My Belizean Heritage

There is a space inside my Mom that is full and empty.

Seeping through the edges are the

faces...

songs... 

stories...

scents...

humidity...

tears...

joy...

regret...

laughter...

music...

sacrifice...

grace...

and food...

of Belize!

She's an MK (missionary kid)...

She spent several years in Belize with her parents... brother and sister. 

They ministered, evangelized and sang!

They even cut two records!  Here's the cover of one of them.

Mom's in the pink dress... Little sister Sue in the white dress... and Mickey standing behind.

My Grandmom and Grandad are seated in the middle.

Mickey, Pat and Sue were (and still are) quite the trio. 

There is nothing like blood harmony.

I love this picture... it is so... classic.

I was helping Mom edit some of her memories and stories of Belize recently and this sentence sent me on a journey.

"Beans and rice were the most common and delicious food. Of course there were several types of bananas, breadfruit,and chicken fixed with Recado, a special blend of seasonings I still crave."

Surely Recado (aka Ricardo, Recardo) could be found online. 

So... I Googled... I found... I purchased!

If you're curious and want to order your own... www.bluefield-prod.com

For Easter Grandmom coached me through the preparation of...

Belizean style beans and rice... chicken "stew" with Recado... banana and cabbage slaw

 (I know... sounds weird but it was actually one of my favorite parts of the meal)...

 and fried plantains.

She's wearing plastic gloves because the red color of the Recado spice will stain your hands! So if you handle it... you've been warned.

You take the spice (it looks sort of like a bouillon block but softer) and mix it with a little vinegar (just until it is a thick paste).

Then you rub the chicken generously with the red Recado mixture and let it sit for at least 20 minutes before throwing it into the frying pan. 

(A cast iron skillet works best Grandmom says, but we didn't have one...

so Teflon did pretty well in a pinch.)

We even got husband into the kitchen for some moments of heavy lifting.
I just love a man with a hot pad!

So what does Recado taste like? 

It's not spicy... like you might imagine judging it by it's fiery red color. 

It is more smokey... maybe paprika in nature.  I did a little research and found that it is made from the annatto seed. 

Mom says it tasted like she remembered... so mission accomplished.

It was down home and rich and the combination of all the items we put on the table was at the same time familiar... and exotic.  I liked it.  I'll make it again.

The best part though, was cooking with Grandmom. 

Listening to the stories and memories...

Reminiscing while the kitchen filled up with fragrance from another life.

Belize is a ghost for me too, certainly not in the same way as it is for those who lived there... but I feel it sometimes.  Somewhere deep in my gut... is a mutated gene inherited from Mom.  It forms the shape of a small country.  It is a warm glowing seed that I don't fully understand. I visited once when I was in college.  One of the souls they loved there... the Other Brother Wright... picked me up and showed me around.  He took me through the rooms where the Wright Family had poured out ministry and song. 

Beautiful ebony faces sang to me as if I was a princess from another land... and I wept.

I was home... and yet I was not.

This is the ache Mom feels... multiplied eternally.

It was so strange... to return to a place I had never been before.  

Mission Kids in the Kitchen

I'm done.

I have heard the dreaded words, "What's for dinner?" one too many times...

Upon my response, "spaghetti... or meatloaf... or fajitas..."

I repeatedly got one of the following:

"Ewwwwe, I don't like that."

"My teeth hurt and I can't eat that tonight."

"My throat hurts..."

"My stomach hurts..."

"Can I just make myself a macaroni bowl?"

The answer to all of these is the same... "No you can't have something else... This isn't a restaurant. You can eat what I made or have some bread."

Note: Bread alleviates any possible fragments of guilt I might encounter for forcing my children to bed with "a sore throat/stomachache, etc" and "no dinner".

So... a colleague at work brought me an article from the New York Times written by Leslie Kaufman titled "My Sons, the Sous-Chefs" about a Mom with a brilliant idea...

Enlist the little "ungrateful imps"...

Oops I mean "snot dragons"...

I meant to say "darling children" to offer their own contributions in the kitchen.

So last week we started

"Mission Kids in the Kitchen"

(imagine that spoken by James Earle Jones with a Star Wars type echo).

Here's the plan:

1) Each child (2 in my case) chooses a meal that they would like to eat in the coming week.

(Mom or Dad gets to assist with suggesting side items so that a well rounded meal is achieved... No one wants to end up with macaroni, rice and potatoes people!)

2) We grocery shop for the week every Sunday afternoon, so the menu must be picked by then so we can stock the pantry with the needed ingredients on Sunday.

3)  On the evening of the chosen meal... the child who made the selection... helps with meal preparation.  From start to finish.

4) After dinner the opposite child helps the adult with clean up.

Here's how it looked at my house this week:

Monday was Conner's night to cook. He's 13.

His meal of choice was Fettuccine Alfredo from scratch. 

He located a recipe from the internet.

He served mushrooms, shrimp and asparagus on the side (so anti-mushroom members of the household) could have their meal fungi free. We also made some Texas Toast. 

He measured.

He salted.

He delivered.

Brother had KP Duty!

Tuesday (Valentine's Day) was Logan's night to cook. He's 8.

His chosen meal was a Rachael Ray recipe called Mini Cheeseburger Pizzas (Italian Style). He found his recipe in one of my cookbooks.

His side dishes were strawberries, grapes and chips.

He cut pizza crust into circles with a cookie cutter.

He sauced. 

He delivered.

And big brother was in charge of clean up.

Lesson Learned?

I asked both boys what 3 things they had learned...

Conner

1) Add a "little" before you add a "lot". 

2) Lemon juice is probably the perfect zing to everything.

3) If you're baking bread, check it constantly.

Logan

1) Sometimes you can use a lot of seasonings.

2) You can be really creative when you're cooking.

3) It's fun.

Well... I have to say I'm pretty pleased with those conclusions!

I also have to say that I had fun too! It required a little more planning and dinner took a little longer to prepare... but it was well worth it! 

There was one very satisfying moment when Husband popped into the kitchen on Conner's Chef Night and asked, "What's for dinner?"  When Conner proudly stated "Fettuccine Alfredo"... husband promptly began whining loudly... and proclaimed that he didn't like Fettuccine Alfredo and declared he was going to cook himself a macaroni bowl instead".  There was a MOMENT of shock on the faces of my children, and then the sudden realization that he was acting... just... like... them.  Hmm... Made them think a little.  Thanks hon!
 

Note: I do realize I'm still in the "honeymoon" period of this little experiment... and future resistance to my secret plan to groom one of my children into chef material is likely... but I am counting this as a "WIN"! 

Bring on next week's menu!

Conner: Asian Honey Chicken

Logan: Mom's Chicken Spaghetti

 

Tricky in the Kitchen: Take 1

~ Elevate the Humble Cake Mix ~

1) Mayo in the Mix: Add 1 heaping tablespoon of full-fat Mayo. 
I know it sounds weird... but mayo is really just "emulsified oil". 
Think of it as a rocket booster to the oil or butter already in the recipe. 

2) Vanilla makes everything better!
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the mix. 
When aded to almost any cake mix vanilla adds a little "extra"...
whether white, yellow, strawberry or chocolate...
vanilla can add another layer to the flavor. 

3) Beat the Buzzer! Do NOT overcook the cake! 
A cake will continue to cook for a few minutes once it is removed from the oven... so take it out just a minute or two before it is really "done" so that not one drop of extra moisture is lost.

One bite... and you'll thank me!!

Finger Limes

I'm a complete pushover when it comes to trying some new flavor or taste that I've never experienced before... so when I saw "finger limes" advertised in the October 2011 edition of the Food Network Magazine (a must-have subscription btw)...

I didn't even wait a single day.  I logged onto www.shanleyfarms.com and placed my order. 

I anxiously awaited the arrival of 25 to 35 finger limes.  Total order cost was $25, so about a buck a lime, which is a little steep, but who could resist this pink and green experience?  

I sternly directed the coupon clipping side of my personality to settle down and clicked the "place order" button. 

I imagined a "crate" of sorts arriving with my limes (which I could then generously share with my food curious friends). 

A few days later my limes were in my hands... not in a crate so much... or even a medium sized box... but in a tiny US postal service parcel.  My "crate" turned out to be more the size of a pint of blackberries. 

I immediately went to the kitchen and sliced one open.. amazing!  Exactly like the picture (except smaller).. little glorious individual beads of pulp filled the rind.  With a little gentle nudging with the tip of the knife, my co-workers and I sampled the "citrus caviar" (some more willingingly than others). 

I knew immediately that these bead-like bubbles had a swimming date with a salt-rimmed glass, filled with Corona (it was Friday after all).

As you can see, the limes are significantly smaller than the regular sized version.

And here are those little magical beads spilling out (just as promised)...

So I know what you're all wanting to know... What did they taste like?

When you slice open the rind of the lime (some rinds are a dark purplish hue and some are green) there is a fragrance not unlike honeysuckle... very aromatic... a little bit like perfume.  I found that if you sliced the lime from tip to tip instead of into circles, that the little beads were easier to scrape out of the skin.  The beads have a tendency to stick together so they need a little encouragement to abandon their segments. 

When you bite into the pearls there is the tiniest popping explosion and burst of sour on your tongue (similar to a caviar experience without the brine).  I have to say that they were quite addictive floating in a carbonated malt!! You can sprinkle them on top of tuna fish and crackers... salmon... anywhere you want a little pop of sour goodness. 

I have to say I'm a fan.

I did share a few (only to those worthy of appreciating this culinary experience)... but mostly I have kept them for myself.  And although I was a little disappointed at first at the size of the delivery, I have gotten beyond that hiccup... since now,  more than 2 weeks later (and several happy cocktails), I still have some to spare.  (I guess I shouldn't have been so stingy). And although they're getting a little dry on the outside, the plump spheres inside seem to be holding their own. 

Would I order them again?? I'm hoping they will become more readily available in local markets so I can save on shipping, but I don't regret a penny of my citrus expenditure. 

"Thumbs Up" to finger limes... pun intended. =)