Labor Day Cookout

Yesterday we decided (we being me and the other American students in my research group) that we wanted to enjoy the last real day of summer. So, we only worked half a day and then everyone headed over to my apartment complex to grill out by the pool. We also had the new first year students come out. . . it's important to do fun stuff with them outside the lab! We had a good turnout with me, Ryan, Ryan M.(a first year from Berkeley), Chris, Jason, Emma (first year from Boise), Alex (exchange student from Bristol), Evie (another grad student from the Bielawski group) and her boyfriend Kyle, Rachel (inorganic grad student and my life saver - but that's a long story) and her boyfriend Steve. It was a good crowd!

Everyone chipped in and brought goodies. [My] Ryan cooked up some of his famous burgers and I got some wings ready to grill too. I seasoned them Jamaican Jerk style and they were so delicious! I am definitely keeping this recipe.

yummy!

It's just a recipe I found online, and of course you can use this marinade for any cut of chicken. I find that wings are the easiest to grill though, and they are the perfect BBQ finger food.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Mix in a large bowl:
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground sage
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
big pinch of salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Whisk in the following:
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
juice of two limes

Add the following to the marinade:
2 serano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup chopped white onion
3 green onions finely chopped

Add the chicken (3 lbs or so)
Stir to coat the chicken
cover in saran wrap and keep in the fridge for at least an hour.

I let mine marinade for almost three hours and it was perfect! Grill 'em over hot coals until they are cooked through. Enjoy!

We finished off our meal with some yummy brownies and a game of apples to apples. so much fun!!