Life is frustrating sometimes and for us this is one of those times. My son is Autistic (more towards Asperger’s Syndrome with ADHD) but he has tons of sensory issues. He is not aware of how his body feels. He is 11 years-old now and the number of meltdowns he has is minimal now. But, when he is sick these things ramp up because he knows he feels bad but can’t tell why or how. If he gets a paper cut where he can see blood he thinks he’s dying and freaks out. He can hit his head on something or fall down and really hurt himself but as long as there is no blood we may never know until something else occurs where it is discovered.

On Monday he had an awful day. He was grumpy and just out of sorts. He had a bad cello lesson, and he never has a bad cello lesson. His teacher said, “I have never seen him like this!” By the time I got him to the car he was in tears, yelling and screaming. After getting him calmed down we talked. I felt his forehead and he was burning up! Ah, this makes so much more sense.

But, the problem is when he is sick he can’t control himself as well as normal so we are on the roller coaster of emotions and meltdowns. It is like walking on eggshells right now because you just never know what will set it off. But, at least we are aware of what is causing this. Getting him healthy is the goal. So, lots of understanding, sleep and hugs when he can tolerated them. Ah, sensory issues.

But, we still have to eat. I had chicken thighs and drumsticks thawing in the refrigerator and really wanted to make something a bit different. I started looking through Pinterest for something that I had all the ingredients for. I found this recipe for Caribbean Chicken at Eat Good 4 Life.com. I didn’t quite have everything I needed so I had to improvise some but that is what we are all about.  Make it work!

Verdict:

I wish I could describe how wonderful my house smelled. If you like Balsamic Vinegar you will love this dish as much as we did. To me it did not taste anything like what I thought Caribbean Chicken would taste like but it was delicious.

I served this dish over rice with a side of green beans and a spinach salad.

This dish is gluten-free, as long as you use all gluten-free products! My mostly gluten-free son was happy his meal was exactly like ours.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 chicken thighs
• 4-6 chicken drumsticks
• 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• 2 large onions, cut into large chunks
• 3 heaping teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except the olive oil, sugar and ketchup together in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1+ hour.
2. When chicken is ready to cook place the olive oil in a large wok over medium high heat. Sprinkle the sugar over the bottom of the pan and wait for a few minutes just until it starts to turn brown.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and brown the chicken in the pan being careful not to burn the sugar in the pan.
4. Once all the chicken has been browned add the chicken, marinade and ketchup to the wok with 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock.
5. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Stir mixture and allow to finish cooking 15-20 minutes uncovered until sauce thickens a bit.
6. Serve over rice or noodles.