Dirty Bird Wings

So the Falcons are going to the Super Bowl and I am pretty damn excited! Being a Falcons fan is always a roller coaster ride, so I kind of couldn't believe it when the game ended and the realization came over us that, after almost 2 decades, we are Super Bowl bound!


I knew I was going to be watching my nieces until mid-afternoon, so I made a grocery run yesterday morning and then all I had to do was assemble a few things as game time approached.


These wings are boiled and then baked, rather than fried. Yes, I said boiled. I've always been skeptical, too. So skeptical in fact, that I didn't think this recipe would be worth sharing. So, I apologize that the only pic I have is from the leftovers I packed for lunch, because these wings are great!

What you'll need:
3 pounds of chicken wings - if you are nice, the butcher will probably separate the "flapper" from the drum for you. I didn't have time for that nonsense, so I cut them myself. Click HERE for a helpful tutorial. Apparently I made the Hooters type of wing cut. Who's surprised?
Bottle of your favorite hot sauce - I used Frank's Red Hot
Butter
Brown Sugar


Method:
Put your wings in a large pot and cover with water
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes
While the wings are simmering, put bottle of hot sauce, 3 T butter and 1/3 C brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
Once the 15 minutes are up, drain the wings and put on a pan covered in foil
Pour HALF of the wing sauce over your wings and toss to coat (I put that in caps because I never follow recipes correctly and if I were you, I would have dumped ALL of it and been pissed at myself later.)
Bake on the high broil setting for 10-15 minutes. Broilers are funny things. Mine took 15, but keep an eye out. You want them to have a little char, but don't let them go too far.
Turn them over and broil another 10-15
Put them in a bowl and toss with the remaining sauce


I serve mine with the homemade blue cheese dipping sauce listed below, but I hear the salad dressing business is booming, so store bought is OK.


That Ho Made What? Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo (Dukes)
1/2 cup light mayo (Hellmans)
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
few grinds black pepper
stir to combine


This recipe is more of a method, if you prefer teriyaki or bbq, go for it. The only thing I would change if you do that is simply spray the wings with EVOO before broiling. The high sugar content in bbq or teriyaki sauce will likely burn if you do the double toss.


Go Falcons!

What Salsa is Supposed to Taste Like

After making and tasting this salsa, I said out loud, "I'm not bad at cooking." I know, I know, who decides to write a blog that centers around cooking and feels the need to proclaim that? Like most women, even when I do something well, I'm tough on myself. I've been making a point recently to use my voice to give credit where it's due with the people in my life, as well as myself.


Back to the salsa...it's really good and really easy. I like the thin, tex-mex salsa you get at restaurants as much as the next girl, but this stuff is hearty and fresh and healthy! It's great with chips, but I also like to top taco salads with it. YUM.


Note: You can toss everything in a blender or food processor if you like, but it will change the consistency and I believe turning on a little bossa nova and chopping away may be the best stress reliever of all time. Shout out to The Skinny Confidential for the bossa nova introduction. You'll only feel like a bougie hipster the first few times you turn it on, I promise.

What you'll need:
3 heirloom tomatoes, chopped - I know, they're pricey, but it's winter in the South. Just do it.
1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and minced aka cut into very tiny pieces. Like the size of a sunflower seed
1/2 an onion, diced - I use Vidalia onions in almost everything, including this
1 clove garlic, minced - you can put it through a garlic press, just please don't scoop any garlic out of a jar, ever.
1 lime, juiced
3 grinds of salt - don't use coarse salt for this
1 teaspoon cumin
Handful of cilantro - equals to about 1/4 of a cup, use scissors, your hands, a knife, whatever to get it into small pieces. Don't use the stems for this.


Combine all of the above in a bowl, stir and put in fridge for 20 minutes or more to meld before serving.

Oh, and if you need a simple, tasty margarita to go along with it, do this:
Over ice, squeeze the juice of 2 limes, pour in 2 shots of your favorite tequila, 1 shot of simple syrup and top with sparkling water/club soda. Tangy and refreshing with no weird crap added! Cheers!

Home

To me, cooking feels like home. I could be in my kitchen or yours, the place doesn't matter. It's the most relaxed and energized I ever feel. It makes me happy and a bit overwhelmed. I remember thinking I must be nuts to feel this way about such a simple, everybody-does-it task. That is until I started to embrace the weird a little more and read a couple books by some favorite chefs. That's when I realized this is totally normal. Other people do read cook books like they're novels and look up to chefs like Presidents. Not ready to go there, but Presidents of yore, obviously...


I consider myself Southern through and through, but I am no Southern belle. Occasionally when I shoot a gun or my famous(in my family) ribs turn out extra delicious, I feel like a Southern bad ass maybe, but no belle.


This little space will be dedicated to everything I love. Plenty of food, both Southern and...well, decidedly not. But also a little bit of everything. Maybe you'll find something you love here, too. At least stick around for the baby back ribs recipe.