Two Week Countdown till sailing in paradise! Time for a new recipe... PAINKILLER CAKE

Two weeks from today we will be on our own little catamaran sailing the warm, glistening Caribbean Sea. AHHHHHHHH...... In honor of the wonderful Caribbean, I'm posting a favorite recipe. This is actually a drink (maybe recipe to follow) called the Painkiller, but this has been modified to become your dessert.

PAINKILLER CAKE
Source: Walker's Website

Cake:
1 pkg pineapple cake mix - Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix works best
1 small pkg Jello Coconut Cream Instant Pudding Mix (or vanilla is almost as good)
4 eggs
1 cup pineapple juice
1 8oz can chunk pineapple in juice
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup Coco Lopez (cream of coconut - NOT coconut milk)
1 cup coconut flakes (if you like coconut)

Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Coco Lopez
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup Gran Marnier

Additional:
Fresh grated nutmeg

Directions:
1. Pour the cup pineapple juice in saucepan. Strain the juice from the can of chunk pineapple, adding the juice to the pan. Reduce the liquid over med.-high heat until you have 1/2 cup of liquid in pan. This intensifies the pineapple flavor.
2. Very lightly chop the pineapple chunks (5 quick pulses in food processor)
3. Mix all of cake ingredients and pour into greased pan. A bundt pan will cool quicker, but you can use a loaf-type pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees. Cake should be done in 45 minutes (bundt pan). This cake rises a LOT, so leave lots of room in the oven above the pan. When cake starts to turn nice and brown on top, check for doneness with toothpick. Don't overcook.
5. About 30 minutes after putting cake into oven, make the glaze. Bring butter, sugar, o.j., and Coco Lopez to a boil over med. heat. Remove from heat, add the rum and Grand Marnier. Return to heat, and reduce over high heat until the glaze reaches 240 degrees (soft ball candy stage).
6. Drizzle glaze over cake while cake is still warm. Drizzle from the center, allowing glaze to run to edges. Once top has been covered, let cake rest for a couple of minutes while the glaze runs down the sides. Slowly add more glaze to the very top. Don't worry about the glaze that runs off the side, it will form a delicious soft candy as it cools.
7. Grate a very light sprinkling of fresh nutmeg over glaze.
8. Sprinkle coconut flakes over top, optional.

3 Week Countdown (till VACATION IN PARADISE)

In honor of our 3 week mark till we leave on a jet plane for a sunny, tropical paradise, I thought it was time to post a tropical drink recipe! Here is one of my FAVORITES... it is called THE BUSHWACKER. (YUM! It actually tastes much like a chocolate shake - for the life of me I have no idea why.)

In googling BUSHWACKER RECIPES, I actually found a great number of them - all a bit different, with different ingredients. There was even a video of how to make a proper Bushwacker. The recipe below comes from the British Virgin Islands (and again, everyone makes their own version). This is one we have tried, and can attest to... although I'm betting the other recipes are wonderful too!

BUSHWACKER
(Recipe comes from Anegada, B.V.I.)
Source: BVIPirate

1 part Amaretto
1 part Bailey's
1 part Kahlua
1 part vodka
1 part white rum
1/2 part Coco Lopez
Ice
Freshly grated nutmeg

Fill blender 1/2 to 3/4 full of ice. Add liquids and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and grate fresh nutmeg on the top. Consistency is much like a milk shake! Be sure to serve in a disposable plastic cup, complete with umbrella - ISLAND STYLE.

One Month Countdown!

Well, we are at that point in time when our sailing trip is getting very close! We have one month to go before we are on our way to the Caribbean. Ahhh - warm water; warm weather and island hopping - doesn't that sound like fun? I had to go back through some old trip pictures to get that good Caribbean vibe. Soon we will be there, feel the warmth, smell the spices in the air in Grenada (as they grow all over the island) and see the beauty of that part of the world. How wonderful!

Here are some of my favorite pictures and favorite places...


This is Grand Anse Beach on Grenada. During high season it is a hopping place, but when we go (June/July) we had it almost to ourselves! Such a gorgeous place.

Here we are in the Grenadines. We are on an island, taking in the view! Nice view huh?

Here is the BEST pizza place on the islands - Mac's. I rarely have pizza here however, as everything they make is wonderful. And, the have the best homemade bread!

Time for a recipe? How about CILANTRO-LOVER'S GUACAMOLE?

Well, posting a recipe weekly (as I had planned) hasn't been happening lately. Life gets in the way sometimes, especially this time of year when everyone who works in a school is insanely busy! So, time to post a recipe...

My very favorite site, Kalyn's Kitchen, has a wonderful recipe posted for Guacamole lovers! (OK, I am a guacamole lover - yum!) Since Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner, this seemed like an appropriate time to post!

Kalyn is a great food blogger, and she always posts nice healthy (low carb) recipes. I appreciate her blog and use it frequently when looking for yummy recipes to try at home. I hope you enjoy it! I know I will...

CILANTRO-LOVER'S GUACAMOLE WITH RED ONION, LIME AND CHILES
(Makes about 1 1/2 cups guac) Recipe created by Kalyn (click on the above link to go to Kalyn's site)

2 medium avocados (must be ripe and ready for guacamole)
1 T lime juice
3 T very finely minced red onioin
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1/4 tsp Ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp Vege-Sal (or 1/4 tsp salt)
1/2 tsp Green Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Peel avocados & dice. Put into a glass or plastic bowl and toss with lime juice.

Chop your red onion & cilantro, add to avocado. Add chile powder, Vege-Sal, and Green Tabasco to the bowl.

Use a fork, mash & stir the avocado until other ingredients are mixed in & avocado is mostly mashed, with a few chunks here and there. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, chile powder or hot sauce depending on your desires.

If you are a South Beacher - you wouldn't want to have regular tortilla chips, but instead use whole wheat tortilla chips or brown rice tortilla chips. You could even have it in a salad, or with whole wheat crackers.