Gotta Make Dinner

I had to feed the husband Sunday afternoon after his job running sound at a local church. He often calls on his way home wanting to know what’s for lunch. Most of the time he spends Saturday evenings working a gig until the wee hours, sleeps a mere six hours, maybe less, and then gets up and works at the church. After that he is famished. I usually cook big on Saturday evening and sleep in on Sunday, (my only day off), so cooking is the last thing on my mind. We had soft tacos Saturday night, a staple meal at my house. Hubby doesn’t much care for leftovers so I took what was left and made a fabulous casserole that he has just gobbled up.

Layer in a casserole coated with cooking spray, Spanish rice, black beans, your taco meat, grated cheese, (jalapeño jack makes it awesome) some salsa and enchilada sauce and crushed tortilla chips. Repeat layer one more time and top with grated cheese and fresh chopped cilantro and bake. I would personally add some Mexican corn and black olives to the mix but that is purely optional. Bake at 350 degrees til bubbly and serve. I top it with some sour cream and guacamole.

Just an idea on using leftovers. Hope it works for you. (tip: you can season your soft taco meat with a packet of taco seasoning, let sit for a while and then grill.) Really, it is so easy. Check back with me later on easy Spanish rice if you don’t want to use the box mix.

The first time I had Jamaican Jerk I was in Pensacola, Florida, and it was the best thing I had ever tasted. I searched for the secret and I have finally found it. It helps to have friends from Jamaica. Thanks Cheryl Goodman. Anyway, summer time is when I stay at the grill and am looking for many different ways to prepare food. This is one of them. It is accompanied with grilled vegetables and sometimes a family favorite, Black Bean Salad, (or Crack Bean Salad as my friend Tonya refers to it because it is addictive). That recipe is coming soon.

I also serve fried plantain, but pictured here are sweet potato fries which you can find in the grocers freezer. The preferred cocktail is, of course, a Mojito. Oh so cool on a hot summer evening.

Preparation: 15 minutes (that’s all) plus an hour of marinating

1 Tbs. ground allspice
4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 large pickled jalapeño pepper (more or less depending on the level of heat you like)
¼ C white wine vinegar (I make it more Caribbean by cutting the vinegar in half and adding 1/8 C lime juice and some lime zest)
1 ½ Tbs. brown sugar
1 ½ Tbs. olive oil
1 ¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast or Mahi Mahi fillets
8 scallions
2 large red bell pepper
fresh pineapple chunks (or canned)

Combine allspice, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, oil, pepper, and salt in large bowl. Measure out 2 Tbsp. mixture and set aside. Add chicken to mixture remaining in bowl and turn to coat on all sides. Refrigerate for only one hour. Trim scallions and cut into three pieces each.

Soak bamboo skewers in water and skewer the scallions, bell pepper, and pineapple alternately. Heat grill to medium heat. Take chicken out of marinade and place on well oiled grill. Brush reserved marinade onto the skewered vegetables. Grill turning chicken and skewers once for 10 to 15 minutes.