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Food, Savory

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

I forgot how easy it is to make chicken wings from scratch. When a craving hits, I usually beg for us to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, but on a budget and looking for a new recipe to try, I realized I actually knew how to make buffalo chicken wings from when I was a kid. Just hadn’t done it in a really long time.

My mom and I used to make them, but baked, never fried. No thick breaded chicken wings either. I promise, they’re good. And they’re way better for you at the end of the day, which means you can eat more without feeling guilty.

So I experimented. Made a quick buffalo sauce, then added some black pepper (for some more spice) and honey (to sweeten). Sweet and spicy, not bad for my first try. I might just get more creative next time. Anyone have any suggestions?

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

Gather
20-30 frozen chicken wings
3 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons of honey
2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add hot sauce, honey, and black pepper. Cool for 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat until sauce has been bubbling and has started to thicken. Coat chicken evenly in sauce and place on a baking sheet.

Cook in oven for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear. Turn over halfway and add more sauce to wings.

Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

January 29, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Twice Baked Bacon Cheddar Potatoes

So my roommate came downstairs last night as I was cooking dinner, looked at me and said, “You know, you’ve been cooking with bacon a lot lately.”

I didn’t know how to respond, was this a bad thing?

“I’m sorry,” was my immediate response (although I really wasn’t).

He looked at me, shocked. “No, it smells better than that apple wax burner thing in the bathroom.”

Oh. So apparently bacon overrules apples in my house. Who knew?

Anyway, the reason I was cooking with bacon again was because we wanted twice baked potatoes for dinner. And to be honest, I only really knew what they were from the frozen food aisle and had a faint notion on how to do it. So with a working theory, I whipped up what turned out to be an amazing side dish – with some casualities along the way.

Turns out scooping out the insides of microwaved potatoes is a bit harder than I expected. After the fourth attempt, I was making mini canoes instead of ripping apart the skin and losing what was meant to be the “bowl” for the remixed insides.

Basically, a twice-baked potato starts with a regular spud. Microwave it until it’s soft, then cut it in half and scoop out the insides, leaving enough of it left to serve as a bowl.

Mix the insides with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, black pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of milk. You basically have mashed potatoes. Spoon it back into the potato skins – it’s ok if you spill over – and cover with a sprinkling of cheese. Put in the oven to bake and voila! Twice baked potatoes.

Twice Baked Bacon Cheddar Potatoes

Gather:
3 Russet Potatoes
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
4 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons of milk
5 tablespoons of margarine
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Microwave potatoes until soft, about 8-15 minutes. Cut in half. Scoop insides of potato out, creating a “bowl” and placing potato insides into a large mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and bacon. Set “potato bowls” in a glass baking dish.

Stir bacon/cheddar/potato with margarine, milk, and black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once mixed, scoop back into potato “bowls” and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and top is slightly crisp.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

January 21, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Sweet Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

First off, I was actually able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends this year. My mom’s gift did not go uneaten and I’m so grateful that she sent it. However, when I was invited to my friend’s Thanksgiving and I asked what I should bring, I got a shock.

“Bring the stuffing.”

Bring the stuffing? Bring the stuffing? Are you kidding me? That’s like saying “Bring the turkey.” Sacred ground not to be walked on unless you’re the hostess.

I laughed, “really?”

“Yes, really.”

Little to their knowledge, I don’t do Stovetop for big events. I don’t even make stuffing myself. That’s my aunt’s job. So I did what any good volunteer stuffing bringer would do, I looked up recipes. But I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make, so I combined a few recipes. Picked up both stuffing bread and cornbread at the store, then decided I wanted sweet Italian sausage, and snagged a red onion and some celery from the produce department. What can I say, when all else fails, just pick the food you want, cook it together, and hope for the best.

I kinda followed the recipe. I diced the bread up and toasted it (burning only a portion of it), browned the sausage, and mixed it all together. And then the big moment came. The tasting. I have to admit, my heart stopped a bit while I waited for the response. . . all fantastic! They loved it. For my first go, I have to say, I’m impressed and I can’t wait to make it again.

Sweet Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Gather:
1 pound loaf of stuffing bread (white bread), cubed
1 pound loaf of cornbread, cubed
1 pound of sweet Italian Sausage
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 red onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of basil
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 cups of chicken broth
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place diced white bread on one cooking sheet, the cornbread on another. Bake white bread for 20 minutes or until toasted, turning half way. Bake cornbread for 25 minutes or until toasted, turning halfway. Set aside in a large bowl and let cool.

Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a saucepan, brown sausage. Remove and drain fat. In the same saucepan, melt the butter. Add onions, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together broth and eggs. Pour over the bread. Add vegetables, sausage, and herbs; toss to mix.

Transfer stuffing to a baking dish. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until top is browned. Remove, serve, and enjoy.

December 4, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Oh cheesy goodness. And done without an oven at that.

It all started with a craving for mac and cheese. Isn’t that how it always goes. You have a craving for something and then BAM there you go finding all the ingredients and making a big pan of the meal you want.

We compromised though, I let us eat carbs and cheese as long as we could add vegetables. I’m gonna say this is half a win, because we should have put more broccoli in (in my opinion) but we’ll see. Next time I suggest adding spinach, too. We’ll see how far I get with that idea….

AND with all meal plans, there will be some issue that arises… in my case, it’s the continual case of the not working oven. Sure, the broil works like a charm, but the oven won’t hold a consistent heat. It’s frustrating. So we did the best we could, first by making the cheese sauce:

Then by mixing it with the cooked noodles, topping it with cheese and breadcrumbs, and preparing it for the oven by covering it with aluminum foil:

And I have to say, it came out pretty darn good.

Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Gather:
1 box of macaroni, your choice of style
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of mustard powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of ground black pepper
1/2 cup of sweet onion, diced
3 cups of milk
1 large egg
12 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup of broccoli, diced

Cook pasta al dente, drain, and set aside.

Heat oven on low broil. (For those of you out there with fancy working ovens, you’re more than welcome to pre-heat to 350 degrees.)

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in flour, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring for five minutes. Make sure it is free of lumps and add milk and onion. Simmer for ten minutes, still stirring. Temper in the egg. Add about 3/4 of the cheese and broccoli and mix until melted into the mixture. Fold in cook macaroni and pour into a lasagna pan.

Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover with aluminum foil and place into oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes on low broil or until top is golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, let cool for 20 minutes, serve, and enjoy.

November 16, 2013 by Roni

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