"To- Die- For" Hot Wings

First of all, I buy FRESH whole wings. There is very little effort used to cut them, you get them cheaper by the pound, and you use the whole thing. Use the drummies and the flappers for the wings, use the wasted piece to make stock... voila... look at you, using ALL the pieces, saving money and looking like a pro, by creating your own chicken stock!

Now, wash and pat dry the wing pieces you are going to fry... YES, fry...
Sprinkle liberally with black pepper, and a bit of kosher salt, just a little, to draw out the excess moisture. Pour some garlic powder, paprika and cayenne powder over this(your taste buds will determine the amount of cayenne. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon for 3 lbs, and use more if you like) and toss the wings to cover them well. I add some Tiger Seasoning, formerly known as Praise Allah Seasoning to this, but you dont' have to use it.
Pour about half of a bottle of Great Value Louisiana Hot Sauce over the pieces, add a dash of vinegar and about two Tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix and coat the wings well, then put in the fridge, to marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably about 90 minutes. The liquid should have some pinkish red tint to it, but look kind of milky...
Now, when you take them out of the fridge, put them in a very large, clean bag... trash bag, gallon sized zipper bag, whatever will allow ALL the wings to be in the bag at once.
Put flour in the bag. I use Self Rising, but All Purpose will work, too. Add some salt for seasoning, some pepper, if you want, but nothing else... take the wings out of the sauce, but don't drain them dry... just shake off any excess. (if you do not like your wings with breading or battering, you can fry them after draining them well at this point... I like the coating, myself. It is reminiscent of the Hooters wing)
Now, seal that bag and either shake it, or roll the wings until they are all coated well. If they don't separate easily, you need more flour, but add it a little at a time, if you must add... usually about a cup of flour does the trick for three pounds of wings... shake it, toss it, whatever you want Just coat those wings... now, drain the bowl you marinated them in, pour the wings back in and let them marinate another 30 minutes to overnight...
Pour enough oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to cover a batch of the wings about an inch., and heat it over med high heat.
The wings that were dry when you put them in the fridge should now have an pinkish to orange-ish glue like coating on them... dont' worry, this is what gives them their crunch. Drop them in one at a time, leaving enough room for the oil to get all around them. In a typical dutch oven, this will be 10 to 15 sections, depending on the size of the wing pieces.
Cook for at least ten minutes, until the wings are well browned, but not burned, and transfer to paper towels. repeat this until all the wings are cooked. If your oil gets too hot, set it off the heat for a minute or so and begin again...
Now, for the sauce... Melt a stick of REAL BUTTER , salted or unsalted, and use the rest of that hot sauce in the bottle you opened to marinate the wings. Just pour it in with the butter, sprinkle in a few crushed red pepper flakes (careful, this makes it HOT if you use too much), a dash of vinegar (THIS IS IMPORTANT, KIDDOS... I KNOW THE HOT SAUCE HAS VINEGAR, BUT HUMOR ME)...
Bring to a low boil over medium heat, taste and if you want it hotter, add more pepper flakes... if it's too hot.. add some more butter!

Pour this sauce into a very deep bowl with a lid, unless you can toss wings without making a mess... add ALL the wings at once, and toss ONLY until your wings are coated a BIT! Drain off the sauce, quickly, or they will get soggy... serve with ranch or blue cheese , celery, and enjoy!
There is an interesting video on the Internet on "How To Eat A Chicken Wing"... it tells how you can remove the bones and cartilage from a "flapper" section and have a whole piece of meat... google it, because I don't have permission to link and I don't want to violate the new Piracy Law... it works!

These are the best wings I've ever made,because you seasoned the MEAT, NOT the flour... it makes ALL the difference. Let me know how you like 'em!

Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Spray tube or bundt pan with nonstick spray, and flour pan

Cream together in a large mixing bowl, until fluffy:
2 sticks butter, not margarine, brought to room temperature
add 1/2 cup shortening, NOT OIL
Mix well and add
3 cups white sugar. Mix again until fluffy

Add:
5 eggs, beating after each egg is added

In another bowl, sift together
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Add 1/3 of this mixture to butter, sugar, shortening and mix well on low to medium speed

1 cup milk, divided in half
Put half of the milk in after the first 1/3 of the flour mixture is added, and mix well

Add the next 1/3 of the flour, mix, add the other half of the milk, mix, then the last of the flour.
Mix well on low or medium. BATTER WILL BE VERY THICK!

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and mix

Spoon into tube pan and tap pan to settle batter well, and release air bubbles.
Bake on CENTER Rack of oven for at least an hour.

Cool in pan, loosen and invert onto cake plate. This cake has this heavenly crust like topping that I just pick off and eat... the cake is going to be inverted, it is going to become moist, eat at least a bite of it now, so you can say you did...
This cake tastes FABULOUS with Strawberries and whipped cream, particularly if warmed... freezes well, stores well...

Quite possibly the best pound cake I've ever had!

This cake is dense and heavy, but oh, so luscious. Enjoy!

Potato Soup

Idaho Potatoes
New Red Skinned potatoes
Peel and cube or slice thickly and put into a stock pot. Add salt and pepper. I treat potatoes like pasta and season them as I cook them.
Add enough COLD water to barely cover and cook on a slow simmer until potatoes are fork tender, or just under fork tender.
Thinly dice a medium onion and a rib of celery, and add this to potatoes about halfway through cooking
Add a cube of Chicken Bullion to pot. Add some dried Parsley, some minced garlic to taste, and stir gently.

In a bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups milk or cream with 2T flour until smooth and SLOWLY stir into potato mixture. Simmer on low for about five minutes and if soup is too thin, take some of the broth and put it in a bowl, mix with cornstarch and stir it back in. DO NOT make this too thick, because you are going to be adding cheese, which will also thicken it.If it is too thick, add some chicken broth or some water, but add warm or hot water, not cold... it will cause your cheese to congeal.

Simmer gently, taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Now, cube 1 to 1 1/2 cups American Cheese ( I mix Cheddar with the American) American melts smoothly, but Cheddar adds that flavor we all love, so I use about half American, Half Cheddar.

Simmer until potatoes are cooked, taste, and serve. I put chives, real bacon pieces, and shredded Cheddar on top for garnish... YUMMY!

Thanksgiving Ideas

We spend so much time trying to make things fancy for th1e Holidays. I do, too. Here are some really simple tips to take care of the everyday things, so that you can add that fancy new dessert or try that new stuffing recipe... these are easy things to do and will make the day go more smoothly, but not doing them can change your whole day for the worse..

Looking for a pretty dish to just add some umph to your table? My Nanny (Grandmother, for those of you who are more formal) , opened peach or pear halves, filled the area where the seed were with whipped topping, and put a pecan half on top... it was beautiful and looked fancy to me. If you have a diabetic or calorie conscious person, this is a simple sweet taste without a lot of added sugar. Use sugar free or reduced sugar whipped topping. Voila'..
Most of us have family and friends for Thanksgiving. Make the traditional things your family loves. I spent 15 years trying to "out do" last year's dishes. My daughter told me one day... "Mom, stop changing everything. Thanksgiving is a meal where I look forward to knowing what will be on the table. The flavors are the memories I look forward to." So, now I try to keep it steady on Thanksgiving, and do only one or two new dishes each time..
Order in the desserts, or if stuffing isn't your best dish, order that. Make what you can, put your love into that old family favorite and order a smoked, roasted or fried turkey from your market or local restaurant and focus on what you know. A holiday meal ISN"T the day you want to serve thirty dishes you've never cooked before. If your potato salad is to die for, and you bake amazing yeast rolls, but you can't make mashed potatoes, skip them, or buy them, or have those who offer to bring a dish do so.It isn't the end of the world if everything isn't cooked from scratch in YOUR kitchen! What is important is that you shared the time, made some really good food, and shared the meal! It took me years to realize that I may love creme' brulee... I can't make it on Thanksgiving and enjoy my time with my family... we have cheesecake I made on Tuesday. My daughters and my nephew won't touch a table that doesn't have devilled eggs on it... my grandson adores green beans. It doesn't have to be gourmet... it has to be what they want and what you know... get it? We've made this a stressful day. It should be a day of happiness, sharing a good meal with loved ones... there ya go!
Now, let's make dinner...
1. Check your oven ... okay, I got some of these ideas from Rachael Ray...set your oven at any temperature, when the indicator light says it is at that temp, put an oven thermometer in and if it is off, increase or decrease your temp from then on by the number of degrees off... for example, if your oven is set at 400 but the thermometer says 350, then set the oven 50 degrees higher next time.
2 Check your thermometer. Water boils at 212... boil some water, put the thermometer in. If it isn't right, buy a new one next time you shop.
3. Defrost your turkey in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. Nothing will ruin Thanksgiving faster than a frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning. It is EXTREMELY UNSAFE to try and thaw the turkey in WARM water. If you must use water, use cold water that covers the turkey, change it every thirty minutes until thawed completely.
4. Check your roasting pan against the size of your turkey. If you go larger, you may have a big surprise on the big day..
5. If you are serving sliced turkey, and yours is a little dry... go to the cupboard, find some turkey or chicken broth, heat it to a low temp, and bathe the slices in the broth just before serving. No more dry turkey!
6. This one is ALL Rachael. Take the turkey out of the oven, cover it with wide heavy duty aluminum foil, and put the heaviest towel you have across it. This simple little tip will keep your turkey HOT for hours, according to Rachael..
7. Double duty... making stuffing and potato salad, etc? Go ahead and dice your onions for ALL the recipes, peel ALL the potatoes for the salad, the mashed, etc... chop the celery, peel carrots, etc. the day before and store them in ziploc bags in the veggie section of your fridge. On cooking day, all you have to do is measure, if you are anal or the recipe is specific, mix and pop in the oven...
8. Set the table the day before. Save yourself all the steps you can on that busy afternoon. Or better yet, let the kids do it...
9. Shop for non perishables a week or two early. I start my Thanksgiving and Christmas meal shopping in late Sept. I get stocked up on stock, buy the cranberry sauce (yes, I can make my own, but I like the jellied kind on a turkey sandwich and I dont want to be jonesin' for it and not have it in the cabinet), get the frozen or canned veggies (if I didn't have a garden that year), and the paper napkins, paper plates if you use them at all, etc. Move some crap outta that spare cabinet and use it for this. You can always put the crap back in after the Holidays.
10. Candles, if you use them at the table, won't drip if you store them in the fridge overnight or for about four hours before lighting them.
11. There are these great little crockery discs you can buy and put in the bottom of your bread basket, to keep your rolls warm. Inexpensive, too. Just pop them in the oven while you are cooking, take them out and wrap in a towel, put in the bottom of the bread basket and they will keep the bread warm throughout the meal. Most of them are made out of clay, like your terra cotta planters...
12. Lower the lights, light the candles and have the silver and glassware sparkling, and your table will look amazing, even with mismatched plates...
13. Buy LOTS of ziploc type bags, a few foil pans with lids or some foil, and wrap the leftovers for sharing with your guests, or for sharing a plate with a neighbor or shut in. It is so much easier to reheat dinner after shopping all day on Black Friday if you have everything that needs to be reheated in foil.. just pop in the oven, covered, heat while you wrap those bargains you just bought, and serve on paper plates... toss all the empties into the trash or recycling bin, and you have a great, quick meal with little or no clean up! If you have made a meal for a shut in, they have no clean up, either and have the added luxury of not having to worry with returning your prized casserole dish, etc. Trust me, when you have shared a meal with a neighbor, they won't mind if it isn't on your best china... they will be thrilled that you thought of them!

More tips and tricks

When you use vegetables for dishes, keep the ends, pieces, even the peelings. Use them to add to chicken or beef broth, to create your own stock. bring to a boil, simmer for about thirty minutes with the meat of choice, or just use the veggies.Strain and toss away the veggies and peelings, or feed to the dogs for a healthy treat..Keep these odds and ends in a baggie or bowl in the freezer.When you have made the stock and used all you need, but have more... pour into ice cube trays and freeze, then put into baggies... drop in when you need them for a stew, etc...

Put blocks of cheese in the freezer for about ten minutes before grating, and it will go much more smoothly.

Leftover mashed potatoes? Stir some into vegetables, to thicken the broth. Works well in soups, stocks, etc. and doesn't change the taste, unless you have made garlic mashed potatoes, or cheese potatoes...

Hands smell like onions? Rub them over your stainless steel sink... works like a charm

To remove grease from soups, put a lettuce or cabbage leaf on the top. Soaks it right up. remove the leaf and serve the soup.

All canned doughs are the same, basically... if you need crescent rolls, but only have canned biscuits, roll them out and reshape them.. viola, crescent rolls...

Make double recipes of meatloaves, meatballs, etc. and put one in the freezer. Saves energy, and time. Next time unexpected guests drop by, bring out that meatloaf and serve them a "down home" dinner, or make a quick marinara and drop in those homemade meatballs for a quick hors douvre.or even quicker, heat up some barbecue sauce to them.This really works well for casseroles, and on those nights when you just dont have time to chop and peel, it's already done for you... just pop into the oven and reheat...

Speaking of unexpected guests, keep cream cheese on hand.. any time you have an impromptu game night, you can add canned pineapple for a sweet dip, canned salad shrimp and shrimp cocktail sauce over a wedge is great tasting, and if you take the time to shape it into a ring, your guests will think you are Martha Stewart... serve with butter crackers, like captain's wafers, ritz, etc. If you have guests who like spicy things, drain a jar of whole jalapenos, and stuff with tuna, mixed a little dry with mayo and salt and pepper... really tasty...my sister-in-law reminded me I have neglected to include one of her favorites... mix 2 parts Pace Picante Sauce, NOT salsa, Medium Flavor, to one part softened cream cheese, mix and serve with tortilla chips... makes a wonderful dip...

When using flour or cornstarch, ALWAYS mix the dry ingredient with COLD liquids, then add to warm or hot liquids, to avoid lumps.

If a recipe calls for flour for thickening, but you have none, use cornstarch. Use 1/2 the amount of cornstarch. If the recipe calls for 1/2 cup flour, use 1/4 cup cornstarch. Alternatively, if the recipe calls for cornstarch, double it when using flour in its place.
* Remember, flour finishes white, cornstarch clear... if you are making a brown gravy, and use flour, it won't be as dark. If you are making a clear item, such as Lemon curd, it will look more like mousse... so, keep this in mind when exchanging one item for another.

Oh, So Good Chocolate Pudding

First of all, do NOT think that if you make something from scratch, it has to take much longer than the pre-packaged foods. This recipe is one of thoe recipes that takes one to two minutes longer than opening the package, and HONESTLY, that is ALL!If you like chocolate pie, pudding, creme' brulee', I strongly urge you to try this recipe as your Go-To Recipe... Adjust the amount of cocoa, or even try one of the new Dark Cocoas for a more intense, "grown-up" flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder*

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a fork or whisk, beat all the dry ingredients together.

Put Dry ingredients into a saucepan, and pour cold milk on top. Whisk over medium heat, until the mixture boils or thickens, whichever comes first. If you put in a metal spoon, and the mixture coats the back of the spoon, it is done.

Remove from heat, stir in Margarine, and vanilla.

Pour into six 1/2 cup pudding cups or divide into bowls for pudding. Pour over a pre-baked crust and top with whipped cream (of course, I feel homemade is better), or meringue for pie.

If you put plastic wrap on top of pudding, touching the top, you wont get the "skin" on the top. To me, the "skin" says homemade, so I omit this step. Cool, and serve...

Note: For sweeter pudding, increase sugar to a total of 3/4 cup, or in between... play with the sweetness. If you get it too sweet, sprinkle tiny bits of salt on top, whisk well, taste again, until it tastes like you want...

* I use 4 Tablespoons Cocoa to make it richer, or 3 Tablespoons of Dark Cocoa to make Dark Chocolate Pudding.

Syrups for Freezing Fruits

50% Syrup is just what you'd think... 50% water, 50% sugar, boiled together and cooled
60% is 60% Sugar, 40% water. Ex. If you use 2 Cups Water, Use 3 Cups sugar.
If you like very light syrup, do a 25%... 1 cup sugar to 4 Cups Water
Very Heavy Syrup, which even I find way too sweet is 3.5 Cups sugar to 1/5 Cups Water...
Always bring water to a boil, either with sugar, or add sugar as it boils. Boil together one minute and take off heat. Cool, and pour cool syrup over the fruit. Hot Syrup will cook the fruit, so be patient, or better yet, make the syrup, THEN prepare the fruit, so the temptation is gone...