T.W.O.

T.W.O. Three Berry Pie with Flaky Crust

Published on August 19, 2014September 5, 2017 by T.W.O.4 Comments

Berry Pie is a great dessert for those warm summer nights, cold winter evenings or even for breakfast. Pretty much anytime. T.W.O. decided to make a three berry pie for our girls night with our mom. We had so much fun in the kitchen prepping this creation. We perfected a crust that we will be using for years and years to come! Happy Baking!

Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
– 2½ cups flour
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 cup unsalted European butter, cubed (you can use regular butter too)
– 5-6 tablespoons ice water
– 1 egg, beaten for pie crust top
– 1 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on top of crust
Filling:
– 2 cups blueberries
– 2-3 cups blackberries
– 2-3 cups raspberries
– 1½ cups sugar
– ⅓ cup cornstarch
– 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
For the crust:
1. Combine flour, sugar, and in a large bowl. Add cubed butter till mixture is sandy.
2. Add water by the tablespoon, stirring with a fork after each addition. Make sure not to add too much water – you don’t want the dough become too wet.
3. Form dough into two discs, wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the filling:
4. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon then toss with the berries. Make sure to not over mix – you don’t want the berries to break.

To assemble:
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Roll one disc to an 11″ round. Lay in the bottom of a 9″ pie pan and crimp the edges. If your filling is liquidy, add some cornstarch to the bottom. Pour filling over.
7. Roll out the other disc till it is even. Cut long strips to make the lattice. Carefully place on the pie top, weaving the strips in and out.
8. Brush top with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
9. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 45 minutes to an hour or till pie is golden and bubbly. Watch carefully and if the edges are turning brown, cover with foil.
10. Let cool well before cutting.

Cheers,

TCI Fish Fry + Meals in Paradise

Published on August 15, 2014August 21, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Every Thursday night, Provo is rocking from 5:30pm-9:30pm with food, music and entertainment in Bright (Children’s) Park. Local restaurants set up booths serving lobster, conch salad, crab ‘n rice, mac ‘n cheese and local island corn. Many locals attend this event every Thursday as well as tourists. Each week a new band takes the stage to get the party started. The week T.W.O. attended there was a DJ that played, mixing up some dance tunes for us to dance to…. “Slide to the Left, Slide to the Right, Criss Cross” We got down and boogied! (Our mom even got pulled on staged since she was celebrating a birthday!) Later in the night “Henry the Conch” made his appearance with the Island Band. It was one heck of a parade! T.W.O. highly recommends going to the Fish Fry – – It is well worth it! Don’t forget to grab your coconut water and rum drink! It’s delicious!!!

As you know, T.W.O. loves to cook and enjoy food. Needless to say we ate very well this trip…whether if it was homemade and on the beach or out to dinner. Check out all the fun we had with planning our meals! It wasn’t a complete day without going to the gourmet grocery store!!

Roasted Corn Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Published on August 13, 2014August 13, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

In need of a healthy, fresh and scrumptious dinner? Sick of your salads? Well T.W.O. has a receipt for you. It is a corn salad that bursts of flavor – lemon, cilantro, avocado and peaches. The baja fresh of California!?! We guarantee that if you like shrimp, you will definitely like this recipe!

Roasted Corn Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients:
– Shrimp
– 2 cups Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki Marinade
– 3 ears of corn
– 1 avocado
– 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
– 4 Persian cucumbers
– 2 yellow peaches
– 1 1/2 cups hearts of palm, sliced
– 2 Tablespoons olive oil
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– 5 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1. Marinate the shrimp in the Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki Marinade for at least two hours in the refrigerator.
2. About 20 minutes prior to cooking, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator to bring to room temp. Place shrimp on kebab sticks.
3. Preheat the bbq or cast iron skillet*
4. While the oven or bbq is getting hot, prep the corn. Rub 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on the corn. Season with salt and pepper and wrap with foil.
4. Chop the avocado, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, hearts of palm and cilantro.
5. Once the grill is ready, add the corn. Cook for about 20 minutes and then add your shrimp kebabs. The shrimp should only take about 6-8 minutes depending on your heat.
6. While the shrimp and corn are cooking, drizzle the lemon juice and remaining olive oil over the vegetables.
7. Remove the corn from the grill and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice the kernels off the core. Add to the vegetables and mix.
8. Plate the corn salad and top with the grilled shrimp.

*T.W.O. ran out of propaine while they were cooking this meal so we went to Plan B….cast iron skillet. Same great taste as the bbq!

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Corn with Jalapeño Lime Dressing

Published on August 11, 2014August 10, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Chicken, corn and Jalapeño are the three main ingredients in this fresh, flavorful summer salad. It’s a great meal for those bikini-ready diets we are all on this summer. It’s a beautiful salad that tastes even better and will satisfy any audience.

Grilled Chicken and Corn with Jalapeño Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

Dressing:
– 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
– 5 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
– 4 ears of corn
– Salt
-Pepper
Salad:
-2 bunches scallions, halved
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive-oil
– Salt
– Pepper
– 4 boneless chicken breasts
– 1 Tablespoon rosemary leaves, chopped
– 2 cups cherry heirloom tomatoes, halved
– 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
– 2 cups mixed greens

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the grill.
2. In a bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
3. In a bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and scallions.
4. In another bowl, coat the chicken with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and rosemary; season with salt and pepper.
5. Grill the corn (with some of the husk still on), scallions and chicken over moderate heat, turning occasionally. The scallions will take 5 minutes and the chicken and corn should take around 15 minutes.
6. Chop the scallions into 1-inch pieces. Remove the husks and cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Transfer to a bowl and add tomatoes, basil and half the dressing. Toss.
7. Plate the chopped kale and top with corn salad. Top with the chicken and garnish with lime zest and dressing.

Cherry Crisp Streusel Ice Cream

Published on August 7, 2014August 6, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Have you ever had a frozen cherry pie? …….I didn’t think so! Well lets change that by making Cherry Crisp Streusel Ice Cream. It tastes exactly like a pie, but it’s frozen! Grab your pitted cherries and ice cream maker and lets start cooking!

Cherry Crisp Streusel Ice Cream

Ingredients
For the crisp:
– 3/4 cup all purpose unbleached flour
– 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
– 3/4 cup old fashion rolled oats

For the cherries:
– 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
– 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

For the ice cream:
– 2 cups 2% milk
– 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
– 3 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
– 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
– 2/3 cup granulated sugar
– 2 Tablespoons vanilla

Directions:
Crisp:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add butter cubes and use your fingers or a pastry blender to mix the dry ingredients into the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. Stir in the oats. Spread the mixture in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Break into small clumps and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is brown and crisp. Let cool on the baking sheet and then freeze until ready to use. (Note – you will have extra crisp to top sprinkle on each serving of ice cream.)
Cherries:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the cherries and sugar in a bowl and toss well to combine. Place the cherries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cherries cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Ice Cream:
1.Combine 2 tbsp. of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese until smooth. Combine the remaining milk, cream, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla.
2.Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat, bring back to a boil, and stir with a spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
3.Whisk the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator to chill thoroughly before churning.
4. Freeze the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Layer the ice cream into a storage container with the cherries and a generous amount of the crisp streusel. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Catamaran Rides + Da Conch Shack

Published on August 6, 2014August 5, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

What better way to see Turks & Caicos then from the water?! We hired SAIL PROVO to take us around Grand Turk and to a northern cay – Pine Cay – for full day of snorkeling, sailing and exploring. Oh and I can’t forget the delicious lunch and rum punch! We picked the catamaran up at Walkin Marina leeward and sailed out past Blue Haven Marina towards the open ocean. Once we were about a 1/2 mile off the coast, we stopped at a reef to snorkel. The water was warm and crystal clear so it made for a delightful snorkeling experience. We saw a ton of tropical fish, colorful coral and cool looking reefs. After about 45 minutes, we sailed towards Pine Cay to a private beach know as Sand Dollar beach. No need for an anchor, we literally beached the boat. As we walked on the fluffy white sand we spotted nothing but water, sea shells and a group of rain clouds in the distant. Since it was Sand Dollar beach, we grabbed our snorkels and started hunting. We learned that the brown sand dollars are alive – so we left those alone – the white ones were good to take! Unfortunately we were not that lucky – only one person snagged a sand dollar – and that one person was one of T.W.O.! After our treasure hunt we boarded the catamaran for a bbq lunch – chicken, sandwiches, fresh fruit and of course rum punch and Turks Head! It was the perfect atmosphere! Lunch ended, but not our day. We headed back towards the Marina and made a stop along the way to snorkel again. At this spot we found a 3 foot lobster. Biggest one we have ever seen! It was hidden in the reef and our Dad spotted it. That itself was worth the stop for sure! Once on board, T.W.O. sailed us back to the marina. Yes…you can call us Caribbean certified skippers that’s for sure! It was a lovely day and we had a great time with the Sail Provo crew. Thanks again for the memories and such a great experience. Can’t wait to come back!!

Da Conch Shack

Conch creole, conch salad, curried conch…..bring it on! At Da Conch Shack you will find a picturesque setting on the beach with your typical caribbean architecture. Pastel pink, Caribbean blues and light turquoise greens fill this open white shack restaurant. Conch shells line the walk ways, make walls and even used as light fixtures. I wonder where they get the name from?!?!? We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and of course you can’t go without trying Jan’s Infamous Rum Punch. Save your server time and just order a pitcher!

Chicken Fajitas with Tex-Mex Sauce + Enchilada Rice

Published on August 5, 2014August 4, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Love fajitas!? Love enchiladas? We do too! So we decided to combine them into one recipe! This dish is perfect for a summer time meal and won’t let you feeling guilty! The preparation is simple, quick and mouth-watering! Steak or fish could also be used as the protein. You won’t be disappointed!

Chicken Fajitas with Tex-Mex Sauce + Enchilada Rice

Ingredients:
For the Enchilada Rice
-3 cups white rice, cooked
-1 cup enchilada sauce
-1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
-1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
– I can black beans, drained
-2 green onions, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the Fajitas
-4 boneless skinless chicken breast
– 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 red + orange bell pepper, sliced
-2 ears corn, husk removed
-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
-1 lime, juiced
-Corn or flour tortillas
-1 avocado, diced

For the Tex-Mex Sauce
-1/2 cup ketchup
-1 teaspoon brown sugar
-2 ounces melted light cream cheese
– 2 tablespoons hot sauce
-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
-1/2 lime, juiced

Directions:
1. To make the Tex-Mex sauce, add the ketchup and cream cheese to a bowl. Whisk until smooth and then add the brown sugar, chipotle peppers, cilantro and lime juice. Season with a pinch of salt. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

2. Heat up the BBQ. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss with the taco seasoning. Place the peppers and corn on a plate and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place on to foil for the grill.

3. Add the chicken and veggies to the hot grill and cook until done. Make sure to check the veggies and flip a few extra times to ensure even cooking. Remove everything from the grill and allow the veggies and chicken to cool five minutes

4. Meanwhile start making the rice. Add the cooked rice to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toast the rice for 5 minutes, stirring often to ensure even browning. Add the enchilada sauce, Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese. Bring the mixture to a low boil and cook, stirring until the cheese is melted and the rice is creamy, about 5 minutes. Add more cheese if you desire. Stir in the black beans, cilantro and green onions. Keep warm until ready to serve.

5. Slice the peppers and use a sharp knife to remove the corn kernels from the cob. Add the veggies to a bowl and toss with the cilantro and lime juice. Slice the chicken into strips.

6. To assemble add the cheesy rice to the center of a warm tortilla. Add the chicken and peppers. Garnish with fresh cilantro and diced avocado. Drizzle with the Tex-Mex Special Sauce.

Taylor Bay + Bugaloos

Published on July 31, 2014July 30, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Taylor Bay

We took an excursion to Chalk Sound for the day and visited Taylor Bay. It’s a secluded beach with white powdery sand and beautiful blue waters. You can walk about a quarter mile out with the water only going up to your knees. Definetly bring your snorkels, there are fish, coral and maybe even a turtle or two that you will find further out. We also, well mostly our brother, decided to make a spa day out of our visit too. Taylor bay has great “clay sand” to exfoliate your skin. The Caribbean version of the Dead Sea according to our brother! This beach is a little tricky to find and don’t expect a parking lot. After making a left on Ocean Point Drive, we turned into a residential area. Not seeing any signs we asked a local and he directed us to a path that looked like it didn’t go anywhere. Well it did – and once we walked down the path and turned the bend we were all in pure awe. Taylor Bay is a MUST when visiting Turks & Caicos.

Bugaloo’s

Located in Five Cays Settlement, this beach side restaurant was the perfect lunch spot! Great views, friendly people, fantastic food and drinks! It was the first place on our trip where we ordered conch. Conch Salad, Coconut Conch Fritters, Conch Sandwich – – – we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it! It wasn’t our last time ordering it, that’s for sure! The Provo Punch was a great drink for this hot and humid afternoon – it’s a blended drink with tropical fruit. If you really want to make it a good, good lunch – – ask for a topper!!! After lunch we headed down to the beach and picked up two conches to take back home. The conch diver showed us the art in catching conch and removing the mollusk out of the shell. It was amazing to see these beautiful shells just lying on the beach. Won’t find these in California, that’s for sure!!!

And we made a pit stop for ice cream at…..

Ice Cream Fudge Sandwich Bars

Published on July 30, 2014July 29, 2014 by T.W.O.4 Comments

I scream, you scream – – – we all scream for ice cream!!!! We know for a fact you will be shouting at the top of your lungs for this recipe. The are a delicious summer time dessert to serve at your next bbq or pool party!

Ice Cream Fudge Sandwich Bars

Ingredients:

– 1 batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Recipe HERE)
– 2 pints chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, softened slightly
– 1/4 cup hot fudge sauce, warmed
– Seran wrap

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Set the cookie dough in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Place a sheet of s warn wrap on top and evenly press or roll the cookie dough to fill the pan.
Remove the saran wrap and bake the cookie for 14 minutes, until lightly browned. Let the cookie cool completely in the baking pan.
Invert the cookie onto a work surface and slide it back into the baking pan, bottom side up. Trim the edges if necessary. Scoop the ice cream over the cookie in large dollops.
Place a sheet of saran wrap on top and press or roll the ice cream into an even layer. Freeze for 1 hour, until the ice cream is just firm.
Remove the saran wrap. Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce all over the ice cream. Freeze for 1 hour longer, until firm.
Invert the baking pan onto a cutting board and tap gently to release the cookie bar. Flip the cookie bar over so it is ice cream side up.
Using a sharp, heavy knife, cut the bar in half crosswise, forming two 9-by-6 1/2-inch rectangles. Sandwich the cookie bar rectangles together and press hard to seal. Wrap in plastic and freeze for at least 1 hour, until firm.
Cut the sandwhiches into bars and serve or freeze up to 2 weeks in a airtight container.

Villa del Sol

Published on July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Villa del Sol was our home for the week when we visited Turks & Caicos. It was the perfect place to stay with our group of 6. The 3 bedroom and 3 bath villa was located on Grace Beach on Provo Island. The updated kitchen, open living spaces and large bedrooms were great amenities for us. The outdoor space had a lot of outdoor furniture, a hammock, beautiful pool and access to the beach. The beach was amazing – secluded, clean and big enough for our lounge chairs, paddle boards and fruit rum drinks. We can’t wait to go back and stay at Villa del Sol.