Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings

I have a huge stack of recipes I’ve pulled from online and out of magazines that I try when I have the time. The problem comes in when I tell my hubby what I plan on making for the week and bless his heart he likes to help and usually suggest other methods of cooking which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. This is one of those dishes where he grilled the chicken which gave it a nice grilled taste, but you couldn’t taste the sauce at all. I would recommend following the directions and baking them instead of doing them on the grill like we did.

Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings
(Adapted from Gourmet)

Printer Friendly Version

1 large garlic clove
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons mild honey
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
Pinch of cayenne
3 lb chicken wingettes or chicken wings (see cooks' note, below)
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 scallion (green part only), finely chopped

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large shallow baking pan (17 by 12 inches) with foil and lightly oil foil.

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife. Transfer garlic paste to a large bowl and stir in soy sauce, hoisin, honey, oil, and cayenne. Add wingettes to sauce, stirring to coat.

Arrange wingettes in 1 layer in baking pan and roast, turning over once, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Transfer wingettes to a large serving bowl and toss with sesame seeds and scallion.

Smoky Shrimp and Grits

Being a Southern girl I love all the food in our region. Shrimp and grits is something I’ve never made believe it or not. This was a little fancier version, which I liked except for the sauce. I forgot to chop the spinach in small pieces so it was a stringy mess, but otherwise it could have used a little seasoning in my opinion. I would make this again just completely change it up for my own taste.

Smoky Shrimp and Grits
(Adapted from Food and Wine)

Printer Friendly Version

3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine

In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Gradually add the grits and a generous pinch of salt.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the grits are thick and porridge-like, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and stir in the cheddar cheese, baby spinach and chives; stir until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted. Cover the grits and keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil with the garlic over high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and paprika, season with salt and black pepper and cook until the shrimp are opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until the shrimp are white throughout and the garlic-paprika sauce is slightly reduced.

Spoon the grits into bowls, top with the shrimp and sauce; serve.

Basil and Pecan Sweet Potato Bake

Here’s another side dish that I made for our big Christmas dinner. It was an interesting combination of sweet and savory which was a huge hit with my hubby. This is an easy dish to make in advance and just pop in the oven when you’re ready.

Basil and Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
(Adapted from Allens Inc.)

Printer Friendly Version

3 15 oz. cans Princella or Sugary Sam Cut Sweet Potatoes, drained
1/2 cup Half & half
1/8 cup Butter, softened
1/8 cup Fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In medium mixing bowl, combine first seven ingredients and blend with an electric mixer or in a food processor.

Transfer mixture to a greased 9" x 9" casserole dish and smooth the surface.

Top with chopped pecans.

Cover and bake 20 minutes; remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Pastura

For Christmas my mother in law suggested we do a cookie exchange. I’ve always wanted to do this, but never had enough people or the amount of time to participate. I recently saw some online ones to join so I might try to do that next year. This isn’t a cookie you can just toss together. While it’s pretty tasty it does require patience and can’t be rushed. I really like how it’s not an overly sweet cookie. It’s almost like a biscotti with a chocolate almond filling.

Pastura
(Adapted from Michael Chiarello)

Printer Friendly Version

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/3 cups honey, warm
1 large egg
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
About 6 ounces unblanched whole almonds (about 1 1/2 cups)
Vegetable spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Add the honey and egg and beat on low to medium speed just until mixed.

This makes a very sticky dough. You can roll it out immediately or scrape it into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover with a tea towel, and chill for 2 hours or up to overnight.

Combine the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and place over (but not touching) a saucepan with gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until melted and smooth. Let cool until warm. (To melt in a microwave, mix the chocolate and cream in a bowl and microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Stir, then repeat.)

Stir the almonds into the chocolate.

Meanwhile, cut 4 sheets of parchment paper large enough to fit your baking sheet. The dough is very sticky and difficult to roll out even on a well-floured surface. Lightly spray 2 parchment sheets with vegetable spray. Transfer half the dough onto 1 sprayed sheet of parchment and top with the second sheet. Begin to spread the dough out with your hands, then roll the dough into as even a rectangle as you can, about 10 inches by 15 inches. It can easily be pushed and prodded into shape.

Peel off the top sheet of parchment.

Spread half the chocolate mixture in a 3 or 4-inch-wide band lengthwise down the center of the dough, leaving the top half of the dough and a 1-inch border around the remaining 3 sides bare.

Use the bottom parchment to fold 1 side of the dough lengthwise over the chocolate mixture. Carefully peel back the parchment paper and press the edges of the dough together with a fork to seal.

Slide the shaped log, still on the parchment, onto a baking sheet.

Lightly spray the remaining 2 sheets of parchment with vegetable spray, and repeat the shaping and filling with the remaining half of the dough and chocolate mixture. Slide the log onto the same baking sheet, if there is room. The dough is so soft it is best to not move it off the parchment until after baking.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely and then slice into 1/2-inch slices.

Green Rice

I think every family has a recipe like this. It’s one of the most comforting side dishes we have at every holiday meal. My grandmother added in some sautéed onion and celery, but I think it’s fine without. The photos are not some of my best, but I was in a hurry so we could sit down and eat at Christmas.

Green Rice

Printer Friendly Version

1 cup cooked rice
1 package frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
dash of Tony’s

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees F. until thoroughly heated.

Note: Add a little milk to make sure it has a slight soupy-ness to it because the rice will absorb it.