Today I really was in the mood to cook and enjoy some time in the kitchen. All this packing and crazy business has got to me. I decided I would set this all aside for the afternoon and make a tasty dish with what’s left in the cupboards due to all the packing going on.

My dutch oven completely went splat on me two weeks ago. I was putting spaghetti on while I emptied the last can of olives into the mix and heard a loud pop that finally burst and painted my kitchen walls. I was covered from head to toe. The bottom of my dutch oven cracked a perfect hole that completely broke off and left another crack around the entire pot. The piece broke so perfectly I couldn’t understand what happened. I should have took a picture but was too concerned with my broken dutch oven and painted walls.

Needless to say I was very discouraged because I used the last of the turkey meat and had no clue what to make for dinner now. It was the perfect day for homemade spaghetti… until now. This being said, I use my dutch oven for EVEYTHING. I make stew, soup, bread, and much more in this miraculous pot and now it meets her maker. I went on a hunt looking for one the other day and had no success. I need it to be at least 4.5 quarts and red.

While the hunt is still on for this amazing pot, I was limited as to what I could make for dinner tonight considering my dutch oven is gone and I’ve packed up many other pots and pans. I decided I would cook some yummy Caribbean Jerk chicken, I have become very fond of this seasoning lately. I made quite the dish tonight and truly could have eaten the entire pot full.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Asparagus stock
• 1 lb Mushrooms
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Orange Pepper
• 2-3 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Onion

Sauce:

• 4 tbsps cream cheese
• ½ cup half and half
• 2-3 tbsp flour or cornstarch
• 2 tsp Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

I used a rotisserie chicken purely out of convenience. If using regular chicken breast, cook chicken until no longer pink. Slice into strips and set aside. Meanwhile chop asparagus into thirds; slice mushrooms, peppers and toss in skillet with 1 tbsp EVOO. Add garlic and onions. Cook approximately 5 minutes depending how tender you like your asparagus (I prefer mine to have a bit of a crunch). After five minutes add cooked chicken and heat through.

Spoon cream cheese into skillet and turn heat to medium-low. While that’s melting pour half & half into a small bowl and whisk flour and seasoning together making sure there are no lumps. Once smooth, pour into skillet and let mixture thicken for a couple minutes.

Meanwhile cook your linguini to al dente making sure not to overcook your pasta. Spoon pasta directly into a serving bowl allowing the pasta water to follow; this will allow the sauce to adhere to the pasta and become flavorful.

Hint: Draining pasta for a warm dish is great but always leave about ¼ cup pasta water in with pasta when serving a hot dish. NEVER rinse with cold water. This brings the sauce and the pasta together rather than repelling the sauce away.

Serve with side salad or on it’s own. J