Baked Chicken Wings & Drumettes 5 Ways

Baked Chicken Wings & Drumettes 5 Ways

At the Fry household we like to make our Chicken Wings & Drumettes in a variety of ways to keep it interesting and we prefer to bake them. Here are 5 ways we like them.

Tabasco Chipotle Chicken Wings & Drumettes

Tabasco Chipotle Chicken Wings & Drumettes
Tabasco Chipotle Chicken Wings & Drumettes are smokey and have a great kick. You get some serious bold flavor with these wings. Coat Chicken Wings & Drumettes in Vegetable Oil and season liberally with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. Slather on as much Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce you want. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes turning wings half way.

Heartbreaking Dawns Jalapeno Pineapple Hot Sauce (left) and Heartbreaking Dawns
Classic Gold Hot Sauce (right) Chicken Wings & Drumettes

Heartbreaking Dawns Chicken Wings & Drumettes
We used two different sauces for these Chicken Wings & Drumettes - Heartbreaking Dawns Jalapeno Pineapple Hot Sauce and Heartbreaking Dawns Classic Gold Hot Sauce. Both sauces were very spicy and had a complex mix of flavors. The Heartbreaking Dawns Jalapeno Pineapple Hot Sauce was intense and the pineapple gave the sauce sweetness that complimented the jalapeno with a perfect amount of heat. Heartbreaking Dawns Classic Gold Hot Sauce packed a punch with stimulating flavors and the right amount of heat for the palate.


Heartbreaking Dawns Jalapeno Pineapple Hot Sauce and
Heartbreaking Dawns Classic Gold Hot Sauce

Allen recommends the vast selection of Heartbreaking Dawns products for heat aficionados and gives them the hot sauce stamp of approval. We have about 7 other Heartbreaking Dawns Hot Sauces and some seasoning rubs Johnny graciously sent us to cover in upcoming blog posts. Go to the Heartbreaking Dawns Artisan Sauces & Seasonings site to see their vast selection of amazing products and order some for yourself: http://heartbreakingdawns.com/.

Coat Chicken Wings & Drumettes in Vegetable Oil and season liberally with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. Slather on as much Heartbreaking Dawns Jalapeno Pineapple Hot Sauce and Heartbreaking Dawns Classic Gold Hot Sauce you want depending on how much heat you can handle. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes turning wings half way.

We would also like to congratulate Johnny for his recent appearance on Food Network's Chopped show. Although you got "Chopped" you did a really great job and we were rooting for you!

Guy Fieri Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce Chicken Wings & Drumettes

Guy Fieri Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce Chicken Wings & Drumettes
This is the third time we use Guy Fieri Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce on Chicken Wings & Drumettes so we cannot get enough of this sauce, which combines the perfect blend of sweetness and tangy taste. It is heavenly. Coat Chicken Wings & Drumettes in Vegetable Oil and season liberally with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. Slather on as much Guy Fieri Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce you want. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes turning wings half way.


Seasoned Chicken Wings & Drumettes



Seasoned Chicken Wings & Drumettes
I like to always make some Chicken Wings & Drumettes that are heavily seasoned but not spicy. Coat Chicken Wings & Drumettes in Vegetable Oil and season liberally with Kosher Salt and Badia Gourmet Blends Poultry Seasoning. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes turning wings half way.

You can give these wing & drumettes recipes a try for the Super Bowl (Go Giants!) or for any occasion.

-Sophia & Allen Fry/Two Frys

Carrots

Organic Carrots

Organic Carrots

I love shopping for organic veggies at Garden Gourmet in my neighborhood. Check out their site or pay them a visit if you live in the Bronx: http://www.gardengourmetmarket.com/fresh2/. I made organic carrots to accompany a steak and mushroom dinner for my wife and I and they were great.

Here is the recipe.

First, trim the Carrot stems a little, wash with cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

Ingredients:

On medium heat add 1/2 stick Butter to pan and melt.

Add Carrots and stir in the melted Butter to coat.

Add 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt.

Add 1 teaspoon Black Pepper.

Add 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasonings.

Stir again and saute for 6-8 minutes or until tender but not too soft.

Enjoy. They are a great side dish for your next meal.

-Allen/Two Frys

Tartar Sauce

Tartar Sauce

The other day we bought frozen clam strips, crab cakes and baked them with some crispy fries for a quick dinner. I looked in my fridge and I was out of tartar sauce. I have been making a lot of my own sauces lately so I went for it and made my own. I got the recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tartar-sauce-i/. This recipe yields enough for 4 people/1 cup so I stored half in a ziplock bag in the fridge and used the rest later in the week with more seafood. Do not freeze tartar sauce since it contains mayonnaise. If you need more just double the recipe. Give this a try next time you make seafood.
Ingredients:

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 heaping tablespoon Sweet Pickle Relish

1 tablespoon minced Shallot

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Stir all the ingredients in bowl and taste to see if you would like more salt or black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1-3 hours.

Enjoy. It is really yummy. I will never buy store bought tartar sauce ever again.

-Sophia/Two Frys

Caramel Filled Sandies

Caramel Filled Sandies

Caramel Filled Sandies

In December, I got several holiday cookie recipes via email and planned to make Caramel Filled Sandies with my holiday baking but I never got to them. These cookies are so delicious with pecans inside, drizzled dark and white chocolate, with a gooey caramel center and sprinkled coarse salt on the outside. I baked so many cookies around Christmas and held onto this recipe knowing I would make it eventually. Yesterday, it snowed a few inches and I was home reading a new cookbook that inspired me to bake so I made them. The recipe yields three dozen cookies if you shape the dough into 1 ½-inch balls but I made them larger and yielded about 2 dozen cookies. I made one cookie tray with large cookies and another with medium size cookies to see if both kept the indentation in the middle for the caramel. I will explain below.

The only addition of ingredients to this recipe is Pure Vanilla Extract, but I used different techniques so my version of the recipe follows. For the original version of this recipe, go to:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/caramel-filled-sandies/e45b05c9-5ab8-4559-bbfc-85c4de501123.

Get out all the ingredients below and measure them.

Out the oven and cooling...

Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour

1 Extra Large Egg

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

¼ cup Finely Chopped Toasted Pecans

1 stick of Salted Butter, softened

1 tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt

34 Caramel Candies, Unwrapped

3 tablespoons Half and Half

1/3 cup White Baking Chips, melted

1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips, melted


Filled in the caramel - yum! :)

Using a skillet on medium heat, toast Pecans for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they brown. Cool them completely and then finely chop in food processor.

In a large bowl, combine Cookie Mix, Pecans, Flour, Butter, Egg, and Vanilla until a soft dough forms. Form dough into a large ball and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for ½ hour. Use a small or large ice cream scoop or form balls with your hands and place on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Using your thumb, make an imprint in the center of each.


Caramel Filled Sandies decorated and are now setting up

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. If the indentations did not stay, press each again with your thumb and be careful not to burn yourself. I had to do this with the tray of large cookies but the medium size cookies kept the indentation shape. Wait 1-2 minutes before you do this, and then transfer cookies from baking sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.

In a microwaveable bowl, place Caramels and 3 tablespoons of Half and Half in microwave for 1 minute. Check caramels and if they have not melted, continue to melt in 15 second intervals until they are. Stir caramels and use a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon in one hand and with your other hand place a small bowl under the spoon as you pour the caramel in each indentation. Using this technique prevents the caramel from spilling all over the place. Let the caramel cool for about ½ hour.

Caramel Filled Sandies have set and are ready to eat. :)

In two microwaveable bowls, melt dark chocolate in microwave and then do the same with white chocolate for 1 minute. Check to see if chocolate melted. If needed continue to melt chocolate in 15-second intervals until done. Stir and place each in a resealable plastic storage bag to make a disposable pastry bag. Make a knot at the top and snip a tiny bit off the corner of each bag. Use the dark chocolate first and make a swirly design, and then do the same swirly design with the white chocolate over the dark chocolate in the opposite direction. Sprinkle a little coarse salt over each cookie and let them set for about ½ hour before serving.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Rotini Veggie Pasta Salad

Rotini Veggie Pasta Salad

In the summer, I made Festive Summer Pasta Salad, that you can read all about in the archives so see link below. We love this super easy and delicious veggie pasta dish. In this version, I call it Rotini Veggie Pasta Salad, since I used shallots instead of red onion, added parsley and more veggies - radishes, and carrots. I also used luscious grape tomatoes instead of chopping up a large tomato. This is a wonderful pasta salad with lots of veggies you can make your loved ones for any occasion. This recipe is so quick to pull together, you can make it any day of the week no matter how busy you are. With all the heavy holiday eating we did, this is a perfect meal that is light and good for you too.

Directions:
In a large pot boil water, add kosher salt and whatever Tri-Color Rotini Pasta you like (I used Ronzoni Garden Delight Enriched Tomato, Carrot, Spinach Rotini Pasta).

Cook until 1 minute shy of al dente (check your package for cooking time directions).

Drain and soak in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Rinse your veggies in cold water and dry with a paper towel.

Shred 2-3 carrots.

Thinly slice 2 shallots.

Thinly slice 6-7 radishes.

Thinly slice 1 red pepper.

Thinly slice 1 yellow pepper.

Thinly slice 1 orange pepper.

Take 1 bunch of broccoli florets and slice each in half.

Rotini Veggie Pasta Salad - yum!

Stir veggies together and season them with kosher salt, black pepper, and 1 heaping tablespoon of Italian seasoning (I used Badia).

In a large pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and when hot, add veggies and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Put veggies aside until they cool.

In a large bowl, add the rotini, as many grape tomatoes you like, the sautéed veggies, toss and blend together well.

Measure 1/2 cup of Light Italian Dressing (I used Wish Bone) and add to veggies and pasta. Stir until combined. You can add a little more dressing if needed. Start with this amount and taste it first. This was the perfect amount for me. Adding too much dressing will overpower and turn the dish into a soggy mess.

Chop two tablespoons of parsley and sprinkle over the top and fold.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and chill for 2-3 hours before you serve. Enjoy!

Go to the archives to read a similar version, Festive Summer Pasta Salad: http://twofrys.blogspot.com/2011/06/festive-summer-pasta-salad.html.

-Sophia/Two Frys

Taco Mac 'N Cheese

Taco Mac 'N Cheese

My wife first came across this recipe in Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Magazine but when I made it, I added some hot sauce for extra kick. This is a very quick and hearty simple dish that is packed with flavor.

Ingredients:
1 package (1.25 ounce) Taco Seasoning Mix (I used Ortega)

1 can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles (I used Rotel)

1 pound Lean Ground Beef

2 (7.25 ounce) boxes Whole Grain Mac & Cheese (I used Kraft)

Hot Sauce (I used Paula Deen Collection Hot Sauce)

Directions:
In a large pot of salted boiling water cook pasta until al dente, and make mac 'n cheese according to box directions.

In a large pan, season beef with kosher salt and black pepper. Add taco seasoning and mix it with the beef and brown over medium-high heat until done.

Drain diced tomatoes and chiles and add to beef. Simmer until it thickens.

Add beef with diced tomatoes and chiles to the pasta pot and stir together. Let it stand for 2-3 minutes.

Add hot sauce to your liking (I added 1 tablespoon), stir again and serve immediately.

Goes great with a mixed green salad and some whole grain tortilla chips.

-Allen/Two Frys

New Year's Dinner

New Year's Dinner

I was happy to have Mom over for the holiday, and she really loved our dinner and of course, Red Velvet Snowball Cake. This was a very special dinner for us, because it was our first time making a turkey. I have eaten my Mom's amazing turkey every Thanksgiving and wanted to see if I could succeed at making my own. I want to thank Clinton Kelly from The Chew for the inspiration. I watched him make Clinton Kelly's Lemon Sage Turkey and I had to try it. I did not brine the turkey. Maybe if I have a bigger kitchen some day I will try brining. This turkey was super flavorful and juicy. The end result exceeded my expectations.

This is the turkey recipe:
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Thanksgiving-Clinton-Kelly-Lemon-Sage-Turkey.

Making the compound butter for the turkey - shallot, garlic, sage, lemon zest & juice

Making the compound butter was very easy. You just have to be real careful when placing the compound butter under the skin of the turkey. Just take your time with it and use a spatula. I was grateful Allen did this for me!

This is what the compound butter looks like with the ingredients blended together

I made Turkey Gravy too which was also a first for me. I read a couple of gravy recipes and this is the recipe I used:  

Heat 4 cups of chicken stock and pan drippings from turkey (remove excess fat) in a pan in low to medium heat. Add 1 bay leaf.
 
In another pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter and 4 tablespoons each of chopped carrots, celery, onions and minced garlic and cook in butter until it is slightly browned.
 
Stir 4 tablespoons of flour into the butter and veggies to make a roux. Cook for a few minutes until the roux turns golden brown in color.
 
Slowly pour the stock in the pan with the roux, whisking as you add it. Do not stop whisking. Once incorporated stop whisking, return to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce by a third.
 
Strain the gravy through a mesh strainer. Season to taste with kosher salt. This gravy was delicious.

Turkey Gravy

I also made Potato Salad which my Mom totally loved. I posted the recipe earlier this year. Here it is:
http://twofrys.blogspot.com/2011/04/potato-salad.html. This is truly a "winning" recipe!

Potato Salad - yum!

Allen made his hearty and yummy Green Bean Casserole. I am so happy to have leftovers because I think it is even better the day after.

Allen's hearty Green Bean Casserole

Allen bought me Paula Deen's Cheese Biscuit Mix and they were amazing and super easy to put together. Oh Paula, we love you!

Paula Deen Cheese Biscuit Mix - oh so good!

Allen made Turkey Stuffing and it paired deliciously well with my Turkey Gravy.

Allen's Turkey Stuffing!

Yay, here's to a great 2012 and lots of leftovers.

-Sophia & Allen/Two Frys