Jerk Chicken

My cooking over the last couple of years has really changed. I find myself leaning towards recipes that take little prep work and leave me with only one dish to clean up after dinner. But I still enjoy great flavorful dishes. So I have been on the hunt for great recipes that are a little more than just throwing ingredients together...so I can actually claim that I "cooked dinner."


Jerk Chicken

For those of you who actually make the real thing...my hat goes off to you. You are a true cook in my eyes. (I don't really wear hats, but if I did I would take it off if you actually made real Jerk Chicken.) And I know that I have already lost some of you. Jerk Chicken is a Jamaican dish that uses a combination of hot, sweet and warm(cinnamon, cloves) flavors. It is really tasty. But it involves a crazy amount of spices..all the spices that are probably not in your pantry. So if you got a craving for this delicious chicken you would have to go out and buy 100 dollars worth of spices just to make Jerk Chicken. Instead, you can make my version! It so simple..yet really gives you that warm spicy flavor that only comes from Jerk Chicken. Think Christmas in Jamaica.... try this one out. You'll love it. And as always you can count on it being healthy and easy! I like to serve mine with brown rice.

Here is how it's done....

1 env. Italian Dressing mix
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Oil
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 heaping tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of Ground thyme
1\2 tsp. Ground red pepper
1-1\2 1b Boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-1\2 pieces
3 red bell peppers- chunked
1 can of chuncked pineapple

Mix first seven ingredients until well blended; pour over chicken in large bowl. Stir to evenly coat chicken. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Heat Grill to medium- high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken into 12 skewers alternately with bell peppers and pineapple.

Grill 15 min. or until chicken is done, turning frequently.

If you have read my blog, than you know that I have two meal plans. One for Spring\Summer and the other for Fall\Winter. This recipe could go on either menu plan because it is a grilling recipe(summer)but it's warm cinnamon flavors are perfect for early fall. So try this one out..if you like it add it to your menu plan. And then hang on to it because in a couple of blogs I'm going to show you what to do with it!

Cook with me, Learn with me, Laugh with me!

Over the past year I have focused on trying to learn how to cook out of a stocked pantry. I've always wanted to be one of those cooks who could just go in their pantry and put something delicious together in minutes. So..I figured that the only way that I was going to actually accomplish this was to teach myself how to cook. So I did...and I am still learning..and practicing. But just the little I have taught myself has given me enormous freedom in the kitchen. I no longer panic when I haven't had the time to plan out dinner. And I no longer feel like we are forced to go out to eat when something simple and nutritious would satisfy everyone even more than an expensive meal out.

I would like to offer a cooking class on some of these techniques. They will be simple and fun. We will cook, learn and laugh as we spend time in my kitchen together.

What's Cooking with Amy?

The Egg.. I'm really loving eggs right now. They are fast, inexpensive and can be simple or fancy.

There is so much you can do with an egg. I can have a class on a Saturday afternoon in September if I have enough of you that are interested. I am charging $10 a person. You will come away knowing how to create tons of dishes by just using eggs and staples in your fridge. And what are those staples you might wonder? Well, we will go over that too! I will also touch on how to create a recipe binder and the essentials of a stocked pantry.

Would you be interested in coming to my house and taking a cooking class? Let me know and I will set a date in September.