A New Spin On Chicken Wings

It's Super Bowl Sunday and maybe you are thinking about serving wings--a definite football staple that needs a bit of shaking up.

Here are 2 easy recipes that will impress your guests.

Crispy Potato Wings
--3 1/2 lbs chicken wings ( I use drumettes)
--1 bag (8oz) potato chips - any flavor
--1/2 tsp garlic powder
--1/4 tsp paprika
--1/2 tsp pepper
--1/2 cup olive oil

--2 sheet pans, aluminum foil, 2 cooling racks, rolling pin, cooking spray, 2 wide, shallow bowls

Pre heat your oven to 425 degrees.

Line both sheet pans with aluminum foil, top with the cooling racks and spray rack with the cooking spray.

Pour olive oil into one of the bowls. Keep oil near by incase you need more.

Open the bag of chips to let all of the air out of the bag, then secure with a clip. Use the rolling pin to crush the chips. You want them crushed finely but not to dust. (If you start to crush the chips without letting all of the air out, insert cleaning-up-chips-from-all-kitchen-surfaces and purchasing-more-chips as part of your preparation).

Pour chips into the other one of the bowls. Add garlic, paprika and pepper to chips, use a spoon to mix all ingredients together. Taste a small amount and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Using one hand, place chicken into oil bowl and coat all sides. Using the same hand, drop chicken into the chip mixture.

Using the OTHER hand, coat all sides of chicken with chip mixture and place on racks.

* Any time you are battering an item, keep a hand for wet items and one for dry.

Bake wings for about 40 minutes. If you want to check if they are done, remove one and cut meat away from the bone. If the meat is no longer pink, they are done. Eat tester wing.

Balsamic Glazed Wings
--3 1/2 lbs chicken wings
--1/2 tsp salt and pepper ( I have a shaker of salt and pepper mixed that I use to --season food)
--1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
--1 small shallot diced small
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 tbsp butter

2 sheet pans, aluminum foil, cooking spray, a small sauce pan, wire whisk, a small bowl, basting brush

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover bottom of sheet pans with aluminum foil and coat foil with cooking spray.

Place chicken on sheet pans and season with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The chicken will not be cooked all of the way through. You will be glazing the chicken then will finish cooking it.

While chicken is cooking, add shallots to sauce pan and cook until slightly translucent. Add sugar and vinegar. Boil mixture for about 5 minutes. Mixture will start to thicken and reduce by about half. If chicken is still cooking, remove glaze from heat until chicken is done.

At 30 minutes, pull the chicken out of the oven. Put glaze back on heat and bring to a boil, add the butter and stir until melted. Pour about 2/3 of the glaze onto the small bowl*. Using the basting brush and the glaze in the bowl, brush the glaze on to the chicken, covering both sides.

* You need to separate out the glaze so that you are not risking cross contamination. The first 2/3 of the glaze is being used on chicken that may not be completely cooked.

Put the chicken back into the oven for 10 minutes, then pull out oven rack and coat the chicken again with the rest of the glaze in the bowl, and cook for another 5 t0 10 minutes.

Remove 1 wing from the oven and cut the meat away from the bone to test for doneness. If the meat is no longer pink, they are done.

Before serving, drizzle with remaining 1/3 of glaze.

Both of these recipes can be served with a dipping sauce but will be great on their own.

I do recommend having wet naps close by.

Hope you all enjoy and that your team wins. My team has been golfing for most of the season.

Super Quick Treat For Super Bowling

It's time for the big game!

This little treat is a great appetizer that a friend made and brought to a party of mine a few years ago. Ever since I've been taking it as my go-to quick and easy appetizer. The recipe below makes 16 but it's very very easy to double, triple, or more!

The other bonus? It goes great with chili!

Game Day Poppers
--1 package of crescent rolls (from the refrigerated section of the grocer)
--4 thin slices of proscuitto
--1 jalapeno
--cream cheese

PREP:

Whack and unwrap the crescent rolls. Cut each triangle in half so you now have 16 pieces of dough.

Slice the prosciutto into 16 slices.

Remove the top of the jalapeno. Cut the jalapeno in half. Slice the pepper along the length of the pepper so you have 16 slices.

Preheat the oven to the specifications on the crescent roll package.

Place the jalapeno slice on the proscuitto. Add a dollop of cream cheese (or a small square if you are using block cream cheese instead of out of the tub).


Roll up the prosciutto, wrapping it around the jalapeno/cream cheese chunk.

Place it on one end of the dough triangle.


Roll it up. Use your thumbs to spread the dough out to cover the ends so that you make a nice little football and no cheese, prosciutto or pepper is exposed.


Bake per the crescent roll package instructions (typically 35o degrees for 12 or so minutes).

Bacon, In Cupcake Form

You knew it was coming. Because we're a food blog with bacon in the title. Because everything is better with bacon. Because we can!

Last week marked the birthday of Miss Kitty, a fabulous Denver rock and roller. In celebration, I made cupcakes which were sent to a show her band played that night.

I am not a baker. I mean, clearly, I am capable of baking. But I am not a baker in the sense that I cannot (yet) just make up a recipe on the spot (especially at altitude) and have it taste amazing (unless it's a southern dish like cobbler or pie, which doesn't scare me in the slightest).

But using the power of the internet (such a magical place!) I found several recipes that I kind of combined to make what is below. These cupcakes were dark and delicious (but I will warn you, they will dry out if you don't keep them in tupperware).

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes w/ Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Bacon Sprinkles

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes:
--1 bag of dark chocolate chips/chunks
--3 sticks butter at room temperature
--2 1/4 cups sugar
--8 eggs
--1 1/4 cup flour
--1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
--1 1/2 tsp baking powder
--pinch of salt
--1/2 pound uncooked bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is pre-heating, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain, and chop the bacon into small pieces and set aside.

Place chocolate chips and butter in a metal bowl and put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Stir until everything is melted (see photo above). Once melted, remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the sugar. Allow the mix to cool for 10 or so minutes.

Once the mixture is cool beat with a mixer (electric or stand) for a few minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30-or-so seconds between each egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the dry mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture and mix on low or stir until dry ingredients are just incorporated.


Add the bacon and stir. Scoop the batter into cupcake sleeves to about 2/3 fullness. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the middle cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.


While the cupcakes are baking it's time to make the frosting!

Vanilla Bean Buttercream with Bacon Sprinkles
--4 slices bacon
--10 TB softened unsalted butter
--1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
--1 TB heavy cream
--1 1/4 cups powdered/confectioners sugar
--pinch of salt

We made this frosting by hand, but you can use a standing mixer also.

Cook the 4 strips of bacon until crispy. Chop into small bits and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cut the butter with 2 knives until choppy. Then, using a spoon or spatula, mix the butter vigorously until smooth. Add in the sugar and the salt. Continue mixing/beating until fully combined. Add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream and mix some more until all blended. Beat until frosting is fluffy. Yum!


Frost the cooled cupcakes. Add the bacon sprinkles to the top. EAT!

Giving Up Life's Pleasures...On Purpose!

See that lovely lady above? Her name is Racheletto and she's a girl on the go.

For the entire month of January, she has decided to simplify her life (in a very complicated way) and participate in something called "GULP." What is GULP, you ask?

GULP stands for "Give Up Life's Pleasures." Yeah, on purpose.

So all month long she's been subsisting on only 9 food ingredients, 5 condiments/seasonings, and 1 beverage. Here's what she can eat:

● beans ● nuts ● apples ● yogurt ● eggs ● lemons/lemon juice ● spinach ● carrots ● potatoes●
● olive oil ● salt ● pepper ● curry powder ● honey ● water ●

Maybe this sounds crazy to you (like the thought of living without bacon just sounds sad to me) but scoot on over to her blog, follow her progress, and most importantly VOTE!

What's this? Doing your civic duty? You betcha!

You see Ms. Racheletto will be donating the money she isn't spending on groceries to one worthy cause.

My favorite among the bunch? SAME Cafe--a Denver joint that exists "so all may eat" and feeds the homeless and hungry.

GO! VOTE! Enjoy whatever you're eating/drinking/consuming in her honor!

And maybe you're thinking, "What's in it for me?"

Well...How about our first ever Bacon & Other Bad Habits contest?!

Here are the rules:
1. Create and submit a recipe that Racheletto can eat to: leahcharney [at] gmail [dot] com.
2. Recipe must contain only the ingredients above.
3. You do not need to use all the ingredients.

Winners will be chosen on Sunday, January 31st (the last day of the GULP challenge).

Getting Your Week In Order!

Greetings Baconeers!

The new year has started and we have all made resolutions that, due to "time constraints," are starting to fall to the wayside. I know I am guilty of it myself. So here is a great tip to help get you more time and if you resolved to lose weight, help with that as well.

Every Sunday, I sit down with a cookbook, paper and small dry erase board and plan out my menus for the week. Now any cookbook will do, but if you are concerned about the calories, pick one with healthy recipes.

As I page through the book, I think about how the week will run. For instance, Monday, Friday and Sunday, Mr. F and I are home together so I cook a big meal. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Mr F goes to the gym after work so I will cook a smaller meal or salads. Saturdays we usually go out for "hot date night".

Once I have picked out the recipes and written them on the dry erase board ( this allows for easy changes if anything crazy pops up), I will create a shopping list for the week and shop Monday after work. Now I am done for the week!

I know what you're thinking--"This chick is crazy!"--but it helps us keep our diets in check and after cooking all day at work, I don't come home and stare into the fridge trying to get inspiration.

To make our meals a bit healthier, I usually eliminate all starches at dinner, portion-control our proteins and stay away from creamy salad dressings. This planning also works for lunch and keeps you away from the drive-thru.

So don't let my over-planning scare you off. Give it a try for a week and I'm sure you will find it is as big of a time saver as I do.

Let's Get Baked...Zucchini

I try to eat healthy, really I do. And for a girl who loves bacon and could eat it with every meal this can sometimes be tricky. (Note: 2 slices of bacon are only 90 calories so shut it). Often, when I've been going out to eat a lot or eating a bunch of fried food or living on junk, I'll make myself some nice vegetarian meals that are chock full of veggies.

The trick with this veggie bake is the squash ribbons that mimic pasta in their texture and consistency. I also omitted many spices and seasonings because I used homemade breadcrumbs that are covered in delicious. If you use store bought or skip the breadcrumbs make sure you add in some of your favorite Italian seasonings.

Baked Squash Ribbons and Tomato

--butter
--1 onion, chopped
--3 medium sized zucchini or yellow squash, cut into small fries or ribbons (using a potato peeler or a mandolin)
--3 large tomatoes, cored, roughly chopped and mostly de-seeded
--shredded Swiss cheese
--1/3 cup sour cream
--1 egg, whisked
--paprika
--salt
--garlic powder
--pepper
--bread crumbs
--shredded Parmesan cheese


In a large skillet saute the onion in 1-ish TBSP butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and add in the zucchini, tomatoes, 1/2 cup of shredded Swiss, sour cream, egg, seasonings and 1/4 cup of fine breadcrumbs. Mix like crazy until all stirred up and cheese and cream are evenly distributed. (The egg in this case is merely acting as a binder to keep the casserole hanging out together).


Transfer to a large baking/casserole dish. Make sure you spray down the dish with cooking spray to allow for easy removal. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup of shredded swiss cheese and a few tablespoons of parmesan. I also like to mix in some chunkier, larger pieces of breadcrumbs.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and delicious.

Hello Stew, Meet Curry & Saffron

I tend to eat a lot of warm foods in the winter time. Winter just seems to loan itself well to soups, stews, and ragouts. The following is a modified version of one of my favorite recipes. It combines lots of veggies with two of my favorite spices: saffron and curry!

I made this while housesitting and just threw it together with what veggies were fresh on hand along with some from the freezer. Stews like this one can change throughout the year to reflect whatever veggies are in season.

Winter Vegetable Curried Stew
--olive oil
--yellow curry powder
--pinch of saffron threads--onion, chopped roughly into medium sized pieces
--garlic, chopped
--assorted chopped veggies (I used squash, kale, spinach, and carrots)
--1 can white beans
--1 package of chicken sausage, links chopped into 1/2" thick slices
--24 oz. container chicken or vegetable broth


In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil coats the bottom of the pot add in the saffron threads. Adding heat to the threads releases their flavor. Add several healthy shakes of curry powder. Add chopped onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. The curry and saffron will coat the onion and garlic and make your stew taste delicious!

Begin adding in your vegetables one at a time. First I added my carrots and then stirred them all together so the curry/saffron mix coated them. Then I added my different squashes (I used 3 different types: delicata, yellow, and zucchini) and stirred the mix all together. Then I added my white beans on top and stirred together.


Pour the chicken broth over the veggies mix. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. You can simmer for up to 2 hours, but if you intend to simmer for this long, please turn heat down to low.

While the soup is simmering it's time to cook up our chicken sausage. I buy the package of 4 links and am really fond of the chicken and apple sausages because they add great flavor to this particular recipe. Most chicken sausage links are already pre-cooked but we want to sear the sides and warm up the sausage.

In a small to medium sized skillet, heat the sausage over medium heat until seared and warm.
Then add it to the simmering stew!

Toward the end of your simmering period add in the spinach and kale (or whatever greens you'd like to use). I remove the stems and either roughly chop these or rip them into pieces by hand.


Once everything is nice and warm it's ready to be scarfed!