Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

The Caribbean Islands are all known for their rum. Rum has been a major industry since the 1600’s. Barbados’ rum, in particular, is known as some of the best rum in the world by rum connoisseurs. Sugar cane was introduced to the island in 1627, and in 1647 rum was one of Barbados’ major industries, and has been ever since.

Rum has gone by many names. First, it was known as “kill-devil”, because of its early, hot, strong, hellish and terrible flavor. But it has come a long way since those early days. It was also known as rumbullion, which is an old English term referring to the riots and uproars created by large, crowds of noisy disruptive people. HMMMMM! I wonder how it got that name???? From the name rumbullion, it was shortened to just rum, which is the name the world knows it by today.

In the early days of rum, the water was so bad, that people were told to drink rum or spirits instead of the water. It was cleaner and less harmful than the water. Rum was also part of the daily rations for sailors. The term “proofed”, used for alcohols of all kinds, originally came from the days when the sailors would pour a little rum over gunpowder and ignite it. If the rum was too diluted, the gunpowder would not ignite. If it ignited, it was considered “proofed” to be strong.

There are three large rum factories and distilleries in Barbados – 1) Mount Gay, the oldest continuous distillery in the world, operating since 1705; 2) St. Nicolas Abbey; and 3) Foursquare. We toured both Foursquare Distillery and Mount Gay. We tried to go to St. Nicolas, but it was closed on the one day we went there. Next time.

The Foursquare Distillery was a self-guided tour, that was free.

In the early days of rum making, the distilleries were on people’s personal plantations, and they lived on the premises.

There was even an old outside museum of old rum machinery parts.

The sugar cane fields. The cane is stripped and burned down to make molasses, which is in turn used as one of the major ingredients for the rum production.

After the tour, we had to sample the rums of course. Our rum guide was very knowledgeable and walked us through the different stages of rum and rum processing.

We tried small amounts of 6 different rums this day. I liked the upper end, smoother sipping rums. I know. You’re all shocked. Surprise, surprise! 🙂

Tapas was a restaurant we passed many times. It is a restaurant that specializes in ….. you guessed it, tapas. I love tapas, and I thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant Tapas as well. It was located right on the beach and the food was delicious! Our server, Jessie, was great too. She was so full of personality and was very attentive to every detail.

After we ordered, we were started off with some warm bread and a garlic aioli.

Then we tried a variety of tapas including some calamari, peppered shrimp and Thai fish cakes.

Next came some lamb curry.

We were very full and very satisfied after.

I totally recommend a dinner or two at Tapas when visiting Christ Church or just Barbados in general.

When we travel to someplace new, we love to tour around and see as much as we can. This trip to Barbados was no different. We toured around the whole island and took it all in. We saw most of the island from on top and quite a bit from below the water’s surface as well. It was beautiful from both perspectives. I will talk more about the diving later, but here are some more views from above the water.

In the evenings, this is a happening spot for people to go eat and hang out. It is the Worthing Court Food Court. It offers a wide variety of different local foods.

Larry was checking everything out.

The Barbados Garrison, largest in the British Colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries, is of great historic interest and offers many features, other than military, for those so inclined.  It was established in 1780 as the military headquarters for the Imperial Forces stationed here until 1905/6.  However, it began with St. Ann’s Fort, on its present site, in 1705.

Today it is the home of the Barbados Defense Force including the Barbados Coast Guard Force. Headquarters of the Barbados Cadet Corps is at Cherry Tree Cottage on Garrison Road, overlooking the Savannah.

There is also horse racing on the Garrison fields. We saw a couple of horses training for a race, but we didn’t get to see an actual race. Once again, we did not have the time nor did we bring appropriate clothes to watch a race. I wish we knew before leaving that we should have packed at least one nice outfit to wear for certain occasions. The Barbadans tend to dress up for certain events, whereas we are much more casual.

The Barbados flag was proudly flying above the race course.

The Barbados crest.

While driving around, we saw a fun display of souvenirs waiting to be noticed and purchased. We stopped, looked and bought a couple of items.

But this was the real view, overlooking Cherry Hill.

We continued driving north and stumbled across this old windmill. Definitely a throwback from the old Dutch settlers. It is called the Morgan Lewis windmill. Morgan Lewis Windmill, St. Andrew, Barbados is the biggest and only fully functional sugar windmill in the Caribbean. The mill stopped operating in 1947. In 1962 the mill was given to the Barbados National Trust by its owner Egbert L. Bannister for preservation as a museum.

We saw lighthouses.

And some local art, signs and murals too.

The art in the airport was beautiful too.

There is so much more to see too. I have so many pictures of the beaches, flowers and birds too, but I will showcase those on a different blog post. All are beautiful, and deserve to be recognized on their own. Hang tight. I have so much more to share. 🙂

Dolphins are one of my spirit animals. And I just found out it is world dolphin day today. So thank you Nancy, from Our World https://nackpets.wordpress.com/ for letting me know. 🙂

WORLD DOLPHIN DAY 2024

This is Larry and I swimming with Maya, in Roatan, quite a few years ago.

Oistins, in the southern parish of Christ Church, is a major fishing community in Barbados with a modern fishing market. On Friday night particularly, the big thing to do is go to the fish fry at Oistins Bay Gardens. The food is the main draw – excellent fish, (tuna, swordfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, flying fish), lobster, chicken etc. served in an extremely informal setting. One of the most atmospheric, cultural and rewarding eating experiences on the island, Oistins Fish Fry attracts thousands of local people and visitors. A cluster of beachside shacks fill up with hungry customers to feast on fresh fish – grilled, baked or fried – served with a choice of macaroni pie, rice or coleslaw. You can get your fish grilled or fried depending on which vendor you choose from. It’s all cooked on the spot in front of you.

Of course we went to Oistin’s. And we went on a Friday night too. The place was hoppin’. Pat’s was the place we chose, which we found out later, is THE spot to go to. But you have to go early if you want a spot to sit down and enjoy your meal.

While Larry was in line to order our food, I went to one of the other vendors for some rum punch. These gentlemen all highly recommended the rum punch from this vendor too.

All the seating at Oistin’s is open seating under tents.

We dined like the locals, and enjoyed some grilled marlin and some fried flying fish, one of Barbados’ National dishes. Both were very good. It was caught fresh and fried right there in front of us on open grills.

Some of the sights and other locals around Oistin’s.

They all wanted some fresh fish too.

This guy is just lucky he wasn’t on the menu.

We went to Oistin’s one more time, but it was not nearly as alive as it was on the first night, a Friday night. Friday nights are definitely the nights to go.

Barbados is an island nation with a very rich and diverse history. It was originally inhabited by both the Arawak and Carib Indians. In the 1500’s, the Europeans started coming over. There were the Spanish, the Dutch, Dutch Jews, English, Muslims, and of course Africans who were mostly brought over as slaves. Each one of these cultures has left indelible influences on the Barbadan culture of today. Today’s Barbadans are almost exclusively African. They embrace their culture and history and have grown strong because of it. They are proud people. Barbados is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries, or at least so they say. I personally think Grand Cayman is, but maybe that’s just me.

Normally we jump right into the water for diving, but this time, we waited a day since we had such a long travel day. Instead of diving the first day, we took a walking tour through Bridgetown. Our tour guide Karen was a wealth of information and was very interesting. We spent about 3 hours with her, learning all about the Barbados history. The tour was fascinating. We learned so much.

Our tour guide Karen. She was great. Bridgetown is one of 11 parishes on the island, located on the southwestern portion of the island.

Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados. The town, which was founded in 1628 and was originally called Indian Bridge. Bridgetown is where the Parliament Buildings are located, which are open to the public as well, but you have to be dressed appropriately to attend Parliament sessions. That would have been very interesting to attend, but we didn’t have the time or the appropriate clothes to do so. Next time.

Bridgetown is also where a lot of revolutionary protests took place. Today, Bridgetown is a place of remembrance for a lot of the Barbadan historical events and people.

This is Independence Square.

Barbados 1st Governor, Errol Walton Barrow. They call their honored citizens The Right Excellent.

It overlooks the marina. The marina separates the river from the ocean.

The famous bridge, also the namesake of the town. It used to be a drawbridge. Today it is just a walking bridge.

The bridge bears the Barbados Pledge of Allegiance.

This is one of the original docking wheels for the ships, dating back to the 1600’s.

This building was one of the original merchant buildings from the 1600’s that would load sugar cane, molasses and rum directly onto the ships.

These were the loading mechanisms that directly loaded everything onto the ships. In the 1600’s, the water’s edge came right to the buildings. Today, they have extended the streets over the water.

A sad and dark part of Barbados history was the slave trade. Barbados was one of the largest slave trade regions of the time.

But instead of dwelling on their past, they overcame it and moved forward. This sculpture garden honors the famous leaders and people of Barbados, including the singer, the Right Excellent Rhianna.

This is a WWI memorial to the brave men and women who fought for freedom.

This is one of the oldest markets, that still thrives today. There have been very little changes made since it originated in the 1600’s. This is still the most popular way of buying fruits and vegetables today too. Fruit and vegetable stands are everywhere.

The Original Merchant Building, still very much alive and thriving today.

I love the old architecture and all the attention to detail.

This is the 2nd oldest church in the Americas. It is an Anglican or Episcopalian church, as it is known in the U.S., again built in the 1600’s.

The ceiling was designed this way to make people think they were looking into the skies or the Heavens.

This was the 1st synagogue on the island, built by the Dutch Jews. Today it is used as a mosque.

This used to be the assembly spot for the African members of Parliament, located in front of the old synagogue.

And Freedom Square. It is still used as a gathering spot today for rallies, protests and freedom loving functions of all kinds.

Bridgetown is the hub for all things political. The rest of the island is full of history too, but different kinds of history. It was a fascinating and very informative tour. We learned so much about Barbados by taking this tour. I highly recommend it.

Today is September 11. Twenty-three years ago today, America was attacked by terrorists. I will ever forget. I hope America and the whole world will never forget either.

Many people think Barbados is a Caribbean Island. But it is actually considered to be an island in the Atlantic, since most of the island is above the Caribbean Ocean and is situated in the Atlantic Ocean.

Getting to Barbados from Denver was no easy task. There are NO direct flights. We took a red-eye from DIA to Panama City, Panama first. That was about a 6-hour flight. Then we had a 4-hour layover in Panama City before leaving for Barbados, with another 4-hour flight ahead. We did get an upgrade though, and got to fly business class. This was a first for us. We even got served a delicious breakfast.

Panama City from the air.

We flew over the northern coast of Venezuela. With the current circumstances in Venezuela, this is most likely the only way we will ever see Venezuela too.

Flying into the Barbados airport.

The population of Barbados is almost exclusively African, with a lot of African cultures and influences. They are very proud people and celebrate life at every opportunity, especially through art, music and bright colors. This jubilant scene greeted us as we were going through customs.

We stayed in a smaller hotel the first night, since our timeshare was not ready for us, then moved into our timeshare the next day, where we stayed for the remainder of our stay.

Even though we were exhausted on that first night, we still had a little energy left for some island explorations and dinner before calling it an early night.

Our real island adventures would start the next day. 🙂

I know you all are curious about our Barbados trip, and I have lots to share about that too. But I wanted to share how I finished off my fresh garden tomatoes first. 🙂

Silly me. Before we left, I forgot to store my tomatoes and accidentally left them out on the counter all week. They were still good, they just got a bit soft. No worries though. When they get soft, they are perfect to add into soups, sauces or stews, or in this case, a tagine.

Tagines are both a North African or Middle Eastern cooking vessel as well as a type of stew. There are endless possibilities. Be creative and use your imagination.

Chicken Tagine with Artichokes and Tomatoes

I marinated my chicken in a lemon garlic sauce for about 1-2 hours before cutting and cooking it.

4 chicken breasts

1 TBSP garlic

1-2 tsp turmeric

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP olive oil, or garlic olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste, optional

While the chicken was marinating, I made the harissa paste.

Harissa Paste

1 TBSP chipotle chilies in sauce

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp sumac, optional

coarse salt to taste

1-2 TBSP olive oil

Mix everything together well until it forms into a paste and set aside.

The Tagine

1 onion, sliced very thin

1/2 preserved lemon slices When The World Gives You Lemons

1- tsp sugar

1-2 tsp harissa paste

1 1/ cups chicken stock

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 can chick peas, drained

4-5 tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup green olives, sliced

1 TBSP each fresh oregano and thyme, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

Combine the onions, sugar and lemon peel and saute in a hot skillet with the olive oil, for about 3 minutes, or just until they start to caramelize. Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the onion mixture, and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, herbs and the harissa paste and combine thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Incorporate the chick peas, artichoke hearts and olives and cook for an additional 5 or so minutes.

Serve over couscous and top with a dash more harissa paste on top, then add some warmed flatbreads or pitas on the side. Delicious! I served it all with a cool, crisp white blend too.

I have now used all of my fresh, delicious tomatoes. Don’t throw them away when they get a little soft. Just repurpose them. We all get a little soft in the middle sometimes, trust me, I am living proof. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Janet and Bob’s tomato garden was once again very prolific this year, and they gave me a ton of tomatoes.

Unfortunately, we were leaving in just a couple of days. I gave some of the tomatoes away to both Mike and Lauren and to our neighbors, Hanaa and Aziz, and tried to use as many as I could before we left.

One of the ways I used some of those delicious tomatoes was by making a tomato tart.

I love tomato tarts and make them quite often. They go with everything.

I started by making the dough, with lots of lemon pepper. Lemon and tomatoes go together perfectly.

Basic Dough

1 1/2 cups flour

6 TBSP cold butter, cubed

dash of salt

1 egg

5-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream

Pulse the flour, butter and salt together in the food processor until it resembles coarse sand. I also added about 1 TBPS of lemon pepper for this tart at this point too. Add the egg and the cream and mix until it forms into a dough ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

When the dough is ready to work with, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to fit whatever pan you are using. Press it into the pan firmly.

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 191 *C.

Line the bottom of the tart with shredded mozzarella or jack cheese, or a combination of any light shredded cheese you like. Use a variety of tomatoes and slice them into thin slices. Then arrange them on top of the cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the dough is lightly golden in color. Allow the tart to cool slightly before drizzling with pesto, optional, and removing from the pan and slicing.

!Mangia. Buon Appetito! I promise, you are going to love this. It goes with everything, or you can just eat it on its own. It is perfect no matter how you decide to enjoy it. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.