The History of Thyme

I believe it is a cardinal sin to have a kitchen that does not contain the herb, thyme. This is one of my alltime favorite seasonings.

As obtained from "About.com," Thyme, botanically-known as thymus vulgaris, gets its name from the Greek word thymon, an herb used as incense or as a fumigator during sacrifices. Native to the Mediterranean region, thyme was brought to Britain by the Romans. Long-prized for its medicinal uses, ancient Egyptians used thyme oil in their embalming process.

Legend has it that thyme was an essential ingredient in a magic brew that allowed the drinker to see the fairies. It was also considered an aphrodisiac.

Helpful tools for thyme storage is store fresh thyme in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of your refrigerator or stand sprigs in a glass of water on the refrigerator shelf.

When planting, work some compost or other organic material into the soil to help the soil drain better and to provide nutrients to the young plant. Thyme also does well in containers.

Jamaicans use thyme in many of their favorite dishes. I love the fresh thyme the best.

Break for a Joke Mon

Okay, I thought I would give my readers a break from some of this good food, with some Jamaican style humor...enjoy..

ONELOVE..iriegal

People will know you are Jamaican if...

1. You can't say "three" or "thing" ... you instead say "tree" and "ting".
2. You can distinguish between "cocoa-tea" "bush-tea", and"green-tea".
3. When someone sympathizes with you, you comment "Yuh tink seh it easy?"
4. You say words like Heg (instead of Egg); Hingland (instead of England)
5. You point with your lips.
6. You give directions with your hands, even if it is in another state.
7. You go to parties for the food and drink and then cuss afterwards when the food and drink run out.
8. You address all the chineese at the local shop as "Mr. Chin".
9. You nod your head upwards to greet someone.
10. You always find yourself standing next to plenty of luggage and boxes at the airport.
11. When you travel home, you bring an extra suitcase going down, it has none of your clothes; returning, it has food.
12. You hate to throw away empty containers as they might come in handy for pepper sauce or "green seasonings".
13. You have one big pot you call curry pot when you are not even cooking curry.
14. You have another pot you called "dutch pot".
15. You say "bwoy" at the beginning of a sentence and "man" at the end of it.
16. You always hang something on your rear view mirror.
17. You put pepper sauce on everything for the taste.
18. You think eating ackee and saltfish, plantain and fried dumplings are a great morning breakfast.
19. You can't go a week without a rice dish.
20. You chew and suck out all the marrow from the chicken bone and then pick out your teeth after wards.
21. You bring home food from a party (enough for your breakfast the next morning, your lunch and your dinner!)
22. You chew the ice when you finish your drinks.
23. You must put dumplings in all soups.
24. You show disapproval by sucking your teeth.
25. You have a dishwasher in the house and only use it for special occasions.
26. You have a thyme (or mint) bush growing somewhere in your yard.

Reggae Boys Salad

The Jamaica national football team, or The Reggae Boyz, is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. You can substitute olive oil instead of margarine and lemon instead of vinegar - it's more health. Tip: use colorful noodles looking like butterflies - and you'll have beautiful summer holiday meal.


INGREDIENTS:

* 1 packet ELBOW MACARONI
* 1 medium sweet pepper
* 1 small onion
* 2 medium carrots
* 1 Tbs. SOFT MARGARINE
* 1 can GREEN PEAS
* 1 can WHOLE KERNEL CORN
* ¼ cup WHITE CANE VINEGAR
* ¼ tsp. salt
* ¼ tsp. BLACK PEPPER
* 250 grams cheese (1 1b cheese)
* 10 lettuce leaves
* 1 Tbs. COOKING OIL


Source: CaribbeanChoice

METHOD / DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook macaroni as directed on package and drain. Chop sweet pepper and onion and saute in hot margarine.
2. Cut carrots in strips, shred cheese and set aside.
3. Place macaroni in a bowl and add sauteed onion and sweet pepper, peas, whole kernel corn, carrots, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Add cheese and mix.

Cooking at the River

Here is a video that shows country living. Here they are cooking at the river.

I love cooking

One thing I love to do is cook. Growing up in a home where we had both Latino and Jamaican cuisine was interesting to say the lest. One day we were eating "arroz con pollo" and the next day we could be eating, "jerk chicken." I started this blog because so many times I have to go all over the Internet for good recipes. I decided when I locate them to just save them in this area.

One place where people can get the flavor of the island brought to their own home. The only thing that will be missing is the Jamaican sea breezes and the wonderful view from anywhere in the island.