Jerk Stew another weekend in paradise

Last week was a busy one, what with the State Board Meeting and all. I spent two nights and two days in Denver so we decided to take a break this weekend. Haaaa Haaaa hah! Now that I’m done laughing…
We did take a break Friday night. Seems it was Matt Quinlan’s birthday so we went out to celebrate. Unfortunately, my Car-ma wasn’t up to snuff and I got stuck in traffic. Made it to O’Dell’s brewery about 20 minutes before closing in plenty of time for a cold one. That lunchtime salad wasn’t enough food for the day so I let Guy drive to dinner. Better, after a pile of heavy Mexican food, we drove home to drop off a car and ended up staying home after Guy imploded from his busy week (including coming to see me for dinner in Denver… but that’s another story).

Saturday started with business as usual… an early trip to Home Depot. Several errands later and the work began. The forecast for Sunday had looked wintry early in the week but they had changed it. Nonetheless, winterizing was on the list. I planted the herbs I’d bought for the cold frame (Thai Basil, oregano, parsley, sage) and Guy raked leaves. I set up a basement paint shop and proceeded to start painting the frames for the screens that fit the windows and the shelves for the closet. I got a good start before stopping to make pizzas before we were scheduled to go to the final show for the band 12 Cents for Marvin.

Oops… no oven. So we grilled the pizzas and they were fab! The mozzerella was naughty… Then it was my turn to implode. The week and the day caught up with me. It was a slow bike ride to the concert but the music was good once it started. We came home early but it will still be an early night tonight!

Sunday started much the way Saturday had… a trip to Home Depot. Then I got back into the painting and Guy got into the attic. He was working, among other things, on hooking up the stove so that he can have a turkey for Thanksgiving. Seems a bit like canabalizm to me to eat one of your own… but who am I to judge.




After many new words were invented and much painting was done, I finally heard Guy bellow “Woman, get into the kitchen and cook me some food.” Something about the manly art of wiring that makes someone who is normally rational bellow about obedience… ;-) No doubt my Mom and Dad could have clued him in to a realistic idea about me and the concept of obedience… But, I gamely went to the kitchen to enjoy my new stove/oven and cook him an appropriately fine batch of, none other than, Jerk Stew. No, no! I really mean that, Jerked Chicken as a stew (recipe to follow). It wasn’t nearly done by the time he went to Hockey but it will be ready to eat tomorrow and, best I can tell, will be a “do-over”… meaning that it will be made again… until I get it exactly right.

As should be obvious by now, this is totally in jest, except that Guy did get the oven working and I did make Jerk stew. While I am certain that Guy is perfectly capable of being a Jerk, I’ve never seen it… and while I’m sure I’m perfectly capable of being obedient, nobody has, or will, ever see it.

Tally for the weekend:

Trips to Home depot 2
Ovens connected 1
Track lighting installed 1
Loads of Laundry 4
Screens painted 4
Indoor Storms Made 10 (remember these from College?)
Herbs Planted 6
Leaves Raked tens of thousands
Thermostats installed 2
Pizzas made 4
Jerk Stew 1
Freezer Soup made 1




Jerked Chicken Stew Recipe

2 # chicken breasts or tenders, chopped into large bites
Jerk Seasoning (one batch or one jar if premade)
2 T Jump Up and Kiss Me (or other) Habanero Hot sauce
1 Butternut Squash, diced large
1 small bag baby carrots
1 (chernobyl aka extra super large) onion, diced large
2 Red bell peppers, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
6 + cups chicken stock
Shrimp (optional if you want to share with a non-chicken eating person)
1-2 mangos diced

Marinate chicken in Jerk Seasoning and Habanero hot sauce for several hours to days. Saute onion in a bit of oil until beginning to be translucent (you can even caramelize if Guy’s not eating it). Add Chicken and brown. Pour in Stock and bring to a boil for 15 + minutes. Add squash and carrots and cook ½ hour. Add bell peppers, shrimp if desired, and cook another 15 minutes. Stir in mango before serving. Serve with rice.