Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

While shopping for groceries and mason jars for a project I was determined to do today, I saw the 10 lbs party chicken wings on sale at Smart and Final. It has been a while since I cooked some of these party staple. They also reminded me of one of my sister-in-law who loves fried chicken wings especially if they are cooked by yours truly! I remember when she used to come over the house and drop off my nephew to play with my son, she will always make a point to ask me to make some for her. 

After I got home, I decided to cook some and use the same 4 simple ingredients I have used in the past to not lose the flavor of the chicken - salt, pepper, chili pepper and flour.  These wings will be a good pair with your favorite salad or with your favorite beverage while watching football, basketball or whatever sport in season you watch. They are also be a good party appetizer if you have the time to make them.

Below are the simple ingredients and steps:

25 pieces of chicken wings
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground red chili pepper
1 brown paper bag
2-3 cups vegetable oil



Wash the frozen chicken wings with luke warm water to thaw them a little bit.








Pat them dry. Mix all the dry ingredients inside the brown paper bag. Coat the wings by putting 5 at a time inside the bag, close tight and shake until fully coated.







Heat a deep pan with oil and set to medium high. Use a metal thong and slowly put the wings in the hot oil. Don't overcrowd the pan so that you have room to flip them over. Cook each side for 10 mins and or until golden brown.

Take the wings out of the hot oil one by one and let the oil drip from each wing on a plate with paper towel. Transfer them to another plate and serve with barbecue sauce or Shiracha if you want them spicy.

Speculoos French Toast

Speculoos French Toast

It's been a looooooooong time since my last post! A lot of people have been asking me why I stopped sharing my recipes. I'll just blame it on a couple of reason - laziness and not having a fast computer. However, I have been posting some photos on Instagram and Facebook. Thanks to my loving husband, he got me a new Macbook for Christmas! I am now motivated more than ever!!

Here's a new post to end 2013 before you start your 2014 diet LOL

French toast is a favorite breakfast or brunch dish and it’s so easy to make. The breads you can use are endless (french bread, sourdough bread, Texas toast, etc.) and you can get as creative as you like with toppings such as the new craze SPECULOOS Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's. This cookie butter is now very popular in Asia and there's even some news of shortage in the US a few months ago. I got very curious so I went to my local Trader Joe's and I was told that the craze is not evident here in the Bay Area because most Californians are health freak. I ended up buying 2 dozens and sent them to my relatives in the Philippines to enjoy. I kept a few bottles and I am now a big fan! I use it as topping on french toast as shown here and or on home made cupcakes and beignets. Super yummy!

Give your Aunt Jemima syrup bottle a break and try melted Speculoos instead with your french toast.

Here is a basic recipe for french toast:

Ingredients:

 2 eggs
4 tbs milk
1 teaspoon corn starch (for crunchiness)
6 slices maple Texas toast bread (thick slices) or regular bread
6 tbs butter (1 tbs for each slice)
2 tablespoon melted Speculoos for topping
Powdered Sugar

Directions: 

Heat a pan or griddle at medium to high heat. Mix together the eggs, cornstarch and milk with a fork or whisk then pour into a dish that’s large enough to dip a piece of bread into without having to fold it, an 8×8 inch baking dish is ideal. Dip one slice of the bread into the egg and milk mixture on one side then flip and dip the other side. Letting the bread soak in the milk and egg mixture for a few seconds will help the mixture soak right through the entire piece of bread but be careful it doesn’t get too soggy so that it falls apart when trying to cook it. Add a tablespoon of butter to the grill to melt, then place the dipped slice of bread onto the pan. Cook the first side of bread for about 3 minutes or when the bread is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for approximately the same amount of time. You can cook more than one piece at a time but don’t allow the pieces of bread to touch each other.Once cooked serve the french toast immediately or keep in a warmed oven until ready to serve. 

Melt Speculoos in a small bowl for 45 seconds in the microwave and drizzle on top of the toasts. Sprinkle powdered sugar and ENJOY!

Goat Cheese, Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad

This summer, I started growing heirloom tomatoes and basil. My green thumbs did not fail me. I think I will have tomatoes to last me until Winter.

Everyone I know loves Caprese Salad except for my husband who does not like fresh tomatoes!!! Well, more for me I guess LOL.  I decided to make a twist on the regular Caprese Salad. I used goat cheese and added a slice of watermelon for more sweetness. This is an amazing and refreshing salad and very easy to make. You just need the 5 ingredients below.

Caprese Salad for 2:

2 medium size yellow heirloom tomato 
2 medium size red heirloom tomato
1/2 log of goat cheese or crumbled
1 small seedless watermelon
10 pieces of fresh Italian basil
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Wash tomatoes and dry. Slice tomatoes and arrange on the plate. Slice watermelon in square pieces. Slice the goat cheese log and arrange them as shown with the basil. Sprinkle salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on top of each arrangement. Enjoy!

Home Grown Cherry Tomatoes

This summer, I was brave enough to grow 6 different types of cherry tomatoes - Black Cherry, Yellow Pear, Sweet Red 100, Red Pear, and I forgot the name of the other two!! I also grew 3 types of heirlooms - Mr. Stripey, Black Prince and Cherokee Purple.

I'm blessed with a green thumb and all of these I planted have given me an abundant of harvest! Since I love to cook and I have this food blog, I thought it's just appropriate to include my harvest in the mix and share my other passion - GARDENING!

I used these tomatoes in salads, made pasta sauce and some other dish. I also enjoy them as a snack. Fall season is here now so  I think I will only have a few months to enjoy them before frost comes!

Enjoy the photos!

Pickled Tri-Color Beans, Okra, Green Cherry Tomatoes and Carrots

I love anything pickled! Well, except maybe for pickled pork feet and pickled eggs! One visit at a Farmers Market, I saw and bought some spicy pickled green beans. I fell in love with the crunchiness. After consuming the whole jar of these beans in one seating, I decided to call the vendor and ordered a box! The 10 jars lasted about....well, not very long!

It's been about 3 years since I saw that vendor again. Earlier this year, my husband and I visited Nellie's Crab Shack for lunch in SF. They served his crab sandwich with some pickled vegetables. I remember the okra and carrots. When I took my daughter there a few months ago, I ate more of her pickles!

Okay, now it has come to that point that I need to make my own since I now have a variety of vegetables I can pick freshly from my own garden. My husband bought me a box of pickling mason jars last year because I wanted to pickle some Meyer lemons but I never had the time. I am finally making use of the jars!

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh okra

1 lb tri-color beans (yellow, green and purple) or just green

2 large carrots

2 cups green cherry tomatoes

2 large jalapenos

1 1/2 cup Penzys Pickling Spice Mix

5 cups of white vinegar

4 cups of water

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup sea salt

3 1 quart mason jar

Wash the mason jars thoroughly with hot water and dry. Cut the tip ends of the okra and beans. Peel the carrots and cut about 3 inches lengthwise.Slice the jalapenos in strips. Boil in a pot the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Shake the pickling spice well inside a zip lock and pour 1/2 cup in each jar. Add about 5 strips of jalapenos in each jar. Divide the carrots, okra, beans and cherry tomatoes and stuff the jars. Pour about 2 cups or more of the hot brine and leave about 1 inch head space from the rim of the jar. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate.With this process, the pickled veggies will be good for 3 months. 

Herb Rubbed Pork Ribs

I've been slacking on blogging the food I've been cooking the past several months! I think the lazy bug stayed a bit too long in my system and got comfortable. Well, it's time to share some of the recipes I've indulged in this summer using some of the herbs and vegetables I planted in my backyard.

Any type of meat will be amazingly delicious with this recipe of fresh  herbs with added spices. My hubby and son loves their meat!  I decided to go with the other white meat - PORK!

Enjoy rubbing!

1 rack slab of pork ribs (about 15-18 ribs)

10 sprigs of fresh oregano

10 sprigs of fresh German thyme

5 sprigs of fresh rosemary

3 tablespoon lemon-black pepper seasoning

3 tablespoon paprika

3 tablespoon salt

3 table spoon garlic powder

1/2 cup olive oil

Finely chop all the fresh herbs then combine with the remaining ingredients and mixed well. Rub the mix on the ribs covering front and back. Wrap the rubbed ribs in a saran wrap, roll it and put inside the 2 gallon ziplock or cut in half and put in  1 gallon ziplock. Keep in fridge overnight and grill or broil the next day.  Enjoy with some beer or wine or just simply have it for dinner with rice, noodles and your favorite veggies.