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!

Thai Crab and Mango Salad

Alright, again, I do apologize for the lack of a post on Wednesday, but I must say, I'm completely less stressed out... although I do have a test on Monday that I should be studying for... but that's what Sunday is reserved for.

This weekend is a pretty big weekend I should say. Louisville is home to the biggest fireworks show in the U.S. - Thunder Over Louisville. The masses gather around, on the Indiana and Kentucky sides of the Ohio River, get drunk, watch some air shows, eat some food, watch the fireworks, and then proceed to bitch and complain about the 20-30 minutes they spend in traffic on the way home. Great time right? Right. Personally... I think it's overrated... once you've seen fireworks, you've seen fireworks... I mainly go because of one reason... a nice fried funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar... and possibly an occasional foot long corn dog, but not necessary. Yep... nothing like a redneck making you a funnel cake... makes me quite content.

So to make myself feel better about eating some not-so-healthy food this weekend... I'm going to post a recipe for a really delicious salad that is pretty healthy... they counter balance eachother right?


Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's March 2010 issue - "Thai Crab-and-Green-Mango Salad"

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 mexican red chiles, seeded and minced
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
juice from 1 lemon
juice from 1 tangerine
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
1/3 cup water
2 mangoes, peeled and julienned
2 cucumbers, peeled and julienned
2 bunches of watercress, washed and thick stems discarded
1 tablespoon basil paste
small handful cilantro, chopped
1 lb. jumbo lump crab
3 scallions, thinly sliced

I think the prep work is what take a lot of time in this recipe. There's tons of color and flavor here and it's definitely worth the time for everything. Trust me on this one.

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and half of the garlic and chiles. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour for a quick pickling of sorts.

In another medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, tangerine juice, shallot, fish sauce, sambal oelek, and water. Stir in remaining garlic, chiles, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix until sugar is well dissolved. This is your dressing... and it's phenomenal.

In a large salad bowl, combine the mango, cucumbers, watercress, basil paste, and cilantro. Drain the carrots, shaking off any extra liquid, and add into the bowl as well. Stir in the dressing and toss well. Place big portion on large plates and top with lump crab meat. Garnish with the scallions and dig in!

This was absolutely a knock out dish for me. The color, the flavor, the presentation. It was all just beautiful. I mean, look at that dish! You want to eat it now! The mango plays such a great contrast to the sweet crab meat. Seriously, you must try this dish now... it's great! Enjoy!