Jamaican Coconut Toto

Yesterday I was in the mood for Coconut Toto. As I was talking to my friend on the phone she said, I haven't eaten that in a while. I tried making it, but is never comes out right it is just tough.

Firstly, I pointed her to my cookbook - JAMAICA'S FORGOTTEN TREATS that has a wonderful recipe, available at www.renaeescakes.com. Then I gave her a few pointers on getting a good toto.

Toto is a Jamaican dessert that is a cross between a cake and a bun flavored with coconut flakes. It varies in texture, color and flavor depending on who is making it. Toto has been around since slavery days. They are many different ways to bake toto, but following the recipe in my cookbook, here is the tip.


Add the milk a tablespoon at a time. Mix together to get a stiff dough. You need just enough to combine the mixture. Grease bowl and spread evenly in dish. 

  

Hope this helps. Let me know how it turns out.

Always remember to take life one day at a time.

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's favorite food

As we celebrate the birth of a great man. I can't help but wonder what are some of the things he liked to eat that would sustain him on his many trips as he promoted equality for all.

One of the things I found out was Dr. Martin Luther King likes Pecan Pie. Below is a recipe for that dessert that is not for the diet conscious. Maybe you can try this recipe today or for the next MLK Day.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet refrigerated piecrust (half a 15-ounce package)
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups toasted pecan halves
• Freshly whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the piecrust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhang under and crimp the edge with a fork or your fingers. Bake the crust until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. (Leave the oven on.)

Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then whisk into the corn syrup mixture.

Finely chop 1/2 cup pecans and spread evenly over the piecrust. Roughly chop another

1/2 cup pecans and mix into the corn syrup mixture, then pour the filling into the crust. Arrange the remaining 1 cup pecans on top in a decorative pattern.

Bake the pie until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Always remember to take life one day at a time.

It's Sunday - Relax and Rejuvenate

Good Morning,

Today is a day when we go to church and then have traditional Sunday dinner of rice and peas and chicken whether baked or fried, a nice salad and some fruit punch.

I enjoy Sundays its a day of visiting with family and friends. You rehash the past week and prepare for the new one. Whatever you do today, enjoy your day and I will see you tomorrow.

Let me know how your weekend went.

Always remember to take life one day at a time.

What's for Breakfast?

When I was growing up, breakfast was a big deal. We always had a delicious breakfast with a hot cup of "tea". Tea could be chocolate, or peppermint tea of if you are an adult coffee. This would be accompanied by freshly squeezed oranges. My dad used to juice the oranges every morning. Mind you he didn't have the fancy juicer it was all manual. God Bless HIM. Breakfast was anything from liver and banana, ackee and saltfish and roast breadfruit, callaloo and fried dumplings. Any of those combinations.

Now that I am a mom it is still a big deal. I prepare breakfast for my boys. From Oatmeal Mondays LOL to fried green plantains with eggs and sausages, baked beans, fried dumplings. This is served with hot chocolate or peppermint tea and a glass of orange juice.

I guess traditions don't go away or die. They are just reborn in another form. The foundation is still there.

Let me know what are some of your favorite breakfast items whether then or now.

Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

A friend of mine asked me what the difference was between baking soda and baking powder and I thought to myself other people might be wondering.

Firstly they are both leavening agents. This means we use them when baking to make our cakes, cookies and such rise.

BAKING SODA

Baking Soda of Choice

Baking Soda is bicarbonate of soda. When it is combined with an acidic ingredient like buttermilk or vinegar like in a Red Velvet cake the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise.

Note: The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will not rise.

BAKING POWDER

Baking Powder of Choice

Baking powder has some baking soda and acid in there, which when combined with a liquid create the same reaction as baking soda. There are several different types of baking powder namely single acting and double acting. I use the double acting, reason being the single acting baking powder reacts with moisture so you have to bake the product immediately after mixing (similar to baking soda). Whereas the double acting can stand for a while before baking.

This is good for me when I am baking alot of cake from the same recipe using my small oven : )

You can use baking powder as a substitute for baking soda but you can't use baking soda when you have to use baking powder.

Hope this helps.

Consistency

It's been difficult for me to keep up with this blog, but my "new resolution" as of today is to be more concsistent. You know each week gives you an opportunity to have a "new week" resolution. Why leave it for the beginning of the year? You and I know that sometimes by week 3 as life begins to set in we have already fallen off the resolution wagon. But let me encourage you to use each week as your opportunity to rejuvenate yourself and start all over again.

Stay tuned as I resolve to be more consistent. Thanks for tuning and let me know what are your thoughts are.

Happy New Year 2012

The new year brings a freshenss with it, that allows you one more time to get it right. Thank God for this opportunity. We look forward to sharing many things with you this year and please feel free to leave a message for us.


Thanks for following and by all means share the link.