Best Wings Ever! From Chicago with love from Linda

These are the best wings ever and a go to for us whether at home or at the cabin in the UP. They are not my creation but a wonderful recipe from my Chicago born love, Linda Krantz. When we met several years ago she introduced me to her favorite wing sauce that was from her home town of Chicago. Uncle Dougie's wing sauce is like nothing I have had before, a little sweet up front, malty and good punch of pepper heat on the finish.  The best thing is she does not fry the wings but oven roast them after marinating for at least 24 hours.

They are so good I have had these as my birthday dinner before! Here is her easy to follow recipe below so get some Uncle Dougie's  (we say Doogies but don't tell Uncle Doug) - you can find it online and in the greater Chicago area at most grocery stories - or do what we do - bring back to Texas in our luggage when we visit family!

1 bottle           Uncle Dougie's Wing Sauce (see below)
3 lbs                Fresh Chicken Wings


1. Marinade the chicken wings in a large container with a lid for at least 24 hours, shake the container  every couple of hours
2. Empty contents of the container - wings and marinade on to a foil lined baking pan
3. Place in a pre-heated 450 degree oven - cook for 1 hour
4. Remove from oven and plate up - serve with your favorite ranch, blue cheese or some other salad that will cool you down
5. Enjoy with your favorite beer or wine - these are great!

Thanks baby for making me a Uncle Dougie's fan

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It’s a jumble not a salad – what?

Yep, I like to call any salad that is less than 25% lettuce and has 75% “stuff” a jumble. I just think it better describes the dish and also it sounds more filling than a salad, right? The beauty of creating jumbles for meals is they can be vegetable or protein centric or a combination of both like the one below. Here is a recipe for Southwest Shrimp Jumble, a tasty salad for those days when the weather starts to heat up…….

I like to combine both raw, grilled and roasted vegetables into a jumble with a protein, in this case shrimp. You could use chicken in this same recipe of vary the vegetables. Sometimes a jumble is a great way to clean out the frig or use leftovers.

Southwest Shrimp Jumble                                                                 4 servings

Shrimp, peeled, deveined                               1 lb.

Olive Oil                                                          1 T

Chili powder                                                    1 T

Lettuce, spring mix                                         1 C

Cucumber, peeled & sliced                             ½ C

Grape tomatoes, halved                                 1 C

Grilled Asparagus, cut into 1/3’s                   ½ lb.

Golden Beet Slices, peeled & roasted                       1 C

Orange* slices, quartered                              1 orange

Carrots, grilled, sliced                                     1 C

Red onion, sliced                                            ½ C

Avocado, chunks                                             1 Whole avocado

Salt & Pepper                                                  To Taste

Dressing

Lime juice                   2 T

Honey                          1 T

Dijon Mustard             1 T

Rice Vinegar               3 T

Avocado Oil                 ¼ C

Procedures:

1.     Toss the shrimp in oil, and then season with chili powder

2.     Place on a medium –hot grill and cook until done – turn once, remove and cool

3.     In a large bowl place the Spring mix, cucumber, grape tomatoes, grilled asparagus pieces, beet slices, orange slices, carrot slices, red onion, and avocado

4.     Season with salt and pepper and toss well

5.     Add the cooled shrimp, toss again

6.     In a separate bowl make the dressing by adding the lime juice, honey, Dijon and rice vinegar. Drizzle in the avocado oil and whisk to emulsify

7.     Add enough dressing to the jumble bowl and toss well – DO NOT OVER DRESS

8.     Check and adjust seasoning – serve

www.jwd-consultancy.com

$10,000 Winning Recipe

Well it is time for the Masters and most people think of......Pimento Cheese? Yep it is a great tradition they have at the tournament of serving Pimento Cheese Sandwiches on white bread. Well here is a pimento cheese toast I created to win the first Texas Pete Cook-off a couple of years ago. The competition was with 3 other very talented industry chefs and peers for a grand prize of $10,000 to be donated to No Kid Hungry. All in all it was really fun....see the video at the end but first here is a recipe you can make to enjoy while watching golf this weekend.

Pimento Cheese Toast with Crispy Black-eyed Peas & Pickled Kale            

5 portions

Pimento Cheese Toast

1 cup               Sharp Cheddar, grated

½ cup               Mayonnaise

¼ cup               Red Pepper, roasted, peeled & diced

2 T                   Texas Pete Garlic Hot Sauce

1/2 tsp.           Kosher Salt

¼ tsp.              Black Pepper

1 T                   Butter, Soft

10 ea               2x2 inch, Brioche bread slice ½ inch thick

1.     Place Cheddar, Mayonnaise, red pepper, Texas Pete, salt and pepper in a bowl

2.     Mix to combine completely, set aside

3.     Butter one side of the brioche bread, and then toast in a skillet, butter side down

Crispy Black-Eyed Peas

1 can               Black-eyed Peas

2 tsp                Texas Pete  Chipotle Hot sauce

As need           Salt & Black Pepper

1.     Rinse Black-eyed peas in cool water, drain.

2.     Toss the Black-eyed Peas with the Pete’s Chipotle Sauce

3.     Spread the Black –eyed peas on a sheet pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

4.     Cool Black-eyed Peas at room temperature. Once cool, set aside

5.     To Cook: Fry Black-eyed peas in a 350 degree fryer for 3 minutes or until golden brown.

6.     Shake off excess grease, place in a bowl and toss with salt & pepper until evenly coated.

Pickled Kale

1 cup               Baby Kale

½ cup               Cider Vinegar

1 tsp.               Salt

1 tsp.               Sugar

1 tsp.               Mustard Seeds

1.     In a medium sauce pan combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and mustard seeds, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes

2.     Remove from heat and allow to cool to 140 degrees

3.     In a bowl pour cooled pickling liquid over baby kale and stir to evenly distribute

4.     Place in refrigeration until needed

TO ASSEMBLE Cheese Toasts:

1.     Divide the pimento cheese mixture between the 10 pieces of brioche

2.     Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly

3.     Remove and place on plate, top with a generous spoon of fried black-eyed peas

4.     Garnish with 2 to 3 well drained leaves of pickled kale

5.     Serve

Video of the cook-off link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt-5rm-aMQM

www.jwd-consultancy.com