Top-Iron-Chef-A-Thon

Steve and I recently went to Jamaica, and before we went we "met" some people from various parts of North America on a message board. After several emails, we 4 couples decided to get each other some gifts from areas we're from. Each couple bought some sort of food product; we got everyone cranberry jam and Fluff, the couple from PA got a big ol' stack of large Hershey products, the couple for TX brought Tex-Joy seasoning, and the couple from Canada brought Maple Syrup.

Then I came up with the brilliant idea of trying to make a meal using the some of the ingredients we got or bought as highlights. Here's the selection:

Fluff, Cranberry Jam, Tex-Joy Seasoning, Maple Syrup, Hershey's Milk Chocolate

First thing I did was whip up a dessert. I melted the Hershey bar over a double boiler, broke up some graham crackers, stirred those in and swirled in some Fluff while the chocolate was hot. Scooped clumps out onto parchment paper and VOILA - S'mores Bites!



After that, I tackled the main course. The first thing I worked on was the stuffed chicken breast. I whipped up a stuffing of:
- 1/4 cup cranberry jam
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- Dashes of cinnamon, garlic powder, and crumbled some dry sage
- Salt & Pepper

I then slit the chicken breasts and scooped some of the stuffing into each one (makes 4, with enough to put some on the top of the breast for a minute at the end of cooking). Then popped them in my electric oven on "Broil", 10 minutes per side.



Off to the side dish! I washed, cut, and boiled about 800 grams of red skinned potatoes. While those were boiling, I sautéed half of a Vidalia onion and measured out about a cup of sweet kernel frozen corn. When the potatoes were cooked and drained, I mashed those bad boys up with about 3 tbsp. of Earth Balance (or whatever butter product you would use), the onions, the corn... AND - Tex-Joy seasoning for flavor. I have no idea how much I put in... until Steve and I decided it tasted right.

When it was all done and plated, here is what it looked like:



We enjoyed the meal with my cousin Andy and his girlfriend Shayna. It was pretty darn good. Steve said he wants me to keep the chicken in the recipe rotation, and the potatoes as well. The S'mores bites were also quite tasty.

So - for my Jamaica Pals - here some ideas for what you can do with your goods.