Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings

This may sound crazy, but it wasn’t until about 3 months ago that I had my very first chicken wing.  How I went almost 30 years of my life never having enjoyed these marvelous, spicy, tender chicken tenders we call Buffalo wings is beyond me.  I blame it on my British heritage.  I guess you could say growing up eating Shepard’s Pie and beans on toast had its drawbacks, but English mince pies make up for all that.  But I’ll get into those at a later date.

I fashioned this recipe after I my boyfriend went grocery shopping… something he rarely does unattended – as he usually comes home with extra bags of Cheetos puffs, tortilla chips and ice cream.  This time he came home with a bag of frozen wings – I’m not sure how he wandered into this section, by guess was he was looking for corn dogs.   I never buy frozen meat, but decided I’d give this a try since he was so excited over his discovery.   I think he was more excited by how cheap they were than anything else… you can’t really beat $6 for a 4lb. bag of chicken.  We started by looking up recipes online, but inevitably all of them consisted of at lest 3 things we didn’t have.  So, we made it up.  I have to admit I was happily surprised and since then we’ve already made then 4 more times.

You’re probably thinking chicken wings aren’t in your diet, since they’re traditionally fried and then glazed in a thick sauce.  The great this about these is they’re baked!  They come out just as crispy and juicy with less than half the calories.  You also have complete control over the type of sauce and how much you add.  I like this BBQ based sauce, it keep them healthy and they have a great tangy, Asian flair.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. frozen chicken wings
• 1 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I use Stubbs spicy BBQ sauce but feel free to use your favorite.)
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. dried onion
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. Habanero pepper sauce (I recommend using a hot sauce that’s not vinegar based, but one that lists chili as the first ingredient.  Depending on level of heat, add more or less)
• Fresh carrots (side)
• Fresh celery (side)
• Ranch dressing (dip)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Lay frozen chicken wings on a shallow baking pan in a single layer.  The pan I use has a rim around the edge to catch the juices.
3. Place in oven to bake for 50-60 mins.  Check the wings every 20 mins and drain the extra fat from the pan.  Turn wings over 40 mins into cooking.  I’ll increase the heat 10° to 385°F for the last 5-10 minutes to get a little extra crisp.
4. While the chicken bakes, it’s time to make the sauce
5. In a small bowl mix all ingredients: BBQ sauce, soy sauce, honey, dried onion, garlic powder, sesame seeds and Habanero pepper sauce.
6. Mix with a fork and taste.  You’ll likely want to adjust some of the levels of hot sauce and honey to suit your own taste.  The combination above is my favorite, but you can pay around and make your own combinations too.
7. When the chicken in cooked through with a nice golden crust, remove from oven.
8. Place in a large bowl and pour half the sauce on the wings.
9. Shake bowl lightly until the sauce covers all the pieces, add more sauce as needed.
10. When the wings ready, I like to sprinkle on some extra sesame seeds.  It looks fancy and I love the taste!!
11. Serve with fresh carrots, celery and ranch dressing.  Any extra sauce can also be serves as a dipping sauce.

I hope you enjoy these healthy wings.  They’re a great alternative to spending lots of money at a local restaurant, and baking the wings helps keep you in shape for spring, or hopefully a fun vacation!  After making these at home I doubt I’ll ever have wings out again.  Half the price and all the flavor!

Home Style Cornbread

There’s one thing that goes perfectly with BBQ ribs, chili or stew… golden, buttery, right-out-of-the-oven cornbread.  And there’s one thing that will take your ordinary cornbread from delicious to spectacular.  A cast iron skillet.  The traditional southern technique ensures you’ll enjoy melt in your mouth, deliciously crisp edges and pillowy centers of sweet goodness.

I like a slightly sweet, buttery cornbread with a moist center.  I also like to add a can of corn which result in chewy kernels dotted throughout the bread.  The biggest secret to good cornbread is don’t over mix.  It’s our natural impulse to mix things til their silky smooth.  This is exactly what you want when you’re making Hollandaise sauce, whipped cream, or icing sugar; but bread batter is delicate.  Save those arm muscles for when you’ll really need it, and for this recipe mix just enough to moisten the batter.  I always serve this with my homemade chili as a perfect vehicle to mop up all the extra juices, and I usually don’t have much to save for the next day.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup medium ground cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (with a small tab on reserve)
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450°F
2. In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl mix together wet ingredients: can of corn, eggs, milk, butter and olive oil.  Reserve a small tab of butter to heat in skillet and create a nice crust on the bottom.
4. Slowly add in the wet ingredients to the larger bowl and mix gently.  Do not over mix the batter, just mix enough to combine ingredients.  Don’t worry about a few lumps, if you over mix your cornbread will come out dense.  You want fluffy cornbread!
5. Heat a heavy bottom iron skillet on high and add a tsp of oil and a tab of butter.
6. When the skillet is hot, pour in the batter.  It should sizzle in the pan, which will ensure crispy edges and utter happiness.
7. Let it cook for a minute, then put it in the oven to bake
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Cut into wedges, squares or sticks and serve with chili or softened butter.

Adjust the amount of sugar depending on your taste.  I like it more on the sweeter side but most of my family likes it a little more savory.  I usually win, as I’m the one making it!  ENJOY and happy cooking!

Texas Chili

When I started dating my boyfriend, born and raised in El Paso Texas, there was one point in our relationship when it was almost over.  It was a chilly California evening, and I was preparing dinner while he opened the latest Netflix (which we have cancelled due to their price increase – bastards!).  Beer in hand, I started to serve up my warm chili, excited as ever to dig in.  This is when the evening turned… I had made the ultimate Texas blunder.  A mistake that could not be rectified… I had put BEANS, yes, I said it, BEANS in the chili!  WHAT?!?  I was then lectured on the fine making of chili and the short list of ingredients that qualify to be a part of this dish (beans was not one of them).  Needless to say, he ate it.

I learned my lesson, and have over the years perfected my bean-less chili with just the right amount of heat and spice.  I’ve experimented with many combinations of chiles, most of which were new to me after moving to Houston, and have been delighted by the variety of flavors I can unearth.  This chili develops a hidden smoky flavor, not like barbecue, but a delicate heat with warmth and spice from Anaheim chilies, cayenne and a touch of jalapeño.  The subtle sweet tomato and flavorful tender meat warms you from the inside out.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)
• 1 tbsp. light extra virgin olive oil
• I yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 jalapeño, finely diced with seeds removed (leave the seeds in if you like it hot)
• 2 Anaheim chilies, finely diced with seeds removed
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tsp. cumin
• 3 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. jalapeño powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (to taste)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chile and garlic
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. red pepper paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp. semolina flour (for thickening)
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• Grated cheddar cheese (topping)
• Sour cream (topping)
• Onions (topping)

Method

1. Heat a large, heavy bottom pan on the stove on medium with a tbsp. light extra virgin olive oil
2. When the pan it hot, add in diced onion and cook on medium for 5 mins
3. Add garlic, jalapeño and Anaheim chilies and cook additional 5 mins until onions are translucent
4. Add in ground beef and brown meat, use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces and turn occasionally until brown on all sides.  The meat will continue to break up as you cook it but this helps it along.
5. Brown meat, then add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, jalapeño powder, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir to coat the meat evenly
6. Add cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper paste and water and stir
7. Bring the chili to a low boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes
8. Add sugar and flour and stir.  Cover again and simmer for another 30-40 minutes
9. Taste and see if you need to add more salt/pepper.  Be light-handed, you can always add more, you can never take it out. (TIP: you happen to add too much salt, the one thing that might help save your dish is to add some sugar.  It helps to mellow it out and remove some of the acidic flavor)
10. Top with cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream and serve in a large warm bowl