I’ve been to six Caribbean islands (not counting the Keys) and St. Lucia is coming in at number two on my best shopping list. There isn’t a lot of shopping on the island, but what there is, is excellent. If you can tear yourself away from the baby soft sand on the beaches, the glorious peaks, and the excellent dining, shopping should be high on your list.

Batik glasses case: Caribelle Batik

Although St. Lucia is not huge (28 miles long, about 238 square miles total), it is time-consuming to get around because

Caribelle Batik dress

the roads are mountainous, narrow, and completely unlabeled. Because of this we concentrated on three shopping areas: Castries, Rodney Bay, and Choiseul. Plan to break this up into at least two days. Choiseul is far south and is a day unto itself. If you are staying in the south, you will want to come north only once since it is a long way.

Castries

Everything you read will tell you to go to the Castries Market. I’m telling you don’t bother. This is just like any other

Bookmarks from various shops

Caribbean market. It’s all junk made overseas. If you’re looking for cheap, mass-produced “souvenirs,” make it a stop. I’m not interested in any of that, so we took a peek and then ditched it. The shopping you should be interested in is up in the hills. And it’s really hard to find. Google Maps essentially threw up its hands and said “Good luck!” to us. It did get us close enough to spot a sign for one of the shops we were looking for and once there we were able to get directions to the other places we wanted to find. It was worth a trip for the shopping and also for the amazing view up there.

Caribelle Batik

This was the only store we found on our own and it was worth it. St. Lucia is known for batik and this is the place to go to buy it. You can watch a demonstration, enjoy the view from their terrace,

The view from Caribelle Batik

and do a lot of shopping. There’s even a free washroom (hard to find on the island!).  If you visit when a tour bus is there, there are also refreshments and music. We were the only shoppers the day we visited. The shop has a large selection of batik clothing for men, women, and children. I’m giving them a special shout out since they carried some plus sizes which are always hard to find in the Caribbean. Batik purses, glasses cases, bags, scarves, wraps, and more are also available. I toyed with buying a large wrap and using it as a tablecloth, but couldn’t find quite the right one. There is a fascinating collection of botanical jewelry made from threads and thin yarn. Very unique. It wasn’t quite right for me, but is worth a look. You’ll find other souvenirs such soaps made on the island, mugs, towels, magnets, flags, bookmarks, bottled sauces, and some art prints. We spent a lot of time browsing and I left with a dress, soap, glasses case, tea towel (which I use as quirky napkins) and bookmarks. Get directions to the other shops listed below while you are here. They are simple to find with directions.

Bagshaws

Bagshaws

Bagshaws is another batik house and was not a favorite for me. They seem to be catering to tour buses. They have one large, entire room for demonstrations and not a

Magnets from various shops

lot to purchase. Most of the purchases don’t even look like batik and are floral prints. I did buy a Bagshaws tea towel at the airport of all places and did not see that particular design at the shop. We visited at the end of the tourist season so they may have more earlier in the year. It is also likely to be livelier if you come when a tour group is there. They also have a lovely view. Another free washroom here as well.

The Pink Plantation House

The Pink Plantation House

I fell in love with the Pink Plantation House which is a stunning old plantation home set on the side of a hill with glorious views. It’s a restaurant with an interior room that sells locally made pottery. I bought only a bookmark here since the pottery ended up not quite being my thing, but it was beautiful and well-made and I highly recommend it. Plan to stop for lunch. The menu looked good and it’s an amazing setting for a relaxed lunch.

Eudovic’s Art Studio

I didn’t make any purchases at this shop either, which contains local, handmade, local wooden masks. They are beautifully done and worth a peek if masks interest you.

Sea Island Cotton dress

Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay is the area that was the easiest navigate since everything is on one flat road in a highly trafficked tourist area, right at Reduit

Sea Island Cotton dress

Beach. There is even a parking ramp, which was free when we were visiting. Be sure to check out the beach (you pull in right past the police station and park next to the sand). The beach has a view of Pigeon Island and the bay is filled with sailboats. Chairs can be rented and it’s a great place to spend an afternoon.

Sea Island Cotton

This shop is in the Baywalk Shopping Mall (but has an entrance on the street as well), next to the grocery store (which is of Whole Foods quality, a stark comparison to most stores on the island: they’re catering to the yachts). This shop is either owned by the same people as Caribelle Batik or Caribelle is a big vendor. There is a reasonable selection of Caribelle Batik items in this shop (great if you don’t want to wind up the hill in Castries). They have a large selection of other clothing as well and my daughter and I both bought several beautiful and very unique to the Caribbean pieces here. The likelihood of me being able to wear these tropical sundresses in Buffalo is slim, but I had to own them (I’ll just have to come back to the Caribbean to wear them!). They also carry mugs, toys, frames, magnets, purses, bags,

Bracelet from Sea Island Cotton

towels, and jewelry. They have the same botanical jewelry Caribelle Batik carries but also have a selection of mass-produced pieces that are not local. Some of those were unique and I did buy a beaded bracelet cuff. Pop into the grocery store next door (enter through the mall or parking garage) to buy bottled sauces (I brought home banana ketchup and passion fruit sauce), dried sea moss, dried cinnamon in big bunches, or cacoa sticks for making cacao tea.

Island Mix

Walk down to where the road curves to the left for the beach (or drive and park your car along the beach side) to visit the

Choiseul craft pottery

tiny artisan shop right near the corner. Everything in the shop was locally made. I bought only a magnet, but eyeballed scarves, jewelry, plates, artwork, ornaments, and more. Everything in this shop is well-made and lovely.

Choiseul

If you are staying in the Sugar Bay area or are driving down to see the volcano, Choiseul is just a bit further south. Google Maps again thumbed its nose at us, but we were able to stumble on the first shop and then get directions to the second. Both are

Choiseul craft basket

on the main road in the area, coming south from Sourfriere. This was the best shopping in my opinion.

Choiseul Arts and Crafts

This shop does not look fantastic from the outside, but it really was delightful inside.

Choiseul craft coconut

Everything is handmade on the island by a variety of artisans. The ladies running the shop had a very heavy accent and were a bit hard to understand, but were helpful. They took only cash (everyone on the island will take US dollars without an

Choiseul gallery print

issue) and had a free washroom (score!). The shop carries a big collection of baskets and of course I had to have one. They also have pottery (I bought a vase), magnets, dolls, animal figurines, cacao

Calabash basket from Choiseul gallery

tea sticks (basically a log of pressed cocoa that you grate over hot water to make a drink), and some artwork. I bought half a coconut painted with the Pitons.

Choiseul Art Gallery

Choiseul Gallery

This was my biggest find of the trip. Harriet and her husband came to St.

Choiseul gallery tray

Lucia from England. They bought a small farm and opened an art gallery. Their dogs and goats are running around. Harriet is an artist. She makes beautiful paintings. She’s also written a book. Her husband is handy and crafts amazing things out of island fruits, paper, metal, and just about anything he can get his

Choiseul gallery paper bowl

hands on. This shop is not to be missed. The only thing that kept me from buying half of it was that their credit card machine was down and we had to pay with the limited cash we had on us. They were lovely people to talk to and I could have bought just about everything they were selling. I came home with a print, a

Inside Choiseul gallery

calabash basket, a tray, and a bowl made of paper. This is a not to be missed shop.

I’ve been to six Caribbean islands (not counting the Keys) and St. Lucia is coming in at number two on my best shopping list. There isn’t a lot of shopping on the island, but what there is, is excellent. If you can tear yourself away from the baby soft sand on the beaches, the glorious … Read more →

There are quite a few things I look to buy when traveling, but an item that I often recommend to anyone looking to start a souvenir collection is the bookmark. I have over 80 bookmarks I’ve collected in my travels, and I hope to add more with future trips. So what makes the bookmark the perfect souvenir?

Portability

Bookmarks are small and nearly weightless. You don’t have to worry about how you’ll get them home, if they will break, or if you have room in your suitcase. Even if you’re traveling with carry on luggage you can bring them home. You don’t even have to really pack them, just stick them in an outside pocket or inside a book.

Cost

Bookmarks are cheap! It is only in rare instances that I have spent more than $5 for a bookmark, even the artisan-made unique bookmarks I search out. You can easily bring home a souvenir from everywhere you go without making a dent in your budget, yet they make a big impact (more about this later). This is also a great benefit because you can simply buy them as you see them – no deciding if you might find a better one later in the trip. Buy all the ones you see and then decide when you get home which ones belong in your collection.

Availability

While bookmarks aren’t in every cheap souvenir store the way shot glasses, thimbles, and t-shirts are, they are still relatively easy to find. They’re often positioned near the register in shops. Shops at museums and historical sites frequently carry bookmarks. Stores carrying artisan crafts often sell them. You can also find them at galleries and craft co-ops where there are sometimes bookmarks that are mini prints of the art carried in the store.

Servicability

Unlike a lot of souvenirs, you can actually use bookmarks in your daily life. They are great for marking your page in the novel you’re reading, but they can also be stuck in your cookbooks to mark your favorite recipes or in your Bible or book of poetry to hold a favorite section. It’s a lovely surprise to open a book and be reminded of a place you visited.

Uniqueness

I’ve never met anyone else who collects bookmarks as a souvenir, so you will be part of a small class.  Your bookmark collection will be eye-catching and surprise people who see it.

Artistic Quality

Although bookmarks are definitely made to be used, they also are easy to display. I create groupings of bookmarks in large frames and hang them on the walls of my office. Many of them are really small works of art. I have bookmarks that are quilted, pressed flowers, metal, gemstones, carved wood, leatherworked, lace, graphic prints, photographs, woven fabric, and even glass. Because they are so tiny, you can display many in a small space.

Start by picking up a couple of bookmarks on your next trip. Stick them into books or wait until you have about 10 to frame them. They make the perfect souvenir.

There are quite a few things I look to buy when traveling, but an item that I often recommend to anyone looking to start a souvenir collection is the bookmark. I have over 80 bookmarks I’ve collected in my travels, and I hope to add more with future trips. So what makes the bookmark the … Read more →

I despise unloading the dishwasher. I don’t mind loading it because doing so makes my kitchen look cleaner. But unloading it is so tedious. My mom gets up and unloads hers first thing in the morning. I can’t face that. I wait until it’s time to make dinner then I kick myself for not doing it sooner. My procrastination has led to my new method and hack for unloading it.

When I come into the kitchen to make dinner, I open the dishwasher and pull one of the racks out. I pull out what I need to cook and set the table. Suddenly it’s looking emptier. Then as I move about the kitchen I make a point to grab something on my way and put it where goes. So as I walk to the fridge, I snag the plastic food storage container that gets put in the drawer next to the fridge. As I walk to the pantry I grab a couple of glasses and put them in their cupboard on the way. As I head to the stove, I pull out bowls and put those away. Before I know it, it’s almost completely empty and then I feel motivated to put away the stragglers so I can start to load in the dishes I’ve used while cooking so my kitchen will start to look neat again. And somehow I’ve unloaded the dishwasher while I’m making dinner without realizing!

I despise unloading the dishwasher. I don’t mind loading it because doing so makes my kitchen look cleaner. But unloading it is so tedious. My mom gets up and unloads hers first thing in the morning. I can’t face that. I wait until it’s time to make dinner then I kick myself for not doing … Read more →

Matcha (a green tea powder) and lemon olive oil gives the chicken a very laid back vibe in this dish. Cooling yogurt sauce and rice pair perfectly with it. If you don’t have lemon olive oil, use regular olive oil with a teaspoon of lemon juice for each tablespoon of oil.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Lemon Matcha Chicken with Yogurt Cilantro Sauce

 

Print

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• ½ teaspoon matcha powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• top of 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 packed tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
• Rice

Instructions

1. Rub the chicken with olive oil, matcha and salt and pepper to taste and allow to marinate between half an hour and an hour.
2. Cook chicken on the grill or saute in a pan until it is cooked through (165 degrees).
3. While it's cooking, mix yogurt, scallion, cilantro, oil, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
4. Serve with rice.

3.2.2929

Matcha (a green tea powder) and lemon olive oil gives the chicken a very laid back vibe in this dish. Cooling yogurt sauce and rice pair perfectly with it. If you don’t have lemon olive oil, use regular olive oil with a teaspoon of lemon juice for each tablespoon of oil.   5.0 from 1 … Read more →

I spent summers in Maine as a child where clam chowder was a staple of our lives. I still love to make it, but it’s a tough one because it does not freeze well, so I have to make the right amount so that there won’t be more leftovers than we can eat. I recently made up a batch but was out of celery so I had to improvise. I also admit I regularly use flour to thicken and do not have the patience to wait for the potatoes to do the work. Yes, I’m a cheater, but you’d never know eating this. This soup is ready in about half an hour and will serve 4 for dinner with a little bit leftover for lunch the next day.

Before I share the recipe, I also have to comment on the clams. I’m a cheater so I’m not using fresh clams. You shouldn’t be surprised. For years I was using frozen clams, but I stopped using them because they were from China and I wondered what was actually in them. Now I use canned clams in juice that is from Maine. They taste much better, are more tender, and the juice adds flavor. This soup is always a big hit in my house and it’s perfect for a cold day.

Cheater Clam Chowder

 

Print

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ¼ cup flour (I used gluten-free)
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 16 ounces bottled clam juice
• 13 ounces canned clams with juice
• 2 cups skim milk (I used lactose-free)
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 large carrot or 2 small, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium potato, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a large pot until crisp. Remove the bacon and leave the grease.
2. Add onion and cook over medium heat until translucent.
3. Stir in flour and cook for about a minute.
4. Add celery salt and clam juice, and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot.
5. Add clams, milk, cream, carrots, parsnip, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper.
6. Cook over medium high heat, keeping it just below a boil for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup is thickened.

3.2.1249

I spent summers in Maine as a child where clam chowder was a staple of our lives. I still love to make it, but it’s a tough one because it does not freeze well, so I have to make the right amount so that there won’t be more leftovers than we can eat. I recently … Read more →

Lately I haven’t been writing a lot of blog posts, but I’ve been busy with lots of other types of writing. To stay on top of what I’ve been up to, follow my author page on Facebook where I’m posting links to lots of my work. I’ve been doing a lot of writing for HuffPo, Reel Life with Jane, and Legal Zoom.  I’m also very active on Twitter.

Lately I haven’t been writing a lot of blog posts, but I’ve been busy with lots of other types of writing. To stay on top of what I’ve been up to, follow my author page on Facebook where I’m posting links to lots of my work. I’ve been doing a lot of writing for HuffPo, Reel … Read more →

I’m excited to announce the release of my new ebook, The Original Muffin Tin Cookbook!  Several years ago, I wrote The Muffin Tin Cookbook for a large publisher. That edition is now out of print. Lots of people have emailed me asking how to buy it. Due to popular demand, it’s now back as an ebook. All the same great recipes are here. This was the very first book about muffin tin cooking ever published, so I’m happy to be able to bring it back.

The book includes recipes for entrees, appetizers, veggies, sides, potato and rice dishes, muffins, mini-pies, cupcakes, snacks, and much more.

Muffin tin cooking is easy and fun. It’s a great way to get your kids involved in cooking. Kids are willing to try new foods when they are presented in the shape of muffins – something they already love. Muffin tin cooking makes portion control easy for adults also. One muffin cup is one serving. The portions are easy to freeze as well.The book offers recipes for regular size muffin cups, mini and jumbo. There’s also lots of information about the types of muffin tin liners and pans to choose from (so many options!).

Enjoy the book yourself or give it to your mom, your sister, your college kid, your single brother or friends with kids.

This book was so much fun to write and I still often make the recipes from it. I hope you will enjoy it!

I’m excited to announce the release of my new ebook, The Original Muffin Tin Cookbook!  Several years ago, I wrote The Muffin Tin Cookbook for a large publisher. That edition is now out of print. Lots of people have emailed me asking how to buy it. Due to popular demand, it’s now back as an … Read more →

I’ve never gotten excited about toothpaste before, but Livionex has me excited. This amazing toothpaste blasts off plaque – they say it is 2.5 times more effective than other toothpastes and I believe it. After you use it, you feel like you’ve just had your teeth cleaned at the dentist’s office. Your teeth are shiny, smooth, and have that squeaky clean feeling. It is incredible. I bought a tube for everyone in my family and we are all in love with this. I’m using it once a week and am finding a huge difference in how clean my teeth are. As someone who makes a lot of plaque (or so my dentist tells me), I’m thrilled to have a way to combat it. It’s also a very good thing for members of my family with gum disease. I stumbled upon this in a little sidebar in a magazine and am surprised it’s not getting more press because it is making a very big difference for all of us. [As always, I bought this product myself and am not being paid to write about – I just think it’s incredible and want to share].

I’ve never gotten excited about toothpaste before, but Livionex has me excited. This amazing toothpaste blasts off plaque – they say it is 2.5 times more effective than other toothpastes and I believe it. After you use it, you feel like you’ve just had your teeth cleaned at the dentist’s office. Your teeth are shiny, … Read more →

Since I’ve been successful making a nut wreath and a popcorn wreath, I decided to apply my skills for Valentine’s Day. I bought a flat wooden wreath frame at Michael’s for $4. I bought big and small candy conversation hearts in bulk at the grocery story (I think you could use styrofoam hearts instead if you wanted) and used Aleene’s clear gel tacky glue, which I already had. As always, I got excited to start and forgot to paint the wreath frame. Don’t forget!!

I wired the frame so I could hang it. I also put soft felt dots on the back so it wouldn’t scrape the door it was going to hang on.

I started gluing on the big hearts. A dab of glue was enough to place each heart, but I could only do one layer because it needed to dry. The glue makes the printed messages on the hearts run. I did all of mine upside down so it didn’t matter. If you do yours writing side up, you might want to do all face down except for the final layer so that they aren’t visibly smudged.

As you go, make each layer wider than the one beneath it, so that the wreath doesn’t look too narrow. This means you’ll be gluing some hearts on so that half of each heart sticks out into space. I did about 4 layers of big hearts and then I added some of the small hearts on top of it. This wreath was not very time intensive at all. All told it probably took an hour.

My next issue was if I needed to seal it. I was concerned that the colors in the candy would fade in the sun and I was also worried about it would hold up in storage year round, so I sprayed it with Mod Podge acrylic sealant. We tied a ribbon on the back and it was ready to go! My daughter thought I needed to cover it in glitter, but I liked it without. There is glitter spray available if you want to glitter yours.

Since I’ve been successful making a nut wreath and a popcorn wreath, I decided to apply my skills for Valentine’s Day. I bought a flat wooden wreath frame at Michael’s for $4. I bought big and small candy conversation hearts in bulk at the grocery story (I think you could use styrofoam hearts instead if … Read more →

I was so excited that the authors created a gluten free book for this series (there are several books in this 5 minutes a day series). Good quality gluten free dinner bread is really hard to come by. Store bought bread is fine for sandwiches, but sometimes I really miss French bread, challah, and Italian bread.

First, let me say that the bread from this book is very good. It’s not exactly the same as gluten bread, but it’s incredibly close. I’ve made several recipes from the book. I recommend it but suggest you understand what’s involved before jumping in.

Secondly, this is most definitely NOT 5 minutes a day. Here’s how it works. First you need to make the flour blend and you probably don’t have all the flours you need at home so you have to go buy them.

Boule, basic artisan bread

You need to mix the flour and have a place to store it because the mix is not used up by making one batch. Then you make the dough. It has to sit out for 2 hours, then you refrigerate it. The day you want to bake some, you have to measure a pound of it and let it sit out for an hour. You need to preheat the oven with a pizza stone and a pan of water. Then you bake the bread on the pizza stone. If you use parchment paper under it, you have to pull it out halfway through (I did this because I do not have a pizza peel and did not want to buy one). It bakes for 45 minutes. Then you are supposed to let the bread cool completely before eating (2 hours). To accomplish all of that for dinner, I would need to start right after lunch. Not really doable on most days.

That being said, the bread is really, really good. The basic artisan bread recipe makes a bread that has a wonderful crunch on the outside and a good texture on the inside. The flavor is good. It’s not gummy or sandy as some gluten free breads are. It’s also not too heavy and not too light.

I also made another recipe from the book for the challah bread and from that I made challah, cinnamon rolls, and monkey bread. All three were very good. That dough is very wet and sticky and hard to manipulate but I managed. It’s basically the same many step scenario with this bread as well, however it was really wonderful to finally have challah again after years without it.

Boule, sliced

The only book I have that rivals this is How Can It Be Gluten Free, which has hands down the most amazing dinner roll recipe you will ever taste in your life. Both books require their own flour mix, so now I’ve got two containers in my pantry, plus my containers of Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour Blend and Cup4Cup.

I was so excited that the authors created a gluten free book for this series (there are several books in this 5 minutes a day series). Good quality gluten free dinner bread is really hard to come by. Store bought bread is fine for sandwiches, but sometimes I really miss French bread, challah, and Italian … Read more →