Buffalo Wings - Thanks to Hurricane Irene

I know many people’s lives were shaken up by Hurricane Irene.  My heart goes out to all who were affected negatively by the storm.  And I apologize if I'm the reason for it coming here.  These things seem to be following me.  I'm not entirely certain I haven't become part of a Final Destination movie.  As for me, I have to say thank you to Irene.  Without her, we wouldn’t have spontaneously decided to leave the home we just moved into and take a trip to Buffalo.  We wouldn’t have experienced stopping at 4:00 in the morning to sleep for a few hours in the only room available along the way… a jacuzzi room at the Budget Inn.  Heart shaped jacuzzi, colored lights, mirrors… Eewww.  We wouldn’t have eaten “The Original” Buffalo wings.  And most importantly, without Hurricane Irene, we wouldn’t have seen this.

This picture hasn’t been photoshopped or enhanced in any way.  It is a picture Hubby took with his iphone, and it is just one of the many views we got to see.  Niagara Falls is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful, most amazing places on earth.  It’s beauty like this, that the word breathtaking was created for. 

So, moving on to Buffalo wings.  As I mentioned before, we stopped in at the Anchor Bar, home of the original Buffalo wing.  My reaction… I can do better.  I probably had no business making that statement, since I’ve never made wings before, but I wasn’t terribly impressed.  Now, I don’t know if this is a Utah thing, or what, but we eat our wings with ranch dressing.  Since ranch from a bottle always sucks, I make my own.  It has to be made first so that it has a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to get friendly.  If you like blue cheese, I’m afraid you’re on your own. 

For the ranch:

1 cup mayo
⅓ cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon chives
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 Tablespoon dill
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Measure the mayo into a bowl and pour in the buttermilk. 

Whisk them together until they become a smooth mixture.  Now for the herbs.  If you cut your chives in half and line them up like this, they’re easier to chop. 

The parsley should be chopped finely.

The dill as well.  Make sure you don’t use any large stems of the dill or parsley.

Throw all your herbs into the mayo mixture and sprinkle on the spices. 

Stir it all together, and you have ranch dressing.  Simply cover and refrigerate it for a few hours. 

Next in line is the Buffalo sauce.  You’ll want to make this in advance, as well, so that it has an hour or so to cool. 

Sauce stuff:

1 cup hot sauce
½ cup butter
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

Measure 1 cup of whatever your favorite hot sauce is.  Hubby likes Cholula, so that’s what I used. 

This is where you can adjust the heat level of your wings.  I’d rate this somewhere around medium hot.  If you want milder wings, reduce the amount of hot sauce or increase the butter.  Also, I only made 12 wings, but this would be plenty of sauce for even 30 or more wings.  Pour your hot sauce into a pan over medium heat, and add the butter and spices. 

Stir it until it just starts to simmer, then turn off the heat, and stir in the sugar. 

After that has had some time to cool, it’s finally time to start on the main attraction.  The wings! 

Here’s what you’ll need:

12 wings (6 whole ones)
2 Tablespoons oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons Buffalo sauce
¾ cup flour
Oil Spray

*I was apparently smoking crack when I set up this picture.  There is no butter for this part, but there is oil spray.

If you can get your wings already separated into wingettes and drumettes from your butcher, do it.  It’s a bit of a pain to process them yourself.  I’m not going to go over how to do it here, but this is a great video tutorial.  Once that’s done, throw your wings into a zip top bag along with the oil, spices, and sauce. 

Close the bag most of the way, then blow into it and seal it to make it like a balloon. 

Shake the bag around to get everything coated evenly.  Then pour in the flour, reinflate the bag, and toss again.  The wings should all be nicely coated. 

Line a sheet pan with foil and spray on some oil.  Place the wings on the pan and spray the wings with oil as well. 

Bake them at 400° (oops, did I forget to mention that you need to preheat your oven?) for 30 minutes. 

They don’t look really fabulous at this point, but flip them over and put them back in for another 30 minutes, and good things happen.

Give them about 5 minutes too cool and then place them in a bowl and pour over some sauce. 

I used maybe ⅓ cup or so for 12 wings.  Just use as much as you like.  Stir or toss the wings to give them an even coating of sauce.  Serve with lots of ranch and a few bits of veg. 

So, are they better than ‘the original’? 

Hell yes they are! 

Millions of Peaches... Peaches For Me.

So, I was walking through the grocery store the other day when I suddenly collided with the most amazing aroma.  You know what I’m talking about… that smell that makes you stop, dead in your tracks, and search out its origin.  You may even utter something like, “Oh my god, what is that smell?  I must eat that!”  If I said that to Hubby, he’d think I was talking about the air outside that amazing barbecue joint, but I’m not.  I refer, of course, to fruit.  And in this particular instance, peaches.  Sweet, juicy, perfectly ripe, fragrant peaches.  Did I care that they were selling them by the case and I couldn’t possibly eat them all within their short period of peak deliciousness? 

Nope!  I just had to figure out creative ways to use them, and since my kitchen is still a work in progress, jam was out of the question.  So, here are just a few of the ways I came up with to enjoy them. 

As you can see, I am actually using the not fuzzy variety, usually called a nectarine, but either will work just fine.  For most applications you’re going to start the same way.  Wash and dry the fruit, then carefully cut all the way around its vertical axis.

Holding both sides, gently twist the peach to release the flesh from the pit. 

Pull the halves apart, and carefully remove the pit with your thumb.  The hardest part is to not bruise the fruit in the process. 

The first dish I made is something I grew up eating.  Peaches and milk.  Yes, I know it’s traditionally peaches and cream, but in my house, it was peaches and milk.  It’s a delicious, simple dish that can be eaten for breakfast, or for a snack anytime.  Start by peeling and dicing a peach. 

Pour on some milk.

Sprinkle on a little sugar.

And dig in!

Next is another breakfasty, snacky, kind of dish.  A yogurt parfait.  It requires only three ingredients. 

Diced peach
Yogurt (I like vanilla)
Granola

I like using granola bars rather than regular granola, mostly because I’m more likely to actually eat granola bars.  Just make sure you get the crunchy ones, then you can just smash them up with something heavy.  I used the handle of a butter knife.

See how cool that is? 

So, drop in a few diced peaches.

Add ¼ cup or so of yogurt.

Sprinkle on some granola. 

Repeat.  Beautiful peach and yogurt parfait. 

The next creation requires a few ingredients, but it’s simple, refreshing, and delicious.  Peaches and cream soda. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Peach
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon cream
1 scant cup ginger ale

One peach will make enough puree for 2 or 3 sodas.  Peel and slice your peach, then throw it into the blender with the sugar, vanilla, and lime juice.  You should end up with a nice, smooth puree.  I’m using 12 oz. glasses, so adjust if you’re using larger ones.  For this size, pour ¼ cup of puree over a few ice cubes, then slowly add the ginger ale. 

It’ll fizz a lot, so be patient.  When you’ve filled the glass just about to the top, add the cream.

You can serve it like that, and let your guests stir it themselves, or you can stir it so everything comes together. 

We’ve done a few things using the peaches fresh, so it’s time for a warm dish, and it’s definitely time for dessert.  How about some caramelized peaches with ice cream? 

You’ll only need a few things.

2 – 4 peaches
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Really good vanilla ice cream  
Chopped almonds

Halve and peel your peaches and set them aside.  In a skillet melt the butter, sprinkle on the sugar, and stir in the water.  Heat over a fairly low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Turn up the heat to medium high and add your peaches, cut side down. 

Basically you just have to stand back and watch, but do spoon the liquid over them occasionally.  Allow them to cook for about 6 minutes or so.  When they’re ready they should just be starting to brown on the bottom and look something like this. 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.  Then spoon one or two halves into each dish, top with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce from the pan.  Sprinkle on some chopped almonds, and you have peach perfection. 

So let’s recap with some close up, peach porn.  First was the peaches and milk.

Then the peach and yogurt parfait.

Next was the peaches and cream soda. 

And last but certainly not least, caramelized peaches with ice cream. 

I gotta be honest, even after all that work, I still think nature does it best.  There’s just nothing better than biting into a slice of fresh peach.  Lusciously sweet.  The juice running down your chin.  It’s like summer’s last hoorah as we head toward fall. 

Which fruit’s aroma lures you into buying it by the case?