Appetizers | onedadskitchen

Okay, politics aside from all of this, everyone, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, heck even space aliens love nachos. I have made my own in several different variations over the years and it gives you a chance to experiment and put whatever you like on nacho chips. Here are some great recipes from Food Republic to cover some basic nacho ideas, including how to make your how homemade tortilla chips (which I have tried and they are much better than store bought, by the way). Check it out and see if you like them!

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Posted by MikeG on November 7, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking Websites, Snacks

Tags: Food Republic, guacamole, making nachos, nacho chips, nachos

Let’s Have a Snack: Homemade Egg Rolls

26 Oct

I had seen some egg roll wrappers on sale in the supermarket this week and thought I would give this a try. I did need to pick up a few things along the way for this, but none of it was hard to find; it was all basic stuff that I would normally buy or had in the house. I actually found a use for that oyster sauce I bought to make the Thai dinner the other night!

Egg Rolls

1 package of egg roll wraps

1 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

2 cups cabbage, finely chopped

1/4 pound bean sprouts

1/2 cup carrots, shredded

3 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable and heat until shimmering. Add the pork and the ginger and heat until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots and green onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the oyster sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.

Use 2 tablespoons of filling per egg roll. Place the filling diagonally on the wrap. Fold the bottom corner over the filling and roll snugly half-way to cover the filling. Fold in both side corners snugly against the filling; moisten the edges of the last flap with water. Roll the wrap up tightly and seal the top corner. Lay the egg roll flat side down until they are ready to cook.

If you want to fry them, In a large skillet heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Place the egg rolls flap side down, a few at a time, making sure not to crowd them in the pan (you’ll have to do this in batches if you are making a lot). Turn the rolls occasionally and cook until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve.

If you want to bake them (which I did), heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the rolls on a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly brush the tops of the egg rolls with olive oil and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

I wanted to try baking them to avoid all the extra oil and I think they turned out great. Sean and I loved the way they came out. The great thing about egg rolls is that you can fill them with whatever you want. You can choose to just use vegetables, use chicken, beef, shrimp, really anything you want. The options are endless.

Just a couple of things about this recipe. I bought a bag of cole slaw mix and used that instead of shredding the cabbage and carrots myself. It was much easier and still turned out well. I did end up adding more cabbage then the recipe called for because it was cooking away so rapidly, so you may want to watch that. I also think it could use some flavoring, so you may want to make a little sauce to use instead of just using the oyster sauce. Also, this recipe is designed to use all the egg roll wrappers. The package I bought has 20 wrappers, which is a lot of egg rolls. I only made 8 and we still have 6 leftover. Once you open the package of wrappers, you either should use it in 7 days or freeze it and it should be good for about 2 months, which gives you time to make more later on. It’s a great recipe to do some experimenting with.

That’s it for tonight. We have another wedding to go to tomorrow, so there’s no dinner tomorrow, but we are planning to make beef stew or beef barley soup Sunday, so check back for that recipe. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 26, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Pork

Tags: egg rolls

A Taste of Dublin, Part 5

11 Oct

So this is all I have left from our trip to Dublin as far as the food goes. We ate a small breakfast on our last down, took one last walk around the city and we actually had hamburgers for lunch at the Jasmine Bar at the hotel before we headed for Dublin airport to come home. I did get some recipes from Guinness while we were there at the Storehouse. They do have a whole display of how Guinness has been incorporated into many food dishes in Ireland and the world. I picked up three separate recipes while we were there that all looked good. The first one is Irish mussels in a Guinness cream sauce. Keep in mind that all these recipe measurements are in metric so you may have to convert them when you give them a try.

Irish Mussels in Guinness Cream Sauce

1 kg fresh Irish Mussels

300 ml cream

200 ml fish stock

330 ml Guinness extra stout

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

Juice of half a lemon

In a saucepan over medium heat, place the butter, onion, carrot and celery and fry for 2-3 minutes until tender but not browned. Add the Guinness, fish stock and bay leaf and simmer until reduced by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again. Add the mussels and cook for 2-3 minutes until all the shells of the mussels have opened. Add the dill and sprinkle with lemon juice.

I think this one will make a great appetizer for a group of 4 or 6 people. I’m not sure you can find Irish mussels easily, but I would try substituting mussels you can get at your local fish market and see how it goes.

For an entrée, I picked this recipe, one we actually saw on a number of menus in places we were at in Dublin. Beef & Guinness stew seems to be a favorite, and it just plain looks like it would taste awesome.

Beef & Guinness Stew

200 ml of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

400 g stew beef, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 large stalk of celery, diced

1 large parsnip, diced

1 liter beef stock

Sprigs of fresh thyme & rosemary

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the stew beef and brown on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook until tender then pour the Guinness and reduce by half. Add the beef stock and the herbs and simmer very slowly for between an hours and an hour and a half.

They serve the stew with mashed potatoes served on the side of the bowl of the stew. It looks like it has a great dark color to it. It sounds very simple to make and does not have a lot of ingredients, so you can easily make it on a weeknight.

Of course, there needs to be a dessert using Guinness as well. They had a few different ones to choose from, including some cakes, but I chose this recipe for Guinness chocolate truffles instead. It looks simple and should taste great.

Guinness Chocolate Truffles

1 kg dark chocolate, cut into small chunks

400 ml cream

100 ml Guinness

Zest of 1 orange

Cocoa powder

Add the cream and Guinness to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate and grated orange zest. Mix together until the chocolate is fully melted. Leave the chocolate mix until it is cool to the touch, but not set. Take a generous teaspoon of the mixture and roll it in your hands to form small round truffles. Dust each with the cocoa powder. Set in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

A simple fast, chocolatey dessert to finish off a Guinness meal.

So that covers all of the Dublin meals. It was a wonderful trip and we hope to get back to Ireland again and see more of the country than just Dublin. it was a great experience and I would recommend to anyone that they go and enjoy it.

Back to real world cooking for me now though. I do have a backlog of some recipes we have tried recently that I plan to post, including one I just tried from Cook’s Illustrated the other night. Check back and see which one I display first. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 11, 2012 in Appetizers, Beef, Cooking, Dessert, One Pot Meals, Seafood, Soups & Stews

Tags: Beef and Guinness stew, Dublin, Guinness chocolate truffles, Irish mussels in Guinness cream sauce

Our Favorite Slider Recipes | Food Republic

03 Oct

Our Favorite Slider Recipes | Food Republic.

Sliders are all the rage right now in many restaurants and I have to admit I love them. I am a big sandwich guy and these are perfect for me. So why not try some at home and make them yourself? Food Republic gives a great variety of slider recipes in this blog post. I know I’ll be trying a couple of them (the lamb and artichoke sounds really good, and so does the red wine sloppy Joes). Check it out and see if you find any you like!

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Posted by MikeG on October 3, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking Websites, Sandwiches

Tags: favorite slider recipes, Food Republic, sandwiches, sliders

9 Essential Wings Recipes To Kick Off Football Season | Food Republic

10 Sep

9 Essential Wings Recipes To Kick Off Football Season | Food Republic.

It’s getting close to fall and it’s the start of football season, and one of the most important snack foods for any game is wings. I absolutely love wings of all kinds and am always looking for a new way to make them. Here are nine recipes from Food Republic that give you a great variety of wings to try out for different weeks or different parties. Check them out.

I know I haven’t been able to blog lately. I’ve had too much work and lots of things going on at home, but I do have a backlong of recipes to share and I hope to be able to get back to them all very shortly. Just hang in there, I’ll have time, I promise! Thanks!

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Posted by MikeG on September 10, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking Websites, Poultry

Tags: chicken wings, Food Republic, football parties, football snacks, tailgating, wings

Weekend Entertaining: Spanish Tapas Feast

18 Aug

Weekend Entertaining: Spanish Tapas Feast.

This is a great party idea from Willams-Sonoma. Tapas is an excellent idea for a summer party. Lots of tasty dishes and finger foods. Try the paella recipe too and don’t forget to make some sangria. It’s a great way to spend a summer afternoon with friends. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on August 18, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Seafood

Tags: paella, sangria, Spanish tapas, tapas, williams-sonoma

Father’s Day Brunch, Part 2: Crab Cakes and Mussels

18 Jun

Yesterday I posted a couple of the recipes we used for our Father’s Day brunch. Today, I’ll continue with some of the things we made. This time, I’ll cover the seafood we made with crab cakes and steamed mussels. Both are pretty easy to make; they just require some paying attention so you don’t overcook them.

Crab Cakes

1 pound fresh or pasteurized crab meat, picked over for shell pieces

6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

4 scallions, green parts only, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Gently toss the crab, 4 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the scallions, parsley and Old Bay together in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise and gently combine using a rubber spatula. Season the crab mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the egg. If necessary, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs as needed until the mixture just clings together. Divide the crab mixture into equal portions and shape each into patties. Transfer the patties to a large, plastic-wrap-lined plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until the patties are firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Coat the crab cakes lightly with the flour. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet until shimmering. Gently lay the chilled crab cakes into the skillet and cook until crisp and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce.

You can make the patties the night before and chill them overnight if you want. Chilling them really helps to firm them up and they hold together much better as they are cooking. I tend to go with the less is more as far as ingredients for crab cakes. So many that you get have way too much seasoning, vegetables, or especially breadcrumbs that you can’t even taste the crab meat. This one recipe seems to work the best to make delicious crab cakes.

On to the steamed mussels. These are great as an appetizer, but would also be great for a main course over pasta or rice with some crunchy bread to help you soak up the broth.

Steamed Mussels with White Wine and Garlic

5 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups dry white wine or vermouth

1 bay leaf

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the wine and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Increase the heat to high and add the mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl, discarding any that refuse to open. Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and parsley into the broth, then pour the broth over the mussels.

A couple of quick notes about mussels. Most mussels and clams you buy nowadays are farmed and pretty clean already, so you don’t have to worry too much about grit. Many are even debearded already, but you want to check them and make sure if they need it. If they do, you can simply pull the beard away with your fingers or a butter knife. When you buy the mussels, give them a smell. If they don’t smell clean, don’t buy them. The shells should also appear to be moist. Don’t use any that have a cracked shell. Store them set over ice in a bowl in the fridge and plan to use them the same day you bought them. Most importantly, if any don’t open, don’t eat it, it’s a bad mussel and not worth the stomach ache you will have after eating it. There are always a few that don’t open, and 4 pounds yields a lot of mussels, so don’t sweat it. (I wish I had gotten a picture of the mussels, but I didn’t sorry.)

Okay, so we’ve covered the seafood, the sausage and the quiche. Tomorrow I’ll go over the coffee cake, banana bread and fruit salad and I think we’ll have covered everything. I am making trout tonight, so I’ll post that recipe on Wednesday. Check back tomorrow for the tasty cake recipes. Until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 18, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Seafood

Tags: crab cakes, father's day brunch, steamed mussels

Poppin’ Some Popcorn Shrimp

01 Jun

Sean has been asking me to make popcorn shrimp for weeks now. I had to search around to try to find and easy recipe to use and I found this one at America’s Test Kitchen. Sean got skeptical when he saw that there was clam juice in the batter, but once they were done and he was eating them, he didn’t mention it all. As a matter of fact, there were very few leftover at all. It’s a very easy recipe but does call for some deep-frying, so be careful with the hot oil. I just used my deep cast iron skillet instead of a Dutch oven and worked out just fine for me.

Popcorn Shrimp

1 1/2 pounds medium/large (31 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails discarded

3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil (I didn’t use nearly this much, maybe 1/2 of that, and it was fine)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups bottled clam juice

Toss the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of oil, lemon zest, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat the remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 375 degrees. Combine the flour, cornstarch, remaining Old Bay seasoning, pepper, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir the clam juice into the flour mixture until smooth. Fold the marinated shrimp into the batter until evenly coated.

Working quickly, add a quarter of the shrimp, 1 at a time, to the oil. Fry, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate, then transfer the shrimp to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place the shrimp in the oven to keep warm. Bring the oil back up to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Super easy to make and they taste really, really good. The coating is nice and crunchy, not oily at all and the shrimp is cooked perfectly. We had it with some french fries and Sean and I both loved it. I will definitely be making this one again, maybe as an appetizer for a party.

It’s just a quick recipe today. Tomorrow we’re off to a barbecue, so no recipes tomorrow, but I am hoping to make Greek Lamb Kebobs on Sunday, so we’ll see how that one goes. Check back and see what it’s like. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 1, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Dinner, Seafood

Tags: popcorn shrimp, shrimp

Feeling Ducky This Weekend

22 Apr

Every once in a while, I like to go overboard and cook a really elaborate meal. While this meal wasn’t really elaborate, it was very tasty. I wish I had taken pictures of it, because everything turned out perfectly and tasted great. I had decided early in the week that I wanted to make a roast duck for dinner this weekend and began gathering recipes early in the week and reading them over. When I finally settled on one, then I needed to add some side dishes. Through the world of Twitter, I asked some renowned chefs what they would recommend to make with the duck. Geoffrey Zakarian replied back with what they make at his restaurant, The Lamb’s Club, in NYC:

RT @IguanaFlats: “@gzchef Roast duck this weekend. Suggestions for side dishes?” Served at @thelambsclub w/French Prune, Pistachio, Madeira

Well I looked up his menu online and it was little more work than I wanted to get into, so I waited to see if anyone else would reply. Christopher Kimball, founder of America’s Test Kitchen, came back with this answer:

@IguanaFlats The French love lentils with duck — we have a few very good lentil salads at Cook’s.

So I looked up the recipes at Cook’s Illustrated and found one that I really liked and went with it. I was glad I even got a few responses as I wasn’t sure I would hear back from anyone at all. I then found a roast duck recipe I liked through the New York Times and I had my meal. First, I had to make some appetizers and I had been promising Sean I would make homemade mozzarella sticks for a while, so I knew I had to make them. I am not a cheese eater, but these actually turned out pretty good and they weren’t hard to make. This recipe, from Giada De Laurentiis, makes a lot of mozzarella sticks, so I cut it in half.

Mozzarella Sticks

1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs ( I used homemade and added a little bit of Italian seasoning; I think homemade makes a big difference here.)

1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon salt

2 (16-ounce) blocks of pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks

4 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat them completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the cheese in the breadcrumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and breadcrumb mixture to coat a second time. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days. (I did it for about 4 hours and they were well frozen)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve with marinara sauce.

I served the mozzarella sticks and some calamari as appetizers (I have made the calamari before, and you can get the recipe here). Then it was on to making the main course. I can tell you, I was cooking most of the day, so it was some work, but it was worth it for the dinner.

Roast Duck With Blueberry Sauce

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 onion, peeled

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 whole star anise or 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

Grated zest of 1 lime

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 whole ducks, trimmed of excess fat, giblets removed

Prepare the blueberry sauce: Peel, quarter and core the apple. Place the apple in a food processor with the onion and finely chop. Place in a saucepan with the blueberries, sugars, star anise, zests and vinegar. Place the mixture over high heat to bring it to a boil, then simmer until pulpy and beginning to thicken, about 30 minutes. (The mixture will be quite liquid after about 20 minutes, but begins to thicken up by 30 minutes, and will thicken even more once cold.) If whole star anise was used, remove and discard them. Transfer the sauce to a container, cover and allow to cool. For the best flavor, allow it to rest one day before serving (I just served it and it tasted fine to me).

Prepare the ducks: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Score the duck skin all over to help fat drain off while cooking. Place the ducks on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, periodically draining off the fat. Raise the heat to 400 degrees and roast an additional 30 minutes to crisp the skin. Remove the ducks from the oven and place on a carving board. Cut each duck into 4 pieces. Cut away the meat from the rib cage, discarding the rib bones. Arrange on a serving platter, crispy skin side up. Serve with the blueberry sauce.

I made three side dishes with the meal: some jasmine rice, the lentil salad and sautéed carrots and parsnips. Here’s the recipe for the lentil salad recommended by Christopher Kimball.

Lentil Salad with Olives and Mint

1 cup lentils, rinsed

8 cups water

5 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed and peeled

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 cup (roughly 10) coarsely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

In a bowl, place the lentils and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with 4 cups of warm water and soak for 1 hour. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the lentils in a heavy pan with water to cover by about 2 inches, garlic, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils. Whisk the oil and vinegar together in a large bowl. Add the drained lentils, olives, mint and feta (if using) and toss. Serve, topping with salt and pepper to taste.

These lentils turned out delicious. They were tender and had great flavor, and complimented the duck very nicely. Now for the carrots and parsnips.

Sautéed Parsnips and Carrots with Honey

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound carrots (about 4 large), peeled and cut into sticks

1 pound parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored and cut into sticks

Salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. Add the butter, honey and rosemary, if using. Toss over medium heat until heated through and the vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.

It was a lot of cooking but it was very good. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal and we were all full afterwards. However, I did make dessert too! I know, I am not a baker, and not a dessert person, but I did make a couple of things yesterday. I promise to post the desserts I made a little later on today since this post already is quite long. I will say they are both quick and easy desserts and only one of them involved actually baking. I will be back later to tell you about them, so until then, enjoy your day!

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Posted by MikeG on April 22, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Rice, Vegetables

Tags: lentil salad, mozzarella sticks, roast duck, roast duck recipe, roast duck with blueberry sauce, sauteed carrots and parsnips

Some Super Sunday Snack Food

02 Feb

The Super Bowl is coming this weekend (in case anyone wasn’t aware) and whether you’re rooting for the Giants, the Patriots, Madonna or the TV commercials, you want to have some great snack food to eat while watching. When we’re home for the day, we like to just make snack foods for dinner that day. It’s fun to get to eat a little bit of a bunch of different things. If you have some guests over, you can even put out a bigger spread. Lots of people buy 3-foot heroes, wings or pizza and are happy with that, but I like to make my own things and some things that guests may enjoy. Some things we have already made for past meal plans that can be good items to use, like pizza, guacamole, turkey meatballs, some buffet-style dishes like shrimp scampi or pepper steak, or even mini versions of the hamburgers for sliders. I am going to post a couple of recipes of things I plan to make, Buffalo Wings, Swedish Meatballs and one of Sean’s favorites, Bacon & Cheese Pinwheels. I’ll also give you some links to other sites that have some great ideas for game time, party time, or any time snacks.

Just about everyone likes to have Buffalo wings and there are lots of different recipes you can follow. One thing I like about good wings is that they are both crispy and spicy. I have made wings baked in the oven before, and they are good, but there is something about deep-frying that adds great crispness to the wings. For this recipe, I am deep-frying. I have a deep fryer at home, so it makes it a little easier for me as far as bringing up temperature and avoiding splattering oil, both concerns when you are doing it on the stove in a Dutch oven. Use a candy thermometer to determine the temperature of the oil and make sure you use a deep pot to avoid bubbling oil. And yes, I buy whole wings and cut them myself; I hate the idea of paying more for wings that are already cut when I could just as easily do it myself with a cleaver or some poultry shears.

Buffalo Wings

3 pounds whole chicken wings

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup hot sauce (I like to use Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce, or Ken’s Wing Sauce, but use whatever taste and heat you like)

2 tablespoons Tabasco (optional, if you want some extra heat)

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 to 2 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

4 ribs celery, cut into thin sticks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin sticks Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing (store-bought is fine, our house prefers ranch. You could always use the Ranch recipe I posted

Cut the wings apart at the joints and discard the wing tips. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, Tabasco (if using), brown sugar, and vinegar. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat 2 1/2 inches of oil in a large Dutch oven, with a candy thermometer attached to the side, over high heat until it measures 360 degrees.

Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch, cayenne, pepper and salt together in a large bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then toss evenly with the cornstarch mixture. Add half the wings to the hot oil and fry until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels and keep warm in the oven while repeating with the remaining wings.

Toss the fried wings and sauce together in a large bowl until thoroughly coated. Serve with the celery, carrots and dressing of choice on the side.

The fried, unsauced wings can be kept warm in the oven for up to 1 1/2 hours. Toss them with the sauce before serving.

For the Swedish meatballs, I am using a recipe that was given to Michelle at her wedding shower by my grandmother. She knew I really liked it and passed it on to her. It’s not a tough recipe, but there’s some work involved in this one. Trust me, it’s really worth it. The meatballs taste great.

Swedish Meatballs

20 gingersnaps

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 pounds beef, pork and veal mixture

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup flour

1-2 cups beef broth

Crush the gingersnaps in a food processor or with a rolling pin. Mix the milk, egg, meat mixture, onion, salt, celery salt, pepper and allspice until blended thoroughly. Form the mixture into small “cocktail” size meatballs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter until starting to brown. Add the meatballs and cook thoroughly until browned on all size, about 5-7 minutes (you’ll have to do this in batches). Remove meatballs from the pan and stir in flour, whisking constantly until well blended and brown, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs back into the pan with the gravy and simmer until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes.

The last item I am making is Sean’s favorite, Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels. This is a Pillsbury recipe that is very easy to make. You can go to their website and get this and other recipes, but I will also provide the recipe right here.

Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

2 tablespoons ranch dressing

1/4 cup cooked real bacon pieces or 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

1/4 cup chopped green onions (4 medium, optional. I usually leave them out; Sean doesn’t like them)

Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough and separate into 2 long rectangles; press each into 12×4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Spread dressing over each rectangle to edges. Sprinkle each with bacon, cheese and onions. Starting with 1 short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices; place cut side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

There are so many other things you can make for football parties, or any party. Here are a few links to places that you can find some recipes:

Epicurious – They have some great part recipes as well as some recommendations on beer and cocktails for your party.

Food Network – Always a good source for recipes anyway, but they have a section just on big game day recipes.

Bon Appetit – Another good source for recipes all the time, but they have a section for the game with their take on wings, chili, and more.

Williams-Sonoma – another great site, with lots of game day celebration recipes.

Hopefully this gives you lots of good ideas for game day. Do you have any game day snacks that you love to cook? Let me know! Post a comment on it and share with all of us. Tomorrow is back to cooking. it’s the end of the week and we are making Fish and Chips for dinner. I’ll also be letting you know about next week’s meal plan. I will let you know that we let Sean pick the whole week next week and he is going to help cook it, so you’ll be interested to see what he chose. Until then, enjoy your day!