Grilled Peach BBQ Chicken Wings

I subscribe to several cooking magazines, such as Cooking Light and Taste of Home.  I especially love Taste of Home because most of the recipes are so simple and delicious, a combination that I love!  For this recipe, my husband, who loves to grill, picked out this recipe.  I'll admit, I wasn't sure about pureeing peaches in barbecue sauce, but the end result was great.  It gave the sauce a wonderful sweetness.  I also really enjoyed the dipping sauce, which surprised me.  I'll admit, heating apple cider vinegar over the stove smells terrible, but the smell goes away and when the sauce cools, it produces a fabulous result. 

In other cooking blog news, I have an exciting little announcement to make in the next couple of days.  For the next 40+ days, my blog is going to take an interesting turn...stay tuned!

Source:  Taste of Home magazine, October & November 2010 issue

Ingredients:

2 cups store-bought barbecue sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
2 peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
Salt
Pepper
24 chicken wings, separated at the joint and tips discarded
1 cup peach jam
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot, or to taste
Scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced, for topping (I omitted this)

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the barbecue sauce and half of the garlic.  Add the peaches and process until finely chopped; season with about 1-1/2 tsp. salt and about 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Reserve 1/2 cup for basting.  In a resealable plastic bag, toss together the chicken wings and remaining peach barbecue sauce; refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the peach jam, vinegar, remaining garlic, hot sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to low.  Grill the chicken wings with the grill cover down, turning and basting occasionally with the reserved barbecue sauce, until cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Top with the scallions and serve with the peach jam dipping sauce.

Italian Spiced Chicken Bites

This recipe took so little time to make, it almost seems wrong on how amazing it tasted.  The chicken marinade was wonderful with a little extra heat that I always enjoy.  As I was eating these for dinner, all I could do was think about when I was going to make these next.  They can make an excellent appetizer for parties or even Sunday afternoon football games.  This recipe is a must-make!

Source:  Adapted from Jaime Cooks:  Endevours in Eating & Entertaining

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into roughly 1″ cubes
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ cup Panko Italian Bread Crumbs (I used plain)
½ cup Plain Bread Crumbs  (I used Italian)

Directions:
 
Rinse and pat dry the chicken breast cubes.

In a bowl combine garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken pieces and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

After the chicken pieces have marinated, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix panko and plain dry bread crumbs in a bowl. Press marinated chicken pieces into the bread crumbs to coat completely.

Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and bread crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Spicy Rotini and Shrimp

I was having dinner by myself one night so I decided to try something I would like probably a little more than my husband would.  I love spicy food, but he doesn't like it as nearly as much as I do so I usually avoid it.  This dish was yummy with a LOT of heat.  I added nearly a tablespoon of red pepper flakes and it was almost a little too much for me.  For a touch of hotness, just stick with adding only a teaspoon!

Source:  Kelly's Kreative Kitchen, adapted from Homemade by Holman

Ingredients:

1/4 lb uncooked shrimp, deveined
1/2 box rotini pasta (or similar)
1 cup diced tomatoes w/ liquid
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used a zinfandel)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (can add more depending on taste)
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a pot of water to boiling for pasta. When it comes to a boil, add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente and drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and add olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they turn pink. Don't overcook them, once they are opaque, they are done. Set them aside on a cutting board and cut into thirds.

In the same large skillet saute garlic and onions for 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the wine and saute another 3 minutes, or until no longer liquidy. Then add diced tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream, simmer another 5 minutes. Add herbs, cooked shrimp, pasta, and salt & pepper, to taste. Toss and serve warm.