As part of our yearly process to work on our relationship and remind ourselves of our commitment to each other, Emilio and I always try to get away during the weekend of our wedding anniversary, if only to sleep late, take naps, read, discuss our needs and wants and bring to mind what we love about each other without interruptions or distractions.  Making a halt in our busy lives and getting away from the work routine and the children, at least for a couple of days, helps us to reconnect, communicate and re-kindle our passion. I concede to you, some years have been better than others…

During the summer of 2007, we went to CuisinArt Resort in the island of Anguilla.  Summer is the island’s low tourist season and we found a great deal for Caribbean residents during the month of June, (our anniversary is June 6).  Early in the week, Emilio had to go on a business trip to St. Martin, so I met him there on Thursday and Friday morning we took the ferry to Anguilla.

Upon arrival, we rented a Smart Car and went to visit one of his clients (he is in the hardware and construction materials business).  I remember, the grown daughter of the owner of the hardware store, instead of offering me some coffee while I waited for Emilio outside (it was midday), she offered me a beer!  Which I candidly accepted.  You see, the people of Anguilla are very kind, laid back and hospitable.  In Anguilla, like in many islands of the Lesser Antilles, everything flows on “island time”, no worries- no hurries is their motto, which is great when you are on a weekend getaway with your honey!

CuisinArt Resort is located on a beautiful white sand beach surrounded by turquoise waters.  The strong breeze is enchanting and also great for hobie cat sailing. The villas are spacious and, as one of the Leading Small Hotels of the World,  has impeccable service. CuisinArt, has a one of a kind hydroponic farm which is harvested daily to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs for the hotel’s restaurants. It has a beautiful landscape, luxurious spa, delicious food and an ample wine selection.  During the day, I would get up and head to the yoga class held at an outdoor round gazebo, then go back to the room wake up Emilio and go down to the beach.  One day we went to a cooking lesson, ate everything we prepared, took a nap and watched the Federer vs. Nadal- Roland Garros tennis finals. We even experienced some “firsts” on this trip.  I played Bocce for the first time and Emilio, at my request, had his first facial at the spa (he is going to kill me for this one!).  At nights, the in-house sommelier would come in to our cooking lesson and talk about wine pairings, grapes, regions, terroir, etc.

Our guide and cooking teacher, Athenia, taught us how to make this recipe for Curry Shrimp, among other delicacies.  First, she took us “herb and fruit picking”  and mentioned that they have almost every herb in their garden except cilantro, because the owner of the resort despises it. Athenia accompanied the Curry Shrimp with the island’s version of “mamposteao” or rice with red beans. However, I like it with Jasmine Rice or Basmati. This dish is sweet, spicy and ethnic. Be mindful, they don’t hand out recipes, you have to watch and learn and quickly jot down all the ingredients so that once you get home you can put on your “creativity-in-the-kitchen-cap” and give it a try.  At the end of the lesson you get to taste everything! Yupee! Despite Athinia’s youth, she was very gracious, knowledgeable and comfortable around the kitchen.  She also answered our questions and allowed us to comment.  I have given this recipe to several girlfriends that wanted to impress their husbands and the results have always been, shall I say… well, their husbands didn’t ask for dessert!  Ja, Ja!

On our last night at the resort (Sunday) we were having an after dinner drink at the hotel’s open air lobby bar. At around 9 pm we saw a couple of honeymooners checking-in from New York City. They seemed elated as well as exhausted, if those two words can be put in the same sentence.   They sat down next to us and started to talk about their wedding. We listened and shared some laughs as we watched this couple start a new life together with new hopes and dreams.  On our way back to the villa, we looked at each other and realized that during the 9 years that we had been together as a married couple (we got married 1998), it was those scarce but valuable moments that we had taken to spend time together (at least once a year), that have validated our commitment to each other and helped us regain our strength to continue the challenging journey of being an individual in a relationship and raising a family, to say the least. Sadly, bliss does not last forever.  The next morning… we got on a plane and headed back to reality!

I’m looking forward to the next getaway…

Tell me about your favorite romantic getaway in the comments section!!!!

“El amor no lo puede todo, pero hace falta amor para superar los problemas que se presentan en el camino.”  AA

Curry Shrimp

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of medium-large shrimp (about 18-20)

3 tsp fine sea salt

pepper to taste

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1/3 cup of chopped onions

1 tbsp of red bell pepper

1 tbsp of green bell pepper

1 cup of coconut milk

2 tsp of curry powder (a little more if you want it stronger)

1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

4 tbsp of brown sugar

generous pinch of fresh nutmeg

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of fresh pineapple cut into chunks(or canned if you don’t have fresh)

1 tbsp of fresh parsley

Procedure

1.  Wash, drain and sprinkle shrimp with 2 tsp of fine sea salt and pepper to season.

2.  In a large skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil (medium) and quickly sauté shrimp until they change color for about 2 minutes.  Take out with slotted spoon and set aside.

3. In same pan, briefly sauté garlic and onions with the shrimp juices.  Add red and green peppers and continue to saute for a couple of minutes at medium heat.

4.  Add coconut milk, heavy cream, curry powder, red chili flakes, brown sugar, nutmeg, add remainder tsp of salt and pineapple chunks.  Let simmer for about 7-10 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Stir frequently. Lower heat if necessary.

5.  Add shrimp and parsley, stir with a spoon to cover all shrimps with sauce and let simmer covered for about 5 more minutes.

6.  Serve over jasmine or basmati rice.