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Three different types of homemade salsa

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

It’s salsa season people! It’s that time of the year where you can throw anything from the garden in the blender with some cilantro and lime and dip a tortilla chip in it and taste the season! Luckily this year I am growing tomatoes and jalapenos, so that will work out just fine!

Being that I am so excited for salsa season, I knew exactly what I was going to do when Palmolive Soft Touch challenged me to create 3 dishes to match their new springy colored dish soaps, I knew this would be a salsa challenge for me! The challenge was to figure out what type of salsa I could make to match the Vitamin E scented pink, aloe scented green, and coconut butter scented orangish-creamy colored soaps.

The pink was easy. My traditional salsa comes out with a beautiful pink hue. One down. At the grocery store, I was excited to see that corn on the cob is starting to come into season. The only thing more exciting than salsa season is corn on the cob season! So the orangish-creamy color would be a citrus corn salsa. For the green dish, it had to be tomatillos! But to make it a little different, I wanted this one to be a roasted salsa, and naturally that led me to including poblanos as well.

Each salsa turned out with its own distinct, delicious flavor. And the fun part…mixing and matching the salsas to create different flavors. A little tomatillo into the traditional to cool the heat a little. A little corn in the tomatillo for texture. And lets not talk about what these three will do for taco night! The corn salsa specially would be a great topping for a taco, or even on a grilled steak!

Naturally, when I was done cooking, I then got to have some dish scrubbing ”fun” with the lovely smelling Palmolives. And yes, my hands thanked me!

Disclaimer: I was compensated for incorporating Palmolive Soft Touch in a blog post creating recipes to match their new colors and scents. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. I actually am a faithful user of Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh, and am always happy to work with brands I enjoy.

Traditional Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb tomatoes (I used campari, but use your favorite type)
1 jalapeno (deseeded, or include some seeds if you like heat. If you don’t like heat at all, sub a poblano pepper.)
1 small vidalia onion (peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic (peeled)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 large limes
Salt to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients, except the lime juice and salt, in a blender or food processor
Blend to your desired consistency. If you like a chunky salsa, just pulse it a couple of times untill it gets to your liking.
Place the salsa in a mixing bowl and add you lime and salt to taste. Do not over salt, as the salsa marinades, the flavors will become stronger, including the salt.
Cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Salsa will be good in the refrigerator for about 1 week

Roasted Tomatillo & Poblano Salsa

Ingredients

.75 lb (3 quarter lb) tomatillo (peeled, washed and halved)
1 large poblano (stem removed)
3 garlic cloves (do NOT peel)
1 small vidallia onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp salt

Directions

Turn your oven onto broil
Place the tomatillo (cut side down), poblano (whole) and garlic (in the peel) on a cookie sheet and place on the top rack under the broiler.
Keep an eye on the veggies so they don’t burn to a crisp.
When the poblano begins to blister, flip it over.
When the 2nd side of the poblano begins to blister, remove it from the oven. Remove the garlic at this time as well.
When the tomatillo begins to blister, remove it from the oven as well.
Peel the skin off of the poblano. Remove the peel from the garlic.
Place all of your roasted veggies in a blender or food processor.
Add the onion and cilantro to the blender.
Blend the mixture to the desired consistency.
Stir in salt.
Refrigerate and eat when cold.
Salsa will be good in the refrigerator for about 1 week

Citrus Corn Salsa

Ingredients

2 cups corn kernels (about 2 cobs if you are using fresh)
1/2 large granny smith apple (peeled and chopped to corn kernel size)
Juice of 1 orange (1/4 cup)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 tsp sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions

Mix corn and apple in a bowl
In a separate bowl, mix orange juice, lime juice, lime zest, sugar and cayenne pepper
Pour liquid over the corn mixture
Salt to taste
Allow to marinade for at least an hour before serving

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: appetizer, dip, potluck, recipe, salsa | 1 Comment »

SRC Reveal: Orange Chicken adapted from A Cook’s Quest

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Orange Chicken 2

Another month has gone by, which means its time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal! This month I had the privilege of checking out Jenn’s blog “A Cook’s Quest“. Jenn started her blog when she realized she was ignoring one of her true loves, cooking…I can completely relate! Jenn has quite a bit of delicious baked goods on her blog, like Strawberry Cream Puff Cake, Stuffed Divine Bread Sticks, and Cinnamon Swirl Bread. But I knew Jenn and I were kindred spirits when I found a section of slow-cooker recipes at the bottom of her recipe index.

Well, I have been looking for a recipe for orange chicken for quite some time, and it just so happened that I had all of the ingredients for an adjusted version of Jenn’s Slow Cooker Orange Chicken. The only thing I didn’t have…time to slow cook! So I made a few more adjustments and had a delicious orange chicken dinner in under 30 minutes!

Orange Chicken Recipe – Adapted from A Cook’s Quest

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 tsp orange zest (grated peel of 1 medium orange)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
6 oz orange juice (I juiced 3 medium oranges)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:

Place raw chicken in a bowl
Sprinkle chicken with orange zest, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic. Rub them into the chicken
In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and set aside
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium sauce-pan over medium-high heat
When oil sizzles, add chicken to the pan
Cook until chicken is well browned on all sides (about 7 minutes)
Slowly add the sauce mix, adding a little at first to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When that is done, add the remainder of the sauce.
Bring sauce to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and let cook for 20 minutes
Optional: At the end of 20 minutes, if the sauce needs to reduce more, take the lid off, bring to a boil and allow to boil until sauce is desired thickness.
Serve the chicken and sauce over your favorite rice or grain.

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: asian, chicken, dinner, recipe | 14 Comments »

Secret Recipe Club Reveal – Chicken Potato Salad Mold?! No, its Causa Rellena…in a mold

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

For my second month in the SRC, I was given assigned the blog Oh! You Cook! to peruse. As soon as I realized that Dena was a kosher cook, I had to bring Lara in on the fun to help me choose what recipe to make. We had a tough time choosing between Mock Chopped Liver, Passover Almond Cake with Lemon Honey, and all types of other yummy recipes that are just in time for the upcoming Passover holiday!

But there was no question when we found it, the winner was the Gold Potato and Chicken Salad Mold…if for no other reason than pure curiosity. The pictures were not showing up when we tried to view this recipe, so you can imagine the things that popped into my head! Think 1960′s floating jello mold made out of chicken…

But then I read further and saw that this dish is based on a traditional Peruvian dish called Causa Rellena. The traditional version looks more like arepas than a jello mold…but I didn’t let that stop me!

This recipe involves 3 “sub-recipes”. A chicken salad, a mashed potato salad and a tapanade. I have listed each recipe separately, then instructions on how to put it all together. Enjoy!

Causa Rellena

Chicken Salad Ingredients

2 cups cook chicken breast, shredded (I boiled 1 ld of chicken breast and shredded)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp brown mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

Chicken Salad Directions

Place all ingredients in a bowl
Mix well with a fork, breaking the chicken down further as you go
If using in Causa Rellena, set bowl aside. If eating on its own, refrigerate until cold.

Mashed Potato Salad Ingredients

1.5 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes (about 4 potatoes)
water
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp olive oil
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt & pepper to taste

Mashed Potato Salad Directions

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water
Place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil
Once boiling, continue to cook on a slow boil for 12 minutes until potatoes are cooked through
Drain potatoes and place in a mixing bowl
Add chili powder, crushed garlic, oil and lime
Mix, using a spoon, crushing the potatoes as you stir
Add salt and pepper to taste
If using in Causa Rellena, set bowl aside. If eating on its own, may be eating chilled or warm.

Tapanade Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh parsley
20 Stuffed Manzanilla Olives
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil

Tapanade Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender
Pulse 10 -20 times until parsley is blended into all ingredients

To make the Causa Rellena:

Potato salad and chicken salad should still be warm
Line the bowl you would like to use as your mold with plastic wrap. Make sure plastic wrap comes up over the sides of the bowl.
Place the potato salad into the bottom of the bowl
Smooth down potatoes so the top is smooth and even
Spread the tapanade over the potato layer
Smooth chicken salad onto the top of the bowl. Make sure to smooth this layer down
Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator
When dish is cold, remove plastic wrap from the top of the bowl
Place your serving dish, upside down, on top of the bowl
Flip bowl over so that mold is now on the serving dish. Pull on the plastic wrap a little if the mold doesn’t come right out.
Once mold is out of the bowl and on the serving dish, remove the rest of the plastic wrap
Traditioinal toppings you may want to sprinkle over the top are parsley, olives and hard boiled eggs.

Filed under: Recipes, Uncategorized | Tagged: chicken, main course, peru, peruvian, potluck, recipe, salad | 12 Comments »

Healthy & Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

The first day of spring is just around the corner, and the weather man is predicting a good dumping of snow tomorrow. Awesome. The longer days are helping to tend the winter doldrums, and I might as well take advantage of this ridiculous continuing cold to cook some good old fashioned comfort food that is still good for you.

This is a great way to use up some left-over chicken. And Dispite the long list of ingredients, it is surprisingly easy! The only tip you really need is to make sure you cut all the veggies the same general size. Other than that, jus follow along and you will have this belly warming meal ready in about 30 minutes!

Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (I boiled chicken breast. You can use left overs, rotisserie, etc)
3 Tbsp butter or butter substitute ( I used Brummel & Brown)
1 large russet potato (peeled, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes)
2 stocks of celery (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1/2 small vidalia onion (chopped)
3 dashes of worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/3 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup brocolli flowerettes
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions

Place a large stock pot on medium-high heat. Add butter to the pot.
When butter melts, add the potato, celery, carrots, garlic and onion.
Add worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt and Thyme.
Continue cooking until carrots begin to become tender, about 5 minutes.
Add flour and stir well for 30 seconds.
Add 1 cup of the broth and stir well to get brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
Add remaining broth and water and stir well.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer
Add chicken and broccoli to the pot
Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl, mix together the Bisquick, milk, pepper, garlic and paprika. Stir until combined.
Using a teaspoon, drop the Bisquick mixture into the soup, one spoon at a time.
Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Enjoy!

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: chicken, dinner, healthy, main course, recipe | 1 Comment »

The Secret Recipe Club – Southwest Pizza from Life and Kitchen

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Today is a very exciting day for me, because it is the first time I get to take part in The Secret Recipe Club (SRC)! The SRC is a “blogger group” where each month you get assigned a new food blog to “secretly” scout out. You pick a recipe from that blog to post about, and all of the posts go live on the same day at the same time. So, not only is it a great way for me to discover some delicious new food blogs, it is also a great way to have others discover my blog. Win-win people!

For my first act as a member of SRC, I had the privilege to check out Life and Kitchen, which is written by Lindsay (a former Bostonian, woohoo!). Lindsay recently became a “mostly” vegetarian, and she has some delicious and easy recipes to show for it!

Remember in elementary school the two types of pizza that came out of the cafeteria? You know, regular pizza (or rectangle pizza) and Mexican pizza (octagon shaped pizza). Well, I was obsessed with octagon pizza and still dream about it (no, I’m not embarrassed). So when I saw Lindsay’s Southwest Pizza, I knew that was the recipe I would be making. I changed things around a little to use what I had in the house, and to make the recipe for just one individual pizza for lunch.

The result was delicious, healthy and definitely repeatable! This one is going into my bag of tricks!

Recipe: Southwest Individual Pizza (adapted from Life and Kitchen)

Ingredients (makes 4 individual pizzas):

1 tube of refrigerated biscuit dough (you will only be using 4 of the biscuits from the tube)
Cooking spray
2 cups of prepared black beans (rinsed)
1 chipotle chile en adobo, minced + 2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375
Cover a cookie sheet in foil and spray with cooking spray
Take each of your biscuits and press them flat. Each biscuit should make a pizza crust about 5 inches in diameter
Place the dough on the cookie sheet
Bake dough until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes
Remove dough from oven and immediately press flat
In a bowl, add beans, chipotle, adobo and spices
Mash the mixture together using a mallet, potato masher, or the back of a spoon, leaving some chunks for texture
Salt mixture to taste
Spread 1/4 of the mixture onto each pizza dough
Sprinkle the tomato on each pizza
Place pizza in the oven for approximately 3 minutes, or until the beans are warm
Remove pizzas from oven and sprinkle them evenly with both cheeses
Return pizzas to oven and bake until the cheese is melted (about 3 – 5 minutes)
Remove pizzas from oven and sprinkle with cilantro

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: Beans, dinner, lunch, pizza, recipe, snack, SRC, vegetarian | 12 Comments »

Blackened Chicken Sandwich with Cajun Mayo

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Usually when I create a new meal, it is because I am craving something…usually a food memory type craving. This meal is no different. With all the snow we have been getting lately, my brain heads to my homeland of Tampa Bay, FL. I have been listening to Jimmy Buffett for my cool-down at the gym. And I have been dreaming of eating some delicious seafood while watching the sunset over the water.

I know what your thinking…what does seafood have to do with Blackened Chicken? Well, when I think of seafood, I think of the Cajun Grouper Sandwich with a side of Bohemian Sauce from Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill on Clearwater Beach…the best place in Tampa Bay to watch the sunset. And since I don’t like to cook seafood (call it a phobia), I decided to recreate this iconic sandwich with chicken. See, a perfectly logical train of thought on how this recipe was created.

The most difficult part of this was to try to recreate the Bohemian Sauce. I haven’t been to Frenchy’s in probably over 2 years, so while the memory is fond, it is starting to get faint. So while I am not sure if this matches up to the original, it is certainly delicious and came out exactly as I had pictured it. The great part about this recipe…I now have a whole jar of the Blackened Seasoning. I have a feeling I will be putting this stuff on pretty much everything!

Blackened Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 tbsppaprika
2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp french thyme
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Place all ingredients in a container with a lid
Mix thoroughly
Store in air-tight container

Cajun Mayo Recipe

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Mayo
1 tsp Ketchup
1/4 tsp horseradish
4 – 10 dashes hot sauce ( I used Sylvia Sauce, Kicking, Hot)
Blackened Seasoning to taste

Directions

Place first 4 ingredients in a bowl
Mix well
Add Blackened Seasoning to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp)
Stir well
Refrigerate at least 20 minutes before serving

Blackened Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (pounded to desired thickness)
4 Tbsp Blackened Seasoning (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp butter or butter substitute (Divided into 8 pieces. I use Brommel & Brown)
4 Crusty bread rolls
1 batch of Cajun Mayo

Directions

Rinse and pat chicken breast dry
Cut each chicken piece in half, so the length of each chicken is halved
Spray grill pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium-high heat
Sprinkle each chicken piece liberally with Blackened Seasoning (all surface area of chicken should have a light coating of seasoning)
Pat seasoning into chicken
When pan is hot enough that chicken sizzles when it touches the pan, place all chicken into the pan
Let chicken cook on this side for 5 minutes without moving
Flip chicken
Add one pat of butter to each chicken piece, spreading the butter around
Cook for 5 minutes
Flip chicken again
Add the remaining pats of butter to the top of each chicken piece, spreading the butter around
Cook for 5 minutes
Flip chicken again
Continue to cook until chicken is cooked through
Place cooked chicken on toasted rolls and drizzle with Cajun mayo.
Add desired toppings (the mayo and dill pickles were perfect!)

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: blackened, cajun, chicken, dinner, main course, mayo, recipe, sandwich, sauce | 2 Comments »

Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes with Caper Horseradish Sauce

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Forget St. Patrick’s Day, I crave corned beef and cabbage pretty much year round. I don’t know what it is about this meal…maybe it is the saltiness of it all, I am a sucker for salty foods after all (it is a REALLY good thing that I have low blood pressure).

I am not going to lie, this recipe may be one of the more complicated recipes that I have written for the blog. But I can also assure you that when executed well, it is totally addictive. Every piece of this meal came out perfectly and is a cravable dish. Sure, you could stop ones the main ingredients are cooked and serve it with some mustard and horseradish. But, I would like to challenge you to try making the sauce. First of all, it is eat-by-the-spoonful good. Second of all, it is a great base for other creamy sauces, and just a good skill to have. If you do try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it worked for you!

Ingredients

1 corned beef (3-4 lbs)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons horseradish (divided)
1 head of cabbage (core removed, cut into eighths)
1 lb russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 lb carrots (peeled and sliced)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp capers (rinsed if you like them less salty)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a large stock pot, place corned beef, mustard seed, peppercorns and bay leaves.
Cover with water. Water should be one inch over the top of the beef
Heat over medium-high to a VERY soft boil
Cover and let simmer for approximately 3 hours, or until the corned beef falls apart when a fork is stuck into it. If the water gets to below the top of the beef, and more to cover.
When beef is cooked, remove it to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside.
Turn the heat up under the liquid you boiled the beef in
Bring liquid to a slow, rolling boil
Add 1 Tbsp horseradish to the liquid
Add cabbage to the liquid
Cook until cabbage is tender, but not limp (approximately 4 minutes)
Remove cabbage with tongs, place on serving dish and cover with foil
If the liquid is getting low, add chicken broth to get the liquid up to the starting liquid level line
Return liquid to a slow, rolling boil
Add the potato and carrots to the liquid
Boil for approximately 15 minutes, or until potatoes are the desired tenderness
Remove potatoes and carrots to serving plate, cover with foil
In a separate sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt butter
If butter starts to boil, reduce heat
Add flour and stir to create a “dough ball”
Add one ladle of the cooking liquid and stir until it is absorbed in the dough
Add another ladle and stir until smooth
Continue adding liquid one ladle at a time, making sure to stir it to smoothness each time. Any laziness here will result in a lumpy sauce
Once you have added liquid to the desired thickness, add the remaining horseradish, yellow mustard, capers, and salt and pepper to taste
Stir well and continue to warm over low heat (making sure to stir frequently, this sauce WILL stick to the bottom of your pan)
Slice your corned beef and serve with the veggies and sauce on the side, or poured over the top

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: capers, corned beef, corned beef & cabbage, dinner, horseradish, irish, main course, recipe, st. patrick's day | 1 Comment »

Slow Cooker Winter Bacon Beef Stew

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Honestly, it is hard for me to believe that this is the first time slow cooker beef stew is making it onto the blog. This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes, mainly because it is just so quick to prepare! Well no. Mainly because it is delicious and easy to prepare!

The great thing about this recipe is that it is super easy to customize. Whether it is swapping out veggies for ones you have on hand, or adding in seasoning that you can’t get enough of, this recipe is very forgiving.

Slow Cooker Winter Bacon Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lb bottom round (cut into bite sized pieces, or you can use pre-cut stew beef)
8 slices of thick cut bacon (chopped, separated into 2 portions)
2 large bay leaves
4 whole cloves
10 whole pepercorns
1 Dried chili pepper of choice (optional – I used 6 Dried Chile Pequin Chili Podsbecause they are very small)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp Goya Adobo Seasoning with Pepper
1 tsp French thyme
2 medium russet potatoes (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 medium purple top turnip (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 lb carrots (peeled and sliced to desired thickness)
1 medium onion (peel, half, then quarter each half)
3 large garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
8 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz Beef Broth
1 cup water
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Place your beef in the bottom of the slow cooker
Using a fillable a coffee filter, or cheese cloth, or Tea Filter, put ingredients 3 – 6 in the filter and tie off so none of the ingredients can escape
Place bag of seasonings in the crockpot on top of the beef
In a separate bowl, mix together ingredients 7 – 11 and set aside
Add potatoes, turnip, carrots, onion and garlic to the crockpot
Sprinkle seasoning mix over the ingredients in the crockpot
Add Worcestershire to the crockpot
Pour tomatoes, then broth, then water over the ingredients in the crockpot
Sprinkle half of the chopped bacon over the top of the dish
Turn crockpot on high and cook for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours)
When stew is cooked, remove seasoning bag from the stew
Stir in sugar
Taste stew and add extra salt and/or sugar to taste
If crockpot is done before you are ready to eat, turn it on low to keep your meal warm and simmering
Before serving, cook the remainder of the chopped bacon in a pan until crispy
Remove from pan, using a slotted spoon, onto a paper towel lined plate
Ladle stew into serving bowls and sprinkle crispy bacon over the top
Enjoy!

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: bacon, beef, crockpot, dinner, recipe, slow cooker, stew, winter | 8 Comments »

Super Bowl Stove Top Wings

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

I love making wings. Even if it is just for the fact I know what is going into them. First came my good ‘ole, finger licking, traditional wing recipe. Then I ventured into Asian Inspired Wings. And out of necessity this week, I bring you stove top wings. The oven was off limits, and it was WAY to cold to grill, so I had to come up with a way to do without, and still have my game time favorite food.

When I was a kid, my parents had pretty big get-togethers on a very frequent basis. Since we lived in Florida, and had a smaller house, these events normally took place in the backyard around the grill, and my dad was FAMOUS for his wings. Unfortunately I don’t have his exact recipe (and last time I asked him he didn’t remember), but what I did remember was the secret was to boil the wings in a delicious base to cook them before throwing them on the grill as a way to crisp them up.

Stove Wings 3

Armed with these memories, I set off to duplicate my dad’s wings…sans grill. It started out as mimicry, but took a left turn after the wings were boiled and I needed to figure out what to do with them then. I am happy to report that the result was a tender, juicy yet crispy, flavorful wing that will become my #1 wing recipe…for now….

Stove Wings

Stove Top Wings

Ingredients

2 lbs raw chicken wings
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce (optional)
4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 dried pasilla pepper
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon mesquite seasoning (optional)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (more if needed)

Directions

In a large stock pot, over medium-high heat, add ingredients 1-6.
Bring pot to a low boil, allow to boil for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix together ingredients 7-12.
Once chicken is cooked, pour oil into a heavy pan and heat over medium-high.
In batches that will fit in your pan, remove chicken from the liquid and sprinkle the flour mixture on each side of each wing.
When oil is hot enough that it sizzles when a wing hits it, add your first batch of wings.
Allow to cook for about 1 minute, or until the side down browns nicely.
Flip and cook for another minute or until nicely brown.
Remove wing to a paper towel lined plate.
Repeat for remaining batches of wings.
Serve as is, or with your favorite dipping sauce.

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: appetizer, chicken, chicken wings, dinner, game day, recipe, snack, superbowl, wings | 2 Comments »

Game Day Snack Recipe…and Plastics Makes it Possible Giveaway!

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

I am giving away some great plastic kitchen goodies! Read to the bottom of this post for details!

Plastic gets a bad wrap (pun intended). Because of decades of plastic being used as simple “throw away” and easy clean-up items, the stigma of plastics being disposable and not “fit for company” has somewhat stuck. But have you seen what plastic has been up to lately?

From reduced material plastic peanut containers, to Preserve Plastic products, plastics are making huge strides in sustainability.

Plastic has not only become an attractive alternative to glassware in the kitchen, the plastic industry is also leading efforts to protect our planet. Plus, when you have friends over for game day, and everyone gets excited over a great interception, things tend to go flying…and if they are on plastic platters you don’t have to worry about breakage!

This plastic platter is beautiful. You have to touch it to even know it’s not glass!

For this week’s game, I wanted to do a play on the jalapeno popper. I also wanted to use the super fun grater that I received. Naturally (?) I decided to make pepperoni pizza poppers!

This grater is amazing! It measures as you grate, AND has a no-slip bottom!

The poppers were tangy and multi-dimensional. They were a perfect one bite treat to get everyone ready for the game. They also got my brain working. You could stuff a pepper with pretty much anything! Chicken parm poppers, buffalo chicken poppers, and greek poppers are all on my list to try for the upcoming weekends.

What would you like to see in your poppers?

Pepperoni Pizza Poppers

Ingredients

1/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup cream cheese (I used low-fat)
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp oregano
Pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
1/4 cup chopped pepperoni
12 whole peppadew peppers (may substitute your favorite pickled or fresh peppers - seeded)
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Additional 1/4 cup of mixed, grated parmesan and mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a bowl, mix together ingredients 1 – 7
Once ingredients are combined, add pepperoni and stir until it is equally distributed
Stuff each of the peppers with as much of the cheese mixture as possible.
Place stuffed peppers in a deep baking dish
Pour sauce over top of peppers
Sprinkle with remaining cheese
Bake for 10 minutes, or until hot throughout

And now the giveaway!!

I will be giving away a prize pack of some great plastic kitchen goodies! All you have to do is:

Leave a comment here telling me how you use plastic in your kitchen.
For a bonus entry, tweet ”#PlasticsintheKitchen make #GameDay perfect thanks to @renh77 & @plasticpossible http://wp.me/pVsto-Nf“. Make sure to come back her and leave another comment letting me know you tweeted.
Winners will be chosen using random.org on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 10:00 p.m.
Winner must live within the continental U.S.
Winner must respond to notification email within 48 hours or the prize will be forfeited

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Ogilvy PR and the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Make it Possible campaign. I received a package of plastic kitchen goods in exchange for writing this post. As always, all opinions are my own, and I stand fully behind them.

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: appetizer, football, game day, plastic, plastics make it possible, recipe, snack | 18 Comments »

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