These little suckers are just what the title suggests – nuggets of goodness!
Buffalo Chicken Bites
4 cups cooked chicken, coarsely chopped, I suggest rotisserie
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper
1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of milk
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying Keep reading →
I know, you’re probably reacting the exact same way I did… Baked? As good as fried? I don’t believe it!
We’ll being from Buffalo, and reading the comment from NATIVE BUFFALONIANS, on the topic at Serious Eats, I thought I’d break the stereotype and give these baked wings a go on Sunday.
The recipe I’m going to try for the wings is: Baked Buffalo Hot Wings.
I’m also going to try the corresponding Homemade Blue Cheese Dip.
If you try them, let me know what you think…
5. – The Chicago Tribune New Sous Vide Machine Put to a Test “You already roast a fine, juicy chicken, whip up creamy scrambled eggs and know how to braise succulent short ribs till they fall off the bone. Why, then, would you crowd your counters and empty your pockets to buy a $450 home sous vide machine?”
4. – The Boston Globe Super Bowl Party Food “Food editor Sheryl Julian recommends treats to keep your team pumped up during the big game.”
3. – The LA Times Who is to blame for obesity, and what should be done about it? “While experts argue over whether to blame individuals, society, fast food or families for the rapid rise in obesity rates, the perhaps more pressing question is what to do about it. The answers are pouring in — from radio talk shows, blogs, editorial pages — amping up the feelings of the already fed up.”
2. – The NY Times If Meals Won Medals “I was on the dock in late January, an advance man for the more than two million people organizers say will descend on Vancouver and its environs for the 2010 Winter Games, which run from Feb. 12 to 28. While in the city and its suburbs, I fed as if in danger of imminent execution. And I was able to confirm earlier reconnaissance: Vancouver is among the best eating towns in the history of the Winter Games.”
1. – The Washington Post Super Bowl Smackdown: Nachos “As far as we’re concerned, the most egregious fouls committed during Sunday’s Super Bowl will involve tortilla chips and melted cheese.”
photo from The NY Times
Alright, I’m going to do it… Here comes a plethora of recipes to satiate your craving for something “Buffalo” ie. hot sauce, inspired for Sunday. Some are my recipes and others come from fellow food bloggers – I’ll be sure to indicate who and where so you can check out their sites too… Here goes!
Chex Mix… Buffalo-Style
4 cups Rice Chex cereal
4 cups Wheat Chex cereal
4 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups pretzel twists
6 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 teaspoons celery seed
These scones are a delicious addition to any breakfast menu and the best part is you can do all the mixing in the food processor.
Ginger Pecan Scones
3 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups whole milk
5. - The Chicago Tribune A Sophisticated Super Bowl Menu “Still, a crowd will gather in your home. Eating and drinking will commence. This can be a dignified affair. We consulted a few experts on how to serve a Super Bowl spread that just might replace the commercials as the highlight of the evening.”
4. - The Boston Globe Snack Attack: A Whole New World of Treats “Snacking is an art. Anyone can eat pretzels or hot dogs, doughnuts or candy bars. Those snacks are for amateurs. There’s a more vaunted level of snacking – more filling, more fulfilling – that expands flavors and ignores borders. Ranging from Latin American street food to Asian pastries, many of these snacks can double as light meals.”
3. - The LA Times Rise of the Modern Romaine Empire “A lot of times when food writers praise an old-fashioned ingredient such as romaine lettuce, they do it with a nod and a wink and more than a hint of condescension, like fashion critics chortling when a Parisian couture house sends its models out dressed in gingham and lace — “Oh, how very droll!”"
2. - The NY Times When Chocolate and Chakras Collide “The words of Ziggy Marley’s “Love Is My Religion” floated over 30 people lying on yoga mats in a steamy, dim loft above Madison Avenue on Friday. All had signed up for a strange new hybrid of physical activity: first an hour of vigorous, sweaty yoga, then a multicourse dinner of pasta, red wine and chocolate. As soon as the lights went up, dinner was served on the floor: an (almost) seamless transition designed to allow the yogis to taste, smell and digest in a heightened state of awareness.”
1. - The Washington Post Professional chefs teach a home cook how to get the most from her kitchen knives “I was obviously a kitchen-knife neophyte. That was before I learned how to hold the chef’s knife — in ways I never thought a knife should be held — and before I learned the all-important (but frankly awkward) “claw,” a way of tucking the fingertips of my other hand safely out of the way of a cutting blade. It was before I learned a lot of other things about my knives, too, things that can make a home cook perform more like a sophisticated chef.”
photo from The LA Times
There are a couple of fundraisers going on tonight that I wanted to share…
First up, come by the upstairs of Lululemon on M Street for Georgetown for Haiti. $10 donations at the door, donate more and get a gift certificate from one of many fabulous retailers, including Haute Papier. All proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.
Or head over to Local 16 for Friday for Haiti – an evening of free food and drinks with a $25 donation to Oxfam. Or be a really good Samaritan and hit up both!
These little suckers are irresistible! I bet you can’t eat just one! Enjoy them right out of the oven when still piping hot with a glass of beefy red wine. If you don’t like or have blue cheese, substitute swiss or parmesan – most cheeses work great!
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached flour, sifted
5 large eggs
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Today’s chef of the week mans the kitchen at Michael Mina’s BOURBON STEAK in the Four Seasons. I recently had a steal of a lunch at the bar priced at $21 per person including a choice of burger, accompaniment, non-alcoholic drink and a house made BOURBON STEAK brownie. What’s good you ask? I’d go for the Dry-Aged Steak Burger, Trio of Duck Fat Fries (or the Beer Battered Red Onion Rings) and the West Indian Limeade. Mmm Mmm Good!
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
It’s cliched but a really good quality razor sharp Japanese knife is the must have of any serious chef.
What is the most overrated food/technique in restaurants today?
In my opinion truffle oil is the item most used in kitchens.
If you were to open a restaurant with a different type of cuisine than what you are cooking now, what would it be?
I think Washington DC needs a really great hot dog stand, an institution, like Grays Papaya or Rutt’s Hutt. That could be fun.
What is your favorite local product or purveyor to work with?
My favorite new vendor is Gryffon’s Aerie, they do amazing grass fed beef and Tamworth pork out in Crozet Virginia.
What is your biggest customer pet peeve?
I tend to be far more forgiving of our customers than they are of me, but one pet peeve is when guests come in with closed minds and a pre-determination to not enjoy themselves. It happens from time to time and is the most mentally taxing on a crew whose greatest joy is to give their all to the guest.
What do you drink/eat after work?
I work some long days and constantly find myself needing to loose a few lbs so I will typically forgo the typical late night extra greasy chow and maybe have a green tea if I am at home researching or reading. I’m more of a librarian than a rockstar.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
I almost never cook at home, but when I do it’s simple things like cold soba or a really flavorful yet simple dashi. I don’t have as many sous chefs and dishwashers at home!
Keep reading for Chef Varley’s light-as-air crispy beer battered red onion rings…
5. – The Chicago Tribune Beefing Up Milk “Those who’ve grown up on skim milk varieties may cringe at the richness of whole milk. But other skim milk drinkers secretly long for a creamier drink. At least that’s the theory behind a growing niche of the market aimed at providing a thicker skim milk experience.”
4. – The Boston Globe Spoonfuls of Yum “Good chicken broth is the essence of great soup, and most chefs insist on making their own. If they’ve been boning chickens for another dish, there are plenty of meaty bones on hand. Chefs tend to scorn the idea of making soup using commercial broth (though some allow that home cooks shouldn’t shy away from buying broth if they don’t have time to make their own). When it comes to making chicken soup, everyone has opinions – usually very, very strong ones.”
3. – The LA Times Her phyllo rolls were Elektra-fying “Nina Lamb may be partially responsible for some of the greatest rock music ever recorded. Her contribution? Cheese-and-spinach phyllo rolls.”
2. – The NY Times Snack Time Never Ends “The obligations to bring a little something to eat extend to the adult world, too — I’ve baked for PTA meetings and child-rearing seminars that I didn’t even attend. But when it comes to American boys and girls, snacks seem both mandatory and constant. Apparently, we have collectively decided as a culture that it is impossible for children to take part in any activity without simultaneously shoving something into their pie holes.”
1. – The Washington Post DIY Coffee “Why on earth would you roast your own coffee, you say? For the same reason you’d make your own pasta or ice cream, brew your own beer, make your own vinegar or tonic water, or in fact create any edible or potable product from as close to scratch as possible, I say. Maybe you think you can do better than the pros. Maybe it’s cheaper, not as hard as you might think, or somehow therapeutic. Or maybe you just think it would be a hoot to try.”
photo from The Washington Post
