Hey guys,

I love food and I will most definitely be investing in a fabulous kitchen once I buy my house. Over the course of this year I have realised my love for not just eating but also cooking.

As I was creating my vision board for 2015 it hit me that I could share with you my book of possibilities that I have put together over the years. It will also be fun to watch the possibilities become reality, Right?

I will start with the recipes I have stored away for when I finally have a proper kitchen to cook them in. I hope you enjoy the recipes and if you have tried any of them please give me some feedback on how it all when down.

5 Of my possibility recipes for Christmas:

Jamaican Fruit Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
12 eggs
1/4 cup white rum
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 grated zest of one lime
2 pounds chopped dried mixed fruit
2 cups red wine
1 cup dark molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 – 9 inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then add rum, lime juice, vanilla, almond extract, and lime zest. Stir in mixed fruit, wine, and molasses. Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Fold into batter, being careful not to over-mix. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 80 to 90 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

PS: For best results, fruits should be soaked in wine for at least 3 weeks, or boiled in the wine.
Use a combination of raisins currants, golden raisins, prunes, and dried cherries, or any dried fruit of your preference.

Additional wine or rum can be brushed onto cake as needed to keep moist.

Jamaica Sorrel Drink

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups dried sorrel
3 oz fresh ginger, grated
5 pimento berries
10 cups boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
¾ cup white rum
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange peel
1 tbsp lemon peel

1. Place sorrel, ginger and pimento berries in a large mixing bowl
2. Pour boiling water over the ingredients then stir and place in fridge for 24 hours
3. strain with strainer into a large container removing all sepals and pimento, the strain again with cheesecloth.
4. If ready to serve – Add sugar, lemon juice and rum to sorrel and stir until sugar has dissolved.

PS: Sorrel keeps longer if not sweetened.

Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:

4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Roast For Christmas

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pearl onions
1 1/4 pounds fingerlings potatoes
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 large carrots, cut into small pieces
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 4-bone rack of veal, left untrimmed (about 5 pounds)
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the pearl onions for 30 seconds. Drain the onions. Trim the tops and bottoms and let the loose skins slide off.
In a large roasting pan, toss the onions, potatoes, parsnips, carrots and garlic cloves with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread the vegetables in an even layer.

Season the veal with salt and pepper and rub the rosemary and thyme into the layer of fat. Nestle the veal in the vegetables, fat side up. Roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 140°.

Transfer the veal to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Spoon the vegetables into a bowl; keep warm. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan and reserve. Set the pan over moderately high heat, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Strain the pan juices into a small saucepan and boil over high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan juices from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the vinegar.

Carve the veal into 4 chops and transfer to plates. Spoon a little of the reserved fat over the meat and serve with the vegetables, passing the sauce at the table.

Old Fashioned Glazed Ham

Ingredients
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup light brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (14-pound) cooked and smoked cured ham, shank end
3/4 cup pineapple juice
20 canned pineapple rings
1/2 cup maraschino cherries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put oven rack in the middle of the oven.

In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and thyme.

Put the ham in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Rub the ham with mustard glaze. Pour the pineapple juice into the bottom of the pan. Put the ham in the oven and bake for 2 hours, brushing every 20 minutes with the pineapple juice. Remove the ham from the oven.

Turn oven to 400 degrees F.

Using toothpicks, decoratively adhere the pineapple rings around the ham and put a cherry in the center of the pineapple ring. Sprinkle the pineapple rings lightly with brown sugar. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the pineapples turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

I am Destiny Brown saying, have fun cooking.