Oven Baked BBQ Wings

Tonight Rob and I made oven baked BBQ wings and they turned out beautifully (And, were incredibly simple)! To make them, we partially used a recipe we found online but subtracted a few things and added a few things of our own. We served them with oven roasted red bliss potatoes and salad.

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs chicken wings

1 Jar BBQ sauce (Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce Original Flavor 1 pint)

1 Medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tb Butter, chopped into small pieces

3-5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

Lawry's Seasoning Salt (Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 16 oz * Economy Size)

Garlic pepper (McCormick - Garlic Pepper Seasoning - 1.23-Oz. Grinder (Pack of 3))

Italian Seasoning (McCormick - Italian Herb Seasoning - Grinder - .77 Oz. (Pack of 3))

Pepper (William Bounds Key Mill "WB-1" Pepper Mill)

Process:

Preheat your oven to 420 degrees. Spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray and spread pieces of butter around the dish (leaving the butter in chunks). Then, place chicken in the dish and cover with the onions and garlic. After, sprinkle your desired amount of seasonings onto the chicken. Finally, drizzle BBQ sauce over the wings in a criss-cross pattern. DO NOT use all your BBQ sauce now, use about half of your total desired amount. Then, cover the dish completely with aluminum foil; poke about 5 or 6 small knife holes in the aluminum foil. Place dish into the over for 45-50 minutes. After the amount of time, remove the dish from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Mix up everything in the dish, making sure the chicken is coated. Once mixed, pour your remaining amount of BBQ sauce over the chicken. Place dish back in the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. After time is up, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before eating-waiting this amount of time will allow the sauce to thicken. After 5 minutes- DIG IN! The wings will literally be fall of the bone delicious!

As you can see from the picture, I used a ton of BBQ sauce. I probably did not need to use the extreme amount that I did but oh well, they tasted amazing!

I hope you get a chance to try this dish- they were truly the easiest wings I have ever made. Very little prep time and nothing I had to keep my eye on while they were cooking. It definitely was a pop it in the oven, set a timer and go watch TV, kind of meal!

Homemade Apple Pie (with gluten free crust!)

For months Rob has been wanting us to make a homemade apple pie and we just never got around to it. Yesterday we gave in and made not only 1 but 2 apple pies! And... lets just say, it has been less than 24 hours and only 1 pie is left. Check them out:

As you can see, we did not use a top crust for the apple pie, instead we created a crumbling topping to cover it. Now, I am not going to lie to you--we bought the gluten free crust premade at Whole Foods (it came 2 to a pack) BUT every other part of this pie is homemade! See below how you too can make your own delicious apple pie! NOTE: Ingredient list below is for 1 pie


Ingredients:


1 Premade, gluten free pie crust
5 Peeled granny smith apples, diced into thin pieces
Cinnamon (Frontier Cinnamon Powder Certified Organic (3% Oil), 16 Ounce Bags (Pack of 2))
Nutmeg (Cole and Mason H277130 Classic Nutmeg Grinder)
Vanilla extract (Simply Organic Vanilla Extract Certified Organic, 4-Ounce Glass Bottles (Pack of 2))
1 Egg, beaten with 2 Tb of cold water and set aside
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1 Stick unsalted butter
3 Tb Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Water
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1/2 Stick of butter, partially melted
1 Cup of granola (we used vanilla almond from Whole Foods)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
White Sugar

Process:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. First, take all of your diced apples and place them in a large bowl (you need to be able to mix them). Then, sprinkle about 1-2 tsp vanilla extract and some cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples; mix until it looks like the cinnamon and nutmeg have spread out/no clumps. Each apple should have a little bit of spice on it. Note: You should use more cinnamon than nutmeg. Once the apples are coated, set them aside.

Now, in a medium skillet melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, add flour. Whisk until smooth. Then add in both sugars and water; turn heat to medium high and whisk until smooth. Once smooth, turn down to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes; whisk occasionally.

While the mixture on the stove is cooking, lets make the topping for the pie. With a fork, mix the butter with the granola. Once combined, mix in both sugars, a small amount of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Mix until well combined. This mixture should be crumbly.

Now lets assemble the pie! Take your apple mixture and pour them into the bottom of the pie. Then, take the stove mixture and pour over the apples. Finally, carefully spread the crumb mixture over the top of the entire pie-taking the time to cover the top and the sides. Once the top of the pie is coated bake the pie for about 40-50 minutes on 325. After 40-50 minutes, take the pie out and lightly brush the visible crust with the egg & water mixture. Once you are done with that, put the pie back in the oven at 350 degrees for about another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out the pie and voila! Complete! Let the pie sit for at least 15 minutes before you serve it.

This picture was taken after I made my first helping! YUMMY!

Oven Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters

I made chicken leg quarters tonight just how my mom always tells me-- and they came out fantastically!  The best part about getting this type of chicken is that its CHEAP; two legs cost us under $2 (from Whole Foods, with skin on)! There are multiple flavors you can make your chicken leg quarters (BBQ, Buffalo, etc) but tonight I just went with a traditional flavoring. Here's how we make them:

Ingredients:

Chicken Leg Quarters, washed and dried
Italian Salad Dressing
Olive Oil Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle
Garlic Pepper Simply Organic Garlic Pepper Certified Organic, 3.73 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)
Lawrys Seasoning Salt Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 16 oz * Economy Size

Process:

Preheat your oven to 350 and make sure it is completely preheated before putting food into it. Take your washed chicken and place it into a glass cooking dish that has a small amount of olive oil in it. Gently pull the skin away from the chicken (do not rip it off!!! just gently pull it so there is space between the chicken and the skin). Drizzle italian dressing and crack garlic pepper into the space you have just created. Then, drizzle olive oil and italian dressing over the top of the chicken (on top of the skin). Finally, sprinkle lawry's seasoning salt and garlic pepper over the top of the pieces of chicken. Put the chicken in the oven for approx 1 hour at 350 and up the heat to 375 for the last 10 minutes. Flip twice while cooking. Finally, before you take the chicken out of the oven, broil the skin for about 1-2 minutes so it starts to get a little crispy, YUM! Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Our Prep:

Tonight we served the chicken with bow tie pasta with pesto basil sauce and shredded cheddar cheese on it and peas (Rob had salad since he loathes peas). But--- its chicken--- serve it with whatever you want and enjoy it!

Baked Zitti and Homemade Sauce with Chicken

Tonight I made everyone's (my family and Rob) all time favorite, my homemade sauce and baked zitti. It literally just got done cooking so I want to go eat it... but here is a picture (UPDATED, RECIPE BELOW):

Alright-- so I am back and let me tell you it was delicious!!! Here is the recipe for the sauce (cooked in a crock pot of course! I love using the crock pot):

Ingredients:

1 to 2 whole yellow onions, diced

4+ cloves of garlic, minced (I say 4+ because everyone likes a different amount of garlic.. I used about 8 cloves)

1 Lg. can crushed tomatos (do not strain)

3 Reg. Cans of diced tomatos with basil, oregano and garlic (do not strain)

1 Sm. Can of tomato paste

2 tomato paste cans full of water

8+ Large fresh basil leaves, chopped (I like to use ALOT of basil)

1/8-1/4 cup of olive oil (approx)

1 Tb butter

1 Lb. Chicken, parboiled

Pepper (approx 1/4-1/2 tsp)

Lawrys seasoning salt (1/4-1/2 tsp)

Oregano (1/4 tsp)

Parsley (1/4 tsp)

Minced, dried garlic (1/2-1 tsp)

Italia seasoning (1/2 tsp)

Garlic salt (1/4 tsp)

Process:

First saute onions in a little olive oil and butter until soft over medium heat. Once onions are soft, add all fresh minced garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes (make sure the garlic does not burn). Then, add the onions are garlic into your crock pot. Turn to high heat. All everything else except for the chicken. Let it cook for about 1 hour on high heat, once hour is up, add chicken. Cook for an additional 3 hours. After 3 hours-- open the crock pot and gently shred the chicken apart. Once chicken is shredded, turn it down to low and let it cook for a least 1 more hour (preferably 2-3 more hours). Before serving, turn crock pot down to the "keep warm" setting for at least 10 minutes. And... that is it! With almost no work you have yourself a delicious and homemade sauce! YUM!!!

Baked Ziti assembly:

To make the beautiful dish you see at the top of this page... first cook 1 box of pasta so its almost fully cooked, but not quite. Once cooked and drained, take half the pasta and spread it into a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish. Cover that pasta with lots and lots of the delicious sauce you made. Then, cover that with lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and an italian mix blend of cheeses. Once you have your desired amount of cheese... cover it with the rest of the pasta and cover the pasta with more yummy sauce. Make sure the pasta is completely covered with sauce. Then, sprinkle more cheddar and italian blend cheese over the top of it. Finally...cover the top of the dish with circular pieces of provolone cheese. Pop the dish in the over for 28-30 minutes on 350. Make sure you watch it so the provolone does not burn... it should turn brown, but not burn. After it is cooked, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving,this will allow the dish to come together and settle. Cut and ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicken & Beef Chili

This recipe has become a staple; I probably make it twice per month. The best part about it is 1) delicious of course and 2) the recipe makes plenty for dinner and provides lunches for about 2 days. The ingredients I am listing, per usual, may not be 100% exact because I send to switch it up and do not measure. Another thing to note is for this recipe I am listing the ingredients as 1 Lb of ground white chicken and 1/2 Lb of 85/15 ground beef... you can change the quantities as the total remains around 1.5 Lbs.

Ingredients:

1 Crockpot
1/4 cup olive oil (Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle)
1 Lb. Ground White Chicken
1/2 Lb. 85/15 Ground Beef
1-2 (small-medium) Whole yellow onions diced
1 Red Pepper, dices
1 Poblano Pepper or Habenero Pepper (I like poblano, Rob likes Habenero), diced
3-5 Cloves of freshly minced garlic (Use REAL garlic)
2 Cans of Roasted diced tomatoes with green chilis Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes, 28-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) This is the brand I use, just not the flavor)
1 Can of Roasted roasted garlic diced tomatoes
1 Tb of tomato paste
1 Can black beans, rinsed and dried (Westbrae Natural Vegetarian Organic Black Beans, 15 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12))
1/3 of a jar of tomato sauce (preferably a regular flavor like marinara) (Cucina Antica Tomato Basil Sauce, 16-Ounce Jars (Pack of 6) This is a yummy brand!!)
Chili Powder
Cumin
Pepper
Lawry's season salt
Oregano

Procedure:

First, turn your crockpot onto low heat and add all but 2 Tb of the olive oil into it, leave it alone to start heating. Then, in a large skillet (on medium heat), add the remaining olive oil. Let the olive oil heat for a minute and then add all the diced onions to start sautéing. Sauté the onions for about 2 minutes then add in the diced red pepper and poblano pepper). Let these sauté until they start to become soft but not brown. Once vegetables are soft(er) add in the ground beef, chicken, about 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of Lawry's and a 1/2 tsp of pepper. Sauté until cooked through. Once the meat is cooked, turn the skillet down to medium/low heat and add in the freshly minced garlic. Make sure you mix it around so the garlic goes all through your skillet mixture. Allow that to cook for 2-3 minutes. Once that has had 2-3 minutes to cook, dump everything in the skillet into the crockpot. Cover the crockpot and turn it up to high.

Now for all the cans... open all 3 diced tomato cans and dump them into the crockpot, juice and all. Then add in the tomato sauce and add in black beans. Finally, add in the tomato paste along with spices. Approximation of the spices are as follows: 2 Tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of oregano and 1/4 tsp black pepper (this is in addition to the spices you added to your skillet mixture). Mix well and allow to cook on high for about 2 hours without stirring. After 2 hours (or it starts to bubble) turn down the mixture to low heat for at least another 2 hours, preferably 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, turn the crockpot down to the "keep warm" setting, this allows for the chili to start to settle. After 30 minutes, serve in bowls with spoons-- ENJOY!
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I like to sprinkle either a little cheddar cheese or sour cream on the top (sometimes freshly chopped scallions) and serve corn muffins (Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 8.5oz) on the side.

This recipe really warms you up on a fall or winter day! If you have any thoughts or suggestions please let me know! If not.. hope you enjoy this!

Oven Baked Breaded Chicken

The other night Rob requested I make my homemade breaded chicken with sauce, cheese and pasta. It is basically chicken parm, but not quite. The thing I like about making it... is that it is SO easy and you can make it look so fancy! Here is how you make the chicken:

Ingredients:


1 lb of boneless, skinless, chicken cutlets
1 Package of bread crumbs (I use italian style panko bread crumbs) (Ian's Original Panko Breadcrumb, 9-Ounces (Pack of 12) )
2-3 Eggs
1/8 cup (or so) of cold water
2 Tb melted butter
Pepper
Dried minced garlic (McCormick Minced Garlic 3-Ounce Unit (Pack of 6) )
Lawry's seasoning salt (Lawrys Seasoning Salt, 16 -Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6) )

Process:


First, preheat oven to 350.  Then, rinse the chicken and leave it to dry. Get out 2 medium sized bowls. In one bowl add eggs and water, slightly whisk until lots of the big egg chunks are well mixed. In the second bowl, add bread crumbs (not the whole package! Maybe half) and add some extra spices to them; dried garlic, pepper and lawry's seasoning salt, mix well. Now, go back to the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Take the chicken piece by piece, and dip one piece into the egg wash then dip it in the bread crumb bowl and make sure the piece of chicken is completely covered in bread crumbs. Once each piece is covered place them in a single layer in a glass baking pan. Sprinkle a small amount of extra bread crumbs on each piece of chicken and pat them down, then drizzle a little bit of melted butter on each piece of chicken. NOTE: The chicken should not be covered in butter, just a small sprinkle on each piece. Once that is complete, place the chicken in the oven for about 30 minutes (give or take). Then, after 30 minutes remove it and et it sit for 5 minutes. Viola! Your delicious chicken in complete!!

Plating:


Now, if you want to make your chicken with sauce and pasta and cheese--- and you want it to look pretty... First, take a plate and put a small serving of pasta on it, put a little sauce of the pasta and a little cheese. Then, take one piece of chicken and place it on on top of the sauce and pasta, place a piece of provolone cheese on top of the chicken and cover the chicken with sauce. Then, top off the plate by sprinkling some freshly grated cheese on. It will look lovely and taste even better!!

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Hope everyone enjoys this! You can obviously pair the chicken with whatever sides or dishes you are in the mood for but I just happen to make it with pasta, sauce and cheese... so I thought I would share that with you! As always, any thoughts.. critiques, suggestions or other ideas... feel free to let me know!

Homemade Fresh Salsa

I have obviously not written in awhile... not because I have not been cooking, but because I have been a little too lazy to post.  Over the next few days I am going to post about the meals/side dishes I have cooked over the past month or so starting with one of my favorites, my homemade fresh salsa!

Ingredients:

1 Package of cocktail tomatoes (10 oz.) (NOTE-- you can use cherry tomatoes too, if you use cherry tomatoes, use a whole package)
1/3 of a Red Onion (that is an approximation... go with what seems like enough onion for you... I like a lot!)
3 Cloves of fresh minced garlic (again, that is an approximation)
Lime -- The juice from 1/2 a lime
Cilantro -- About 1/3 of a bunch (sold at Whole Foods)
Dash of Salt (Morton Iodized Table Salt - 4lb. box)
Dash of Pepper (NoMU Just Pepper Black Pepper Grinder, 2.1-Ounce Grinders (Pack of 4))

Process:

Literally, all you need to do is dice up all of the ingredients. Mix them together, add salt and pepper, mix again. Done!

You can eat it right away or if you can let it set for a few hours and then eat, it is all preference. The most important thing is that you dice the ingredients so you get nice chunks of fresh cut veggies; the color scheme is beautiful. If you used a food processor to dice the ingredients it is just not the same, although it is easier... it is worth taking the time to cut all the veggies yourself.

Enjoy!