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Favorite Villa Meals
Favorite Villa Meals
Okay all you villa chefs out there - please give me your favorite (but not complicated!!) villa meal(s) to make while on island. We usually like to go out to eat for dinner about 1/2 of our nights there and eat in the other nights. Our fare is usually pretty unexciting (think spaghetti or steaks on the grill and some sides) - this time I am thinking ahead and coming with ideas BEFORE I get to the grocery store! So share away - and one request - no seafood! We just aren't seafood eaters - steaks yes. Seafood no! Thanks in advance!!!!
I love to cook, but when I'm on St. John, I usually keep things really simple.
One thing I do that I've found really helpful during my pre-trip preparations is to make up a rough list of 4-5 meals and then make a shopping list broken down by aisle at Starfish (although since the renovation things have probably changed -- I used to be able to mentally walk through the store!!) Anyway, making up that organized list sounds like overkill, but it really helps us cruise through the store and get that first provisioning run out of the way, so we can just get to the villa and start relaxing.
I also love dual-duty meals (i.e. grilled chicken one night, and a chicken caesar salad the next night using the leftovers).
For another easy meal, I love breakfast at night -- an omelet with salad & maybe some buttered toast or garlic bread.
And on the last night, we usually have a "leftover smorgasbord", depending on what there is left over!
One thing I do that I've found really helpful during my pre-trip preparations is to make up a rough list of 4-5 meals and then make a shopping list broken down by aisle at Starfish (although since the renovation things have probably changed -- I used to be able to mentally walk through the store!!) Anyway, making up that organized list sounds like overkill, but it really helps us cruise through the store and get that first provisioning run out of the way, so we can just get to the villa and start relaxing.
I also love dual-duty meals (i.e. grilled chicken one night, and a chicken caesar salad the next night using the leftovers).
For another easy meal, I love breakfast at night -- an omelet with salad & maybe some buttered toast or garlic bread.
And on the last night, we usually have a "leftover smorgasbord", depending on what there is left over!
I like to keep meals pretty simple while on vacay and I also try to use local stuff. Complicated meals can end up being more pricey than going out to a regular place on island (like island blues for example), so to make it worthwhile I try to use ingredients that do double or triple duty.
One example of a simple meal I like to make:
-Grilled chicken (seasoned with Cruz Bay Grill Rub, olive oil and sprinkled with lime after cooking)
-Plaintains sauteed in butter and seasoned with Sunny Caribee's Sugar n Spice and finished in the pan with rum
-rice cooked with a bit of coconut milk along with some dried fruit peices (pineapple, apricots -- stff like that)
-black beans (Add spice or leave plain)
-if you want greens or a side salad you can use rocket or spinach drizzled with olive oil and lime.
The spices can be found at STJ spice and taken home with you.
The limes, black beans, plaintains, coconut milk and rice are easily found and are cheap.
If you're cutting costs you can bring the chicken and dried fruit peices from home.
The dried fruit can also double as an airpoirt or beach snack.
The rum and lime can be used for mixed drinks.
Leftover chciken can be made into a sandwich or added to a salad.
So everything is inexpensive, does double or triple duty, simple and is flavorful.
One example of a simple meal I like to make:
-Grilled chicken (seasoned with Cruz Bay Grill Rub, olive oil and sprinkled with lime after cooking)
-Plaintains sauteed in butter and seasoned with Sunny Caribee's Sugar n Spice and finished in the pan with rum
-rice cooked with a bit of coconut milk along with some dried fruit peices (pineapple, apricots -- stff like that)
-black beans (Add spice or leave plain)
-if you want greens or a side salad you can use rocket or spinach drizzled with olive oil and lime.
The spices can be found at STJ spice and taken home with you.
The limes, black beans, plaintains, coconut milk and rice are easily found and are cheap.
If you're cutting costs you can bring the chicken and dried fruit peices from home.
The dried fruit can also double as an airpoirt or beach snack.
The rum and lime can be used for mixed drinks.
Leftover chciken can be made into a sandwich or added to a salad.
So everything is inexpensive, does double or triple duty, simple and is flavorful.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
I think Scubagirl's Taco Salad would be an awesome villa meal. You'll have to get the recipe from her though!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/4209299041/" title="Sydney's Kick A$$ Taco Salad by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/420 ... 68790a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Sydney's Kick A$$ Taco Salad"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/4209299041/" title="Sydney's Kick A$$ Taco Salad by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/420 ... 68790a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Sydney's Kick A$$ Taco Salad"></a>
Favorite, hands down is Steak Night. It's been extra good on 2 of our 3 trips because it has coincided with my birthday.
Steaks...huge and lovely. Seasoned with assorted things from that little shop with the stairs you're not allowed to sit on.
Potato Salad: My wife makes the best potato salad on Earth and she toils in the heat of the kitchen to make it for us.
Grilled veggies: Whatever doesn't look too sad at Starfish when I go.
Otherwise, we grill chicken and, this year, I'm bringing pork country ribs. I make too much chicken and it gets turned into wraps for lunch and the inevitable "I'm too damned drunk to cook and you a-holes are too lazy so here's some effing leftover chicken, now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go pee in the pool" night. That's always a good time!
Steaks...huge and lovely. Seasoned with assorted things from that little shop with the stairs you're not allowed to sit on.
Potato Salad: My wife makes the best potato salad on Earth and she toils in the heat of the kitchen to make it for us.
Grilled veggies: Whatever doesn't look too sad at Starfish when I go.
Otherwise, we grill chicken and, this year, I'm bringing pork country ribs. I make too much chicken and it gets turned into wraps for lunch and the inevitable "I'm too damned drunk to cook and you a-holes are too lazy so here's some effing leftover chicken, now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go pee in the pool" night. That's always a good time!
Some of my non-seafood go-tos are chicken that's been marinated overnight in a mix of half lemon juice, half olive oil, with either fresh or dried thyme and lots of cracked back pepper. Good in salads, on pasta, or on a sandwich.
I also make this skewered chicken that is marinated in bajun spices and served with an avocado cream sauce. I can't remember the exact spice ratio but I can type it in later if you want.
Steak marinated in cruz bay grill rub, with whatever veggies I can find at the market and some grilled bread rubbed with garlic.
Eggs benedict with blender hollandaise. Much easier than regular hollandaise.
Chicken marinated in pineapple juice (not overnight or it will be mushy), and trinidad charlie sauce is also tasty.
Pasta with vegetables in olive oil and garlic sauce. Never red sauce, as it does not taste good to me in the heat.
I also carry a small notebook with our favorite recipes for villa food as well as cocktails in it.
I also make this skewered chicken that is marinated in bajun spices and served with an avocado cream sauce. I can't remember the exact spice ratio but I can type it in later if you want.
Steak marinated in cruz bay grill rub, with whatever veggies I can find at the market and some grilled bread rubbed with garlic.
Eggs benedict with blender hollandaise. Much easier than regular hollandaise.
Chicken marinated in pineapple juice (not overnight or it will be mushy), and trinidad charlie sauce is also tasty.
Pasta with vegetables in olive oil and garlic sauce. Never red sauce, as it does not taste good to me in the heat.
I also carry a small notebook with our favorite recipes for villa food as well as cocktails in it.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
Are you taking food? (meat - like chicken and beef)
We did trips where we took a lot of meat to cook for the grandparents who stayed in each night.
Some stuff that worked well for us:
flank steaks done up in spices and frozen for the trip
chicken breasts with jerk seasoning
seasonings prepackaged for pasta and/or pasta salads
filets with the Crazy sale mentioned below
Zaratans rice and beans which is great with chicken or sausage, makes a good leftover lunch for the beach
McCormick has a seasoning called Salad Supreme that is good with just olive oil or with mayo for pasta salads.
I also take Crazy Mixed Up Salt which is good to dress up any cold pasta.
We did trips where we took a lot of meat to cook for the grandparents who stayed in each night.
Some stuff that worked well for us:
flank steaks done up in spices and frozen for the trip
chicken breasts with jerk seasoning
seasonings prepackaged for pasta and/or pasta salads
filets with the Crazy sale mentioned below
Zaratans rice and beans which is great with chicken or sausage, makes a good leftover lunch for the beach
McCormick has a seasoning called Salad Supreme that is good with just olive oil or with mayo for pasta salads.
I also take Crazy Mixed Up Salt which is good to dress up any cold pasta.
