Honey Basted Jerk Chicken

 What is Honey Basted Jerk Chicken you may ask? I confess I took culinary artistic license with traditional Jerk chicken . Rather than BBQ outside I wanted  an easy indoor version of the Spicy Jamaican Favorite. The method of cooking Jerk style is essentially making a dry or wet rub of all spice, cloves, garlic, hot peppers(scotch bonnet ) and  other spices that was originally developed as  a smoking method of preservation among the natives of the Caribbean Islands.Jerk anything has evolved into a world wide favorite with commercial blends readily available. Rather than buy a commercial  Jerk blend , I wanted to make my own Jerk rub as I had a canister of allspice sitting on my pantry shelf.I saw a television spot on a local Jerk restaurant and became fascinated watching how they make their own Jerk rub. I figured I could make my own.I took some liberty and switched out  some ingredients for what I had. For instance, I used my Sambal, in place of Scotch Bonnet Peppers for the heat. This recipe is  by no means authentic, but makes a very tasty overnight marinade for chicken.To neutralize the heat, I basted my boneless chicken thighs with honey as they cooked on the indoor grill pan. The result was a a great chicken dish in which Certain Someone devoured.  Bear in my nothing beats Jerk Chicken cooked over coals and fire, but this recipe will do in a pinch.

 You will need a good blender or food processor for this. You can alter and adjust ingredient proportions to taste. Less heat, more sweet, etc.

Honey Basted Jerk Chicken
8 Boneless Chicken thighs or breasts
Jerk Marinade
2 Tablespoons of  whole All Spice Berries
1/2 cup lime juice
1 cup water
1 inch fresh ginger peeled
2 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or grape seed oil
1 bunch scallion chopped
1 onion chopped
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon Sambal or 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers
Baste
1/2 cup honey
In a mixer of food processor combine all the Marinade ingredients and puree thoroughly.Pour marinade over chicken pieces and cover. Refrigerate over night .
Remove chicken from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. 
Make sure kitchen is well ventilated.
Prepare an indoor grill pan and heat. Brush grill pan with a little vegetable oil and add chicken which has been removed piece by piece from the marinade.
Sear  chicken  on each side for a few minutes each  to make grill marks. Continue to grill chicken until almost done. During the last few minutes of cooking brush the chicken pieces with honey on both sides . Remove from heat .
Serve.

Glamah Does Sweden ...Day 1

This trip would be my 3rd visit to Sweden. Once alone to meet my uncle and cousins, and the last few with Certain Someone for weddings, meeting friends,etc. Getting there this time around was challenging. I had a connection via London but arrived later due to weather delays.British Airways informed me that there were no more available direct flights to Stockholm. They rerouted me via Schipol in Amsterdam.Lots of waiting around,coveting the new shops in the controversial Terminal 5.From a professional perspective this has raised the bar in Duty Free shopping. Anyway I finally arrive in Stockholm, funky, irritated, but full thanks to a upgrade on the last leg(meals and wine, would you believe American tried to charge me $6 for wine !Used to be complimentary).I had been travelling 20 hours.Another fellow Chicagoan who had the same fate as me told me our bags were still in Amsterdam.I found one bad and waited with a mob to trace the other. They took my paper and said the other(with my dress for the wedding) would be delivered to me me.Certain Someone and our friends were waiting for me.I was never so happy to see him. Talk about weary traveller.

We woke and started the 2 hour drive to Tierp to close on the house. Tierp is a small town near the summer house that can be best be described as somewhat "rural" and full of older people.We went to the supermarket\cafe for coffee and quick bite.Now you have to be black to understand this. I was waiting for the stares.There were a few, but Lo and behold I saw a "Sistah" in the market. She looked right past me.Then I saw a "Brothah". I felt better and the people were nice. A few stared , but maybe because I was so Glamah!.The real estate agent and soon to be former owner were very warm and offered to speak English. I told them to go ahead in Swedish and take care of business. Just put my name on the deed! Hahaha. I reminded Certain Someone that I was his SAMBO( which is a shortened way in Swedish meaning legal partner, not derogatory as I first thought when I heard it)!The former owner offered to introduce us to our neighbors and advised us on shopping for supplies etc. He recommended Uppsala (I say upps upside your head, I say upps upsides your head...) for the nearest dose of real shopping: Uppsala is a lovely ancient University town with a Castle and Cathedral that are breathtaking from a distance. The owner was amused when he saw me get excited seeing another black person on the street. I reminded him how would he feel if he was in the most rural of Africa and felt "different", he agreed and admitted he would welcome the site of a fellow Euro.

We drove along the country gravel road and what I saw took my breath away. Certain Someone had managed to buy a paradise! It was lovingly cared for by the former owner and his family for 35 years.A beautiful yellow wooden summer house on 1.5 acres of land with a guest house, outhouse,woodshed,work shed, etc. Apple, pear, and plum trees, deers, and all sorts of more flora and fauna, and impish magpies galore.A five minute walk and your by the Baltic Sea. The former owner was distressed that the water line had receded this year. So getting the boat out will be difficult because of the shallow waters.Around the boathouse is a spot that the government used to spy on the Russians. There is a listening post by the dock. All I kept saying throughout the walk through, was this would be great for a party(the last thing the former owner wanted to hear from the American)! I mean it was huge! Three bedrooms in the main house. The city girl in mna had to adjust to nature, but I loved it.My creative mind started running away with improvement plans. There is a huge rock pile that I wan to use to build a stone BBQ range.There is even a spot for bonfires. Its to arid and against the law to start them now. My only regret is that we cant use it all the time. His parents will use it more than us.And perhaps short term vacation rentals down the line.This area is going to be hot soon because the prices are way more favorable than the popular archipelago region and the new highway makes it a straight shot.Our neighbors were an elderly couple that had lived there forever.The man grew up there and the wife had been there for 40 years. Their property looked more farm like. Since they live there all year round they will kind of keep an eye on things. If we did give a party it would most likely freak them out(hundreds of Swedish yuppies\ brats with loud techno blaring, just kidding ) , so we need to be considerate.The former owner bought a farm and has a new project to occupy him. We invited him to check in anytime, and he invited us to his new farm.I know it was hard for him to part with this charming property.Memories.To bad we wont be here for Midsommar!We drove back sleepy from the sun and all the sensory overload.

Some friends were coming for a BBQ at our friends house that evening. Since everyone was working Certain Someone and I did the shopping and menu planning. He paid,I planned and executed. Food is expensive in Sweden.We spent $100 for what I probably have gotten for $75 back home.I made skewers of shrimp with pineapple,pineapple and Halloumi,Halloumi,mushroom,pepper kebabs, a quick thin sliced pork cutlet marinated in Hoisin, brown sugar, pineapple,spices,oil, sausages,ribs,etc. They didn't marinate for as long as I would have liked but the result was fabulous. Our host BH made a warm potato salad with mixed greens,feta, and asparagus. Delish. A foodie friend of theirs chipped in with a nice dressing for the vegetable kebabs an being the grill master. I introduced them to something new as they never had pineapple on the grill before. I also made rum cocktails with spiced rum, lime, pineapple,and lime. Delish!I apologized for taking over my hosts kitchen, but she said she was happy I was in her kitchen.What can I say, I thrive in the kitchen.Can you believe this is only DAY 1 on a Monday? Tomorrow moving day.

Playing Around With Country Bob's Original All Purpose Sauce

A few weeks back, the people at Country Bob's emailed me and asked would I mind reviewing and talking about their product.Would I mind? Send it on over.

The promptly sent over 2 bottles of their Original All Purpose Sauce. Come to find out they are based in Illinois! With all my cake projects, etc I was to busy to cook. Certain Someone was leaving for Sweden and I relented and let him have his Harold's chicken. He's addicted to this South Side Specialty. Normally they drown the chicken and fries in either a hot or BBQ Sauce.Its unbelievable. I told him to order it plain and undressed so we could add the Country Bobs to it. On first taste it pretty good. Not as sweet, thick, and gooey as most BBQ sauces. I actually described it as cross between a Steak Sauce and a BBQ . I liked. I just felt eating it with the chicken, I poured more on as it was a thinner sauce.

So then I decided to actually cook with it. If you visit their web site, they have a lot of great recipes. On a leisurely Sunday with the man away I decided to make Chicken Sausage. With that I was going to make Chicken Meatballs baked with Country Bobs! I much preferred using Country Bobs Original All Purpose Sauce as a cooking sauce , but it was good as a dunking sauce too. I definitely would like to try their other products.

Here is my quick Chicken Sausage Meatballs recipe:

Chicken Meatballs

4-5 chicken thighs

1 leek

1 apple

1 egg

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2 bottle of Country Bob's Original All Purpose Sauce

olive oil

Spices to season:* play around with your qty's to suit your tastes

Maple Sugar

Red Pepper Flakes

Salt

Smoked Paprika

Cumin

Run the Chicken Thighs, leek, and apple through your Kitchen Aid Meat Grinder. Season with your spices. Add egg and breadcrumbs. Mixture is slightly runny, but able to handle with oiled hands to form balls. Place formed meatballs in a pre oiled baking dish. Bake at 350 for approx 25 minutes. Pour 1/2 bottle of Country Bobs and toss the meatballs. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve as appetizers, as a sandwich, etc.

Sorry you missed it Honey!

BBQ...With a Asian Twist

This past Sunday was glorious in Chicago. I had a early meeting and Certain Someone played some golf. We knew we wanted to take advantage of the sunshine and BBQ. I have a spacious deck in need of repair. Currently a team is using it to work on the roof. Certain Someone has never really enjoyed my deck. In years past it was teaming with flowers.Me and my condo association are stalled on the maintenance of the deck.A neighbour is holding up the process of repainting and varnishing it. So until its settled I don't feel like enjoying it. But the deck is what motivated me to buy the condo in the first place.So anyway the night before we went with some friends to dine on Argyle Street. Argyle St is up to the north and is teaming with Vietnamese business. On our way to dinner we stopped in a grocery when I loaded up.

Certain Someone got into the act and started adding the condiments and noodles he liked. I searched for more exotic finds like Pandan extracts,

Star Anise( look at this huge bag!), Tamarind Pods,

,

Lychee's, and this amazing BBQ sauce in can that is a paste of spices and dried fish in a oily base. We sampled this at a friends house and were hooked.At least I was.We both thought of using our loot in the Sunday BBQ.Four bags of groceries for under $30.A BARGAIN!

So I woke up Sunday and marinated 4 chicken breasts in the BBQ sauce I purchased. This sauce comes with a plastic lid and seems to go a long way. It took us a while to light my old rusty charcoal grill. But Certain Someone got up and got it going. I had some Zucchini and green pepper I planned to grill alongside the chicken. Certain Someone was in charge of the noodles. We planned to slice up the grilled veggies and fry them up in the noodles with some garlic. Half my vegetable were lost as my grill basket came loose . But we saved half. He choose the thick white chewy Vietnamese noodles. The chicken had been marinating for hours and I decided in addition to add a final brush of Hoisen Sauce on the final moments of grilling. All in all we created a nice summer late lunch while we discussed buying some nicer deck furniture, Certain Someone enjoyed it outside for a change and suggested we do this more this summer. I'm all for it.Stay tuned for this weekend when Certain Someone flies solo and takes out the WOK for a guest appearance.

I will be closing voting on the Tamale Open Roundup Friday May 10. Please be sure to get your votes in.