About time I added a blogpost! Can’t believe it took me almost 3 weeks to adjust and get back into my normal routine. When we came back we went from 80 tropical to 28 frigid degrees Fahrenheit and combined with jetlag it was AWFUL! Since then it even dipped into the 15s and only this week we’re feeling a little bit ‘warmer’ (it’s sad when you find 50 F ‘warm’). No big deal for most people, but you have to understand that I have lived most of my live in 80 degree weather and I still can’t get used to winter! All I can do now is reminisce about (sub)tropical weather, so I might as well share about my trip in the next couple of posts. (see slideshow below)

We had an good time in Suriname and really enjoyed spending time with our family and friends. Suriname is an awesome place to celebrate the old and ring in the new with lots of firecrackers and firework all around town.  We were even mentioned in this New Year’s eve article of CNN!  Every time I hear the fireworks, especially towards midnight, it really feels like the year is coming to an end. Afterwards many streets may looking like a sea of red paper.

It was also great going back to our roots and eating things we can’t find in the States, such as pitjil served in fresh leaves. Somehow it seems to taste better than when served on a plate

One day we took a trip to Domburg, a well known spot on the bank of the Suriname river about one hour  south of the capital city Paramaribo. People used to visit Domburg on Sundays to visit the fresh market and warungs. Warungs are street side cafes where you can buy freshly prepared Javanese food such as pitjil, bami, nasi, telo, sate and sweet snacks made of black sticky rice or baka banas (ripe plantain fritters), to take home or eat outside in the sun. The food is guaranteed fresh, because warungs typically run out of food by 1 p.m.  It must have been more than 20 years ago that I visited Domburg and I can’t say that it changed much. We only stayed there for an hour, but it was enough to fill our stomach and relax at the riverside in the warm sun. Should have brought that hammock …

Enjoy my slideshow!

This is a quick post to update you on why I have not posted more articles about Christmas around the world. The last minute decision to travel, all the preparations for a 12-hour trip and challenges to get on the Internet once there, did not help much.
I almost forgot what it was like to use dial-up to get online! You don’t realize how spoiled you are until you have to dial up again

Anyway, it’s nice to be back home again, where I’m feasting on fresh fruit, and simple homecooked meals. So far I’ve had 4 different types of mangoes, all very sweet as they naturally ripen on the trees.

For Christmas we’ll have pineapple-ham with mashed potatoes, salad and green beans. Yesterday I baked a plum-rum-raisin cake for dessert. Sounds pretty much like a holiday dinner anywhere in the world, but for us it’s a true and special treat. I’ll post some pictures when I return from the trip.

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This year, the Festival of Lights starts at sundown on December 11 and ends on December 19th. The eight-day holiday is a joyful celebration that includes the traditional lighting of the menorah, exchanging gifts and eating food cooked in oil.

Gift giving is usually only extended to the young children within a family and the only traditional gift of the holiday is “gelt,” small amounts of money.  Sounds like the Dutch word “geld” for money. However, their gift giving has changed over the years and especially in North America, where secular Jewish families don’t want their children to feel excluded from the Christmas gift giving.

The tradition of fried food at Hanukkah is rooted in the story of the miracle of oil where a one-day supply of olive oil kept the lamp burning for eight days (see link about history above).

Depending on the Jewish family (Ashkenazi or Sephardic), traditional foods served at Hanukkah are latkes or jamfilled dougnuts, both fried in oil. Latkes (pronounced “lot-kuhs” or “lot-keys”) are potato pancakes, served hot with sour cream or applesauce.
Go for it and try out this latke recipe.

Other resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah!

Pepernoten

In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas starts in mid-November with his arrival on a steamboat from Spain. His assistant Zwarte Piet would toss treats into the crowd. Dutch goodies associated with Sinterklaas are 5-inch chocolate letters, speculaas (spice cookies made with a press), pepernoten (miniature spice cookies) and marzipan (made with almond paste).

As the story goes, Santa Claus was derived from Sinterklaas, but if you want to know more, click on the history of Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas is an entirely different holiday from Christmas. In Belgium Santa Claus is called de Kerstman or le Père Noël and he comes around on Christmas day to bring children presents. (Lucky kids, they get presents twice in December!)

A typical Belgian Christmas breakfast includes a special sweet bread called ‘cougnou’ or ‘cougnolle’ – supposedly shaped to look like baby Jesus (similar to the German stollen!). Some families will have another big meal on Christmas day.

Christmas treats in the Netherlands include Kerststol (yes, stollen again), krentenbroojes (currant buns) with cheese for breakfast, and a nice family dinner with roasted goose or pork on the 25th. There used to be little or no gift-giving since that’s done on Sinterklaas, but this is becoming more common. The second day of Christmas (December 26th) is reserved to visit family and friends.

Oh, I remember growing up when Sinterklaasdag was still a holiday in Suriname. It is no longer celebrated since the Independence in 1975.

Sinterklaas was exciting (getting gifts) and scary (to get the whip if you had been bad) at the same time. I still have fond memories of how we used to gather at my grandmother’s house, sitting in the living room when suddenly pepernoten were tossed into the room. That was the clue that Sinterklaas had arrived.  

Of course we never saw him, but he always left a big bag with gifts behind. And chocolate letters too! Ah traditions…

Resources for Sinterklaas and Kerstfeest.
Here’s a recipe of Kerststol.
Listen to Dutch Christmas songs here.

Stollen is a type of ‘fruit’ bread that was originally called Christstollen because it symbolized a swaddled baby Jesus. Since the 13th century it has evolved into a lighter type of sweet bread baked with butter, raisins and lemon zest. You can find a stollen recipe here.

Glühwein is a spiced red wine that is heated before serving. If you want to serve the body & soul warming beverage you can try out this Glühwein recipe.

Lebkuchen dates from the 14th century and is a type of gingerbread made with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, coriander, and anise. The dough is prepared without yeast and sweetened with honey. Here’s a Lebkuchen recipe.

Did you know that the Christmas tree is another tradition that originated from Germany? Remember that song: “Oh Tannenbaum”?  Find more Christmas tree history here.

The German Santa Claus or Sankt Nikolaus is also called ‘Der Weihnachtsmann’ (Father Christmas). He brings gifts in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve (December 24th) and when people return home from church they find the presents under the Christmas tree.

Click here for another German Christmas resource.

Sea urchins are featured in French cuisine particularly during the Holidays although they are consumed in all countries along the Mediterranean, in Japan and in some parts of South America.

Sea urchins are prepared in a variety of ways including sauces, soups, seafood dishes and scrambled eggs and are very tasty and versatile.

See pictures and additional information.

This idea was born after I received an email from a friend with ties to Canada. He thought the topic would be interesting to post on Multiculti Cooking and included the link of an article on the Calgary Herald website: A non-Christian guide to Christmas. Follow the link to learn more.

This article appealed to me because I grew up celebrating holidays of all religions in our community. There is a unique tolerance for different religions and traditions in Suriname where a Synagogue may be located on the same block with a Mosque, or a Protestant church down the street of a Catholic church. We used to join our friends and neighbors to share in their holiday traditions and food, learning about other customs around us.

The world is a big playground, and if you want to learn more about special food traditions, be sure to come back and check out what I am digging up. I’ll keep adding links to new entries below.

Part 1: Sea Urchins
Part 2: Stollen, Glühwein and Lebkuchen – Germany
Part 3: Sinterklaas – Belgium & The Netherlands
Part 4: Latkes on Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights

For appetizers we had some flatbread, which is almost like a gourmet pizza on super-thin crust. I had curry Kobia fish with rice and grean beans and it was very good! Now, I’m not a big eater (quantity-wise) and my portion was sufficient, but if you are very hungry or used to big plates, then this place is not for you. What I really liked was the healthy twist they give to their dishes:  low-cal (under 475 calories), low-carb, fresh and seasonal ingredients, lots of veggies and moderate portions.

Their biggest hit however, was the dessert tray. I usually skip dessert when eating at a restaurant, but these desserts really looked tempting and they were only 200 calories each! Have you ever had, seen or heard of “shotglass desserts?” Also called “dessert shooters?”  It was created by Seasons 52 and they call it ‘mini-indulgences’, now copied by other restaurants. Before my visit to this place, I didn’t even know American restaurants served mini desserts!

The waitress offered a variety of mini trifles, from double chocolate mousse, to tiramisu and key lime pie (one of my favorites). How can you decline that? One of those was just enough to finish off a great dinner! Without feeling guilty…

As I was planning my Thanksgiving dinner, I kept wondering what to make that would actually get eaten. After a big meal at my house I usually get stuck with desserts because no one has room for anything else. And then … aha!!  Why not make some shotglass desserts? They’re mini and they’re cute!

Since I only learned about these a few weeks ago, I had no idea how to make dessert shooters, so off I went to surf the web. Don’t you love the internet? I found some great ideas that I will be trying out this Thanksgiving. Chocolate mousse, raspberry trifle, key lime pie, and more.

Here are some wonderful resources I found, plus a video on how to make these fancy, yet simple desserts. The beauty is in the presentation and I think that beautiful food makes you enjoy it even more.

Mini Desserts Recipe

If you are having problems viewing the video on this blog, go directly to the site at http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Mini-Desserts-172964123 .

More ideas and instructions on how to make the dessert shooters: http://www.ehow.com/how_4862733_dessert-shooter-everyone-will-love.html
http://hubpages.com/hub/Restaurant-Food-at-Home-Dessert-Shots

Be sure to come back to find out how my experiment went.

In the mean time:

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It’s very tempting to take a 4-week vacation in December or to go into hibernation, but with some careful planning it doesn’t have to be that bad. This planning applies to parties and dinners, but also to your survival of the holidays without throwing your healthy eating habits to the wind.

Give yourself enough time to get organized and start planning at least two-three weeks (or months for the type A’s) in advance. I use idea/mind mapping, mini-lists and my calendar to help me stay sane and enjoy the holidays too.

For your dinner or party:

• Make your guest list and send invites by mail or email
• Break up housecleaning tasks in small, daily chores so you will not be overwhelmed.
• Set up your menu (be flexible because things may change), starting with the main entrees, adding the sides, appetizers and desserts.
• Build your shopping list from the menu items.
• Enlist family members to bring a dish to take some pressure off yourself, because you will have enough with hosting the event and cooking.
• Create a list of items you will need, such as tablecloth, napkins, plates, etc. It will keep you sane in a hectic time and you will not forget anything.
• Make a list of party games or activities if you plan to entertain.
• Assign a “clean up” crew of family and friends if you don’t have a cleaning lady.
• Keep track of all this on one sheet with your own mindmap, yes it will all fit!

For gift giving:

• Make your list of recipients.
• Add a gift to their name of something that you know or think they would like. Not knowing what to get adds stress to your shopping.
• Stock up on gift wrap and ribbons.
• Buy the gifts off-season or during the least busy time of the day if you can.
• Collect all gifts in a room or closet.
• Wrap as you go (don’t forget to label the gifts) or dedicate one day for gift-wrapping.

To find more organizing ideas: Get Organized Now!

Party going:

• Select which ones you will attend. Yes, it’s okay to be selective and decline invitations if it means you will be stretched too thin!
• Mark your calendar.
• Find out what the proper attire is, whether you are bringing a gift, etc.
• Go shopping to get what you need at least 1-2 weeks before the event. Or go closet-shopping. There maybe something in there you have not worn yet.
• Schedule your hair and nail appointments at the salon or at home.
• Give yourself enough time to get there, because traffic can be awful during the holidays.

Dining:

• Best way to survive holiday eating is to relax and avoid “all or nothing” thinking. There is no point in punishing yourself by not eating some of the food you really enjoy; a small piece is better than nothing.
• Instead of skipping dessert try some low carb, low-cal alternatives like strawberries and whipped cream with a thin slice of angel food cake.
• Tiramisu has mascarpone cheese, a source of protein and fat.
• Avoid chocolate bars, baked goods like cakes, cookies, brownies because they contain lots of sugar and trans fats.
• Dark chocolate (70-80% cocoa) is healthier thank milk chocolate.
• European chocolate is less sweet, but creamier and more satisfying.
• Eat small portions of bread, mashed potatoes and other simple carbs or skip some of them.
• Enjoy a slice of pie, with light cream on top instead of vanilla ice cream.
• Eat some carbs to feel satisfied but in moderation.

You can get these and other tips in the The No-Diet Plan.

 There you have it! My way of beating the holiday blues and stress. How do you handle yours? Do share in the comments section below so everyone can learn.

Happy Holiday Planning!

Baka bana is Surinamese for baked (fried) bananas (plantains) and much easier to remember than the Javanese name Pisang Goreng.
Pisang = banana, and Goreng = cooked or fried.

We call plantains bananas, which is a bit confusing in English as the banana is the type that does not require cooking. Plantains should be cooked first by boiling or frying before eating, and can be consumed either when ripe or unripened.

Baka bana is a very popular snack in Suriname and Holland and can be found in any warung (Javanese cafe) or street vendor selling Indonesian food.

The plantains have to be really ripe to enjoy this snack. Ripe plantains feel soft but firm when squeezed and may show black spots on the peel. The more black spots and softer, the riper and sweeter the plantain will be.

Ingredients:
2 very ripe plantains
100 grams flour
2 tsp sugar
salt
1 egg
2 dl water
oil
(cinnamon) sugar for sprinkling

Preparations:
Peel the plantains and cut ½ cm (less than 1/4 inch) diagonal slices of about 3 inches in length.
Mix the flour with sugar and salt, add the egg and water, mix well into a smooth but thick batter. Batter should not be runny and when turning a slice of plantain over, the batter should stick to the plantain. Heat the oil. Turn each plantain slice over in the batter and scoop out to fry in the hot oil. Turn the heat down a little if the batter browns too quickly. The plantain should cook inside the batter until it’s done, for about 5-7 minutes, turning over a few times for even browning and to avoid burning.
Drain the baka bana on papertowels and sprinkle sugar while still hot.

Baka Bana (Banana fritter)

Serve your baka bana plain or with spicy peanut sauce. Be forewarned that you will not stop snacking! However, be carefull because baka banas retain the heat for a while. No point in doing all this work and not being able to enjoy it!