Oxtails with rice and peas

I am not a home chef. I still do not enjoy cooking or will volunteer to cook. It is not on my favorite things to do list.

I cook because we need to eat and we cannot afford to eat out at fine dining healthy places all the time. I cook because I want to know what goes into our bodies. I cook because I am interested in learning so that I can teach my son cooking basics. I cook because my husband rarely ever does and our son needs to eat. I cook because I am no longer a picky eater 🤣!

In Grenada, my mom and stepfather cook our meals. Growing up as a child and teenager in Grenada, I never knew how much of a challenge it was to think of meals and prepare them for a family. I did not want to learn how to cook and my mom never pushed me. I ironed our school uniforms- 5 dress shirts each for 4 children, pleated school skirts and khaki pants. I did other chores also but did not cook. Even eating was a chore that I didn’t enjoy back then. 

Food Network has helped in broadening my love for food and piqued my interest in being in the kitchen. I am always in awe at how creative chefs are and how much we can do with baskets of ingredients — mostly with God’s food– not packaged or processed items. Shows like Chopped are exciting to watch and learn from.

Now, I am more open to trying different kinds of foods from all over the world. After living for about 8 years in Brooklyn NY, I embraced meals from across the Caribbean islands to Italy to China! Good food is great at any time! Jamaican cuisine is close to what is cooked in Grenada. I enjoy beef patties and curry goat plates. I always wanted to try oxtail with Jamaican rice and peas (we use actual peas (green pigeon peas) whereas they use red kidney beans 🫘 with coconut milk).

I prayed. I seasoned. I let the meat marinate overnight. I let the beans soak overnight.  I asked my husband to get coconut milk and he did. I added what the Holy Spirit prompted me to add and voila– Tameeka’s oxtail, rice and peas was created! 😂 I also got some help following Daddy’s Kitchen (Jamaican YouTube videos)! The scent of everything was amazing throughout the house! The rice was a bit stickier than I would like but oh that oxtail was delicious!! Timothy and Deon enjoyed their meal! I look forward to cooking it again and inviting others over for a taste! My desire is to open a restaurant some day and this will certainly be on the menu. Caribbean comfort food is good! Moringa and spices add depth and good nutrients to the food which makes it a healthy- not guilty- pleasure. 🤭👏🏿🥰 Check out the videos showing part of the process on YouTube at MomeeTamee007.