Finding new meaning in the dog days of summer

I love living in the tropics but I have never been a fan of the summer. In my opinion the months of June through August are the worst with oppressive temperatures and steamy, sticky, humid, days. The dog days of summer refer to the hottest days of the summer when the heat is intense that…

Celebrating Life and Another Journey around the Sun

Birthdays are especially important for children. Between the ages of 3 and 10, kids look forward to their special day as it is often associated with gifts, cake, candles and having a party with friends. When I was little, my parents always planned a lovely birthday party with special attention to every detail. I remember…

Living my best life one day at a time

There are events and situations which occur in your life that can forever change the trajectory of your life and story. Here is one of mine. Three months ago, I took a trip to visit my family in the USA. I had not seen them for over a year with the Covid-19 lockdown. On a…

10 Amazing Facts About Tamarind

For the love of tamarind I recently had a pleasant childhood flashback when I saw a basket of tamarind in my local supermarket and I was immediately taken back to my childhood in Guyana. Tamarind is not a fruit which I see very often here in Haiti. Although it is definitely known and there are…

10 Ways to Keep Busy and Positive during the Covid-19 Lockdown

I am accustomed to being at home for extended periods of time before the Covid lockdown. Over the past 18 months due to political and social unrest, there were many long periods of time when we were forced to stay home on lockdown. I have learned that being at home is not such a terrible…

Handy pantry substitutes and cooking in the time of a pandemic

Cooking at home while on lockdown seems to be the reality in everyone’s life these days. People are spending most of their time at home due to the constraints of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Regardless of where we reside in the world, we all find ourselves experiencing so many common realities, as we all make a…

Citrus Magic: Lemons, Limes and Sour Oranges

It never ceases to amaze me how flavors come together in food preparation. In my opinion, cooking can be compared to alchemy. Like magic, ingredients and spices marry together to produce wondrous outcomes. A good cook seeks to balance flavors ranging from sweet, savory, spicy and acidic and transforms them into tasty delights. Too much…

Guyana revisited : Memories of my childhood

Every now and again, I find myself reminiscing about my homeland. Although it’s been 33 years now since I left and became a member of the Guyanese diaspora, I still have fond memories of the place where I grew up and spent the first part of my life. I know a trip back to Guyana…

Peanut Chrysanthemum Cookies

Peanut Chrysanthemum Cookies I remember those cookies fondly as a child. I was never a big fan of peanut butter, but I did like these dainty cookies whenever we had them on special occasions. The pastry was very refined and the filling was slightly sweet and peanut flavored. There was the characteristic red dot in…