Hot Wings My Way

Try new things.  That is my motto this week.  I am always making new things and thankfully, I have been blessed with a family that isn’t picky in the slightest.  The animals will eat anything!  But recently, my weekly menus have lacked anything familiar.  I have been trying recipe after recipe in the hopes of knocking down the pile of thousands of recipes that I have stashed around my house that I keep saying I am gonna try.  I test them, modify them, make little notes, create my own, or sometimes toss the whole recipe all together.  Lets see…

Last night I made these Beef Empanadas.  Pretty good, but we discovered that no matter how much my son Eli loves Mexican food, it keeps him up at night so he ate a sort of modified supper with us.  Do taste preferences run in the family?  They must because my in-laws LOVE Mexican food, as does my husband.  Our daughter would eat salsa with a spoon at restaurants when she was a year old so I am pretty sure that my kids have whatever sickness causes the craving for enchiladas, pollo los toros, and homemade tortilla chips with chunky salsa.  This recipe wasn’t super spicy by any means, but it wasn’t mild either.  I served it with brown rice.  Yum.

Tonight I am experimenting with potato nachos, spicy garlic shrimp with crusty bread and homemade limoncello, but I am rounding out the menu with fresh veggies, dip, and old favorite.  My hot wings.  And let me tell you, just typing this makes me wish they were already done because I am dying to eat some right now.  And I blame this soley on my friend Dede.  I lived my life blissfully unaware of the spell that hot wings have over you until my teen years, at which time she corrupted me and I haven’t been able to pass them up on an appetizer menu since.  My recipe is a bit different from the traditional vinegary tasting sauce at a chain restaurant.  I love the heat of them, but generally prefer more flavor.  Unfortunately, I never seem to get sick of eating these and several pounds later I can be found licking my fingers and cursing my food limits as a human.  I can’t wait till dinner! Hot Wings

1/4 c (1/2 stick) of butter
2 T brown sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 c bottled hot sauce, such as Franks

Melt all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Toss with fully cooked chicken wings, about 3-4 pounds.
Note: To cook chicken wings, remove tips and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Dump into a single layer on a sheet pan and roast in the oven at 425 until cooked through and crispy.  Turn halfway through if needed.  Alternatively, the wings can be deep fried in oil.