It’s called Chocolate Macchiato!

For a single serving:

2 t spoon instant coffee in your favourite flavour

about half a cup hot (not boiled) milk

chocolate syrup (I used Smucker’s microwavable hot fudge topping)

whipped cream topping

Variation: substitute caramel for chocolate for caramel macchiato

Make it:

Put coffee in the serving cup and slowly pour hot milk. Add chocolate syrup. Top with whipped cream and if desire, drizzle with a little more chocolate syrup. Enjoy immediately. Cheers!

I used half the chili. Everyone loved it and and it became one of my favourite dishes! This traditional and very spicy Caribbean dish is really easy to make though the long list of ingredients may seem a little intimidating for those who prefer to cook with minimal effort. Relax, all you have to do is just blend, mix, marinate and grill/bake. Easy-peasy! (And if you’re like most chili loving Bangladeshis, go ahead and double the amount of heat Just feel free not to save any for me!)

JERK CHICKEN

Ingredients:

6 pieces chicken breast and legs

1 Serrano chilli, seeded and chopped (or 3-4 green chili)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 onion, chopped

1 T spoon dry thyme leaves (2 T spoon fresh), chopped

2-3 T spoon extra virgin olive oil

1 t spoon salt

1 t spoon ground pepper

2 t spoon ground cinnamon

 1 t spoon nutmeg

1 t spoon ground ginger (or 2 spoon paste)

2 t spoon molasses (or brown sugar)

1 t spoon allspice

half cup lime (or lemon) juice

Options: chopped 1/2 medium tomato, 2 chopped garlic cloves, chopped coriander

***Note: Serrano chillies are said to be 5 times more hotter than jalapeño, so handle them carefully. Wash your hands THOROUGHLY after handling them and wear gloves for extra protection. Once you get the hang of the recipe, adjust ingredients according to taste and need***

Direction:

Put vinegar, olive oil, tomato, molasses, cinnamon, salt and pepper, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, coriander, lime juice and blend until smooth and saucy. Trim extra fat from chicken and place in a large dish or a large plastic container. Pour marinate over chicken and coat well. Refrigerate over night (or if you’re pressed for time , 2-3 hours. I made last night’s dinner this way and it was delicious!). 

Grilling method:  Preheat grill to medium high. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place  skin side down on the grill grates. Cover and cook for approx. 1 hour, keeping the internal grill temperature between 350°F and 400°F, turning the chickens occasionally and basting with marinade, until cooked through. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. Transfer chicken to serving dish and tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes.

Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a baking pan, skin side up. Grease the pan with a little olive oil and roast until chicken is cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. Check halfway through. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the thigh and breast. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes. Serve with plain rice or rice and bean and Creamy N’ Cool Avocado Cucumber Salad.

I first saw avocados in Amsterdam when I was 12 and on my way to join my dad in Canada along with my mom and 3 other siblings. On the way over, we stayed there for a couple of days. The first morning we went to have breakfast in the hotel’s breakfast room, and there they were among other fruits. I had never seen a fruit like that and was quite intrigued. I like avocados for their interesting texture and creamy interior but I find  them quite plain to eat and always struggled to find any other use other than a hair mask or an occasional guacamole.  This time, however I wanted to put them to good use so I began searching online. I figured a simple salad would go well with the spicy jerk chicken to balance out the heat. But alas! No recipe matched with what I had available in the fridge. Not the one to back down I got to work and came up with the following recipe. Since there’s only my husband and I, I made enough for two people and still had a little left over for me! Feel free to adjust the ingredients as needed.

Creamy N’ Cool Avocado Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium sized, not too ripe avocados  

half an English cucumber 

1/4 red onion (white is perfectly fine)

coriander or parsley

half a tomato, seed discarded  

2-3 T spoon sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

1 slice lemon

Option: poppy seeds

Direction:

Chop avocado, cucumber and tomato roughly to same size. Put avocado in a bowl and squeeze lemon juice, toss to coat well. The juice will prevent them from turning brown. Add cucumbers and tomatoes. Chop parsley and red onion, add to the bowl. On a separate little bowl mix sour cream with salt and pepper and poppy seeds (if using). Pour over salad, toss to coat well. Taste and adjust S&P. Use immediately or see Make ahead tip below. Cover left overs with plastic wrap and use within one day.

Make ahead tip: Chop and mix everything except sour cream dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Whenever I am in the mood, I whip up some of the following recipes, speed clean the apartment (cleanliness is important!), turn down the lights and light some fragrant candles/incense. Then I get down to work. By the time my husband returns home, I am pampered, relaxed and in a great mood. And you know what’s the best thing? These recipes work wonders so I am left with a glowing complexion, beautiful, shiny hair and soft, silky skin!

i. Avocado Hair Mask

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 egg yolk

optional: 2 teaspoon of vinegar

Direction:

In a bowl, mash avocados until there are no visible chunks. Add yolk, gradually add olive oil and mix. Add vinegar (if using) to make a smooth but too thick paste. Rise hair a little and towel dry for easy application. Apply the mask, giving extra attention to ends. Leave on for 20 minutes for normal hair and 30 minutes for dry hair. Shampoo and condition as usual.

ii. Yogurt and Jam Face mask

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 table spoon regular flour

1 1/2 teaspoon fruit/mixed-fruit jam (such as E.D Smith triple fruit)

optional: 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
Direction:

In a bowl, add yogurt and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add half the flour and jam and mix until there are no lumps. If the mixture is thick, add more yogurt. If it’s too thin, add more flour. Mix until smooth. Apply on clean/dry face. Leave on until completely dry (15-20 minutes). Dampen face with a little warm water to loosen mask. Wash and pat dry. Apply moisturizer to prevent dryness.

iii. Sugar Lemon Body Scrub

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup of regular sugar

Direction:

In a bowl, pour half the sugar and gradually mix in the juice. Add more sugar if it’s too thick. Mix until smooth. Apply on damp skin and apply scrub on a circular motion. (tip: start from ankles and pay attention to dry areas such as knees and elbows). This scrub easily washes off with water.

Now head on over to the kitchen, try these recipes. Light some candles, draw a bubble bath (I’m in love with Ombra Rose Bubble Bath, $9.99 found in your local health food stores such as Lennies Health Foods) and take the evening all for yourself!

Personally, I miss the Mentos commercial. Remember the sharp-looking young businessman..who sits on a freshly painted park bench only to realize his mistake? Then he takes a Mentos and comes up with a clever plan. He covers his expensive suit with the fresh paint in such a manner that creates vertical stripes as if that’s how the suit was tailored in the first place! Clever indeed. It’s been years they stopped airing that..or any other Mentos commercial. So I began searching on Youtube (it’s a Godsend, really!) and started searching for commercials that literally went back generations.

Here’s some I’d like to share with you. Honestly, those commercials were more interesting. The jingles were awesome. Check out the first one and you’ll see what I mean.

1. Mr. Clean (1950s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbiofcuTZBo

2. Live Better! Retro T.V commercial (also from the 1950s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KEu5WvdnE

3. Psychedelic 60s! 7-Up commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNrOZsot0Po&feature=related

4. Swanson’s T.V Dinner (1970s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNrOZsot0Po&feature=related

check the price out!! Wouldn’t you love it if THAT price was in effect in today’s recession weakened world? I know I would.

I will share more in future posts. Thank you for reading my blog and leaving a comment. Have a good one!

   So when am home and  I don’t want to browse the internet or read yet another suspense/thriller or a famous fiction but something that will help me open up my mind and make me THINK…I grab a book by Gibran. This man is extra ordinary in his unique style of writing.  He takes simple words and turn them into delicate yet deep, sometimes intricate poetry and prose. The way he writes about love and the feelings of being in love….one can’t easily find these kind of thing in today’s world. His writings also include topics related to family, friends, religion and grief.

  I’d like to share such a piece of Gibran’s writing with you. I remember reading it for the very first time and realizing just how TRUE these words are  and how often they are ignored. It is from his famous book called “The Prophet”. The book consists of different short chapters on topics such as Love, Marriage, Family, Friendship, Giving, Joy and Sorrow, Reason and Passion and even Law and Freedom. This specific piece focuses on children.

On Children

 And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,

Speak to us of Children.

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

  They came through you but not from you,

 And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

 You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

   For they have their own thoughts.

  You may house their bodies but not their souls,

     For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you can not visit, not even in your dreams.

    You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make

them like you.

   For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

  You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

  The archer sees the mark  upon the path of

the infinite, and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

   Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

   For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

 Beautiful and thought-provoking, is it not?

Rumi was born in 1207 C.E in the Persian province called Khorasan which is now known as Afghanistan.  He went on to become one of the most famous Islamic mystical poets.  I will write more about him as I discover more things  but for now, I leave you with a poem called “I’m part of the load”.

I am part of the load
Not rightly balanced
I drop off in the grass,
like the old Cave-sleepers, to browse
wherever I fall.

For hundreds of thousands of years I have been dust-grains
floating and flying in the will of the air,
often forgetting ever being
in that state, but in sleep
I migrate back. I spring loose
from the four-branched, time -and-space cross,
this waiting room.

I walk into a huge pasture
I nurse the milk of millennia

Everyone does this in different ways.
Knowing that conscious decisions
and personal memory
are much too small a place to live,
every human being streams at night
into the loving nowhere, or during the day,
in some absorbing work.