Thursday's dinner, 4/27/17, what's planned at your place?

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medtran49

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I have a later start at work this a.m. so I whipped up the marinade for Jerk Chicken Recipe | Bon Appetit from May's Bon Appetit and plopped chicken thighs in a bag with it. From the same issue, we'll also have garlicky plantains and coconut rice and peas, except I'll be using black-eyed peas instead of the red beans called for. Pigeon peas would be more ethnically correct, but in the area we live in there are few Jamaicans so they don't carry pigeon peas in the local groceries, and we didn't feel like traveling out of the area when we went shopping last week. Black-eyed peas are an acceptable substitute for pigeon peas so we are going with that.
 
I'm heading out for a two-story grocery run as soon as the coffee is done brewing. This week I do have a good leftover selection - last of the pulled chicken, a quart+ of black bean soup, and half of last night's chicken. If I'm in the mood, I'll make salads when I get home.
 
The weather is reasonably good today after two days of rain so I'll be grilling burgers for tonight's dinner.
 
We have leftover country-style ribs and roasted chicken, as well as leftover pasta salad from my master gardener event on Tuesday, so we'll have that. I'll also make a salad for me from the garden before the lettuce all bolts in this heat. Not whether DH will want one due to his dental procedure on Tuesday. I could roast up the rest of the asparagus for him.
 
med, I saw that Jerk Chicken recipe, please let us all know how that comes out, I was thinking of trying it.

For our repast, I've got a nice Flank steak that I'm going to grill.
I've also got 2 HUGE Baker's in the oven (which our strictly vehicles for Sour Cream as far as I'm concerned ;) )
To go on top of the Steak, I'm making a Mushroom Marsala Sauce;
then lastly to round out the meal a side salad...
I was going to make David Lebovitz's Upside Down Cake to use up that 1+ cup of Crushed Pineapple that I have leftover in the `fridge, but when I went to pull out some Butter, oddly enough, I didn't have enough to make this cake.
That's a bummer! This is the best cake part of an Upside Down Cake I've ever made, truly good... oh well, there's tomorrow.
 
I'm having Papa John's pizza at 50% off because our local major league baseball team scored 5 runs or more the day before. Pepperoni and pineapple. :yum:

If you live in a city with a MLB team, I'm sure your local Papa Johns has a similar deal.
 
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I'm having Papa John's pizza at 50% off because our local major league baseball team scored 5 runs or more the day before. Pepperoni and pineapple. :yum:

If you live in a city with a MLB team, I'm sure your local Papa Johns has a similar deal.

Pineapple on pizza is definitely one of those love it or hate it things. I'm on the hate it side. Sorry.

Tonight was another "grazing" night for me. Snacks, mostly, but I tried to keep them somewhat healthy. I got some jalepeño stuffed olives at the store today. I love those things.

CD
 
Just a plain old tuna melt. At least, I hope so. I think the mayo is expired and I don't have any idea how long I can use it. I still have more than half a jar, so I hate to toss it.
 
If it's been in the fridge since you opened it, rr, it should be fine. If the food police ever came to my kitchen to toss every condiment in my fridge that was past date I'd have a near-empty box. We (knock on wood) never have..."issues".
 
med, I saw that Jerk Chicken recipe, please let us all know how that comes out, I was thinking of trying it.

It was okay but I'd change the cooking technique, lower temp first then a quick hot char. It wasn't spicy at all, but I used green habaneros and removed the center seed core. If i make again, I'll use yellow or orange and leave the core. I think it does need the overnight marinade though. Even though the thighs were marinated for 9 plus hours they were a bit on the bland side.

I really liked the plantain recipe, but next time I'll add salt to the garlic water and maybe let them sit in it a bit longer. There was a Cuban dive I used to get lunch from years ago and they made the best plantains. I knew they soaked them in something, open kitchen, just didn't know what. I had experimented with salted water, but was missing the mark. Now i know.

The rice and peas were pretty good, but i think they might have meant to use fresh herbs, not dried which is what i used. LOTS of salt needed though.
 
It was okay but I'd change the cooking technique, lower temp first then a quick hot char. It wasn't spicy at all, but I used green habaneros and removed the center seed core. If i make again, I'll use yellow or orange and leave the core. I think it does need the overnight marinade though. Even though the thighs were marinated for 9 plus hours they were a bit on the bland side.

I really liked the plantain recipe, but next time I'll add salt to the garlic water and maybe let them sit in it a bit longer. There was a Cuban dive I used to get lunch from years ago and they made the best plantains. I knew they soaked them in something, open kitchen, just didn't know what. I had experimented with salted water, but was missing the mark. Now i know.

The rice and peas were pretty good, but i think they might have meant to use fresh herbs, not dried which is what i used. LOTS of salt needed though.

I haven't made Jamaican rice and peas in a long time. It is a favorite of mine. How do you incorporate your scotch bonnets? I use two of them, whole, with just a couple of slits cut into them. After cooking, I remove them. That seems to add just the right amount of heat. It is subtle, but you know it's there.

CD
 
I haven't made Jamaican rice and peas in a long time. It is a favorite of mine. How do you incorporate your scotch bonnets? I use two of them, whole, with just a couple of slits cut into them. After cooking, I remove them. That seems to add just the right amount of heat. It is subtle, but you know it's there.

CD

That particular recipe doesn't use them. I think the jerk was supposed to be spicy and the rice and peas were supposed to be a cooling element. The other recipe I have though does use 1 chopped but i think I like your idea better, because you definitely know it is in mine, nothing subtle about it.
 
It was okay but I'd change the cooking technique, lower temp first then a quick hot char. It wasn't spicy at all, but I used green habaneros and removed the center seed core. If i make again, I'll use yellow or orange and leave the core. I think it does need the overnight marinade though. Even though the thighs were marinated for 9 plus hours they were a bit on the bland side.

I really liked the plantain recipe, but next time I'll add salt to the garlic water and maybe let them sit in it a bit longer. There was a Cuban dive I used to get lunch from years ago and they made the best plantains. I knew they soaked them in something, open kitchen, just didn't know what. I had experimented with salted water, but was missing the mark. Now i know.

The rice and peas were pretty good, but i think they might have meant to use fresh herbs, not dried which is what i used. LOTS of salt needed though.

Med, would you believe I've never made plantains, although I've tasted them somewhere I think. Is this the recipe you're talking about?
Garlicky Plantains Recipe | Bon Appetit
I'd like to give that a shot.
By the way, I'm very happy with the Jerk seasoning mix and recipe from Penzey's spices.
 
Med, would you believe I've never made plantains, although I've tasted them somewhere I think. Is this the recipe you're talking about?
Garlicky Plantains Recipe | Bon Appetit
I'd like to give that a shot.
By the way, I'm very happy with the Jerk seasoning mix and recipe from Penzey's spices.


Heh. On one of our forays into a grocery store in Mexico, DH picked up a few of what he thought were bananas. I'm thinking, honey, those aren't bananas. They weren't bananas. Plantains are delicious when cooked. One of our places serves them as chips with a sweet sauce.
 
That particular recipe doesn't use them. I think the jerk was supposed to be spicy and the rice and peas were supposed to be a cooling element. The other recipe I have though does use 1 chopped but i think I like your idea better, because you definitely know it is in mine, nothing subtle about it.

Yeah, I have seen recipes both ways, and have tried both. I prefer the "with peppers" recipe, and even that is more cooling than heat. Although, using chopped habs would probably change that considerably. Using two whole habs sliced to let some heat escape seems to be just the right balance, at least for my tastes.

I have been tempted to eat one of the scotch bonnets after making the rice and peas, but I've never been drunk enough to actually do it. I'd prefer to dare one of my drunk friends to do it. :LOL:

CD
 
Med, would you believe I've never made plantains, although I've tasted them somewhere I think. Is this the recipe you're talking about?
Garlicky Plantains Recipe | Bon Appetit
I'd like to give that a shot.
By the way, I'm very happy with the Jerk seasoning mix and recipe from Penzey's spices.

That is one way of making plantain chips. Another way is to cut the plantains into one-inch chunks, par cook them in the fryer, then drain and smash them flat -- I use a soup can. Then, you finish frying them. The first fry just makes them soft. The second fry makes them crispy. It is kind of like twice fried french fries.

CD
 
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