Photoalbum - Ethan's Trip to Jamaica in 2009 + Jamaican Beef patty Recipe

It has been a wonderfully relaxing day. I slept in late, did a bit of digital scrapbooking, reading, playing with the kitties and having a low key day. It feels great to finally finish this project. I hope you like it.

Click here to view this photo book larger

This put me in the mood to make a nice Jamaican style dinner.

Jamaican Beef Patties
adapted from a base recipe found on Eatjamaican.com

PASTRY

2 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt (leave out if using salted butter)
1/2 tablespoon curry powder (I will double this next time)
1/4 cup Solid shortening
1/4 cup Butter
1/3 cup Cold water


Sift the flour, curry powder and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter until crumbly. (I do this quickly by placing this all in my food processor and pulsing it until it looks like sand.Then I add in the ice water and quickly incorporate it.) Add the cold water to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into 5 equal parts. Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and roll out the dough until about 1/8-inch thick and roughly circle shaped. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to chill. Cover with wax paper or damp cloth until ready to use. You can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

MEAT FILLING

2 tablespoon oil
1 Small white onion, finely chopped
(1/4 teaspoon Chopped Scotch Bonnet pepper - I did not have this)
1/2 lb. Lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Curry powder (I used Madras Curry)
1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme
(2 cups Frozen Peas)*
(1 - 1 1/2 cup Rice, cooked)*
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Beef or chicken stock
(1 Egg, beaten - I did not use this)
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

In a heavy skillet, sauté the onion and Scotch Bonnet Pepper in olive oil until they become limp. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is done. Drain if needed. Next, salt, pepper, curry powder, peas, rice and thyme and mix well.

Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all the ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When all the liquids have been absorbed, the filling is ready. It should be moist but not watery. Remove the skillet from the stove and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Uncover the dough circles and place 4-5 tablespoons of filling on half of each. Top with the shredded cheese, if desired. Moisten the edges of the dough with water and fold the dough circle over the meat filling. Pinch the edges closed with a fork. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet (or a cookie pan with a silpat liner) for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pastry are golden brown.

Serves: 5 Patties

A Little Photoshop Magic, A Gift from My Heart, in Part

I'm working hard on getting an important present done for Ethan. I am not sure that I will make the deadline. I'm having fun with it now that I have some sense of the artistic feel that I want for the book. Here are a few of the new pages.













Did you notice how some of them look like old photos? That is cool stuff I do to the photographs in Photoshop. The beach pictures have two textures applied with a hard light. I then erased some portions so that the pictures would still be clear. The textures I used on most of them are GrungeBox TOTD # 112 and Doctrine 9-24-09 TOTD # 75. These are both from the textures that SkeletalMess offers. He is the same guy who has the amazing blog, Shadowhouse Creations, that I featured yesterday. As I said, I applied a hard light burn to them. The fonts featured in most of the pages include "Bleeding Cowboy,"( Grungy, fancy font) "Michael" (typewriter font) and "Futura XBLK BT." I think you can find most or all of these on dafont.com for free. The fun flourishes come from a round brush that I love from the girls over at House of Three. The papers are from Lynne Grieveson's Antiquities Paper. I also used some bits of Katie Pertiet's Made to Remember templates. I love the stuff they have at Designer Digitals and House of Three.

Water So Blue... Jamaica in Photos #2

Jamaican Joy - Images from a Recent Trip My Son Took #1

One way to see the sea.


A different way to "catch" a wave.
A star of the sea, humble yet blazing bright.

Of Seven Tiered Falls, Run, Coconuts from the tree and Private Hammocks on the Beach

On Tuesday the crew in Jamaica headed for the Golden Sands beach to do a little body surfing and time of the beach. Ethan marveled at how clear the water is. He says that it is like looking into glass. The bottom that is 100 feet away looks only five feet deep. I was lovely to have a relaxing day.

Next up was a visit to YS Falls where they challenged each other swing out over the water and let go. Some were not very high, but others were up to 25 feet out. He loved diving off of the water cliff falls. When they tired of that they when out to do zip lines out through the jungle.

In the evening they rented a house on the beach and went out for a nice meal. Ethan was happy to finally meet a cat, the first one he had encountered on this trip. He tells me that the cat is really sticking and very lovey. He also remarked that there were still wild, sickly thin dogs everywhere. He shared what he could with them. On the beach there would be groups of up to ten dogs who forgot their worries and had some fun. Ethan said they rather looked like a group of kids playing and having a good time. In the evening he settled in to watch the sunset from a hammock on the beach. He relished a bit of alone time that afforded him.

On Wednesday they played on the beach more. Midday they visited the Appleton Estates Rum Distillery. They visited the plant and the factory where you get a glimpse of their famous process. Ethan was most impressed with the liquid sugar they use. At the end you get a disposable shot glass and samples of as many things as you like. He said, "Mom, it is quite a sales pitch. They put you in this dark, lush room with tons and tons of bottles of rum. You can taste and drink as much as you like. After you are done you have to go through their store to leave. I think everyone bought something."

One of the favorite activities has been going to Bamboo Avenue. It is lovely, lush and has lots of coconut tress. You tell the person there which coconut you want. It gets cut down. Then they open it with a knife. First you enjoy the coconut jelly. Then they cut it up more and you eat the meat. Ethan thinks he could do this every day. He found it funny when he saw a man ride an ancient donkey up the road to nearly where they were. He was thinking this guys was totally old school until the old man pulled out a cell phone and began making a call. Later they went out to eat, again. This time Ethan ordered Peppered Shrimp. Unfortunately it made his throat close up so he had to trade with someone else. He spent the evening walking back to the house and hanging out in the hammock.

We did not hear from him on Thursday. Once we get more news I will continue the recap. Until then I will simply have to image what he is doing in the 90+ weather with glowingly white sand beneath his toes.

Snorkeling in Crystal Clear Blue Ocean Waters and Roasting Your Own Coffee

When you stand on the beach in Jamaica you will notice that the water takes on a shade of bright blue that is akin to a jewel. Ethan always assumed that the beautiful photos of the Jamaican beaches had been Photoshoped. Now that he has seen it with his own eyes his soul is in love. Easter found them taking a tiny boat out to a teeny, tiny beach island that must not be bigger than an acre of land, perhaps 100 feet wide by 400 feet long. From here you put on your snorkeling gear and glide noiselessly into the water. At first the fish and creatures hide in, below or behind the rocks. If you are patient and quiet they will soon reemerge and show their splendor ad mist the turquoise waters. Ethan saw a few puffer fish, a bunch of lovely blue fish and others that he did not have time to describe. Later they returned to the main island and the feast of many foods continued.

Today they had planned do a bike tour of a coffee plantation. They arrived to find that the owner was too sad to do the tour. Her husband died recently. She visited with them, showed them a few of the plants and taught them to roast their own coffee beans. Ethan said it was the best cup of coffee he has ever had. They also went on a hike in the jungle and did a little shopping. He did not like how prices changed based on who you are. For example, the driver was offered strawberries for $300 Jamaican dollars. The same fruit was offered to Ethan for $1,000 Jamaican. They decided to have the driver do the purchasing. Ethan loves it there, but says he is not sure I would be so happy. "Mom," he says in a maternal tone, "you would find it beautiful and the food is amazing, but I am not sure you would be happy here. There are dogs everywhere. Most of them look terrible. You can see their ribs poking out. Most of them are skiddish, but a few are too weak to move about. That would make you sad."

Tomorrow they are off to Paradise Beach for more snorkeling. I can't wait to see the photos.

Jamaican Jerk, Sour Cream Lemon Rolls and Easter

Thanks to Natalie for my favorite Easter display of 2009. I find it inspirational!
Ethan called last night, all a buzz about his first day in Jamaica. They spent the day putzing around. They went to the barn where his cousin Anna practices. She is on the Jamaican Horse Riding team. She could not bring her own horse, but rides a lovely one that she is renting from a girl who is spending the year in China. It has been a great experience so far. Their family will move back to Colorado at the beginning of June so her time with them is limited. They also seemed to spend the day eating. On Friday Ethan had a great dinner from a stand where they sell Jerk Chicken. Ethan ate lots of different things and took lots of photos. When he went back on Saturday the man teased him saying, "Ah maaaaan, aren' yah' gonna take no more photos of me, maaaaaan?" Ethan just smiled in response. He is really taken with the beauty of the land and the freshness of the food. He tried many new things yesterday. He says the juice, made as you wait, is amazing. What he finds very interesting is the driving. He had never been in a country where there is the European style where the car is on the left and the driver sits on the right side. He is also amazed that there seems to be no seatbelts or speed limits. Every time you drive you take your life in your hands. Uncle Rex estimates that the average speed of travel regardless of where you are is 80 mph. Bridges are especially intense since it becomes a game of chicken since they are only one lane wide. The police are in full force wearing tactical gear and carrying serious weapons. Anna and Calvin are done with school until next fall so they were going to burn Calvin's school uniform. Today they head for the beach.

On the Colorado front, we cleaned hour, I went to a baby shower and Ellie went to a babysitting job. It feels odd to have each of us farmed out in different directions. It is alright, too. This morning is quiet. I am getting ready for our family Easter party this afternoon. I am making my ever popular Sour Cream Lemon Rolls. They are always a hit. Here's the recipe. I make it in the bread machine but I am certain it could be done by hand:

Sour Cream Lemon Rolls

9 rolls (18 rolls)
2/3 (1 1/3) cup Sour Cream
2 (2) Eggs
1/4 (1/2) cup Sugar
1/2 (1) tea. Salt
2 (4) cup Bread Flour
1 1/2 (3) tea. Lemon Peel, grated
1 1/2 (2 1/2) tea. Yeast

Place the ingredients in the bread pan, select Dough setting and press start.

Once the dough has risen once remove it from the pan. Turn it out on a floured cutting board and knead for 5 minutes. Roll into a long rope shape. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper cut the dough into 9(18) pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place it in a pan. I muffin tins.

Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place (I turn my oven on to 350 degrees and let my bread rise on the cooktop, being warmed from the heat from the oven below.)until double in size, usually 30-45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before you bake your rolls. They should take about 20 minutes to become nicely browned and done. I like to rub a stick of butter on the hot buns right after I remove them from the oven. These are best served warm. The leftovers make really wonderful bread pudding, especially if you add a light lemon sugar glaze to it.

Another fun Easter treat Ethan, Natalie, Ben, Camille and I made were some cake pops. We had fun, but found them to be much more challenging than we had expected. You can learn more on how to make them from Bakerella and The Pioneer Woman. And finally, thanks to Natalie for the inspirational Easter display. I hope you all had a wonderful day.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

We've been superbusy again (okay, like normal) getting Ethan ready for his trip to Jamaica. There were new shoes, swimming trunks (he needed 3 pair), a money belt, snorkeling gear, etc. to buy and pack. He was really careful and was able to make it all fit into a carry on bag. I was glad. It will make his travelling life easier. He flew out on American Airlines early this morning. We got ready last night and left at 5:00 this morning so that we could get him on his way and get to work on time.

The people at the airport were great. It was a little easier sending Ethan off than sending off Ellie. Maybe because he is older, maybe because we had practice with Ellie and her trip to California. We went through the lines quickly. There was even are really kind woman (who I am sure is a mother) traveling through the security area who helped him. We could not go in so we stood outside of the ropes and watched him navigate through the security check. He had to take off his shoes, empty his bag, pull out his medications, toiletries, etc. He got through just find, but his chrome bag did not. He got the "special treatment". He must have forgotten the tiny pocket knife he had in one of the pockets. Thankfully a security officer was willing to bring it over to us instead of throwing it away. We watched him walk down the concourse and we headed out.

He flies to Miami and meets Uncle Doug there this afternoon. He has a few hours to hang out there and exchange US dollar for Jamaican money. (It turns out that nearly all of the bank-type businesses will be closed until Tuesday in observance of Easter.) He and Doug will arrive in Kingston in the early evening. It was exciting to make this possible for him. I wish we could have all gone with him. What a lucky boy he is.
Ellie did not seem to mind not going on the trip. She has had her fling already. Beside, tonight is the first ever lock-in sleep over at her school. She is totally excited. She has wanted one of these for years. She and her friends organized this one. I hope it goes well. I hope we all get some sleep.