COOK BOOK

My Kitchen Dreams 

Homemade Thai Green Curry

Homemade Thai Green Curry

Lemons & Limes

Beef Tacos with Guacamole

 Hass Avocado

"My Cooking Style" 

“My Cooking is a potpourri of world foods, cooked in my own unique style,
 lots of garlic, onion, and salt to taste; always staying true to my Jamaican roots 
which means flavor is important” 

 Spaghetti with Mussels

Jamaican Plantains

 Yellow Rice Cooks

Delicious Duck Fricassee:
 Plantains, Yellow Rice, Cassava

Cassava/Yuca

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Mofongo with Pork

Puerto Rican Mofongo

Jamaican Beef Patty (Empanada)

My Homemade Chinese Fried Rice

Delectable Tacos

Yam and Yuca are very similar. There is a distinct difference in the outer skin, but inside they are almost identical. Both are widely consumed in Jamaica and Africa. Yuca is more popular in Latin America. In the US and Canada Sweet Potatoes are often sold as Yams. But Yams are very different to Sweet Potatoes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (As Pictured Below)

 No Reservations: Cuban Black Beans

Chinese Chicken & Ginger Soup

Caribbean Style Oxtail Soup

Chinese Crispy Shredded Beef

Tomato Fish Head Soup

Fried Lobster Tail

Crab in sweet Chili sauce

Homemade Duck Linguine

Homemade Corn Bread

Simone's Fried Chicken

Roasted Turkey

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Shrimp N Grits

Thai Red Curry

Jamaican Chicken Soup

Totally Delicious

A steaming pot of Jamaican Chicken Soup/Sancocho

Jamaican Chicken Soup/ Sancocho; has chicken, dumplings, yam and corn and anything you want. This one has Yuca too!

    Chinese Duck Noodle Soup

"The Broth was Divine, Rich and Tasty...So Delicious"

Tempura prawns with homemade Sambal

Duck in homemade Mole Sauce

Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala

Britain's unofficial national Dish

Featured On TasteSpotting Click Logo

I am obsessed with food. Apart from writing, eating is my favorite thing to do. When I was a child my mother had to force me to eat. I was very small boned and skinny, and she would worry endlessly about my meager eating habits. It wasn't until I was about thirteen, that I really began to enjoy food that wasn't merely hamburgers from McDonald's or Burger King. I still love McDonald's...chicken nuggets, fries, delectable apple pies. But I have expanded my culinary horizons.  

 I like a variety of cuisines from different cultures and countries. If I had my own cooking show, I would hate to be restricted to just cooking food derived from one country. I was very fortunate to grow up enjoying the food of my Caribbean heritage, as well as being exposed to the cuisine of my adopted home. Throughout my childhood and adolescence I ate Ackee and Saltfish with fried dumplings, as well as Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. 
Yet, I must admit i'm not a huge fan of Ackee on it's own, and I think Jamaican curried goat should be our national dish.

Although I am British by nationality, I am a proud Jamaican first. Jamaican people are big 'foodies' and if you haven't tried eating "Jamaican style" you are missing out on some of the best food, the world has to offer. Some of my favorite Jamaican foods include Jerk Chicken or Jerk Pork with festival -THE REAL JERK CHICKEN I'm talking about. There are pale imitations of "Jerk Chicken" being cooked in many households outside of Jamaica as I speak. 
The best is to be found barbecuing on the jerk pits at road side food stalls in Jamaica.
 I am not a food snob, and there are some very good imitations of Jerk Chicken, but even the best imitations pale in comparison to the real thing. 

The first thing to note, is that Jerk Chicken or Pork should never be done in an oven! That's the number 1 rule, of making good jerk, it should always be barbecued or charcoal grilled. All Spice and Scotch Bonnets are the two fundamental ingredients. When done right, Jerk barbecued meat is the most succulent, juicy and tasty thing you could ever eat in your life.

I also love Jamaican beef patties-Tastees in Jamaica, do the best and again, nearly every Patty I've tried, even the best of them, pale in comparison, with the exception of other authentic Jamaican brands, such as Juici Patties. 

Other dishes I love are Jamaican Chicken Soup, Stew Peas, Stewed Oxtail and Curry Goat among many others. Every nationality of cuisine should be respected, and nothing represents one's culture more than music and food, which Jamaica has among the best of. Our Island's Jerk is becoming almost as famous as the pulsating rhythms of reggae music.
I am very proud that Jamaican food is steadily growing in popularity. Jamaican food ranks second on the list of my favorite cuisines in the world...

My number 1 cuisine however, is Chinese Food.  I love the diversity, taste, ingredients and array of choices in savory dishes; I love the rice, the noodles, the dumplings, the soups and the wide selections of meat. I love Cantonese duck, general tso's chicken, crispy shredded beef, barbecued pork, Sea bass and many other dishes. Chinese food is available everywhere; it's rightly considered one of the top five most popular world cuisines. Soy Sauce is one of my top five must haves in the Kitchen. I use it on practically all meats, and in soups and stews, among other things. 

 I also love the fusion of Chinese and Jamaican food-my top 2 favorite cuisines in the world. In fact, there are a small minority of Chinese Jamaicans who have opened restaurants, fusing these two special cuisines-it's a food combination like no other, absolutely delicious. 

Thai food is another favorite of mine, the exotic flavors, smells and tastes 
get my senses going and I just can't resist it. 

Thai Red Duck Curry is my favorite Thai dish. 


Japanese and Italian cuisine are also other food nations that I enjoy. You can get pizza and pasta practically anywhere in the world. Sometimes, I just crave a nice big plate of pasta; it's easy to prepare, very appetizing, and dried pasta is relatively cheap, and has a long shelf life. I eat pasta a lot; my two favorite brands are De Cecco and Napolina. There are also some other very good brands, but supermarket brand pastas are a definite turn off for me. I once tried a very cheap brand from one of the UK's major supermarkets, and it tasted like straw or hay!

Sushi is now extremely popular all over the world, but there is 
so much more to Japanese food than just Sushi. Some of my favorite Japanese foods are rice onigiri, gyoza dumplings and fried chicken bento. I used to frequent a Japanese restaurant in Camden Town called Bento Cafe Japan. Not only is the restaurant reasonably priced, but the food is absolutely delicious, and they maintained a beautiful, versatile and incredibly enticing Japanese menu.  

I didn't learn how to cook until I was twenty, which is quite late in the context of my family. Although I can cook some excellent dishes, one day I would like to take cooking classes, as there are so many dishes that I like, but still haven't quite mastered. I also hope to continue trying and perfecting current and new recipes. 


I like to create dishes in my own "unique" style. 
I cook a delicious lobster spaghetti and duck spaghetti that are both divine, and if I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would probably be my duck spaghetti.

 I don't claim to be the greatest cook, quite frankly I'm not. But I have managed to perfect some very special recipes to suit my appetite and tastes. I think it's important for women to learn how to cook, it's empowering, and a great skill that is useful for self development and self reliance. I love eating in a restaurant, and I love eating take-away but nothing gives me more satisfaction than preparing something myself, knowing where it came from, that the meat has been properly cleaned, and that it's being prepared in a way that's palatable to me. 


I absolutely love good food fresh from a grill. In fact when it's done right, grilled and 
barbecued food is heaven to me.


*For the record Duck is my favorite animal to eat. I say animal because meat is separated into so many categories these days; in my opinion, the juice, skin, flesh, meat and bones of a duck; are far more succulent, juicy and superior to chicken, and other forms of poultry. But I also like Chicken (for it's inexpensive price and versatility), as well as Beef, Pork and Goat; these generally round off my list of favorites meats. 

Lobster is my favorite seafood, and I equate it to being the Duck of the Seafood world, for it's versatility, succulent flesh and delectable shell structure. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. Sea bass done Chinese style is my favorite fish in the world to devour. Crab, Prawns/Shrimp, Clams and Mussels complete the list of my very favorite animals to consume, but there are more that I enjoy, and I could never be a vegetarian. 

*The Best Cook I've ever known was my Grandmother who could turn a pot into gold! Her most famous dish was probably Jamaican cow foot soup!

*I've recently rediscovered Mexican food and think that tortillas are one of the most convenient staple foods in the world. I must confess that I am a flour tortilla fan, 
and I generally only eat flour tortillas.

* I absolutely love Soul food. I also like and appreciate Cajun and Creole food, and I completely adore Central American, Latin American and South American food, 
and I don't just mean Mexican food. 

The nations of Cuba, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Belize, Colombia, Peru and Chile are just a few of the food nations I like in this enticing and ethnically diverse region. 


Many dishes in Central and South America are similar to Jamaican food, or at the very least recognizable to a Jamaican. Foods such as plantains, rice and peas or rice and beans, empanadas or patties, cassava/yuca-used to make bammy or yuca fritas are staple foods throughout much of Latin America and the Caribbean.  


* The far east is my idea of savory food heaven-Including BUT NOT necessarily limited to China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. The Americas would be a close second-spanning America through to central America, the Caribbean and South America.  


* I don't care what anyone says about English cuisine, I love it...favorites include Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fish and chips, bread and butter pudding, Eve's pudding, bakewell tarts, Victoria sponge cake and much more. The English, make the best desserts in the world.


London has some of the best restaurants in the world and can now compete with any city when it comes to culinary delights. 

* Although I love a wide variety of foods, there are some foods I don't like and I can be quite fussy, although I am not a picky eater at all. In general I don't like biting into anything that is full of wholegrain, seeds, nuts, sultanas, currants, legumes, dates, raisins or anything of that nature. I don't like raisins at all or lentils! However I do like the occasional granola or muesli with yogurt, preferably without any raisins. If I like something that has raisins I pick them out.
 Not a fan of them at all!  


I love love love yogurt for breakfast, lunch, dinner and beyond .
I would choose yogurt over ice cream any day!


 I loathe Marmite and mushrooms. I'm not too keen on peanut butter either! 


Sometimes I become obsessed with certain foods only to move onto to a new food obsession a few years later. Not that I am fickle in anyway, and in truth I am generally loyal to the foods I love. 


* I'm not a fan of vegetables, (aside from potatoes) but I do eat them.


*My favorite fruits are Coconuts, Tomatoes and Guineps, it's virtually impossible to find the best of these tasty fruits in cold climates, so I don't eat much of them in the UK with the exception of tomatoes which I use to make pasta and pizza. Tomatoes are also an essential ingredient for my stews and/or soups, as well as various sauces. 

I also like Strawberries, Cherries, Raspberries, Pears, Peaches, Pineapples, Apples and Lychees-mainly to consume in drinks or desserts as opposed to eating them in their natural form. Strawberry is nearly always at the top of my list for flavored drinks and sweets.

* I don't eat Pizza much but I do like it. I love to eat pizza in New York, and it's very fun to make, although mine doesn't taste quite as good as the pizza in Naples as yet. If I'm making pizza and I have left over dough I sometimes like to make focaccia. 


 My favorite type of pizza is thin and crispy with tomatoes, cheese, and basil. Neapolitan 'Pizza Margherita' is my favorite kind. I also love garlic bread...yum!

* I like and drink wine occasionally, and I'm not particularly fussed about where it comes from or the quality or price. I tend to like sweet red wine but I do also drink 
white wine-sometimes preferring to pair it with white meat or fish. I also use wine to cook with.   

 * I love cocktails, holiday and party drinks. Some of my favorites include Egg-nog, Coquita, Pina Colada, Strawberry Martini, Strawberry daiquiri and Strawberry Margaritas... I have a preference for strawberry flavored sweets and drinks. 


I have recently developed a new delicious strawberry cocktail I've named "The Summer Berry." 



* My favorite drink is Dr Pepper, been hooked since I was 17! I'm a self confessed Dr Pepper Addict! 

* I like chocolate, but I'm not crazy about it and certainly not a fanatic.

* I am not a fan of food rules...for example, many Italians say pasta must be cooked Al dente. Well like Paula Deen, I don't like my Pasta Al dente. I like my pasta soft and slippery with lots of sauce. 
Some people say lime is an essential ingredient when making guacamole, others prefer to use lemons.The point i'm trying to make here is that food can be custom made. You don't have to do the "standard thing" that everyone else says you're supposed to do, as if there is some forsworn written rule. Do whatever floats your boat. If a recipe calls for cilantro (My 2nd favorite herb) and you don't like it, then leave it out, or replace it with something you do like. Part of the evolution of food comes from trying new things, developing and changing, tweaking and nipping. That's what I do. 

Many recipes that I have followed in the past and present, have often been adapted 
and changed to some degree, in order to suit my own gastronomic desires.

As a woman who likes to cook, (when i'm in the mood) I'm still a work in progress. 
I like to make duck legs steamed in soy sauce, and a chicken dumpling stew inspired by my Jamaican roots, but with a Chinese twist. I'm always reading cookbooks and trying to see how I can recreate a new dish. 


I recently prepared what has got to be my top five dishes of all time; oven roasted marinated pork, with my homemade Apple-Mole sauce, served with classic British Yorkshire puddings. Just thinking about it makes me feel as if i'm in absolute heaven. The Apple Mole sauce is my sauce of 2013, and surpasses all other Mole sauces I've ever made. It has now become my ultimate sauce and it's extremely versatile. The best thing about this sauce is that It doesn't have a hundred ingredients, and it's fairly easy to prepare. The reason that I call it an Apple Mole sauce is because it's a cross between a traditional Apple Sauce, but richer and darker and made with spices that are used in many more traditional Mexican Moles. Although, there are so many versions of Mole, it can be hard to decipher what is really traditional from what isn't anymore.


Another one of my faves is now Huevos Rancheros con Pollo; HR is a famous breakfast dish in Mexico and Southwestern states in America. But as usual, I decided to add my own spin, as an ode to preparing food in my own "unique style." Instead of just serving the eggs on top of the tortillas, I added a big piece of chicken to the dish and paired the eggs and the chicken with my Apple Mole and Red Chile Sauce. The pairing was divine, and the sauces jelled together perfectly.  I didn't think I would like Huevos Rancheros, but it turns out I do. Of course, as with many dishes, there are several versions. I'm very happy with the version I have created.

 When all is said and done, I just love food, and I still love McDonald's too. 
I wouldn't mind a McD's apple pie on my way to heaven either. Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life. I think most food lovers would agree. 

 I will definitely write a cook book one day and include all of my favorite recipes.        

 Collage of Heavenly Food

I Love Duck

Food Heaven

Succulent Roast Duck

Simply Delicious

Spaghetti with Mussels

A plate of eaten Mussels in a Cioppino sauce

Simply Tortellini

I Love Spaghetti 

Shrimp Tacos in Filo pastry

Pizza Margherita

Salvadoran Beef Stew

Asian Style Steamed Fish

Roast Pork & Yorkshire Puddings

Huevos Rancheros con Pollo

I Love Cinnamon

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Bagels

Jamaican Hominy Porridge

Coconut Flan

Bunuelous

Bread and Butter Pudding

Tres Leches Cake

Frida Margarita

Delicious EggNog

Apple Cinnamon & Almond Cake

Beautiful Strawberries 

Spiced Cinnamon Bread

Sweet Peppers

Achiote Oil

 Apples for Everyday Living

Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved.