Grilling season for me is all year round. I’m not much for rain, but the elements generally do not stop me from that grill life, especially during football playoffs season. Big games are scheduled this winter weekend so I’ll be pretending I’m vacationing in the islands with an ice cold Red Stripe Lager and these slow-smoked jerk ribs. Make this for your gameday experience or wait til the summer if you’re not inclined to deal with the weather. Enjoy
“workinonit” curried collard greens
Collard greens are a weekly staple in our home. We have our traditional Sunday Dinner recipe that ain’t changing. However, I do keep quite a few of what I call weeknight greens recipes. These are meant for us to explore the greatness of the humble but nutritious collard greens but within the context of our busy lives. So these are actually quick hitters. This curried collard greens recipe falls into this category. As its the norm, we explore cultures through food in an effort to become culturally aware as well deepen our empathy for others. Collard greens more than any other vegetable/food is most often the vessel for these explorations. Enjoy
Grilled “Piri Piri” Shrimp
Sorry I’m a little late with this post, but it’s actually an annual Kwanzaa celebration recipe. After hosting Christmas dinner, mentally I’m content to ride with leftovers for a few days. However, with Kwanzaa, there is no rest for the weary. Therefore I go with simple, low involvement recipes such as this Piri Piri Shrimp. It’s usually an appetizer on my menu, but can easily be made for a fancy weeknight main dish.
“All That You Give” fried cabbage masala
A few years ago my family got invited to the premiere of the movie “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” which is a movie produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey about an Indian family seeking asylum in France. The son becomes a famous chef introducing the French to Indian spices and cooking techniques. I remember thinking at the time how similar Indian cooking was to “soul food” in terms of the use of spices and seasonings to take humble ingredients to extraordinary. I was reminded again during our Thanksgiving trip to Dubai when we ate a Masala based fried cabbage dish which was very similar to the southern fried cabbage I grew up. I bought a lot of spices from the local Souk including the garam masala I used in this dish. This dish tastes as great as it smells so be prepared.
“Baby I’m Scared of You” Instapot White Beans with Ham Hocks Recipe
Christmas always brings in new toys, and I’m happy to have this Instapot to break in and make you the beneficiary. So let’s just say this will be the gift that keeps on giving. Seeing I’m late to the Instapot craze, I’m in catch-up mode and hope to be as prolific as Quincy Jones once I get the hang of it. For my first foray into things, I decided to convert an older traditional stove-top recipe for white bean stew. Plus, I had leftover ham hocks I was trying to get rid of from the pork nachos recipe for tonight’s bowl games. Feel free to use this recipe to make black-eyed peas for New Year’s as the peas are easily substitutable for white beans in this recipe.
“find a way” gameday pork nachos with ham hocks
Change up your gameday menu and find a way to get some smoked ham hocks in your life via these pork nachos. Don’t fret, just start your New Year’s resolutions after the bowl season or just reward yourself with a cheat day.