Chicken, Chicken, Chicken, Wings!

For Christmas I got a subscription to Food Network Magazine.  I also got Anne Burrell's How to Cook Like a Rockstar.  And I am having a blast.  I haven't cooked anything from Anne yet (she is hands down my favorite chef on the Food Network Channel), but I am looking forward to making something this weekend.

Like the movie Julie & Julia, I'd like to cook every recipe in her book just to see if I can.  She also gives great tips and tricks on techniques that I'm looking forward to reading.

So far here are some of the recipes I've made.

Roast Chicken with Apricot Stuffing

Roast Chicken with Apricot Stuffing with Roasted Carrots and Peas and mashed potatoes (my own).  I didn't make gravy with it, but I feel like I could have with all the delicious drippings in the bottom of my roaster pan.  If I made it again, I would.  I also was unable to find fresh marjoram, but used dry.  Since I'm not sure what the difference was, I didn't notice any, and it was fantastic.  The stuffing is something I might try at thanksgiving.  I really liked the sweetness the apricots added to it.  It also had no butter in it and yet was so moist and delicious.  The peas and carrots had a more spicy, savory spice mixture on them and went really well with the sweetness of the chicken.  And the spice rub I put under the skin... holy moley, that was good.

My chicken also came out a bit browner than the picture, but I blame my oven that can't seem to find a temperature to settle on, and I'm certain the temperature in the oven does not match the one I've set on the dial.

Chicken Wings:

This month in the magazine are 50 different kinds of chicken wings to make for your superbowl party.  Last weekend, in order to enjoy our 49ers victory properly, I made Chinese Barbecue Wings and Blackened Wings for a nice sweet/spicy duo.

Chinese Barbecue Wings:

Chinese Barbecue Wings

Spread 3 pounds chicken wings (split at the joints, tips removed) on 2 oiled rimmed baking sheets and roast at 425 degrees until very crisp, about 45 minutes.
Heat 1/2 cup minced scallions (I put mine in the food processor) , 1/3 cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons each butter, honey and grated ginger, and 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil.  Toss with the wings.

I brought my sauce mixture to a boil just to make sure it was all combined.  These wings were out of this world.  Some of the best wings I've ever had.  I like this sauce recipe for regular old chicken, and just throw it on some rice.  Two thumbs up, 4 stars, all that jazz.

Blackened Wings:
These wings are grilled and they get a nice char on them which really enhances the blackened flavor.

Grilled Blackened Wings

Toss 3 pounds chicken wings (split at the joints, tips removed) with 1 1/2 teaspoons each Cajun seasoning (I used World Market's Cajun seasoning mix that I got for Christmas from my MIL, Debbie.  Had a really nice heat to it), paprika, cayenne, dried oregano and thyme, kosher salt and pepper.
Grill over medium heat, turning, until cooked through 15 to 20 minutes.  I let them cook about 8-10 minutes on each side and moved them around my uneven cooking grill according to how cooked they got in the first part.

The great part about these wings is that they are really nice and spicy without making you need to chug down your beer to put the fire out.

Cola-Glazed Wings:
Since my 49ers are playing Atlanta in Atlanta, I thought it only appropriate to make Cola-Glazed wings for the birthplace of Coca-Cola.  These wings are also grilled, so you can use the same directions for grilling a the Blackened Wings.

Boil 1 can cola, 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons pureed chipotles in adobo sauce until reduced to 1 cup.  Toss the wings in vegetable oil and grill, brushing with the cola sauce in the last 5 minutes.

I'll let you know how that goes.
And accompanying our Cola wings will be Roasted wings with Taco Mac sauce, another Atlanta original.  I can only hope the 49ers destroy Atlanta as I will be destroying these wings.

They've also got a great collection of recipes for easy, quick dinners under 500 calories.  We've tried one so far, but I'd like to get a few more reviews in before I write them up for you.


I highly recommend making some wings for your super bowl party, and since there are 50 in this little book, I'm happy to share any of the following recipes that sound interesting:

Fried Wings: Classic Buffalo Buffalo Supreme Five-Alarm Jalepeno-Cheddar Spicy Moroccan Vietnamese Buttermilk-Battered Cajun Buttermilk Chili-Ranch Old Bay Italian Breaded Chicken Parmesan Ancho-Peach Beer-Battered Soy-Honey Sesame-Pecan Falafel Chipotle Kimch Curry-Chutney Basic Boneless

Roasted Wings: Steakhouse Rosemary-Lemon Horseradish-Crusted Maple-Bacon Sweet Mango Barbecue Teriyaki-Orange Honey Mustard-Pretzel Ginger-Scallion Thai Chili Taco-Spiced Bacon-Taco Mole Jamaican Lemon-Garlic Aioli Pesto Pizza Fra Diavolo Garlic-Chorizo Popcorn

Grilled Wings: Hawaiian Carolina-Style Tequila-Lime Thai Peanut Tandoori

Sloooow cookin' Is the Name of the Game

You know what's great when its cold?  Crockpots.  Well, technically that is a brand, so I guess it would be slow cookers. Slow cookers are great and if you don't have one, maybe one of my recipes will inspire you to get one.  I love my slow cooker because I can throw everything in to it in the morning and its ready by dinner.  I can get all the breakfast and dinner dishes done before lunch.  Well, if Ryan cooperates.

I've made barbecue, chili, my Adobe Beef, Green Chili Pork tacos, and Beer Tri-tip.  You can make beef, chicken, pork, or vegetarian dishes.  The meat always comes out tender and juicy, and usually you can make enough food for days.

Ok, enough with the jibber jabber, and on to the recipes!

The Last Time I made Chili:
(I call it this because it always comes out different!  I really liked my last one though, so here it is.  Mostly I use the same ingredients, but that measuring thing always gets me!)
20 oz ground turkey
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, diced
2 can tomato sauce
1 McCormick Chili spice pack (you can find it near the taco spice packs, on the sauce aisle)
2-4 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp cumin
4 cans of beans (I like 1 black, 1 kidney, and 2 pinto, but whatever you've got, or whatever's on sale works)

Heat the olive oil on the stove in a good size pan.  Add the green pepper, onions, and garlic and saute them until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender.  Add turkey, cook until browned.

Throw all the ingredients into the crock pot. You could also easily make this vegetarian by skipping the turkey all together.  If you like a beanless chili, forget the beans and double the meat. You can add more tomato sauce, if you like a soupier chili.  If you're going to serve the chili over something (like hotdogs or potatoes), I'd advise 3 cans.  Cook on Low 6-8 hours or on High for 4 -5 hours.

I made cornbread to go with out chili and also roasted butternut squash.  I thought the squash went really well just thrown on top of the chili, as I said last time.  Just because you're serving dinner in a bowl doesn't mean you get to forget the vegetables!

Green Chili Pork Tacos
2-3 lb pork shoulder (loin would work too, or a few pork chops)
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 4 oz cans green chilis
2 tsp cumin
1 cup water

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and brown the pork on each side about 6-8 minutes.  Add it to the crockpot along with all the other ingredients.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or until the pork is tender. Cook on High for 4-5 hours.

Serve this with corn tortillas, sliced avacado, sour cream and cilantro.  I also made Pico De Gallo and a Corn and Bean salsa for a little variety.

These are just a couple examples of what to do with your slow cooker.  The great thing about cooking this way is that you can almost always throw it all in and forget it.  Roasts and stews work well too, but I usually add my vegetables about half way through, so they don't get too soft.  The secret to slow cooking is to make sure there is enough liquid in some form (tomato sauce, water, broth) so that your food doesn't dry out