Jamaican Rum and raisin vanilla bean ice cream

"Christmas is coming"

On a Sunday evening, you will find most Jamaicans on the hunt for their ice cream fix. The classics rum and raisin and grape nut ice cream are sure to be on the list of top choices. I am a little surprised that I don’t already have a rum and raisin ice cream on the blog. It’s not like I have never made it before. I guess I just forgot to post it. Its never usually my go-to choice for ice cream but growing up we always had it on hand because it was my father favorite.

Honey Jerk spiced ham

"Christmas is coming"

I find it interesting that we don’t jerk hams, well I’ll take that back. I have seen a few companies sell jerk seasoned ham. But in the grand scheme of holiday hams, jerk is not on the top of recipes you grab for. Today that may all change. I made a very simple jerk rub, quite similar in flavor and texture to the Walkers wood variety. I added my favorite honey to the mix and made a pretty good ham.

Hazelnut Bread pudding

"Christmas is coming"

When you have stale bread, there is no better way to use them up than to make a bread pudding. And this recipe is truly the best bread pudding recipe ever.  It is extremely flavorful, rich in hazelnut flavors and a hint of Jamaican chocolate.  You may end up purchasing bread just to make it.

Thyme Smoked Ribs with a Pinot Grigio glaze

  
"Christmas is coming"

It’s November! Time to get our Christmas on, I know I totally skipped Thanksgiving, but I’m Jamaican, we don’t celebrate thanksgiving. And not only that these recipe can totally double to make a killer thanksgiving spread. So Greedy Guys and Gals, It’s about time I did some ribs. And not half assed ribs, straight grill smoked, tender, fall off the bone ribs. I decided to give the hickory and apple wood chips a break, and smoke these ribs with herbaceous thyme. Not only that but it has a lovely white wine and thyme glaze. A must have on your Christmas dinner table this year.

Orange Chicken

"Christmas is coming"

I’m always trying to find new and different ways to prepare chicken. Not that Orange chicken is a new thing, but it’s not really an everyday flavor for our home meals. When you think orange chicken you think Chinese take-out. This recipe is very flavorful and has beautiful citrus undertones. The chickens are browned to perfection and baked in the oven in a sweet sauce.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Fennel

 "Christmas is coming"

As Jamaicans we tend not to venture too much into lamb but are very comfortable with their cousin goat. Goat is a prized meat here especially the male ram goat which imparts the most unique flavor to Manish water (goat soup) and to curries. I decided to stray a bit away from tradition for this Christmas recipe and do a succulent braised lamb shank. It has fennel, shallots and herbs cooked in wine and broth, so delicious!

Christmas Candy Crush Cookies

"Christmas is coming"

Here I am yet again with another baked item despite the fact that I hate to bake. This cookie dough really did stress me out quite a bit, but it turned out great in the end.  I could never have done Christmas recipes without at least attempting a gingerbread cookie. These babies are actually a cross between a short bread and ginger bread cookie. Very high fat content makes it nice and crumbly, with the sweetness and ginger undertones. 

Rum and raisin roll cake

"Christmas is coming".

In Jamaica rum is as synonymous with Christmas as that baby in a manger. Its in so many desserts and drinks that are consumed in the season; sorrel, black cake, egg-nog, and rum soaked raisins. The latter is a long standing Jamaican tradition. Households are always stocked with sealed containers full of raisins, prunes and currants soaking in rum from the previous year. There are two types of rum cake. The white rum cake (basically vanilla cake soaked in rum) and black cake or fruit cake, which is made with the addition of the blended rum soaked fruits (and then soaked in rum).

Simply Roasted

 Do you ever notice how pharmacies, department stores and the retail industry in general is always a month or two ahead of all holidays? In September you will see Halloween and thanksgiving costumes and decorations anticipating the holiday. From October and November Christmas decorations are already stocked on shelves.  January can barely breathe before pink roses, chocolates and everything love is splattered all around us constantly reminding us that Valentine ’s Day is fast approaching.

Well it is in this same fashion that my blog will overlook the current holiday and prepare the masses for the future holiday. So even though it’s currently thanksgiving time Greedy girl is here to remind everyone that "Christmas is coming".