HARRIS HOUSE: What's Cooking Good Looking?

Hello! I hope all is well. Today, I'll be discussing recipes! One of my favorite things to do is EAT. Sounds greedy doesn't it? Well, I am! Another favorite of mine is travel. Mixing the two together is just pure delight. For times when I can't get away, it's always fun to try to recreate dishes from places that I've travelled or places that I want to go. For Valentine's Day my husband and I created an authentic Jamaican meal for some very special valentines--the women in my life :-) *Mother, Granny, Aunt*
Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to get in the kitchen and whip up something good. I would like to think that people would appreciate a nice, hearty meal more than some hit-or-miss chocolates. So without further ado, let's get to it:

On the menu this year:

Jerk Chicken
Caribbean Rice & Beans
Island Cabbage
Fried Plantains
&Whipped Banana Pudding

For the sake of time, I'll just go over the chicken and rice--that's a meal by itself :)
Let's talk about the chicken first. This crockpot recipe is soo easy that it should be a crime; it's also 100% delish! Here goes:

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken recipe

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 20 mins

Author: AfricanBites

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Caribbean

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

I lime or lemon
6-7chicken thighs or 3 -3½ pound chicken cut up
2 teaspoons creole seasoning (replace with salt and pepper or chicken spice)
1 or more Scotch Bonnet Pepper (Habaneros)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tablespoon cinnamon powder
½ tablespoon allspice coarsely ground
½ teaspoon coarsely ground white pepper
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 medium scallions, chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
½ cup pineapple juice or pineapple
1-tablespoon bouillon powder (optional)
Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Rub with lemon, and 2 teaspoons creole spice or season with salt and pepper
In a food processor or blender, combine the cinnamon, thyme, green onions, onion, habanero pepper, soy sauce, Maggi/bouillon, brown sugar, onion, nutmeg, allspice and pineapple juice or chunks. Pulse for about 30 seconds until blended
Drench the chicken with ¾ of the jerk marinate, place in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Try not to touch the jerk blend with your hands because it extremely spicy hot- If possible use gloves or just place the chicken pieces and marinate in the slow cooker so that they are tucked tightly. Cover the slow cooker, turn it on to high, and let it cook for about 3- 4hours.
After chicken is cooked carefully remove the chicken and place it on a broiler pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. Be careful because the chicken would be really tender. You might have to use a spatula or tongs. Add a little bit of the cooked marinate on the chicken. Adjust the rack in your oven so that the top of the chicken is 4-5 inches below the broiler. Broil on high for about 3 - 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and deep brown. Don’t walk away from the chicken – this really acts quickly. Broilers can burn food.
While the chicken is getting crisp simmer the sauce from the chicken together with the remaining jerk marinade in a saucepan for about 5-7 minutes. or until reduced to desired consistency.Brush over chicken .

Although the recipe calls for letting the chicken marinate overnight, I've never tried it that way. I'm sure that it would be even more yummy if I allowed all the flavor to really soak in, but trust me it's good as is! Another slight variation, instead of rubbing my chicken with lime I actually peel the lime and throw it into the blender with all of the other ingredients. It was an oversight the first go round, but it was so good the first time that I decided to do it "wrong" again. Don't be worried when you see the blended mixture. Looking at it for the first time, I just KNEW that I was going to have to throw the whole thing out. Honestly, it looks like vomit, but it smells divine.

Yuck &Yum! Hey, that might be my new name for it, Yuck & Yum Chicken ;-)

Now for the Rice and Beans:

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: AfricanBites

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Caribbean

Serves: 3-5

Ingredients

¼ cup canola oil (or canola)
2 garlic clove, minced
½ medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons creole spice
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13.5 oz can (1¾ cups) coconut milk
15.5 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 small bay leaves
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
3¼ cups chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional)
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper.
1 teaspoons paprika(optional)

Instructions

Wash rice until water runs clear. Drain water.
Heat a saucepan with oil. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, and hot pepper, sauté for about a minute.
Stir in rice to the pan, followed by beans for about 2 minutes, then add coconut milk, bay leaf, bouillon powder, creole spice, with 3 cups of water, bring to a boil reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes or more. Stir occasionally from the sides to prevent burns , add more water if needed.
Adjust for salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves You have to stir occasionally to be preventing any burns.
Serve warm

So, things can never just go smoothly in my house. There were quite a few little mishaps that sent my hubby back to the store several times. However, in the end everyone said that the food was GOOD! We actually had fun cooking too. It was one of the rare times when we were both in the kitchen with the music going, dancing around, and completing our own separate tasks. It was nice ;-) Here's the finished product.

Never mind the Playdoh cap on the table. I guess that was my little guy's contribution :) Actually, he was really good and played quietly to himself while we made a mess in the kitchen.