Marco Pierre White's Misinterpretation of a Nations Dish

Marco Pierre White is a celebrated UK chef. He has restaurants and a very prestigious cooking career. However despite having a achieved three Michelin stars early on is his career he has upset a nation, in a Youtube video that promotes the use of Knorr stock products. So for his offering he claims that upon holidaying in the Jamaica the locals made him this dish of rice and peas and chicken. So like many others I thought okay let me see what his interpretation would be like.

Now having watched the video it is clear that he gave himself far too much artistic license with one of Jamaica's best known traditional Sunday dinners. He only gets a point for using brown rice. Of course the rice you choose is always up to personal preference. He starts off by cooking up some chopped onions that he adds the rice to and some water. Then the shock factor comes in as he adds the chicken drumsticks to the rice pot. Thirty minutes later he waits to add green garden peas to the dish. When he serves it up it looks like some type of risotto dish that is nothing to do with Jamaican or any type of Caribbean cooking. I believe he was slightly confused as really the dish he made was more like what is called rundown or all in one. Whereby everything gets dashed in the pot.

Marco went wrong by not browning the chicken or adding seasoning to it. Salt pepper and stock cubes is not enough for flavour. Secondly you just do not cook chicken with rice. If you do it would be small pieces of chicken for making fried rice or something else. Thirdly, there are only two types of peas/beans that are acceptable and hold to tradition and authenticity in making rice and peas. They are red kidney beans and gungo peas. Not forgetting there was no coconut milk/cream no thyme no nothing.

Jamie Oliver did a better job of making jerk chicken with rice and peas. He looked like he did some research although he cooked his quickly. The comments below the video are too much joke. People are really offended by what they have seen. Yes the video has been out for 2yrs and the comments have always disproved. Kiss teet and everyting. 

Below is a video showing how you make Jamaican rice and peas. In this video she makes brown stew chicken to go with the dish.

How about some pub grub

Last week my whole entire department at work headed off to the pubs and bars in our local town to have a few goodbye drinks. I had not eaten since the night before and was very hungry. I needed some food in me to justify the midday drinking session I was about to be a part of which was to last hours.

Mackerel on Toast

I have only ever been into The Fat Cat (which is often called Fat Cats) at night for drinks. So I was quite happy to know they served food and it was not the usual pub grub. Slightly pricier and more upmarket. My friend assured me that the food would be quality. I was pleasantly surprised and grateful. My only confusion is that my initial waitress wandered off after my table said we needed a few minutes and than was replaced by a waiter. Not a problem really just thought that was a bit odd. 

Now I am very cautious about ordering foods in stranger unknown to me places or unusual choices, when I go out to eat. Once my waiter confirmed that the fish was boneless (within reason - yes they had a mini disclaimer) I decided to try the Mackerel on toast which came with a free cup of soup. I have no idea what soup it was as I went from thinking it was Lentils to Butternut squash. Who knows but the little soup was an ok free edition. The Mackerel tasted so lovely. It was moist and delicious and the toast which had some fancy salad was an added bonus. I did not care for the fancy salad. Pretty to look at but awful to eat. That being my only complaint, which is a minor. My meal was finished off with a side of chips and cheese. 

Bangers and Mash

Over at the Friary more food and drink consumed. My friend ordered Bangers and Mash. I had never seen bangers and mash served up that way. The potatoes on the bottom top with big juicy sausages and smothered in gravy. It looked so yummy. If I was a pork eater I would have wanted a taste. Myself ordered a light snack of cheesy nachos with all the trimmings. Disappointed I did not get a pic of my other friends Nachos as she ordered the ones with Chilli con carne type of topping. It so reminded me of my childhood overseas and Chilli Cheese Fritos.

Nachos

My drink at the Friary was something else. I stepped out the box and copied my friend. These days I tend to stick to wine or brandy. This pinky purple concoction I was rod was on draught and was a mixture of fruity ciders toffee apple, ginger and a few more I cant remember. It was not too sweet and lasted a long time. 

My Birthday look

I know I hardly ever show my face on my blog. But as I was so happy with my Birthday look this past weekend I felt good enough to share. My Birthday was last week and I am grateful to God for allowing me to see another year. I hope and pray I finally get fit though. 

Moi

Anyway this is me sipping on a Singapore Sling. If it was not my birthday I doubt I would have spent £7 on one drink. It was absolutely gorgeous and really just tasted like pop so I downed that in no time. For my makeup I am wearing Urban Decay Naked palette, Sleek blusher in Sahara and Mac lipstick called Up the Amp. After consulting the lovely beauty bloggers on twitter @JennMUA @Vexinthecity @MissVirtue I settled on a brown bronzy smoked eye. When I tried on the lipstick in the shop it made me look like I had clown lips, but I  bought it anyway as I have wanted this shade for a very long time. Plus beauty bloggers and general beauty enthusiasts assured me I would look good with it. 

Singapore Sling Cocktail

There is no local Mac store or counter where I live, so I have to travel to Nottingham, Birmingham or Leicester. Nottingham being the closest I went there this time and I was very disappointed with the service. To think it was my birthday week and I had money to spend but the sales ladies were useless.

One more thing I have long stopped wearing dresses by themselves. I always opt for a dress that would look nice with leggings. However I thought I would be daring and just try something different. I wore a one armed black dress. The armed side was chiffon and the cuffs were covered in jewels. So on my bare arm I wore a bracelet that had matching bling. I have body issues which meant although I let the leggings go. I still opted for a pair of tights.

Thai Dusit - Thai Fish Cakes starter

As my birthday fell in the week I went for a meal on Saturday at a restaurant called Thai Dusit. The food was lovely. It is a pity some friends let me down at the last minute. Though overall I had a good time and met up with other friends whose birthdays also fall in January.

Frugal shopping

I was browsing WorldStar Hip Hop and saw this video. This lady saved $230(£144) in grocery shopping with a smart collection of coupons and store loyalty rewards. Not to mention the money back for using her own bags. I wish coupons were more readily available in the UK. I could do with saving on my weekly shopping and things in general. I have a Boots, Sainsbury's and Tesco card but they are loyalty based. If only Asda offered one. Over Christmas the coupon vouchers they gave when you spent over £40 did not really contain anything for me.

How do you save money on your groceries and where can I get useful vouchers?

School Dinners Dilemma

My son has is almost halfway through his 1st year at school. Primary school seems to be the best place for him as he has grown and matured so much. He wakes up on the weekend asking if he is going to school. So to my surprise one day last week I was taken aside by the head dinner lady who was concerned. She advised me that he has not been eating his school dinners for the past 2 days.

My husband asked him why he was not eating the food and he said he did not like it. I asked what the food on offer was and was told sausages mash and vegetables. No wonder my son is refusing to eat the stuff. Luckily I have gotten a menu from the school and can see why sometime he does not like what is on offer.

The food served at the school is pretty much standard English foods. Some of which are very nice. They typically offer some Indian dishes too and each day there is a vegetarian option. At home my family eat traditional Jamaican foods.

I just do not know what is best to do. I have bought a lunch bag for my son just in case we have to change to packed lunches. Though I am so reluctant to switch as the English winter is brutally cold and I just want my son to have a hot meal in the day. What would you do?

Jamie Oliver DS game

I have idle hands at times. I only went to Sainsbury's to buy a pack of fresh Lamb mince. I have always wanted a DS cooking game that deals with real food. So as the Jamie Oliver "What's Cooking DS game was in clearance at Sainsbury’s for a mere £5 , I figured it would not hurt to buy.

You have a choice of 5 activities to choose from. The interactive cookbook, cooking challenge, cooking assistant, recipe creator and cooking games. This game comes with 100 recipes. I noticed Butternut squash was on one of the recipes. Will try something this weekend if able.

I bet if I like this I will end up buying another cooking game book on the DS. Now if only they had a Caribbean and a African or even an Italian cooking recipe game book. That would be something.

Home Made Pizza

I was thinking I need to do more fun stuff with my sons. So whilst the youngest is away I did just that. My 1st born and I made Pizza. Not quite from scratch. After all I was at work and thought let me do this.

I bought pizza bases and a garlic pizza bread. The sauce I used was Ragu Basil and Oregano when in fact I should have bought a proper pizza sauce or made one myself. But yeah that will be for my pizza from complete scratch attempt. My other ingredients were Barbecue chicken pieces and mozzarella cheese.

I simply spread the sauce onto the bases followed by the other ingredients and topped it off with the cheese. My son enjoyed this and he was smiling all the time. Check out the end results:

Have you made pizza from scratch before? Have you made anything food wise with young children before? Please let me know as I would love some more ideas as to what to make with my children that they will enjoy.

Walkers Jerk Chicken crisps

I could not think of anything else to name this post. I was in Sainsbury’s over the weekend and came across this limited edition Walkers crisp flavour – Jamaican Jerk Chicken. I am such an impulsive buyer that I bought 2 multi packs.

Mmmm, it certainly does not taste like the Jerk chicken I eat every few days or weeks or have eaten in Jamrock before. The ingredients state Jamaican Jerk seasoning, Thyme etc. I would say the Roast chicken crisps can taste salty so in comparison, the Jerk chicken crisps taste less salty. Definitely a different taste. But Walkers has left me wondering … whe di jerk deh? Nice try though.

Cakes from work

The other day a co-worker brought in home baked cupcakes. I am not in her team, but she had a few left over and gave me some. Aww how sweet is she. She told me as it was the last week of fasting she was treating everyone. It is a traditional thing. I had many people asking where did I get them from and what about my diet (lol). I am just trying to eat healthier….people need to stop watching me. lol.

My boys enjoyed the cakes and so did I. The big white box that the cakes are sat on contained my 4yr olds birthday cake. It seemed to have lasted so long.

Jerk Chicken anyone?

Yesterday was such a lovely day in the UK. The sun was hot hot hot and although it may not be as sizzling hot tomorrow it is due to be hot. So what do you do on a hot day like this? Huh? Well I do not know about you, but hubby, children and moi decided we would jerk some chicken.

I searched online as normally due for purchases and found a barbecue that hubs liked for about £60. I was cussing that it cost too much. Though still picked up a scrubber brush and some weed killer. At the till the price for everything comes in at just under £40 and I questioned the cashier about the price. I really did say to him “are you sure that is the right price as I thought it would be higher”. He was like you got a bargain. Hubs thinks I am silly for querying the price. But you know what I was just so pleasantly surprised. For a second I even wondered if I picked up the wrong one.

The children enjoyed the hot sunshine and freedom to run free in the garden. Our dinner was Jerk Chicken and hard dough bread. Yummy can not complain. All I need now is a sun lounger so I can make good use of my Calypso carrot oil. I need to fully embrace the sun. My only complaint is that British summer brings so many bugs to life it is unreal.

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine!

Weight Loss Tips x 10

A friend posted a link to a programme on the BBC called "10 Things you need to know about Losing weight". It was an hour long and I thought ok let me watch this. It was interesting to watch but a lot of what was discussed had been discussed already. Such as soup, protein etc making you feel fuller longer. Not doing a full review as just wanted to list the 10 points that were discussed.

1 – Do not skip meals

2 - Use smaller plates

3 – Count your calories

4 – Do not blame your metabolism

5 – Protein Staves off hunger

6 – Soup keeps you feeling fuller for longer

7 – The wider the choice of food you have the more you eat (buffet etc)

8 – Low-fat dairy helps you excrete fat

9 – Everyone burns fat, even when you finish exercising and when your are sleeping

10 – Keep moving and you will lose weight

Some are obvious such as numbers 10, 3 and 2. Whilst points 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 I have heard discussed many times before.

By the way the journalist name is Michael Mosley. One thing I did learn is that hidden fat is bad for you.

I can hear Wii and its army of get fit games and accessories calling me. But yeah didn’t really learn anything new. Just told in a different ways. How about you. Do you have any weight loss tips?

Swine Flue wtf?

When I heard the news about this over the weekend I had to wonder. How long before people passed away did the world health organisation know about this. Now the only news is about this influenza virus that has jumped from pigs to humans. Talk about cross contamination. It makes me wonder what is it about modern day farming practices that causes so many animal deceases to reach out and attack a human. After all there is mad cow disease of which the human variant is CJD, then you had bird flu and so many others.

According to Live Science 50 million humans caught diseases from animals including domestic pets. Some of which were fatal. Interesting, but so weird. Could Flu be one of the curses of the world as spoken about in the Bible or am I just taking it too far. I pray for all those already affected and that it does not become a pandemic.

Here is a list of symptoms

- Cough
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Aching muscles and joints
- Runny nose
- Severe weakness and fatigue

Read more Yahoo news article and this article about animal to human diseases known as Zoonoses, you will be amazed to know some of the common ones came from animals.

Hello, Hiya, Wha Gwaan 2009

I had a lovely New Years Eve. My friends invited me to theirs for some food and drink and good company. I was in two minds whether or not to go. After all when you are not feeling joyful you do not want to spread that around the atmosphere. Well I don't. If I did not get the invite I would have gone to church or stayed in.

I do not think I am slow driver. I will not say what speed I was going at on the M1 but I was weaving and cruising like I have been driving for years. I just could not take the drivers that were slowing me down in the fast lane. I had to go in the middle lane up my speed and then they realised they need to speed up. Any ways I reached safely and that is the important thing. Kids and passengers.

The food was lovely served, barbecue chicken wings, curry mutton, rice and fried dumplings. Yummy. It was washed down with various alcoholic beverages. We played a few drinking games. One to do with tapping hands on table and the person who messed up had to take a shot. I got caught a out a few times. The shots were not bad. In the picture there is a stand alone shot glass and also a shot glass in the middle of another drink. I was convinced the middle glass would lick me in my face but no that does not happen. I might have to repeat this game for my birthday in a few weeks time

These days you will find me reading spiritual books and doing something positive. I have no resolutions. I just want to as always make sure my children are happy, make sure I am happy and learn something new as often as possible. Not forgetting growing spiritually and getting oh so close to God through Jesus for He is the way.

Now if only I could get someone to give me a £10 so I can give my car a nice new years mini valet. That M1 drive has left it so dirty that it's starting to look like a different shade.

The UK is freezing right now. Please no more snow. I hate driving when snow has left its mark.

Dublin what a city

It was my good friends birthday towards the end of last week. So since K likes to do things different instead of just the usual meal and drinks a group of us went for a city break. Well we did do the meal the week before though as not all could make it.

It is way too cold to be travelling on a ferry boat or any sea journey at all. Plus given how far we would have needed to drive to get to said ferry is unthinkable. Our flights were with RyanAir. Booked advanced as far as possible and only paid about £35 for our tickets. The Hotel was similar in price.

Only problem was we could not check in the hotel till late in the afternoon. So the three of us that arrived early took a stroll through the city to get some breakfast and have a look round. Breakfast on the Friday was at a lovely Italian restaurant. Dublin is heaving with people. The city is very much alive.

I read about problems facing immigrants especially those from non EU countries. Having mentioned that though there were loads of cultures there. The two that stood out for me were the Africans (mainly Nigerian) and the Polish. I was so eagerly anticipating a black person with an Irish accent but I was not able to experience that. Next time I might get to see Samantha Mumba, unless of course I needed to travel to a different part of Ireland.

Unfortunately we did not have a enough time to go on a tour bus. We simply ran out of time. Which meant we couldn't be the tourist we wished for lol. The tour bus takes you to the Guinness Factory , Christ church and many many more places of interest.

Dublin night life is so lively. People seriously can drink and making drinking look like a skill and fashion. The pubs were heaving. One of the pubs we went to was called the Temple Bar , in the Temple Bar area. It was heaving with people. Drinks were expensive - 3 came to £35. A lovely guy as drunk as can be, hovered around us and kept us entertained with his dancing skills and chat.

We ended the night in The Academy. This place had 3 clubs inside and we made a b-line to the RnB room. The DJ was rubbish but played various music from dancehall to grimy HipHop. The guys were a let down. There were some cuties and some men with manners. My girls know who I mean. One guy had the worst chat up line ever. I told him I was not interested and he comes out with this line '' ...you don't have to be scared because we are the same colour''....LMAO. If only he knew he got jokes.

Saturday there was a teacher protest about cuts taking place. All I could hear was ''No ifs no buts, no more cuts''. I hope they achieve what it is they wish to achieve. If you do not know about Primark then you are not a bargain hunter. Years ago before Coleen Rooney helped to make the place trendy, people would secretly shop in there and hide their carrier bags. Now it is one trendy fast fashion place to shop. In Ireland it is called Penny's. I was in awe Penny's was huge and they just had some different type of stuff in there. Primark fans need to go to Dublin.

Dawson's Lounge is the smallest pub in Dublin. You have to walk down narrow steps to get there. It is beautiful inside and everyone was so nice down there. Our nights out ended in Café en Seine. It is like a a big bar with two levels that goes on forever. The vibe in there was amazing.

Dublin is more expensive than London. You pay double for everything. I did myself proud and just let my money stretch best it could. Could never live there as far colder than where I live now.

I will go again one day maybe a day trip in the summer.

PS. I ate an an organic restaurant but cannot say if I truly enjoyed the food because my belly was running after. My friends reckon it was because I am not used to organic food. mmmmm

Getting healthy

How many time am I going to tell myself I need to get healthy. My main problem is my inactivity. Yes I have two hyper active young ones. However I need more than just jumping up and down to Musical Mechanics and Johnny and the Sprites. Not even Mickey Mouse clubhouse can do it for me.

So do I start counting points again since it truly worked. Or do I devise my own health initiative. Or do I count points until I break my unhealthy snack habit and then tweak it so that I just eat healthy for life.

One thing I did not understand was that people attend meetings long after they have hit target and they still count points. I want to reach target and not feel the need to count points. Just turn an unhealthy habit into a healthy habit.

I am finding this video from Kerisha25 on YouTube inspirational. She is about the same height as myself. Self determination is the key.

Also this video makes me want to go out and get a video camera. If I do that I might just start making YouTube videos. LOL.

Now I need healthy food choices but keep it as West Indian or tasty as possible. Tips, books and website suggestions please share.

Weight Watching

Ok I have a confession to make. I joined Weight Watchers last month. I am coming up to my 5th week. However I had a set back last week. I gained the 2lbs I had lost the previous week. I know why as well. I bought these weight watchers branded goods. You know cakes, cereal bars, sweets, etc. Now I love cake well more so the icing rather than the actual cake. But as I have re-trained my palette I do not like stuff too sweet.

So I bought these cakes. They were on offer in Asda and are like Kipling lemon slices. They tasted gorgeous. So I used 4 points for four slices. Not only that Asda convinced me that their 'good for you' ice cream was low -cal. So by the end of the week I was eating a slice of cake and ice-cream. Thinking I am within my points allowance.

My leader is so cheerful and c0nfident that I will succeed. I just feel that I know what I need to do now. I have mastered the system and just need to go it alone. I think I will just get me the weight watchers at home pack and get myself a subscription to Slimming World magazine. I am serious.

I have made sure that I have salad with my dinner. Nowadays I do not always have rice or good ole cook food with my meat. Driving doesn't help either. My cross trainer is used every other day. It is still painful. No one told me not to climb stairs holding a baby directly after being on that machine. Thank God I kept my balance. Phew!!

My other sources of help are looking at pictures of me pre-marriage and seeing who I was an who I have become. I do not wish to starve myself so I will get to my goal in time. Of the friends I have told my weight loss goal they gasp in horror saying I would look awful. But we will see half a stone at a time.

Note to self - Do not let husband share my dinner. In fact ensure he doesn't cook so often.

Weekend of blessings

I have had such a nice weekend. A busy weekend to say the least. I have made sure that I consume less calories in the week so that I could splurge on alcohol and food.

My friend got married on Saturday. Her dress was beautiful, she looked amazing. In fact she had some tomboys in there and what a transformation. The service was beautiful as can be expected at weddings. The one thing I took away from the service was the story about the motorbikes and the bends.

It reminded me of one of T.D. Jakes' sermons I watched on telly. Anyway, Pastor more or less said that when a married couple is riding a motorbike together down a straight road they will need to make sure when the bends in the road come, you need to bend together. It would not be good to go opposite ways. That is the gyst of it.

Then of course there was the double christening of my 2 friends sons on Sunday. Aww both boys looked gorgeous. J threw up on pastor which had the whole church in giggles. Even more so because Pastor made a point of mentioning that J decorated his clothes before lol. R was just not in the mood for pastor to hold him. Don't you love children?

The reception was heaving with people. It was so hot in that bar. Me with my Bugaboo Bee and baby in tow. I had to change into flats. Them high heel shoes I was wearing hurt badly. I drank to my hearts content. I must have consumed 3 large glasses of Rose' , JD and coke with a sneaky splash of hennessy and some Grey Goose and lemonade.

My husband is on holiday with my eldest so his friends and brother were watching me. Typical. They had the cheek to throw away the remainder of my wine. Telling my grown self no more drink. I was slowing down anyway because I need to tend to my baby. I ended the night with a hot chocolate and a piece of christening cake. yummy.

Reggae Reggae sauce oh yeah

I often watch reality TV and Dragon's Den is no exception. Of course not all reality TV programming is worth viewing. Anyway so I was watching Dragon's Den and up the stairs comes Levi Roots dressed in a suit playing a guitar and singing the theme tune to his sauce. I was in awe. A black business man staying true to his self. Of course there are many Jerk sauces on the market from Grace, Enco, Walkers Wood etc but Reggae Reggae sauce is different.

Levi presented the Den with samplings of his sauce and how it can be eaten which they all enjoyed. He was looking for £50,000 in exchange for 20% of his business. Bwoy did he sweat some when the Dragons dismantled his figures with question after question. He held his own and in the end he got what he want however gave away 40% of the business to two Dragons.

Sainsbury's had the initial exclusive rights to the sauce and began selling in March 2007. Sales were predicted to be around 50,000 for the 1st year. Triple that amount was sold in the first day alone. I am on my 3rd bottle. The sauce has a kick that settles itself after the second or third bite. My husband has called me many times to but the sauce for his friends. He remixed it with a bit of honey to make chicken wings. Yummy!

There is now a recipe cook book and 3 different sauces available to buy in most of the major supermarket chains in the UK. The original Reggae Reggae sauce, Love Apple Ketchup and Fiery Guava Dipping sauce. I have yet to try the new sauces as yet so cannot compare. If you have tried them I would love to know what they are like.

Subway currently are doing a limited edition Reggae Reggae sauce subway. If I am out and about tomorrow, I will see if any of the many subways near me are selling it. I wonder what it will taste like alongside south west sauce...mmm maybe not a good idea to mix. I guess they are doing it as its Carnival Season and London's Notting Hill Carnival is not far away.

Read more about Levi Roots' music and sauces on the Reggae Reggae website. Have you tried some, how was it for you. If not the price will not hurt your pockets as it sells in most supermarkets for about £1.50 to £1.99.

Luxury Ice Cream mmmm

I have a weakness for ice cream, especially luxury ice cream. My freezer always has at least one tub of ice cream. Now that summer is upon us I also have a nice selection of ice lollies. Good thing about England is that for as long as the sun comes out and its summer there will be price wars all those lovely frozen treats.

Which means temptation galore for me. When I was younger living in the states one of my favourite ice cream flavours was cookies and cream (made with oreo cookies) and marble fudge. The only company I know to have cookies and cream is Haagen Daz. So I do splurge throughout the year paying out about £3.59 or more for one tub. So imagine my delight when not one but two supermarkets I go to have them on offer.

Sainsbury's currently selling 2 for £5 and I have recently been told Asda is selling these gorgeous ice creams for £2 a tub. So right now I am trying to stay away from the ice cream sections. Once I start eating a tub of Haagen Daz I can't stop. Those tubs are way too small for the price but the taste makes up for that no less.

Thankfully I am not in London as having had a look at the Haagen Daz website I have discovered that they have a shop in Leicester square where you can go and have afternoon tea. If only.