It was one of those wonderful, liberating weekends. I'd been tired for a week from too little sleep and way too much of balancing children, work and school. I'm the financial accountability partner for my best friend, and a new job with new income meant it was time to re-examine the spending and saving plan. Plus, we were going to enjoy a selection of absolutely delightful, totally unadult movies and a freedom from all parental responsibilities. Being on a budget means resisting the urge to dine out (plus, it was COLD!), so we decided to cook. Is there anything more fun than cooking with your best friend or a child?
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| Yummy, delicious one-bowl pineapple cake |
To make the wings... (Sorry, they got gone too quickly for pictures)
- Before you get going with the chicken itself, make a batch of Italian dressing by following the directions on a packet of Zesty Italian dressing mix, substituting lime juice for the vinegar. Let sit for at least two hours.
- Start with a 2.5 pound bag of plain frozen party wings, thawed.
- In one bag, combine 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.*
- In another bag, combine 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (can also use plain bread crumbs) with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.*
- Pour 1/2 cup buttermilk into a bowl. (If you don't have buttermilk, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup and add milk to make 1/2 cup. Stir lightly and let sit for 5 minutes.)
- Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place party wings in the bag with the flour mixture, doing one at a time. Shake to cover. Dredge wing in buttermilk, then place in bag with breadcrumb mixture. You can shake up to three wings at a time. Place wings on cookie sheet.
- Once cookie sheet is filled, place in oven. Cook for 18 minutes. Flip, then cook for 18 more minutes.
While the wings are cooking, make your Buffalo sauce. In a small saucepan, melt 3 T plus 1 teaspoon butter. To this add 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of your Zesty Lime Italian dressing and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper sauce (i.e., Texas Pete, Tabasco or something similar). Gently stir together until hot. Place wings in a large bowl. Pour sauce over wings and toss to coat.
* Depending on how many wings you have, you may need to mix up more flour and/or breadcrumb mixture. We made 25 wings and had to make up more of both, and we had just enough sauce.
These are a staple for our football watching events here, and you can bet we'll be making up a bunch for the Superbowl! The lime juice adds a delightful flavor to the wings while somewhat mitigating the heat of the sauce. Absolute perfection! Serve them with crisp, cold celery and follow it with a slice of that scrumptious cake.
What's your favorite Superbowl food?
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