#18
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Gotta say, we loved this dinner!! I would give everything a strong 9.
[Image: May7BdayDinnerPlate_zpsf6fe5423.jpg]

I loved spicy pineapple rice – think I’ve tried 6 or 8 different recipes and I’ve like everyone and this is no exception. Very, very tasty and especially combined with the other flavors of this dinner.

Mango chutney – Made it the day before and the flavors are great. ( used the leftover chutney on the chicken with coconut/curry sauce a few days later and it was wonderful again.)

Hushpuppies – really liked the spice combination called for. The only problem I had was making ½ the recipe, I may have screwed up the amounts, but I did have to add addt’l flour to make a good workable batter and they turned out wonderful. We ate the entire half a recipe - just sat and nibbled.

The Jerk-spiced Grilled chicken - I didn’t use 4 hind-quarters, I had chicken thighs from Costco, so used them. Really liked the flavors – added the ‘puree’ a day ahead and let it marinate overnight. They recipe doesn’t say whether to scrape it off before grilling or not, so I didn’t. It also said to grill “skin side up, indirectly, covered, 25 minutes, rotate to evenly cook”. Well, I tried this, but I was getting really anemic looking pieces of chicken, so - darn the torpedos – I just turned them over losing all the ‘goop’ and making a mess on the grill, but maybe the burning of the puree added to the flavor. I would just say, grill the chicken the regular way – over moderate heat, turning often and have a cooler spot on the grill to move them to periodically.

Oh, and I did use jalapenos rather than Scotch bonnets or habanero chiles
All in all - a wonderful early b'day dinner.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#19
  Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 cjs Gotta say, we loved ...
I made the chicken and the rice on Saturday night. Loved both (I used 2 small scotch bonnets and it was HOT). Tony brushed the chicken with the marinade while grilling so that could have contributed to the heat. I'd say the chicken marinated for about 5 hours. I wound up using boneless skinless breasts because that's what I had on hand.

One change I made to one piece of chicken was to add some cilantro stems to the marinade and blend that up - just to see how it would turn out. It was great that way as well.

No changes to the rice. Perfect as is. Served wilted spinach with it. Will make both the chicken and rice again but will probably swap out the scotch bonnets for jalapenos.

Picture on FB, as some of you have already seen.
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#20
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 Trixxee I made the chicken a...
I am preparing our dinner right now. I only used one scotch bonnet pepper. I tasted the marinade before putting it on the chicken and it was very spicy opted to use just one. Will update more later
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#21
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 DFen911 I am preparing our d...
No one's making the hush puppies, huh?? I think they were the hit of the meal, almost.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#22
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 cjs No one's making the ...
I HAVE to make the hushpuppies:
  • I love the flavour combination.
  • They're fried.
  • I had Hush Puppies brand shoes when I was a kid.
  • How could *I* (or anyone else) resist anything with "puppies"?
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#23
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 labradors I HAVE to make the h...
exactly....
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#24
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 cjs exactly.... [img]/ub...

Ok made everything!

Love the jerk chicken! While after only adding one scotch bonnet pepper and finding the jerk marinade very hot, I opted to stop at one. Next time I will use two. While it was hot upon tasting it loses some of the punch upon cooking.

The mango chutney was the perfect combination! I had to use frozen mangos as finding a fresh on up here is laughable, and when they are available they're too expensive. This chutney I think would also be wonderful with grill sea bass or halibut.

The pineapple rice had good flavor, but it was far too mushy. When I do jasmine rice I usually do 1 cup to 1.5 cups of liquid. But the recipe called for 1.25 cups of water and another 6 ounces. So I'll just adjust the water to pineapple to equal 1.5 cups. Also I will omit the butter. That flavor with the pineapple and lime kind of put me off.

Hushpuppies were really good! But will be honest in that with how sweet they were and the vanilla flavor I couldn't make the connection with the dish. We preferred them this morning as a breakfast bread pudding I think I would also add 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead of the 1/4 to make them a tad lighter/fluffier.

This is a 'decadent' recipe for Derek and I as it was carb/sugar overload But will definitely do it again but will probably omit the hushpuppies for a veggie instead.

[Image: Dinner1of1_zpse109dd4b.jpg]
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#25
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 DFen911 [br]Ok made everythi...
What a tasty meal! We loved this! I would give it a 9+ and if I had made the chutney to go with, I'm thinking it would be a definite 10. After reading all of your comments, I realized that I should have made the chutney for myself anyway, even though Ron wouldn't eat it. Next time I will.

The chicken marinated overnight, but not a full 24 hours. We used chicken thighs and I wiped the marinade off the top so they would brown, but left some on the bottom of the thighs for heat. Ron built up a nice hot charcoal fire and tossed a few wood chips in for a few minutes to give it a little bit of smoke. He cooked the chicken over indirect heat for 45 minutes, keeping the vents open so he could maintain the heat at 375-400 degrees. The chicken came out so nice and juicy with a brown and crispy skin and just enough heat from the peppers. Delicious!

The rice was tasty, but mine was mushy for some reason, also. Not sure what I did wrong, except that I did add some frozen peas. But, it did have a nice flavor. Since I did not make the chutney and was sorry later, I opened a can of peaches to go with. Not as good, I'm sure, but better than nothing.

[Image: May2013004_zps8645d0ec.jpg]
Maryann

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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#26
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 Mare749 What a tasty meal! ...
Guess what's [finally] marinating.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#27
  Re: Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013 labradors Guess what's [finall...
good - hope you like!!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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Jean's B'day Dinner Review - May 13, 2013


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