ROAD TRIP CHICKEN WINGS!

Howdy Everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I think this may be my last post.  I promise though, that you will find this easy, fun, and delicious recipe to be a perfect Grand Finale!

Today I am sharing another family tradition. As my husband was growing up, his Mom would always cook up a batch of these chicken wings for the family to eat whenever they went on a road trip. It was something they all looked forward to! After we got married, she made them many times for us as a farewell gift for our road trips. Eventually I started making them on my own, and they always come out finger lickin' good! They are also great & portable for picnics or buffets. 

But truth be told, there is nothing quite like pulling into a gas station at 1:30 am, and munching on some buttery chicken wings while you "fill 'er up!! (Randy's favorite part is throwing the bones out of the window at 75 mph.) 

NOTE:  be sure to have hand wipes in the car with you. 

ROAD TRIP CHICKEN WINGS

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS:

4 lbs of chicken wings, cut in half

2 roasting pans (disposable are fine)

2 sticks of butter, sliced and distributed over raw chicken in pans

Lots and lots of paprika, sprinkled over every piece of chicken

Garlic powder,  sprinkled heavy or light depending on your taste

Salt & pepper, also according to your taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until sizzling and crispy. Then broil for about 5 minutes, to really crisp them up. Let cool, wrap in heavy duty tin foil, and hit the road!



 I hope you have enjoyed my blog posts over the last few years. I have really enjoyed sharing them with you! May all your adventures in cooking and eating be fun, "fine", and fabulous! XOXO

High Tea at the Ponte Vedra Lodge and Club

Hello Darlings!!! Today's post is all about a wonderful little experience called "High Tea".  It is offered everyday, 3pm at The Ponte Vedra Lodge and Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
In order to enjoy this complimentary taste sensation, you need to do one of three things:
1) Join the club
2) Attend as a guest of a club member, or
3) Be a registered guest of the Lodge and Club Hotel.

My wonderful in-laws, Jim and Barbara Carter, are members of the club, so we are fortunate enough to attend High Tea whenever we are visiting them in Ponte Vedra. We love it! So I am going to tell you all about it, Foodie Friends! I guarantee you will get some fabulous planning ideas for your next party!

First, you are warmly welcomed by two fine gentlemen at the lovely entrance to the Club. As you enter, it feels grand yet cozy, with the ocean just steps away...

The lobby is spacious with lots of comfy seating and fresh flowers.

Then its time to head up the stairs, just in time for high tea!

Piping hot water is ready and served in lovely silver. They offer a variety of teas as well as iced tea and iced water for those not looking for a warm drink.

 

 

 

 

 

I love the little teapots! You bring them to your table after you have chosen

 your tea and hot water. After steeping for a few minutes, just pour and enjoy.

 

 

Next comes the best part! They serve tea sandwiches, scones, and

desserts on a triple tiered server! It's simply delectable!

(I'm just trying to sound fancy, ha ha)

 

By far, my favorite tasting treat are the homemade scones! I spread a little

lemon curd on top, close my eyes, and suddenly I feel as if I am on

 an episode of Downton Abbey...

We did a little research, and it is traditionally called "High Tea" because it used to be served on high or tall tables. I'm guessing the more modernized version is to serve the treats on tiered servers or cake pedestals, thus making them "High".

 

Needless to say, the view at The Ponte Vedra Lodge & Club is

delightful, even on a dreary day! I hope you enjoyed learning about "High

Tea" as much as I did! Ta Ta for now!

 

EASY CHICKEN TACO SOUP

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 7 Hours

Attention all Foodie Friends with a slow cooker!!!

This one dish wonder is a hearty combination of beans, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasonings, slow cooked with white meat chicken. It's deliciously finished with Cheddar cheese & Sour cream, then served with your favorite tortilla chips!

My instincts told me that this would be a crowd pleaser, so I bravely decided to serve it to guests my first time making it. What a hit!! Everyone loved it.

Made mostly of canned ingredients that are easily found in the grocery store, this tasty soup lets the slow cooker do the work so you don't have to! This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with

green chilies, undrained 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts Shredded Cheddar cheese Sour cream Lots of tortilla chips!

Directions:

1.	Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.	Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put chicken back into the soup. Continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and your favorite tortilla chips. Muy facil y delicioso!!!

INSALATA MISTA

Having just re-watched the movie "Julie & Julia", I feel inspired to dig thru my cookbooks and make something really tasty. But no worries, I am not going to attempt "Beef Borgonion" like Julia did. 



With Springtime coming (and thus diet season approaching,) I am in search of a main dish salad.


I pulled out my copy of  The Silver Spoon cookbook. I would describe The Silver Spoon as an Italian version of Joy of Cooking. This cookbook is HUGE, with only a few photos, but over 1200 pages of really worthwhile, authentic Italian recipes!

I settled on making "Insalata Mista Al Tonno", a mixed tuna salad. 
Here is the recipe:  (makes four servings)

9 ounces of canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
1 bunch of arugula, rinsed
1 radicchio, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, halved seeded and cut into strips
1 celery stalk, cut into thin batons
1 round fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges (or use grape tomatoes)
9 oz canned tuna in oil, drained and flaked
1/2 cup pitted black olives
4 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of dried Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Put the beans, arugula, radicchio, bell pepper, celery, fennel, and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add tuna and olives. Whisk together olive oil, oregano, and pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour dressing over the salad, toss and serve. Some crusty Italian bread and chilled Pigno Grigio would complete the meal nicely if so desired. (Or, just a large glass of water with lemon is perfect if you are trying to trim down for Spring!)

This main dish salad is a real winner! It's delicious, healthy, colorful, high protein, low carb, and super tasty! You can make it earlier in the day and then refrigerate until you are ready to serve it. Then, get ready for the thundering applause...another midweek-meal success story! Woo hoo!

 

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

Um, Hi Everybody!! I know, I know, you are probably saying "Fifi who?" Well, it's true, I have finally recovered from a very severe case of writer's block. I am back to blogging!

I figured I would jump start my food blog again with two recipes, one that I have been making for 25 years, and one that I made for the first time last week. Both are super easy and yum.

We call this "Favorite Chicken" in our house because it tastes sooo good & goes with almost any side dish. Plus the leftovers taste superb cold (a good "grab and run out the door" lunch) as well as in a sandwich with roasted peppers and mozzarella, or even sliced up over a salad. I usually make a big batch so that we have extra during the week. It's even tasty enough to serve to dinner guests, especially with hot peppers or chimichurri. :-)

Ingredients:
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded and cut into serving size portions
2-3 eggs, whisked in a mixing bowl
2 cups of Italian bread crumbs in a mixing bowl
olive oil
vegetable oil

 

 

Heat about 1/3 cup of both oils together in a large fry pan. Let the oil get really hot. Meanwhile, thoroughly immerse the pounded chicken into the eggs. Let the excess drip back into the bowl. Then, dip into the bowl of bread crumbs, completely coating the piece of chicken. Place in sizzling oil in fry pan. Fill pan with pieces of chicken and let each piece slowly brown, thoroughly on each side. Once cooked, remove each piece and place on serving platter. That's it! You wont believe how juicy and tasty it will be.

Next I will tell you about Far East Slaw. You see, we use crushed red pepper at the dinner table quite often, so I buy a large container of it at Costco.

On the back of the container, McCormick lists a recipe for Far East Slaw. So one night the family was like "When are you gonna make this Far East Slaw?! We wanna taste it!" (which is understandable since they have sat there and looked at the recipe so many times while eating). I went out and got the ingredients, and made it the very next night, changing a few things to my liking. Another easy and delicious recipe! It definitely has a distinct Asian taste to it. Next time I think I will add cooked chicken breast and sesame seeds, and serve it as a main course salad.

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of fresh coleslaw mix
1 cup of chopped radishes
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients together, toss and refrigerate. Serve cold.

So there you have it folks! Something old, something new, everything Fifi-tastic! Thanks for following my blog and I promise to keep sharing Fabulous things with all of you, my Foodie Friends! XOXOX