Island Living - Rum Cake

Ingredients
CAKE:
chopped almonds
1 18.5 oz pkg yellow cake mix (moist/with pud mix)
4 eggs
.5 cups water
.5 cups oil (olive or canola)
.5 cups dark rum
SAUCE:
.25 lb butter (1 stick)
.25 cups water
.5 cups rum

Preheat oven to 325 F, grease 12 cups bundt pan, sprinkle nuts in bottom of pan, mix cake in, pour over nuts. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Invert on serving plate. Prick top. Spoon glaze over, allow to absorb, repeat until all glaze is used.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat, add rum.  

Island Living - Sweet Fried Plantains

I am in St. Thomas for a few days visiting friends. Besides the beaches, warm nights, tropical plants and laid back lifestyle - I am relearning about many foods I love. On the menu for dinner tonight are sweet fried plantains. I have always wanted to find a good recipe and learn how to cook them right. Luckily the local farmers helped me pick out the ripest of the bunch. Here is a recipe from Gourmet magazine.

Ingredients
4 firm-ripe plantains
vegetable oil for deep-frying

With a small sharp knife cut ends from each plantain and halve crosswise. Cut a lengthwise slit through skin along inside curve. Beginning in center of slit pry skin from plantain and with rippled blade of a mandoline or decorating knife cut flesh crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

In a deep fryer or large deep skillet heat 1 1/2 inches oil to 375°F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry 12 to 15 plantain slices at a time, turning them, 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, transferring as fried with a skimmer or slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season plantain slices with salt. (Plantain slices should be slightly crisp on outside but soft on inside.) Plantain slices are best served immediately but may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an air-tight container. Reheat plantain slices on a rack in a shallow baking pan in a preheated 350°F. oven 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fried-Plantains-10024#ixzz20doEWy7i