Tag Archives: food

Cookout at Camp Wetaskiwin

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The crackle of the fire, the smell of wood smoke, the taste of fresh sweet corn– the tearing of thorns? For the Player Development kids from Sint Maarten, all of these things say “Canadian summer.” This year, they got to experience their first camping in the temperate zone. We didn’t stay the night, but we did get to do all the best of camp activities. Tré, a teen from our group, writes about his time at Camp Wetaskiwin. 

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The trip was almost over. We went to a campsite. It’s very nice.

campfire

We played “Capture the Flag” in the wild bush! It was really fun until I bruised my side. I got so many cuts as well, but it was worth it.

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“No one was left unscathed.” -Theo, age 14

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After, we dove into the pool to cool off, which was nice from all that running.

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“We had lots of fun.” -Skijlaar, age 12

When we cooled enough we had dinner on the fire. Tin foil dinner, where we put chicken, onion, potatoes, and vegetables in the tin wrap it up and put it into the fire. It turned out to be delicious.

tinfoil dinner

I would surely do it again.

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Thanks, Tré, and thanks to everyone who made the camping trip happen! We had a great time. 

Read Theo’s article on Safari Niagara

Read Adonis’ article on Ontario Science Centre

Read Triston’s article on Harriet Tubman

New England Lobster Rolls, Caribbean Style

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Did you know it’s easy to make lobster rolls? If you have ever been to Maine, it’s 99% certain that you’ve tasted a lobster roll and loved it. I was in Maine several years ago, and I haven’t forgotten how delicious they are. So yesterday, when I accidentally thawed lobster instead of fish for dinner, I knew that I had to try my hand at making my own.

lobster tail

 

Ingredients: 

  1. Two lobster tails. We catch our lobster fresh at the beach near our home.
  2. Six oblong bread rolls. You can use hotdog buns in a pinch.
  3. 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise. If you’re really hardcore, make your own using this recipe.
  4. 2 Tablespoons of ketchup
  5. 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
  6. Half an onion, minced
  7. Black pepper to taste
  8. Parsley for garnish

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What you do:

  1. Prepare the lobster. Boil the lobster tails. This takes about ten minutes. The meat should be white and opaque when it is done. Let it cool for a bit, then dig out all the meat and tear into small chunks.
  2. Make the sauce. I like to call the sauce that goes in this “Bear Flag Sauce.” It’s my attempt at creating the famous dipping sauce from Bear Flag Fish Co in California, and it’s a tangy twist on traditional lobster roll sauce.  Mix the mayo, the ketchup, and the lemon juice together. You can add a hint of mustard, if you like.
  3. Mix it up. Combine the lobster, sauce, onion, and pepper in a bowl.
  4. Put it together. Make a large slit in the top of the rolls, longways. Spoon a generous amount of the mixture into the rolls. Garnish with more pepper and parsley.

Yummy! This is a great meal for summer evenings.


It’s been a while since I posted a Foodie Tuesday, but I’m planning to be back at my weekly recipe posts  for good, so stick around and head back next week! Subscribe or like my page to find out each time I post a new recipe.

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Taco Macho

AUC, Caribbean, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

And another big block test over for Ben, and other date night for us! Gebe, the power company, is having struggles lately, so the power has been spotty. Think every day for two hours. Today it was six hours. When it went out 30 minutes before dinner and ruined my cooking plans, I suprised Ben and took him out to Taco Macho!

  

Taco Macho is located in Maho, past the airport beach. Parking in the Alegria complex, where the restaurant it located, costs $4, but you can park for free outside the gate on the airport side of the road.

I had heard a lot of good things about Taco Macho, expecislly about their $2.50 tacos! The place reminded me of home and places in Mexico that I love. Arizona has the best Mexican food in the U.S. (Sorry, Texas). It’s hard to find tacos on St. Martin, so I need my taxo fix sometimes.

  
So if you’re looking for a good Mexican place on this island, try Taco Macho. My suggestion is to stay away from the combos with their tablespoon-sized sides and go for the delicious tacos. Yum! We will be back.

Our Second Anniversary

Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, United States, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today is a special day for us– our second anniversary! On June 7, 2014, we said “I do” at Whitton Avenue Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a beautiful day for us, with a lovely ceremony and a fun reception afterwards! We made a promise to each other that we would spend the rest of our lives together, no matter what. It’s only been two years, but so much has happened in that time.

Johnson Wedding Photo

On June 7, 2015, we celebrated our first anniversary in Indiana. We were there for our friends Phil and McKenna’s  wedding , which had been in Michigan the day before. We woke up on the seventh at our friend Marcus’ house in the Berne, Indiana, a small Swiss town. We spent the day exploring a science museum, Science Central.

Science central

Today, June 7, 2016, we spent the day on our home island, Saint Martin. Since Ben has medical school tests next week, he had to be in class for half the day. But at 3:30, he was mine– he took half the day off to be with me, even though he has a lot to do! We discovered some new hiking trails behind the causeway on the Dutch side. The trail took us and our puppy through the woods, past the Rastafarian Farm, and out into the French capitol, Marigot. We picked low-hanging tamarind seeds to snack on during the walk.

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Later, we went to Advantika, a Thai restaurant that was highly recommenced to us. Finally, we went to Carousel for ice cream cake! We eat cake on the seventh of every month to celebrate our marriage. An anniversary called for something special: cookies and cream ice cream cake.

cake

So far, we’ve celebrated both wedding anniversaries in different locations hundreds of miles apart. If things continue as expected, we’ll spend at least the next two in new places. I’ve learned many things from our journeys, but one of the most important is this: “home” doesn’t mean a specific geographical location. Rather, “home” is defined as the place your beloved is, wherever that may be.

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Boiled Lobster and Fish Bake

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Last Saturday, I got a special treat: Steamed lobster dripping with melted butter, and a night off from cooking. That’s right– my man made me a fancy dinner just because my weekend was busy. He and his friend Matt made an amazing seafood meal of baked fish and steamed lobster. You can make it, too! Here’s how:

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You will need:

  • One small lobster per person
  • Enough patience to catch a some fish (or a few free minutes to grab some from the grocery store). For the record, I got the blue tang!

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  • Melted butter
  • 2 lemons
  • Garlic, rosemary, and lemon spice
  • Rice

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Directions:

  • Bring a pot of water to boil.
  • Place lobsters inside and make sure the water covers all areas. Boil 10-15 minutes until the lobsters are bright red.
  • Preheat oven to 375*F.
  • Prepare fish by sprinkling them with the herbs (I wrote about another version of this, if you want to get more fancy: see my last Foodie Tuesday).
  • Bake fish on a greased sheet in preheated oven.
  • Prepare rice
  • Cut lemon wedges and melt half a stick of real butter for dipping
  • Serve and enjoy!

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Rosemary Garlic Tilapia

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Cooking, Spouses Organization, , , ,

This is perfection, as my husband put it. If you’re looking for a healthy, light summer dish, browse no further. You found it.

The American University of the Caribbean community is fantastic. We look out for each other and share whatever we have. To prove it, I decided to make a meal using only things that I have been given! The result was a candle-light-dinner-worthy date night at home.

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You need:

-Two tilapia fillets

-1/4 cup of rosemary garlic lemon seasoning

-A few servings of rice

-1/4 cup of olive oil

-1 cup of white wine

-Four artichoke hearts (I used canned)

-2 cups chicken broth

-2 lemons

-3 T capers

-Salt and pepper to taste

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Preheat oven to 375* F. Grease a cooking sheet. Coat fish in the rosemary garlic lemon seasoning and bake for 20 minutes or until fish is white and flaky.

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Meanwhile, prepare your rice.

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To make the sauce, start by heating the olive oil in a pan. Separate the layers of the artichoke hearts, place in oil, and allow to cook for a few minutes. Next,  add your wine and the juice of one lemon. Let it come to a boil, then turn it down. Add your broth and capers.

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Once everything is done, remove the sauce from heat. Serve sauce over rice and place fish on top. Slice the second lemon and serve on the side. Enjoy!

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Many thanks to all the friends and neighbors who gave us the food to make this meal! With the exception of the wine and lemons, everything was a gift. Some people gave us the contents of their fridge because they were moving, some were leaving on vacation, some people didn’t want it to go to waste and some gave it to us just because. We’re blessed to live in a great community where people live generously! When people give to us, it makes us want to pay it forward to other people. That cycle of goodness is what makes this place what it is. We thank God for our friends here at AUC.

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