My first Foodie Care Package from the States

Christmas came early yesterday.  It took over a week for a 3 day priority mail box to arrive, but it finally arrived!

In Kansas City, there is a "spice guy" that sells spices for $1 a scoop (1/2 cup scoop).  Fresh spices here are difficult to get and VERY expensive.  I spent $8 for some dried garlic flakes I needed for a recipe and knew that I was going to take advantage of a friend and ask him to go shopping for me...

I got so many they didn't even fit in one photo...

3 scoops of Cayenne Pepper
2 scoops of a pre packaged Blackening seasoning..
2 scoop of chipotle pepper
Scoop of red pepper flakes
Scoop of onion flakes
Scoop of garlic flakes
Scoop of onion powder
Scoop of garlic powder

3 scoops sweet paprika
2 smoked paprika
2 scoops szechuan peppercorns
3 scoops mixed peppercorns
Scoop of white sesame seeds
Scoop of black sesame seeds
Scoop of Dry Mustard

2 scoops of Cinnamon
10 Cinnamon sticks
2 scoops star anise
2 scoops whole cloves
Cumin
Tarragon
Coriander
Bay Leaves
Celery seeds
Fennel Seeds
Parsley
Dill
Rosemary
Thyme

1/2 scoop of saffron threads

So, what did I leave out?  Are there any spices you could not cook without???

OK, we're cooking now!

Why so many RUM Recipes???

And remember, no tax...

Robert's American Grille

Our little home away from home is located in the Cowpet Bay area of the island.  In our bay, we share beach space with the St Thomas Yacht Club, a couple of condo developments and the Elysion Beach Resort. By far, the most developed of these is the Elysion.  Complete with rental facilities for beach toys (little sailboats, snorkeling equipment, paddle boats, etc.), Full service spa (Jakie has an appointment to get her hair done next week, and for some ridiculous reason, a manicure/pedicure), a bar with happy hour specials and best of all, a top quality high end restaurant - ROBERT's AMERICAN GRILLE!

Best way to describe Robert's is Casual beach side ELEGANCE!  Located just steps from the beach, in a comfortable spacious setting, it is a place to come dressed in resort finery... or shorts and flip flops.  But what is surprising is the high end quality of the food.

Follow the link above to see their menu.  This is no burger on the beach joint at all.

We split an appetizer, The THREE CHEESE MIXED GRILLE.  A baked combination of Brie, Grueyere and Goat cheeses; topped with almonds and an herb vinaigrette served with a delicious toasted bread.  I love cheese, and this was OUTSTANDING!

Jackie chose the Ribeye.  HUGE, and grilled as she ordered (sadly, medium well, but that;s the way she likes it).Not shown in the photo, the steak rested on a generous cheese stuffed mashed potatoes and beans.  The addition of tomato slices added a cold contrast taste to the plate that worked very well.  the wine sauce gravy was very rich and blended well with the green beans, potatoes and the meat.  It was a perfect plating.

But as good as Jackie's meal was, take a look at my Lamb Chops.  One of their specials for the night, the chops came with the same mashed potatoes (my substitute, they were offered with mashed sweet potatoes).. a diced tomato chutney and a very generous amount of button mushrooms in a very rich butter sauce.  Grilled to a perfect medium (my choice for lamb, medium rare for beef).  Beautifully plated and out of this world for taste!

My only complaint... The meal was so good, and there was so much food that we skipped dessert.

Robert's is a culinary gem. One of those chef/owner places where the quality of the food is far better than the slow paced location would expect.  Never crowded, but always top quality cooked to order specialties, Robert's American Grille deserves a repeat visit... again and again!

Pineapple BAY BREEZE

A classic - in fact, one of the original Rum cocktails.  Often, when you order a Rum Punch, you will get this drink.  Jackie is such a fan of the Cruzan Pineapple infused Rum that I just substituted that for the "normal" light rum commonly used in a Bay breeze...

2 ounces CRUZAN Pineapple Rum
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
2 ounces Cranberry Juice

Combine and serve over ice for a Pineapple Bay Breeze on the rocks, or add a cup of ice, mix in a blender till it reaches a milkshake consistency to make a frozen pineapple Bay Breeze.

Not sure if Jackie was just celebrating a "thank God it's Friday" moment, but this was the first of the rum drinks I have made that she sucked down quickly and asked for a second one.

Skinny Pirate

The lowly Rum and Coke...

Well, use Black Cherry Rum, add a bit of Grenadine and you have an adult version of a cherry-Coke.  And if you use a Diet Coke, you can even claim low-cal...

1 can of Diet Coke
2 ounces of CRUZAN Black Cherry Rum
1/2 ounce Grenadine

Mix well and serve over ice

Or for a special treat, put it all in a blender, with a cup of ice blend til you have a milkshake consistency.

So far, this is Jackie's favorite!

Girl Scout Cookie - the Drink

This drink recreates the taste of those addictive thin mint cookies the girls in green sell every year.  And does a really great job of it.  It is important to use clear Cream de Cacao, and not the brown.  The two taste the same, however the drink needs to be that pretty minty color of the deluded Creme de Menthe.

But I am ahead of myself... Here is the recipe...

1ounce Light CRUZAN RUM
1 ounce Creme de Menthe
1 ounce Cream de Cacao
1 ounce Half and Half

Tastes great chilled, straight up, or on the rocks

OR, for a frozen Girl Scout Cookie ... add 1 cup of ice and use your blender to achieve a milkshake consistency.

'Cause we all know that a thin mint cookie out of the freezer is best!

DIRTY ARNIE

Hey look... no rum today...

This is an alcoholic version of a very popular non-alcoholic drink served on the golf courses of America.  Named for my generation's "greatest living golfer", if you order an Arnold Palmer at any 19th hole, you will get an equal mixture of Lemonade and sweet Tea... No booze.

A year or so ago, the good folks at FIREFLY VODKA created an infused Vodka.  Not infused with Peach or lemon like the other guys did, Team FIREFLY (good ol' Carolina boys) infused their mama's sweet tea with their daddy's vodka.  Tastes great straight up, but it was only a matter of time before someone would "dirty" up the Arnold Palmer drink.

Sure enough, the "Dirty Arnie" has become a very popular drink on the Islands.  It is on most menus, and all the bartenders know it well.

Straight up, it is

3 ounces FIREFLY Sweet Tea Vodka
3 ounces Lemonade
served in a rocks glass

Also shown above, a frozen version,

add 1 heaping cup of ice and use your ice crusher setting on your blender.

I tried really hard to come up with a Tiger Woods joke that would go with this drink... Nothing outstanding, so I will just hoist a Dirty Arnie and wish him well.

These are best when you go out your back door, walk 30 yards to the beach, snorkel around the coral for an hour after your inconvenient day job, come back and sit on your deck.  Since it is only 2 ingredients, it is very easy and quick to  make.