A few asked for the recipes from the Jamaican Independence Day Party
Jerk Chicken.I think the recipes are generally all the same: scallions, peppers, dried thyme, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and garlic. But, please. Try and buy ‘Scotch Bonnet Peppers’. Or ‘Jamaican Peppers’ as the Thai-Philippine store by my house calls them. They have a nice kick and leave out the seeds if you’re worried about the heat. Oh, and I use fresh thyme because it grows in my sidewalk garden.
Everyday Food. I am STILL mad about Blueprint magazine Martha!
Plantain Chips. Traditionally, you just fry plantains. But, these were even better. And pretty much worked on the first batch. It just takes a LOT of plantains.
Mango Salsa.I made this one up. Three mangoes (two firm, one ripe), cubed. One cucumber, cubed. 1/4 of a red onion, juice of one lime, salt and pepper. This was not a spicy one at all. I let it sit in the fridge all day and it was great. Really light and fresh.
Lime Chili Butter.Hmm, I adapted this. I used butter instead of mayo and no cheese.
Sweat Tea.Ummm, another bootleg recipe. For every two cups of tea, I added four cups of limeade, zest of one lime and a lot of simple syrup.
Watermelon Basil Feta Tomato Salad. I saw this forever ago on Two Hot Tamales. One whole seedless watermelon, juice from one lemon, a splash of rum, 1/4 cup of chopped basil, a small container of the pear shaped tomatoes, and a 1/2 cup of crumbled feta. Although, in retrospect, I think I should go with goat cheese next time.
This weekend I am making curtains for friends. We bartered for my new-to-me bedroom furniture. And Tuesday of next week, I am finally, blessedly on my 10-day vacation. I’ll be heading to Panama with a girlfriend to visit my parents. And hopefully, when I come back, I’ll head to the sewing room
