Louisville Wings-- Graduation Party Tradition!

My family's favorite home-cooked wings. They take quite a bit of time (hours overnight and lots of attention on the grill) but they're worth it! (And, by the way, the marinade does NOT freeze, but the cooked wings freeze pretty well.)

About 60 pieces of chicken wings ( I get mine frozen from GFS and thaw them).

Make the rub:

2 Tablespoons each of kosher salt, lemon pepper, and paprika (you might want to cut down on the salt if there is salt in your lemon pepper seasoning).

Pour over the wings in a large bowl and toss until they're coated. Cover and refrigerate.

Make the sauce:

Melt 10 Tablespoons of butter and saute five large cloves of freshly minced garlic in a large sauce pan. Add two-thirds of a cup each of bourbon, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, Red Hot or Tabasco Sauce (Or a combination of both. Red Hot is not as spicy as Tabasco. I use Red Hot when I'm serving them to a mixed crowd) and three Tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring to a low boil and reduce for about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Pour three-quarters of the cooled marinade over the wings. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Before cooking, make sure the wings are at room temperature. Prepare an indirect heat grill at about 350-degrees and cook them indirectly for half an hour until almost done. Baste with the marinade. Finally, put the wings directly over the heat for 5 minutes or so, until the skin crackles and begins to blacken. (I use my gas grill, alternating the heat from low to high, moving the wings around the grill until they're done. It takes quite a bit of attention, but the wings can catch fire easily since they're marinated in bourbon!)

Transfer to a platter and serve. (You can serve them with extra sauce but remember that the alcohol is entirely cooked off. This can be surprising to those who don't do bourbon!)

Enjoy and get ready to forward your friends here for the recipe!

Baked Leek and Sweet Potato Gratin

Loved this one revised from Vegetarian Times. It was a great alternative to the usual sugar- and fat-filled holiday fare.

3 leeks, sliced (green and white parts) and rinsed well
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons very finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch slices (the v-shaped blade of the Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin was perfect)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Heat 1 T. oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, garlic and rosemary; saute 8 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Arrange one-third sweet potato slices on the bottom of a stoneware square baker or oiled casserole dish, overlapping slightly. Spread half of leek mixture on top. Arrange another one-third sweet potatoes over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over top, cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.

Stir together breadcrumbs and remaining oil. Remove foil from gratin, and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned and crisp. Cool slightly before serving.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Grits

For a change, I made this completely as the recipe stated (except that I doubled it-- remember I have two growing teenage boys). So glad I tried it though shrimp and grits is a very traditional southern thing.

If you're in the Fort Wayne area, Fresh Market is, by far, the best place I've found to buy fresh fish and shrimp.

You must try this recipe. It's super simple, quick and got a two thumbs up from everyone at the table.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/lemon-garlic-shrimp-and-grits-recipe/index.html

Cranberry Cinnamon Chip Bars

Incredibly easy, incredibly rich, incredibly good. Doesn't even require a mixing bowl!

I doubled the recipe and made it in my Pampered Chef Stoneware Large Bar Pan (it's the size of a jelly roll pan-- ask me, I know where you can get one!) Baked it for about 45 minutes. I took it to a band function tonight and everyone loved it. If you take it to a party, be prepared to share the recipe!

www.ourbestbites.com/2010/11/cranberry-cinnamon-chip-bars.html

I FOUND IT!

I finally found a squash recipe that I actually like. We've had squash almost literally coming out of our ears for the last couple of months due to our purchase of a CSA share this summer. Determined to find a use for the several spaghetti squash sitting on a shelf in my kitchen, I decided to try (even though it did NOT sound good) this recipe from the blog of The Pioneer Woman. In case you haven't deduced, I do not like squash-- especially spaghetti squash. I made a spaghetti squash recipe once many moons ago and hated it. So... even if you don't like squash, try this one. Squash is cheap, the ingredients are common and the recipe couldn't be easier.

Spaghetti Squash with Shallots and Maple Syrup
from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

2 whole medium spaghetti squash
3 Tablespoons butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup maple syrup
dash of salt
dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pierce squash several times with a sharp knife. Place squash on cookie sheet and bake for one hour.

Cut squash in half. Scoop out and discard slimy pulp and seeds. Scrape out the rest of the flesh with a fork. Place in a bowl and keep warm.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Cook shallots over medium heat until just brown (Pioneer Woman says cook them for two minutes until soft. I like them a little carmelized.) Reduce heat and add maple syrup. Cook briefly until warm. Remove from heat and add salt and nutmeg.

Pour over squash and mix gently. Serve warm.

Chicken Enchiladas (for Brandon!)

By special request, here's an update! My family's favorite Chicken Enchiladas. Very simple and, I'm sure, not very authentic, but well worth the little time and effort.

Chicken Enchiladas

12 small flour tortillas
2 1/2 c. cooked, diced or shredded chicken (if you're short on time, use Grabill or Hartman canned chicken, two large cans)
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (plus some for the top)
1 small can chopped green chilies
1/2 onion, hopped
butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 large can evaporated milk
jalapeno pepper to taste-- As is, it's very mild. I add chopped jalapenos (canned or fresh) to taste in the filling and the sauce.

Saute onion in butter until soft. Add soup, milk, and jalapenos. Blend well.
Combine chicken, cheese and green chilies in a large bowl. Roll chicken mixture inside tortillas and arrange (open side down) in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour sauce over tortillas, adding grated cheese on top.

Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Oven-Baked Split Pea Soup

To be honest, I'm not a fan of split pea soup. That is, except for this one which is super easy and yummy. Enjoy!

1 pound split peas
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup parsley sprigs
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 pound fully cooked smoked kielbasa, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the split peas in cold water, then place in a large (oven proof) kettle with all the remaining ingredients except the sausage. ( I used my Pampered Chef Stoneware Covered Baker.) Bake, covered, for 2 hours. Remove from oven.

Discard the bay leaf and puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth. Return to kettle. Add the chopped sausage. Bake 30 minutes longer, or under the sausage is heated through.