Secret Recipe Club: Living Lou's Chicken Wings

  Once again it is group B's reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club... the day in which we reveal which blog we have been secretly following (and in my case falling in love with!). Living Lou's blog is just amazing! There are soooooo many drool worthy recipes, of which many she has created herself. In our family we love our chicken wings and was delighted to find this recipe of hers to give a try.

I loved the Spice rub and will be using that over and over again on other meats. I, personally, liked the dipping sauce but some of my family members thought the mustard to be a bit over powering. Win some, lose some! Next on my list is to try her Roasted Sweet Potato Soup.... yum.

Living Lou’s Chicken Wings
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients 3 lbs chicken wings
        For Spice Rub
1 tbsp chipotle chili pepper powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
         For dipping Sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for the spice rub.
Place wings in a large bowl and cover with spice rub. Using tongs mix chicken wings and make sure all pieces are well coated.

I used a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  I then placed spice rubbed chicken on the pan giving them room in between pieces.  Place in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Turn the wings over and bake for another 15-18 minutes more.
Once cooking time is up, turn on the broiler and remove wings to another large bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the wings, use tongs to stir and coat the chicken.
Place back on the baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes on one side, then flip chicken over and broil for 1 minute on the other side.

Four Cheese Cornmeal Stix

Monday was the perfect day to make a hearty soup and what's better to go with soup than crackers? Or in this case, "Stix." Rolled out thin and cut into squares these would be ideal for crackers but I was looking more towards cheese straws.  Easy to make and quite yummy.  These would be a lovely gift to make and give along with with some home made soup.

Four Cheese Cornmeal Stix

adapted from BHG Cheddar Cornmeal Sticks

2 Cups Sargento Classic Fancy Shredded Mexican 4 Cheese

                                                           (or just use plain sharp cheddar)

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Lightly grease two baking sheets; set aside.

In a bowl, combine cheese and butter and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

  Beat with an electric mixer until well mixed.  

Stir in flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne and nutmeg.  

Divide dough in half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 

about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness, cut into strips, and gently twist.

Or,roll small amounts of dough into a long tube 

about the width of a straw and cut in desired lengths.

Arrange the strips on prepared baking sheets.  

Bake about fifteen minutes or until bottoms are light brown.

Keep stored in airtight container for up to 3 days

or freeze up to 3 months.

Yields about 24 of the 12 -inch stix

Thyme Gougères

Were you supposed to bring an appetizer for Thanksgiving and forgot about it?  Have no fear!  This is a quick and easy recipe that is sure to impress.

I found the original recipe on Bon Appetit and made some adjustment using what I had on hand.  My daughter and son in law loved them! 

Thyme Gougères

adapted from bon appetit

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

Large pinch of cayenne pepper

Large pinch of kosher salt

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

1/2 plus 3 tablespoons cup grated  Parmesan regiano cheese

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish

5 large eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring butter and 1 cup water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Remove from heat.

 

 Add flour, cayenne, and salt; stir vigorously to blend. Return to heat; stir vigorously over medium heat until mixture forms a ball and a thin, dry film forms on bottom and sides of pan, about 1 minute.

Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg between additions, and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.Add 1 cup sharp cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan regiano cheese, and 2 tsp. thyme; beat on low speed to blend. 

Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" tip or a plastic bag with 1/2" cut diagonally from 1 corner. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets in 1"–1 1/4" rounds, spacing 1" apart. For the record, I am quite lazy and just spooned out the dough using my tablespoon cookie scoop! 

Whisk remaining egg with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Brush egg wash lightly over rounds, patting down to form rounded tops. Sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp.Parmesan. Garnish each with a few thyme leaves.

Bake gougères until puffed and golden brown and centers are cooked through but still moist, 20–25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 month ahead. Let cool completely. Store airtight in freezer. Rewarm in 325° oven until hot, 10–15 minutes.

Daring Kitchen September Challenge: Food Preservation Bruschetta

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

I'm an experienced canner, although I've only recently began to try my hand at processing condiments.  Of the two choices we had, I opted to try my hand at making the bruschetta (the other choice was apple butter which I make quite often.).

This recipe was a true success! My mom and I ate an entire jar for dinner one night and it was amazing! Served over a nice crisp baguette, slightly toasted, with an additional topping of basil and you had a bite full of heaven!

The recipe for Bruschetta in a Jar  came from the Bernardin Canning website.

Bruschetta in a Jar

Plum/Roma Tomatoes * 3 1/2 lbs 1.6 Kg 20 Medium Wash, seed and chop

Fresh Garlic 5 Cloves Minced

Dry White Wine 1 Cup 250 ml

White Wine Vinegar 1 Cup 250 ml

Balsamic Vinegar 2 Tbl 30 ml

Sugar, Granulated 2 Tbl 30 ml

Dried Basil 2 Tbl 30 ml

Dried Oregano 2 Tbl 30 ml

* Note: Although other tomato varieties may be used, firm plum tomatoes yield the best results. If using round garden-variety tomatoes, seed tomatoes and drain in colander for 30 minutes then chop.

Directions:

Place 7 clean half-pint (250 ml) mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat lids in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

1. Wash, seed and chop tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1cm) pieces; measure 9 cups (2250 ml), set aside.

    

2. Combine garlic, white wine, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, basil and oregano in a deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil; reduce heat. Stirring occasionally, boil gently, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

 3. Pack tomatoes into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover tomatoes to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more tomatoes and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining tomatoes and hot liquid.

 4. When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 20 minutes.

     Processing Time:

    20 minutes for altitude of 0 ft (0 m) to 1,000 ft (305 m)

    25 minutes for altitude of 1,001 ft (305.1 m) to 3,000 ft (915 m)

    30 minutes for altitude of 3,001 ft (916 m) to 6,000 ft (1,830 m)

    35 minutes altitudes above 6,000 ft (1,831 m) to 8,000 ft (2,440 m)

6. When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

7.  After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Serving Suggestions:

With boiling water canning, very little oil is used since the oils can weaken the seals on the jar. You can top your Bruschetta, olive oil and fresh herbs can be added before serving on top of toasted bread or as a condiment to a dish.  This also tastes delicious over fresh pasta or fish.

Peach Mango Salsa

Costco sells this Peach Mango Salsa that my son really loves, but I'm not in love with the price! I was able to get my hands on some ripe peaches and thought I would try my luck at canning my own peach mango salsa. I found a recipe at allrecipes.com for Peach Salsa II but it wasn't quite what I was looking for so I scoured the Internet and read a few other recipes and made my own. Please use your own wisdom when trying someone's home canning recipes. Its always best to check with your extension office to see if a recipe is safe before using! Thanks.  This recipe is heavenly! I used up an entire jar at our pinochle party!

Peach Mango Salsa

3 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped

1 mango - peeled, pitted and chopped

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1cup diced roma tomatoes

4 jalapeno peppers, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

juice of one lime

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (49 gram) package fruit pectin crystals

3 1/2 cups white sugar

5 pint sized canning jars

Directions

     Sterilize jars and lids.

     In a large saucepan, combine peaches, mango, tomatoes, onion, pepper, cilantro, garlic, cumin, vinegar, and lime zest, lime juice. Stir together pectin and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, and stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir for 5 minutes.

     Pour peach mango salsa into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch air space. Seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

putting my mom to work!

Monthy Challenge: July's Farmer's Market Strawberry Soup

Never to turn away a challenge, this month I started with the monthly challenge.  The challenge for this month was to use something in season.  I've always wanted to try a fruit soup.  I found this interesting recipe for Strawberry Soup at allrecipes.  I made a few changes based on the ingredients I had in my kitchen as I was too hot and too lazy to go shopping!  It was delicious, but more beverage like than soup though.  Will have to try another fruit soup again.... someday.  I have posted the recipe as I found it and in the italics I have put my changes.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Soup(ish)

serves five

2 pints strawberries 

      2 cups plain yogurt    I used vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom  I replaced the cardamom with ground ginger

Directions

In a blender, combine the strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, sugar, water and cardamom. Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve.

The Daring kitchen: Tricolor Vegetable Pâté

Pâté... never have had the want to try this delicacy (or so am told it is!!). I mean, the thought of eating liver makes me shiver and now add to it mushed liver??? No thank you!!! So after reading that pâté was this month's challenge I was strongly considering taking a pass this month. But wait... isn't the whole point of doing a "challenge" is to challenge yourself. So I kept on reading and the skies opened and the angels sang; there, right before my eyes was the answer to my anguish..... vegetable pâté. I like vegetables (well, most any way!) and so this was certainly going to be doable.
Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pâté with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.
 
Our choices for the pâté were:
Three Spice Liver Pâté: adapted from Ravenous Couple, which was inspired by White on Rice Couple.
Chicken Liver Pâté: slightly adapted from Stéphane Reynaud’s Terrine
Tricolor Vegetable Pâté: from Bon Appétit Oct 1993 on Epicurious
Trout and Shrimp Pâté: unknown (handed down to Valerie from someone, who got it from someone else, etc.)

For my bread I went with my tried and true French Bread favorite from Better Homes and Gardens.  It has a nice crunchy crust and is still moist on the inside.  The recipe makes 2 loaves of french bread or four baguettes and I've always had success with freezing the loaves I don't use right away. 

The mandatory guidelines of this challenge were to prepare one pâté recipe and one bread recipe of your choice. The pâté has to 1) be baked or refrigerated (or both) for a significant amount of time, so that 2) you have to be able to unmold it onto a serving dish. This is to avoid the possibility of someone puréeing a bunch of vegetables, putting the mixture in a jar, and calling it “vegetable pâté”: that is not a pâté, that is a spread.

Tricolor Vegetable Pâté
Yields one 25 by 12,5 cm (10 by 5 inch) terrine or loaf pan
Line your pan with plastic wrap, overlapping sides.
To make the White Bean Layer  use:

2 x 15-ounce / 900 ml cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained thoroughly

1 tbsp / 15 ml fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil

1 tbsp / 15 ml minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Mash beans in large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and garlic and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread bean mixture evenly on bottom of prepared pan.

Next make the Red Pepper Layer:
7-ounce / 210 ml jar roasted red bell peppers, drained, chopped
3/4 cup / 180 ml crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)

Combine peppers and feta in processor and blend until smooth. Spread pepper mixture evenly over bean layer in prepared dish.

Your final layer will be the Pesto Layer:

2 garlic cloves

1 cup / 240 ml fresh basil leaves

1 cup / 240 ml fresh Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup / 60 ml toasted pine nuts
3 tbsp / 45 ml olive oil
1/2 cup / 120 ml low-fat ricotta cheese

First thing is to toast the pine nuts if you have purchased raw pine nuts.  I toasted mine in a frying pan using a teaspoon of butter. Over low heat I stirred the pine nuts until they were a nice golden color. Mince garlic in processor. Add basil, parsley and toasted pine nuts and mince. With machine running, gradually add oil through feed tube and process until smooth. Mix in ricotta. Spread pesto evenly over red pepper layer. Cover with plastic wrap.

Next step is to be patient. You need to let the pâté refrigerate for at least eight hours or overnight. 
To unmold, invert pâté onto serving platter. Peel off plastic wrap from pâté. Garnish with herb sprigs and serve with bread slices.

French Bread
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
Cornmeal
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt. Add the warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Roll each portion of the dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. Pinch ends and pull slightly to taper. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir together egg white and water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaves. Let rise until nearly double in size (35 to 45 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of each loaf. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove bread from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves (28 slices).

Baguettes: Prepare as above, except divide dough into 4 portions. Shape into balls. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease 2 baking sheets or 4 baguette pans; sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll each portion of the dough into a 14x5-inch to 16x5-inch rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. Pinch ends and pull slightly to taper. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheets or baguette pans. Continue as directed, except reduce the second baking time to 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 4 baguettes (56 slices).