A Super Quick and Easy Dinner Idea & How I Get My Picky Eater to Try New Foods

This post was origanlly written in July 2022. I know. I know. I'm not even sure why this post has been sitting in my drafts for 2 1/2 years. But regardless, I hope you enjoy.

There's something so refreshing about sitting down to write this post. Social media can feel overwhelming with its constant demands of perfectionism, but coming back to my little corner of the Internet feels like a breath of fresh air. I used to want so badly to have an aesthetically pleasing Instagram grid but that desire was causing me to feel nervous about posting anything at all.

But I’ve shaken that off and I’m currently enjoying sharing my “65 Days of Summer Vacation” on Instagram. From having dinner with college friends to exploring more of Palm Beach County with Ava, I’m committed to showing “Regular Black Woman Joy.” I also unfollowed about 200 accounts which I think helps tremendously with taking into too much of other people’s lives.

Okay, let’s get into this quick and easy dinner idea that I snagged from one of my favorite YouTube channels, Terri-Ann’s Kitchen. I found her channel back during the lockdown of 2020 and I’ve been in love ever since. As a child I used to watch cooking shows on what I believe were on the Discovery channel (it’s been so long that my memory is getting a bit fuzzy). I know some of you all may bring up The Food Network, but their cooking shows just don’t hit home for someone like me who has a love for both Southern and Caribbean cuisine. That’s why I love Terri-Ann’s channel. I feel like I’m cooking with a friend of the family and you just know that the food is going to turn out great.

Trying new recipes and cooking in general has always been one of my favorite pastimes. The process of reading through the recipe, sourcing all the ingredients and then really taking your time in prepare the food has such a comforting effect on me. I stopped trying new recipes back in March of this year because (1) Ava began to get super picky when it came to food. It caught me off guard but it’s a phase most kids go through and (2) I was feeling a bit burned out from work.

But this week I knew it time to finally get back on my “Rachel Ray” and I decided to try out something from Terri-Ann’s Kitchen that would be easy but delicious. In the video below, she shows you how to make baked chicken wings with Rasta pasta and broccoli. Due to the increase of food prices, I opted for chicken legs. She also used something she referred to as “double cream” for the Rasta pasta but I substituted in some half and half to cut calories.

I also made the green seasoning that is well known in Caribbean dishes. Mine came out a bit too thin because I used my blender (and not my mini food processor) and maybe too much olive oil. That didn’t affect the flavor though. I definitely see green seasoning becoming a kitchen staple.

I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t afraid of Ava refusing to eat any of it but I have a Mom hack that works most of the time: I involve her in the entire cooking process. I have her completing small tasks from handing me the items from the refrigerator and pantry to measuring out ingredients. Anything that is safe for her to do, I let her. I’m also extremely lucky that Ava is the type of child that values quality time over material things which makes this a hack that works in my household. Seeing the joy on her face while she helped Mommy with preparing dinner was priceless.

So how did this meal turn out? AMAZING! But you knew it had to for it to make it to my blog. The chicken legs complemented the Rasta pasta so well. It was actually my first time making/eating this pasta and I was blown away by the flavor. I used the Badia dry Jerk Seasoning but I think I may try my hands on making my own Jerk seasoning in the future.

This weekend is Fourth of July weekend and I already have a menu in mind. I talked it over with my sous chef (Ava) and she was excited about it as well!