Caribbean craze

A jerk is often thought to be an obnoxious person, but it is also a flavorful way of preparing meats - Jamaican style.  I like jerk chicken prepared on my charcoal grill, but the convection oven works just as well.  The base is almost similar to that of the Trinidadian green seasoning - scallions, thyme, lime, but then you do allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic etc - some of the spices that flavor basic Arab food...yesterday, I began my day by preparing a jerk rub so that the chicken would be bursting with flavor - I think I went a bit too heavy on the hot peppers.  I was expecting my Tuesday night guest so I baked a cake as well - a Hummingbird cake that was good but not the best - not only was I out of Madagascar vanilla and had to use Tahitian (not good for heat) but I forgot to add the sugar until after I had already mixed in the wet ingredients. 

I made potato salad instead of rice and peas - my aunt (who thinks she's the best cook in the entire world) makes the best potato salad - red bliss potatoes and colorful additions such as carrots, peppers, celery.  I also made cabbage - I sliced it thin sauteed garlic, onion, and thyme then added carrots, red peppers, and kohlrabi (I was stretching the cabbage and figured the taste and texture were close enough to go undetected).

I suspect as a reaction to stress, I was compelled to move about the kitchen and cook...I made a "tropical" dressing - it tasted more Pacific than Caribbean but it worked - a slight reduction of white balsamic vinegar, lime, pineapple juice, orange juice, brown sugar, and ginger - and then tossed romaine, carrots, red pepper, and red onion. 

I desperately wanted to cook something else, but couldn't think of anything and I was exhausted with an aching back.  The meal was tasty but seemed incomplete - perhaps because I forgot to fry the plantains and make the pina coladas.