Recipes

Since we have been in Belize we have enjoyed a variety of food.  Gail has made several of these foods and has also called upon her previous recipes to make others.  Here are a few of them:

Shrimp Ceviche

(This can also be made with Conch and Lobster.)

Squeeze the juice from 6 limes

Use approx. 1 lb. of size 36/40 count Shrimp (Put thawed shrimp into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute...remove and immediately cool in a bowl of ice water. remove shell and devein...cut each piece of shrimp into 4-5 pieces.)

Put shrimp and lime juice into a 9X13 Pyrex dish, cover with Saran Wrap, and refrigerate for 2+ hours.

Chop and mix together:

1 tomato (can't remember for sure, but I think I took most of the seeds out and only used the meat of the tomato?!?!)

1 jalepeno pepper

1/2 onion (yellow or white)

1/4 red onion

Cilantro (as little or as much as you can tolerate--I didn't use much b/c I'm not a huge fan of cilantro)

1/2 small carrot

Plus, to the veggies, add:

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. garlic powder

2 t. vinegar

1 T. olive oil (I put in 2 T. but didn't like the way is looked in the container--opaque grease...yuck!)

After the 2+ hours of marinating the shrimp, add the veggie/spices mixture, cover, and refrigerate 2+ hours (they say the longer the better)...then enjoy!

Some of the recipes on-line call for avocadoes, if you like them...also green pepper would probably be good...use your imagination, but you can use the above as the base recipe.

SALSA

2 lbs roma tomatoes (you can use other tomatoes, but they have more juice in them and make the salsa a little runny)

1 onion chopped (yellow or white)

1 small can of green chili's

2 oz. canned jalapeno peppers (finely chopped) or 1 fresh one (finely chopped with seeds removed)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 T. sugar

1 T. vinegar
Chop tomatoes, onion, and peppers...mix all together...DO NOT COOK...store in GLASS containers in the refrigerator.

One year we made several gallons and it lasted in the refrigerator all winter...we also add some to chili.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Serves 6

·     4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins

·     1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins

·     3 large eggs

·     1/3 cup all-purpose flour

·     1/4 teaspoon salt

·     8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

·     Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

·     Whipped Cream , for serving

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin. Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.

2.    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.


3.  Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.


4.   To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, bottom sides up. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.    

Blackened Seasoning

For Blackened fish or chicken (great on any type of fish, especially on denser types of fish). The nice thing about this recipe is that the dish doesn't taste burnt even though you can get a nice blackened look. The sugar and the thyme caramelize and give it a wonderful flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a small jar with a lid.  Seal securely and shake vigorously to blend. Store in a cool dry place. Shake jar before each use.

I think you will enjoy all of these.