Johnny cake / Coconut Cake

In the Bahamas these are called 'Johnny cakes' — an adaptation of the original journey cakes that women would pack for their men going to sea.

Ingredients for 6-8 cakes:

1 x 10g packet of instant active yeast

2 cups (500ml) lukewarm water

4-5 cups (600g-750g) cake flour

1 tsp (5ml) salt

1 cup (250ml) fresh grated coconut

1 tsp (5ml) coconut essence

1 Tbsp (15ml) milk

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast in the water in a large bowl.

Stir in half the flour, one cup at a time. Mix for one minute.

Cover, let rest for two hours.

Add remaining flour and salt. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Add coconut and coconut essence and knead.

Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for one to two hours, until it doubles in volume.

Divide dough into six to eight equal pieces, roll into balls and flatten slightly. Allow to rest until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180°C

Brush with milk, sprinkle with coconut and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Cuba beats Bahamas in opening CONCACAF U-20 match


Cuba opened their campaign on Tuesday in the 2009 Concacaf Under-20 Championship Caribbean Qualification with a 5-0 (3-0) win over Bahamas in Havana, reported Granma daily.


Playing in Group A, which also includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Cuba got goals from Barbaro Adrila, Marcel Hernandez, Alberto Palmero, Lazaro Garcia and Hebiel Cordoves at the Pedro Marrero Stadium.


In the earlier match up, Haiti won 1-0 over the Dominican Republic, a deceptive scoreboard as the Haitians dominated and missed a penalty shot. Saint Victor scored the only goal.


On Thursday Haiti plays Bahamas and Cuba faces the Dominican Republic.

A capsized speedboat was discovered Sunday between Florida and the Bahamas in a scene described by witnesses as ‘horrific.’


Several bodies were discovered in the water where tiger sharks were circling. Rescuers indicated one body was devoured by a shark as they watched.


Police in Puerto Rico believe the four victims may have been Haitian migrants attempting to make it to the United States.


Authorities say the speedboat may have capsized in rough waters.

From marked increases in Social Service allocations to tax eliminations on food items, to pay raises for public officers and teachers to tax suspensions on fuel imports for the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, the Bahamas government’s 2008/2009 budget is tilted toward providing relief and assistance to low income Bahamians and those continuing to be adversely affected by the rising cost of living in the country.


Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Hubert Ingraham announced the government’s plans to provide relief to Bahamians during the 2008/2009 Budget Communication delivered to parliament Wednesday.


“This budget has been crafted to take into account the international economic turbulence and uncertainty impacting so harshly on our own people,” Ingraham said.

“In particular, this budget embraces my government’s social philosophy, its commitment and its determination to cushion the harshness of the impact of the international turbulence upon our citizens, most particularly low income families who invariably are impacted first and most acutely,” he added.


Along with its budgetary increase to the Department of Social Services in the last fiscal year, the government over a two-year period has increased assistance to the poor by $13 million.


When the government came to office just over a year ago, the allocation for the Department of Social Services was $26.4 million. In the 2007/08 budget, it increased that department’s budget allocation to $31.8 million, an increase of $5.4 million or 20.5%. Some $3 million of the department’s budget was specifically earmarked for poverty alleviation.

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Atlantis Sets Free Zeus, the 70-stone manta ray.


His namesake is the mythological god of the sky but as Zeus the manta ray flew through the clouds, he was at the mercy of a helicopter until it reached the shore.





The 70-stone sea creature was carried on a vast net to the Atlantic Ocean from Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where he had been in captivity for three years.


As part of a research and release program at the Atlantis resort, the massive black ray was lowered into the open sea.


Spanning 13ft in diameter, Zeus had to be transported on a hydraulically welded frame to make sure he got to the water safely.





Following the two hour journey, the Ray, which has a 3dt-wide mouth, was released after spending three years as a popular tourist attraction at the resort.


Marine biologists will now monitor his movements through a satellite tracking tag.