1 Year Anniversary! & Jerk Chicken & Mango Kabobs

I'm pretty excited today, because My Fiance Likes It, So It Must Be Good has turned 1! Honestly, when I started this blog, I didn't think I would last more than a couple months. I thought I would eventually get bored with it and move on to some other hobby. But no... this blog is practically my savior. It relieves my stress to write a blog entry up, it makes me happy to see people comment on my recipes and photos, and my photos... wow have they improved. Still not stellar food magazine material, but hey, if you look at my first couple of entries ever... I've come a long way. I've learned so much in the past year, I've grown as a person, I've become engaged (woohoo!), and I'm hoping that there's more anniversaries to come and I hope you guys help me celebrate them by still sticking around!

Also, I just came back from picking up this week's CSA and this is what we ended up with:

- another lb. of potatoes (good b/c I think they're one of the easiest side dishes ever)
- another watermelon
- another bunch of basil
- head of red cabbage
- 1 lb. peaches
- 1 & 1/5 lbs. tomatoes (I got one really large one and a little guy)

Looking forward to figuring out what to do with that bunch of stuff (sorry no picture, but Andy took my camera to work)... any suggestions?

And for today's recipe, I've got a zesty little kabob. I've been doing a lot of jerk chicken and kabobs, so inevitably it's not surprise that today is the best of both worlds, jerk chicken kabobs. They come together easy, are smoky from the grill, and go quick once they hit the plate!


Ingredients:

juice from 2 limes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips or cubes
2 mangoes, cubed
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

In a large plastic resealable bag, combine lime juice, cayenne pepper, thyme, allspice, salt, pepper, garlic, brown sugar, jalapeno, olive oil, and cinnamon. Seal bag and squish together to mix everything up. Add chicken thighs and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Light a grill under medium high heat. Put skewers together by alternating, chicken, mangoes, and red bell pepper.

Grill for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken chunks, and allowing chicken to become cooked throughout. Serve with fresh pineapple!

This was pretty good. Not my best jerk chicken marinade, but still a winner. The combination of the spicy chicken and the cooling sensation of the mangoes go really well together! Enjoy!