Slow-Cooked Sweet & Tangy Chicken Wings

• 10-12 chicken wing drummettes
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• Dash pepper
• 1-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• Dash red pepper flakes

• Sprinkle chicken wings with a dash of salt and pepper. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a greased slow cooker.
• Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, remaining salt, olive oil, and broth; pour over wings. Toss to coat.
• Cover and cook on low for 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Bleu Cheese Vinagrette Salad

I need a fresh side (and also I want to learn to start making yummy salads), so I'm going to try this one out for dinner today!

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• 2 hearts romaine, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 pound blue cheese crumbles, in specialty cheese section of your market
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup croutons

Place lettuce in large bowl and cut/tear lettuce pieces to desired size.
Combine garlic, oregano, sugar, 1/2 of bleu cheese and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
Add oil to dressing in slow stream and mix to spread onto the leaves
Add the rest of the bleu cheese to the salad
Pour vinegar mixture over salad & add salt and pepper to taste

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Honey Balsamic Chicken

I've got some chicken in my freezer that needs to be used before it's burned to death, so I'm trying my hand at a honey balsamic chicken recipe with my own spin...

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HONEY BALSAMIC CHICKEN

Ingredients for glaze
 
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (I used the kind infused with pomegranate)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

Ingredients for chicken

2 chicken breasts (or 4 tenderloins)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Coat chicken with dry ingredients
2. Place chicken in a skillet at medium heat with a pat of butter for 4-7 minutes
3. Remove chicken from skillet and simmer the glaze in the skillet for 1-2 mintues
4. Place chicken pieces in skillet again, making sure to turn so that glaze coats them. Heat until cooked

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Beans & Weenies

Henry and I have just gotten married on May 19th (Yay!), but I'm having to cook a lot at home since we are on a tight budget with me being in school, etc. Needless to say, before getting married, I would say my forte in cooking was in the dessert/baking department, so it's pretty intimidating to have to make an acceptable-to-eat-for-dinner meal that will not leave us starving. Thus, I've been expanding my horizons to bigger and better things (that are still easy, fast, and stuff that I already have in my house). The first being...

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BEANS & WEENIES


Ingredients:

• 2 regular-sized cans of baked beans (any kind you like)
• 6-7 hot dogs
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 table spoons dried parsley flakes

Method:

1. Cut the hot dogs up into 1/2 inch pieces
2. Dump the 2 cans of baked beans in a pot, followed by the pieces of hot dogs
3. Add the other ingredients to the pot and stir together
4. Place covered on medium-high heat for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Turn heat to low or medium-low to allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes

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