Teriyaki Chicken Wings

  The last thing I made over break were some chicken wings for my brother to take back to New Orleans with him.  He really wanted teriyaki flavored wings, but he wasn't exactly thrilled with the teriyaki sauce that I made for his beef jerky earlier in the week.  He said it wasn't strong enough and my sense of taste still hadn't returned from being sick earlier in the week.  I went scouring the Internet looking for recipes but my mom's house is not equipped for cooking the way mine is and I didn't have a lot of ingredients here in Ohio that I would have in my apartment in State College.  I needed to find a recipe that was simple and didn't have complicated ingredients but still tasted excellent.  Unfortunately, Food network failed me because their recipe for teriyaki was so complicated I would have had to visit Cleveland in order to find half of the ingredients I needed.  So I decided to try to piece together a recipe using ingredients from a bunch of recipes.  I was nervous, but it turns out, one taste and my brother was hooked!  He ate almost all the wings the moment they came out of the oven and then he raved about them to my mother and my grandpa.  He actually said that they were better than any wings he's ever ordered at a restaurant.  I'll be honest, these wings take some time to make, but they are definitely worth it. 

Recipe
 5lbs or more of chicken wings, I used frozen, but use whatever
1 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 tsp  ground ginger (or more depending on how much ginger you like) or 1/4 tsp fresh ginger
2 tsp of minced garlic from the jar (if you use fresh garlic, 1 tsp.)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vinegar

2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Select a large pot, but not too large, your colander needs to rest above an inch of water in the bottom of the pan.  Once you have the pan, pour an inch of water into the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil.  The object here is to steam the fat out of the chicken wings so that when we bake them in a bit, they will be super crunchy.  Line the colander with chicken wings in a single layer, it may take you several times to do all the chicken wings, but steam them for ten minutes.  They'll be a white color and not completely cooked after 10 minutes, but place them cookie sheet lined with paper towels.  Once they have cooled a bit, rinse them off and put them back on a cookie sheet lined with clean paper towels.  Put the cookie trays in the refrigerator for an hour and let them dry out completely.  This is key so that the wings don't smoke too much.  Put the dry wings on a greased cookie sheet and bake them in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes flip the wings over and cook for another 20 minutes.  In total, cook for 40 minutes. 


     While the wings are cooking, make the sauce so it has time to boil, cool and thicken.  In a blender combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and vinegar.  Blend until smooth.
Mix the cornstarch and water together and add to the mixture.  Pour into a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Remove from heat and let cool while the chicken wings cook. 
      When the chicken wings are close to done, grab a big bowl and dump some of the sauce into the pan.  As soon as the wings come out of the oven, remove the wings from the cookie sheet and put them directly into the bowl with the sauce.  Gently stir the wings into the sauce and make sure the wings are completely coated.  Dump onto a plate and serve immediately!!!  
   If you're planning on saving them, once you remove them from the bowl with the sauce in it, dump them on a piece of wax paper and let them cool, that way the sauce won't come off or stick to the tray. 
   These are so good!  Please give them a try.  You could also make them with a Buffalo Garlic sauce.  Instead of the Teriyaki, take 2 tbsp of melted butter, mix it with Buffalo hot sauce and some garlic (to taste) and coat the wings in that sauce instead of the teriyaki. 

No need to go out to your local wing place, grab some beer, put some football on the television, jump into your comfiest jeans and get ready for finger licking good wings. 

Crock pot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

I don't normally cook with boxed mixes, but I was home in Ohio, my brother needed dinner, mom wasn't home and I was given the order to make something in the crock pot with ham.  Mom had handed me a recipe, but we didn't have the right things I needed to make the recipe so I decided to cross my fingers and improvise.  I poured everything into the crock pot and crossed my fingers.  After about an hour, delicious smell started wafting from the crock pot.  By the time my brother got home, the whole house smelled amazing.  He ended up having two servings right away and then had more for lunch the next day.  The whole crock pot was gone in 2.5 days.  This is definitely a great recipe and a good use for leftover ham.



I know the flash is too bright, but the other pictures were worse.  It tastes great!

Recipe
2 boxes of Au Gratin Potatoes
1 c. of cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. sour cream
2.5 c. of milk
2.5 c. of water
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp of minced garlic
2 tsp of Creole seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning)
1 to 1 1/2 cups of diced ham

1 Tbsp of cornstarch
1 Tbsp of water

Add all the ingredients into the crock pot.  Turn on low and let cook until the potatoes are soft, at least 4 hours.  Or cook for approximately 2 on high.  After 30 minutes before serving, mix the cornstarch with water and add the mixture to the crock pot.  Serve once the sauce starts to thicken. 

Enchilada Lasagna

   This recipe evolved from sheer laziness on my part.  During finals week I decided that spicy enchiladas sounded really good; I was in the process of catching cold (it ended up being more than a simple cold, it ended up being a three week bronchial problem that resulted in me spending a good portion of my Christmas vacation on the couch with a hot water bottle, vaporizer and Vick's)  but I didn't know that, I just knew that I wanted something spicy that I could taste.  When I got home from the grocery store I was exhausted (this should have been a hint that I was sick)  but I was way too lazy to actually make and roll the enchiladas.  So I decided to turn my spicy enchiladas into lasagna using all the ingredients that I normally would have used for individual enchiladas.  I do have to say, it was a marvelous success.  I like my enchiladas medium spicy, not mouth burning spicy, but leaves a warm tingle in the back of the throat.  You can obviously make them as spicy as you want by adding more jalapenos, cayenne, or your anything of your choice.  I also make mine using ground chicken or turkey, but feel free to use beef, just make sure that you drain it off well before you add the spices and stuff. 

Recipe
1 package of soft burrito shells
1 lb of ground turkey, chicken, or beef
1 package of taco seasoning, pick your favorite kind
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (or hot pepper of your choice)
1 onion (I pureed mine since I don't like them, but you can just dice it) half for enchiladas and half for the guacamole
pinch of cayenne (to taste)
2 tsp of chili powder
1 can of refried beans
1 bag of Mexican shredded cheese
1 small can of enchilada sauce
2 tomato, diced
1 c. of frozen corn

Guacamole
2 small tomatoes or 1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado
1 tbsp lime juice  (use fresh please!)
the other half of the above minced onion
1 garlic clove minced
1 jalapeno seeded and minced if you like
cilantro
cumin


    So in a skillet, brown the meat.  When the meat is almost browned, throw in half the onion, 2 tomatoes, the jalapenos, the seasoning packet, corn, the water called for on the seasoning packet, 2 tsps of chili powder and a pinch of cayenne.  Let cook until the water is dissolved and the vegetables are soft.  In a separate pot, heat the refried beans so they are easier to spread.  In a 9x9 pan, Pam (butter) the bottom so the burrito shells don't stick and begin the layering process. 
    Tear the shells so that they perfectly cover the bottom, then begin the layering process.  Layer the meat mixture on top of the shells, followed by some of the refried beans, then cheese and then a drizzle of enchilada sauce.  Repeat this until you've used all the meat, cheese, beans, and enchilada sauce.  Your last layer should be the cheese layer, that way you have a nice bubbly, cheesy top. 
Since most of it is cooked, you only need to bake it for 30 minutes (or until piping hot) in a 350 degree oven. 
    Meanwhile, in a bowl, you can whip up my guacamole.  To get into an avocado, BE CAREFUL!  Run you knife around the outside of the avocado, deep enough that you go to the seed.  Then twist it apart.  One side will that the seed stuck in it.  CAREFULLY, take you knife and whack the seed, your knife will stick in the seed and with a gentle twist, you should be able to pop the seed out.  JUST BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!  Once you have separated the seed from the avocado, take a spoon and run it around the edges of the avocado between the shell and the flesh.  The avocado flesh should pop right out, put it into a bowl and immediately add the lime juice.  Mash it with a fork and add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir them in gently and add salt and pepper to taste. 
   When the Enchilada Lasagna comes out of the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes so it sets up and then serve with the guacamole. 

Shelly's Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend Shelly has had a rough year this year and when her birthday rolled around, I decided that a good gift would be dark chocolate chip cookies.  Who doesn't love a dark chocolate cookie with melted dark chocolate chips inside of them?  Well, these cookies are awesome!  Two thumbs up good.  In fact, they almost didn't make it to the party and that is unusual.  I normally don't try more than one cookie of the cookies that I make and then I give the rest to friends.  These however, were addicting.  One was not enough and didn't even come close to being enough.  I highly suggest making these, getting a huge glass of milk and then enjoying every single last cookie and not feeling a lick of guilt.  Or not, but the thought is incredibly appealing.  Without further ado, here's the dark chocolate chip cookie recipe to end all dark chocolate chip cookies. 
Recipe
1 1/4 c. of butter
2 c. of sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla
2 c. of flour
3/4 c. of dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 c. of dark chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugar, add the eggs, and the vanilla.  Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Once it is mixed together, add in the chocolate chips.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-9 minutes.  Barely let cool and enjoy warm with a glass of icy cold milk. 

 

Dulce de Leche Filled Cookie

I love caramel, as I've commented a million times before on this blog, caramel is my favorite.  So when I found this recipe for dulce de leche filled cookies I decided to give it a shot.  These cookies took a little bit of time to make because you had to take the end of the spoon and hollow out a hole, then fill it with dulce de leche and then cover it with cookie dough.  They definitely aren't cookies that you make when you're short on time.  They are delicious and the sweet and salty combination is absolutely divine.    Here is the link to the Land O Lakes recipe, I actually didn't change anything in this recipe but this was my first filled cookie ever and I didn't want to ruin it. 

Recipe
Sugar mixture

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Cookie

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter,   softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Filling

1/4 cup canned dulce de leche

 

Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine all sugar mixture ingredients in shallow dish; set aside.

Beat brown sugar and butter in medium bowl at medium speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until well mixed. Add all remaining cookie ingredients, beating at low speed. Set aside 3 tablespoons dough.

Shape remaining dough into 24 balls; place 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Make 1/2-inch indentation in center of each cookie with back of measuring spoon or handle of wooden spoon.

Place dulce de leche in resealable plastic food bag; snip off small corner of bag. Squeeze dulce de leche into each indentation until level with top of cookie.

Divide reserved 3 tablespoons of dough into 24 pieces. Cover dulce de leche on each cookie with piece of dough, smoothing to seal.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Remove to cooling rack; let cool 5 minutes. Dip warm cookies into sugar mixture.

 

* Hint, in order to make the well for the dulce de leche, dip the handle of a spoon in flour and then poke it into the dough. 

Coconut Rum Chocolate Cupcakes

  These cupcakes were born when my upstairs neighbor Joy posted on her facebook that she wanted cupcakes.  I had just gotten home from class and needed to procrastinate a bit, so I decided to surprise her with some cupcakes.  I didn't want to just make plain chocolate cupcakes, so I went looking through my cupboards and I found a completely unopened bottle of Cruzan Coconut Rum that just called my name.  So Coconut Rum Chocolate Cupcakes were born.  They are moist, airy, chocolaty, coconut and rum flavored bits of joy.  Essentially a perfect bite of a chocolate coconut bite that transports you to the Caribbean with a hint of chocolate. 
  These are a must make and I'll be making these again soon! 

Recipe
1 box of Betty Crocker's Dark Chocolate cake mix
Cruzan or any type of Coconut Rum
Eggs as called for on the cake box
Oil as called for on the cake box
2 c. Dark Chocolate chips
2 Tbsp of half and half
2 tsp of coconut extract, divided
flaked coconut for garnish
1 tsp of butter

Follow the recipe for the cake mix, however, instead of adding water, use the Coconut Rum in the exact proportions as called for.  Also add 1 tsp of coconut extract.  Mix these together following the instructions on the box.  Put into cupcake tins and bake according to the time on the box.  Let cool. 
Meantime, in a small sauce pan, melt the butter, dark chocolate chips, and half and half together.  You may have to add a little more half and half, it depends on the consistency of your dark chocolate chips.  You want it to be shiny and fairly thick, but loose enough that you can dip the tops of the cupcakes into it.  Turn off the heat and add the 1 tsp of coconut extract.  When the cupcakes are cool, dip the tops of the cupcakes into the chocolate and garnish with the coconut flakes.  If you want to jazz it up, soak the flaked coconut in a little bit of coconut rum before you garnish the cupcakes.  Make sure that you put the coconut flakes on before the chocolate hardens so that they stick! 

These are light and airy but still stuffed full of big chocolate and coconut flavors!