BBQ Drumettes

I prefer the drummette version of the wing, since it has the meaty portion there. I use a homemade rub for the my wings.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon  sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 packages(about 12) chicken drummettes

Preparation:
lace first five ingredients in a large zip lock bag and shake vigorously to mix contents. Place drummettes in the bag and shake to cover doing one drummette at a time. Place drummettes on baking sheet that you have lightly sprayed with oil. Cook in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Using previous post for BBQ sauce, mop each drummette with sauce and cook 15 minutes more, turning drummettes every 5 minutes and repeat mopping with sauce.

Serve warm with ranch dressing, if desired.          

   

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Since the Super Bowl is only ten days away, I thought I might share my barbecue sauce recipe and my chicken rub. This is a multistep process and takes some time.The barbecue sauce can simmer while you prepare the wings.

Ingredients: 
1 cup Heinz ketchup
1 cup root beer
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed (if your brown sugar is hard, put it in the microwave for one minute to soften)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Preparation:
Place all items in sauce pan, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Pasta and Variations on a Theme

Most toddlers and children like pasta. My own son lived on ravioli for about 3 years, and now my daughter's twins eat pasta almost every day. It can be made with just butter, some Parmesan cheese melted on top or a light red sauce like marinara. The problem is, how do you balance the carbs with vegetables and protein. Enter,veggie pasta. Each 2-ounce serving provides a one half cup of vegetables and 7 grams of protein.The pasta typically has spinach, carrot, broccoli, and tomatoes in it. Cook it up and season with butter or margarine and serve as a finger food for toddlers. If you add slices of ripe sweet melon and a yogurt drink and you have a nutritious meal that your kids will eat. As children grow and their tastes become more sophisticated, you can add chunks of sauteed chicken or other lean meats. What they won't eat is Basil pesto. What a shame. Most adults love it. Below is my recipe for basil pesto. I serve it with sauteed chicken, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and sliced asparagus over farfalle.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil, packed tightly
3 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pie nuts
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Add all ingredients into your food processor and blend on on high for 1 or 2 minutes until creamy. Add to cooked pasta and toss until it is medium green in color. Add your cooked protein and vegetables and serve.                    
                  

The Berry Bowl

One of the mainstays in our family is the berry bowl. It is used as part of the dessert table for most of our gatherings. It is easy to make, has a bit of the Wow factor but is really loaded with nutrients fiber and and antioxidants.The problem is that some of the berries are pretty sour, and adding sugar defeats the whole  purpose of a fruit dessert. In the past, I have used Splenda to sweeten up the bowl, but recently have discovered Nectresse, also made by the Splenda folks. Nectresse is made from monk fruit which is 200 times sweeter then sugar. It is called monk fruit because it has been grown by monks in southern China and northern Thailand. Not only does the sweetener make the berries less sour but it gives the bowl a patina of frost that is very inviting.

Ingredients:
1 16oz carton of strawberries,washed and sliced
1 6oz carton of blackberries washed and dried
1 6oz carton of raspberries washed and dried
2 6oz cartons of blueberries,washed and dried
3 to 4 tablespoons of Nectresse

Preparation:

Place strawberries in bowl and sprinkle with Nectresse. Add  blackberries and sprinkle with Nectresse. Add  raspberries and sprinkle with Nectresse. Add blueberries and sprinkle with Nectresse. Serves 6.

New Years Ham for Good Luck

There is an old European custom that says everyone should eat pork on New Years Day for good luck in the coming year. Some of the traditions include having sauerkraut and black eyed peas with the pork. Since some of my family members won't eat sauerkraut and no one will eat black eyed peas, we settle for  a one third of a lucky year and just have ham. I always use a shank portion of ham, with no water added. The spiral sliced and honey glazed are all the rage, but they must be eaten cold. I don't like putting a cold ham on the table, so I prepare and glaze my ham myself. I use maple syrup, orange juice, and cinnamon on mine. I don't "spiral slice," but use a technique that a neighbor told me about. From the outer rind, cut towards the bone making the cut as deep as possible. Do this three times and then cut your slices from each third by following the already outlined sections.This results are great and you can get more slices from your ham.

Ingredients: 
One 10 to 12 pound ham, Shank portion
1 cup water
1 1/2  cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ham in roaster pan, add 1 cup of water and cover  tightly with aluminum foil. Cook in oven for 3 hours. Mix together syrup,orange juice and cinnamon. After 3 hours, remove foil and baste with maple syrup mixture. Cook in oven uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.