Big pan of curry chicken

I made this for a fundraiser my son was having for his Capoeira group and it turned out well. It's a large recipe but can be pared down to family size. The secret to this recipe is the seasoning sauce it cooks in and the combination of veggies. I didn't have any fresh thyme at the time, but highly recommend you get some. The sauce has a base of cane syrup, chicken broth, curry powder, Walkers jerk seasoning, Ms. Dash, chopped garlic, fresh thyme ( you're right there is no salt). Rinse chicken pieces and place in a baking pan. Add potatoes, onion, coarse chopped, and a large can of chopped tomatoes. Cover everything with the seasoning sauce, add more curry powder if needed, and place in the oven (350 degrees) for an appropriate time for the amount your making. I put a cover of aluminum foil over the pan for quicker cooking. After it was done I added a jar of olives (just the olives not the juice) and some crinkle cut carrots into the dish so there would be crunch and added (salty) flavor without adding extra salt. Serve over rice.

Sister in laws 'DRY' greens

I know this sounds like the beginning of a very bad meal but it really isn't. In fact this recipe might get me some 'brownie' points with the veggie people. (MMmmmmm brownies) Anyway this is a fabulous recipe I learned from my Sister in law Burrietta in Cali. There is no meat needed and it's really quick cooking for fresh greens. If I hadn't watched her make this and then eaten the delicious results I wouldn't believe it. The way I make this is with greens that are already cleaned and cut and come in large bags, so if you use greens right out of your garden or from the farmers market be sure to cut them into small pieces. As you may have guessed the term 'dry' is relative. Compared to the traditional way Black folk cook greens this is the 'dry' version. I start off with some broth (chicken, veggie, etc.) not more than a cup. Then you can add the oil of your choice. I like some butter and olive oil and some toasted sesame oil for that smokey flavor; but use margarine or straight evoo if you like it's all good. Chop up some onion, red bell pepper, tomatoes, jalapenos and add the seasonings of your choice. All of this goes in a pot appropriate for the amount of greens you're cooking. You probably noticed I haven't turned the stove on yet. You don't turn it on until you put the first batch of greens in the pot. I start off with the heat up high and constantly stir and mix the greens so they will wilt quickly and then add more greens and continue to wilt and add. After all the greens are in the pot turn heat down to medium and continue to mix so bottom doesn't burn. Allow some time between stirring while fire is on medium so the greens create their own liquid. Once they are good and hot, turn fire down to low and add a lid to the pot. They will be tender and ready to eat in about 15 mins. No this is not your Grand mama's greens but you may still want to slap somebody when you taste them. This same recipe works for fresh string beans as well and equally as delicious. I even added fresh red skin potatoes (cut up) when I made them.

Barbecue Neck bone Sammich

Yes I eat swine. Don't hate. In fact I was just thinking about the fact that you can buy chicken broth, beef broth, Veggie broth, seafood stock in the grocery store but I have never seen pork broth!!!??? WHY? If my wife wasn't such a kind and gentle soul she might say something like: 'We were never able to get your bath water hot enough to make pork broth' Bless her heart. Anyway, here's a recipe for barbecued neck bones for all those people out there who dare not spend 12.00 dollars for a rack of ribs, but are still jonesing for the swine.

Get a large pack of meaty neck bones from SAVE A LOT or WALLY WORLD. I like to rinse them off with some vinegar and cold water (use white vinegar to clean)

marinade the neck bones in some apple cider vinegar and apple juice. You can also add crushed red pepper, minced garlic, teriyaki sauce, and some Ms. Dash. Let that marinade as long as you can stand it. I meant to say a couple hours or over night.

Before baking in the oven pour marinade off the meat and discard the marinade not the meat. I hear you, don't hate. Put neck bones in a baking pan with the bone side down. Add some chicken broth and a little more apple juice just to cover the bottom of the pan. Add dry seasonings of your choice (watch the salt though I've been told it's bad for you) and your favorite barbecue sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cooked through and you can't stand the deliciousness any longer. No you really can't make a sandwich out of this, but who really cares???

Brown sugar glaze

My daughter Dele mentioned to me that she had salmon with a brown sugar glaze at a restaurant in ATL. I never got a chance to really get into the details with her but I've been looking for something that wakes up the flavor of salmon for me. This is my version, and it turned out surprisingly delicious. This recipe is for a fairly large amount of salmon, I think it was around 2 and a half pounds.

1 cup of brown sugar

2 or 3 good jiggers of teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup of jalapeno vinegar* (see recipe below)

1 tbls. dry mustard powder (I used hot mustard powder)

1/3 cup e.v.o.o. (extra virgin olive oil)

a few good shakes of salt free seasoning of your choice

combine all ingredients into a paste and apply to salmon before putting into oven.
cook to your taste. It may also be necessary to go in and baste the salmon just before it finishes cooking; the glaze kind of wanders around some.

(Jalapeno vinegar is just apple cider vinegar that has sliced jalapenos and brown sugar, with a little chopped garlic. Let this sit for at least a week. I make a large jar of this and use it on alot of different foods and recipes.)