Super Bowl Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Buffalo Chicken WingsOnce again, It’s time for the annual repost of this great Super Bowl Oven Baked Chicken Wings Recipe (actually this is a much better version with updated recipe tips)…but first, the backstory. Back in 1976, I was working at The Foundry restaurant in DC and one of the waiters, Michael Murphy, who happened to be from Buffalo, told us of the amazingly simple way they prepared, of all things, chicken wings, up there at a place called the Anchor Bar. We started giving away the Buffalo Chicken Wings during Happy Hour and immediately the place became packed each day at around 4:45 pm with everyone waiting for the wings to come out of the kitchen…and the rest is culinary history. It seems that every bar today has chicken wings on the menu, and for good reason…when they’re made right, they’re incredibly and addictingly (if that’s even a word) good! They’re actually very simple to make…cut 12 wings into three pieces at the joints (discard the wing tips or keep them for preparing stock) and just deep fry the flats and drummettes for 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oil (preferably peanut) until they’re crispy and golden brown, toss them in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and serve with celery and bleu cheese dressing…that’s it…nothing else is needed. The problem is that it’s really a pain (and a greasy mess) to deep fry at home, but there is a not-so-secret way to avoid that mess, while still getting that great Buffalo Chicken Wing crunch and flavor……just bake them in the oven.

But there are REAL SECRETS to making incredibly delicious Oven Baked Buffalo Wings, and here they are :

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The Best and Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip CookiesThese simple, delicious cookies (from BraveTart) are not made with your standard, everyday chocolate chip morsels, but instead are chock full of coarsely hand-chopped chocolate bar pieces, so I guess technically, they should be called chocolate chunk cookies.They come out of the oven (which, by the way, is the best time to eat them) chewy with crispy crunchy edges. One of the best things about these cookies, besides the speed and simplicity of the preparation, is that you can use a wide variety of chocolates…any kind you like. For these, I chopped up a dark chocolate bar, a milk chocolate bar and milk chocolate with hazelnut bar. The cocoa butter in the chocolate bars thickens the dough and flavors it so the cookies don’t taste, and the dough doesn’t behave, the same as if store-bought chocolate chip morsels were used…and that’s a good thing because they end up tasting way better, with a great, but subtle, butterscotchy flavor. Read More …

Slow Cooker Asian Pork with Soba Noodles

Slow Cooker Asian Pork with Snow Peas and Red Peppers

Spicy Slow Cooker Asian Pork with Soba Noodles…If you love Asian food like I do, but shy away from making it because you think it’s difficult and time-consuming to prepare, give this delicious Slow Cooker Asian Pork recipe a try. It’s very simple and comes together really quickly once the pork has cooked low and slow for about 4-7 hours, depending on if you use the low or high setting on your cooker. You can get the pork started in the morning and when dinner time comes around, you just quickly cook the soba noodles, heat everything together in a skillet and in 15-20 minutes, it’s ready to go.

Click Read More for the recipe!

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Spicy Honey Sesame Chicken…An Instant Pot Miracle

Cookhacker's Instant Pot Garlic Honey ChickenInstant Pot Spicy Honey Sesame Chicken…I’m becoming obsessed all over again with the Instant Pot and this recipe is as good as it gets. It’s a miracle because I can’t believe how easy it is to prep, how fast it cooks and how delicious it is. I’m still amazed how efficient this pressure cooker can be and how it can turn out great tasting dishes in a matter of minutes (not including the time it takes to get to pressure) with minimal prep…and clean-up is so easy.

The prep time on the Spicy Honey Sesame Chicken was about ten minutes and the actual cooking time was only 3-5 minutes. All-in-all, from start to finish, this was on the table in 30 minutes. It was as good as any take-out chicken I’ve ever had…just click the Read More below for the printable recipe.

And if you like quick and easy spicy chicken dishes with minimal clean-up, you’ll love my Easy Chicken Fajitas in Foil Packet.

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One-Pan Chicken, Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

Chicken, Italian Sausage, Brussel Sprouts and Shallots One Skillet DinnerThis amazing One-Pan Chicken, Sausage and Brussels Sprouts recipe from SeriousEats, a fantastic one-skillet dish, is reprinted exactly as it is on Seriouseats because there was absolutely no need to change anything…it’s perfect as-is. If it’s not an original recipe I’m writing about, and I get it from someone else, I’ll give them credit and then I’ll usually tweak it, make some changes or substitutions to try and improve it, but I can’t imagine anything that would make this any better than it is.

The prep was easy, the chicken was moist with a crispy caramelized skin, the sausages were spicy (I used hot Italian sausages), the brussel sprouts had a savory, crunchy exterior, the shallots were perfect and clean-up (one pan!) was a breeze. Give this one a try…I can pretty much guarantee it will end up as one of your go-to dishes.

And if you own an Instant Pot you will want to try my Delicious Instant Pot Chicken Adobo…it’s another awesome quick and easy chicken dish.

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Homemade Valentine’s Day Gift of Chocolate Love…Easy, Fun and Very Cool Chocolate Goody Bags

chocolate bags

This is one of the all-time great Valentine’s Day homemade gifts (and it’s not really a recipe…more like a very impressive technique). Although it might look like it’s hard to prepare, it really isn’t…and it’s a lot of fun to make.

Easy, fun and really impressive…the trifecta in homemade gift preparation!

1. Grab a few bulk coffee-bean bags from your grocery store (they are by the bulk coffee..and they’re FREE!). You need bags that are lined with a plastic coating so after being painted with chocolate, you can peel them off easily. Cut the coffee bags so they are about 3-5 inches tall.

2. Then, in a double boiler over low heat, melt 2-3 cups of semisweet chocolate morsels.

3. Lay a bag on its side, and with a pastry brush, start at the bottom and paint the melted chocolate over the entire interior of the bag. Use plenty of chocolate to get a nice thick layer coating the inside of the bag, which will make it less likely for the chocolate to break when peeling off the bag later. Repeat with additional bags.

4. Stand the bags up and place in the refrigerator to harden for at least 30 minutes and…. Read More …

Chinese Chili and Scallion Noodles – Quick & Easy Weeknight Treat

Chinese Chili and Scallion NoodlesChinese Chili and Scallion Noodles…not sure where I originally found this recipe (I believe it was Milk Street)…it’s so quick and easy, you can throw it together in about 30 minutes using ingredients that you probably already have on hand, and it’s just incredibly delicious. I really like it with udon noodles, but you can also use lo mein or spaghetti if that’s what you have. It’s really hard to mess this one up, but just make sure you keep a close watch on the sesame seeds and red pepper flakes as they cook because they can go from golden brown and tasty to burned and bitter in a matter of seconds. As long as you do that, you’ll have the perfect week-night meal.

Chinese Chili and Scallion Noodles is one dish you’ll go back to again and again!

For the printable recipe… Read More …

Delicious Instant Pot Chicken Adobo with Rice

Made this delicious Chicken Adobo again and it was even better the second time. The Instant Pot makes it quick and easy…the whole thing comes together in less than an hour from prep to plate. And as an added bonus, with the Instant Pot, cleanup is a breeze!

This is a based on Filipino adobo (adobo is derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means “marinade” or “pickling sauce”), which is  a cooking process in Filipino cuisine that involves meat, seafood or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black peppercorns (I added a little Sriracha because, well, I like to add Sriracha to everything), which is then browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.  It has sometimes been considered as the unofficial national dish in the Philippines. The Instant Pot has made this dish faster, easier to prepare and much more accessible, without sacrificing any of the flavor.

For the recipe, click for the original post.

Quick & Easy Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Instant Pot Red Beans and RiceIf you crave New Orleans food, you love Red Beans and Rice. It was traditionally served on Mondays in Louisiana, which was Wash Day, because a pot of beans could sit on the stove and simmer all day long while the women were busy scrubbing clothes. Now, with the invention of the Instant Pot, Red Beans and Rice can be prepared and served in about an hour or two from start to finish (and most of that time is just waiting for the Instant Pot to do its magic). This authentic, yet simple, New Orleans recipe is great for parties and large gatherings and it actually tastes better the next day.

Soaking beans overnight before cooking is recommended to remove some of the indigestible sugars responsible for beans’ infamous flatulence issues, and it’s also said to reduce cooking times. I found that a quick-soak of the dry red beans in the Instant Pot (see directions below) is just as good as an overnight soaking and allows you whip up a delicious pot of red beans on the spot, without having to remember to start soaking them the night before.

Click Read More for the printable recipe…

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Quick and Easy Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo on RiceInstant Pot Chicken Adobo…easy, quick and delicious…three things that make me want to make a recipe again and again (especially the delicious part!). This recipe is a very slight variation on one found on thekitchn.com (thank you!). The chicken thighs are fall-off-the-bone tender and taste like they’ve been marinated for hours and cooked low and slow, but through the magic of one of my absolutely favorite new kitchen tools, the Instant Pot, they’re ready in about 30 minutes.

This Instant Pot Chicken Adobo is a based on Filipino adobo (adobo is derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means “marinade” or “pickling sauce”), which is  a cooking process in Filipino cuisine that involves meat, seafood or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black peppercorns (I added a little Sriracha because, well, I like to add Sriracha to everything), which is then browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.  It has sometimes been considered as the unofficial national dish in the Philippines. The Instant Pot has made this dish faster, easier to prepare and much more accessible, without sacrificing any of the flavor.

Like most popular ethnic dishes, there are many differing opinions as the right way to make adobo. In my opinion, as long as the results taste great, any recipe is a great recipe. This is my version, it’s incredibly delicious, and I’m sticking to it.

For the printable recipe, please click…

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