What's cooking at Jerk Castle . . .

Georgia's Cole Slaw

Its finally summer and we celebrated its return by having my brother and sister in law over for a lobster feast on our deck. . . lucky for us we live near the red hook lobster pound, where they drive to Maine each week and bring back fresh lobsters (doesn't get any fresher than that for us new yorkers). . . . the lobster was sweet and delicious (and i am not even a huge lobster fan although i like almost anything dipped in melted butter).

of course we needed some sides. . . .  steven found this recipe online after some google searching. . . because this slaw is vinegar based it is a perfect compliment to a potato salad or other mayonnaise based salad .. . it was tangy and refreshing and will definitely be made often this summer here at jerk castle. 

 

http://southernfood.about.com/od/coleslawcabbagesalads/r/bl30623w.htm

 Have a great memorial day weekend. . . and try this slaw!

Coconut Scones with Coconut Glaze

 

We were traveling North Carolina visiting friends last weekend. . . Our friend Heidi made these for breakfast and when we woke up the entire house smelled fantastic. . . they were delicious. . moist and buttery with a wonderfully rich coconut glaze. . . i had to get a picture and the recipe up here on the blog for those of you who would also like to impress your visitors. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/coconut-scones-with-coconut-glaze-recipe/index.html

Roasted Pepper Appetizer

these roasted peppers are a seriously easy yet impressive appetizer- serve with slices of a crusty baguette or crostini. . . thanks to friends of ours who had us over for dinner (you know who you are) and served us this appetizer (with delicious homemade bread), we are now making these peppers whenever we have people over for dinner. . . our friends also let us know about Costco's bags of baby peppers which are just perfect for roasting- with the small ones you don't have to worry about the seeds getting in the way.

Simply put the peppers in a glass dish, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast away- we roasted ours at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. . . . i want these in the fridge all of the time. 

Barley, Corn, Red Pepper, and Green Onion Pilaf

 

i've tried my fair share of barley recipes and until now i have just been unable to embrace this little grain- however, this tasty recipe from bon appetit's little booklet of recipes from around the world changed my view. . .the barley (which we ate as a side with sautéed chicken cutlets) was nutty and almost like a very healthy fried rice (this might be a stretch) with lots of green onions and other veggies to add flavor and crunch.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit- Tastes of the World (Middle East):

Makes 6 servings 

Ingredients:

1 tbls olive oil

1 large red pepper, chopped

2 bunches green onions, chopped, divided

11/2 cups pearl barley

2 141/2 oz. cans vegetable broth or chicken broth

2 cups frozen corn

1/2 cup sliced basil 

-Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped bell pepper and half of green onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir to coat with olive oil. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until barley is tender stirring occasionally about 40 minutes. Add corn and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Mix in sliced basil and remaining green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

So for all of you trying desperately to eat something other than brown rice all the time . . .here is your chance . . . .

Southwestern potato salad

 

This week was a long anticipated boxing match- Mayweather v. Mosley (Mayweather kicked Mosley's ass if you haven't heard) . . . Steven is a huge boxing fan so naturally we needed to having a BBQ and a fight watching party. . . 

That meant potato salad- this recipe, a classic Bobby Flay special, is tangy and spicy- fairly easy to put together except for just a lot of ingredients (but nothing really complicated except getting them all in the bowl). . . it definitely has a kick but what else would you expect from Bobby? and i got a lot of compliments. . . .

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mesa-grills-southwestern-potato-salad-recipe2/index.html

BBQ season is back!