Chicken Wings! Buffalo Wild Wings style

Well, Julien suggested chicken wings this week!  So, why shouldn't I try to make them?

When I think of wings Im used to Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings.  I love them spicy or flavored... but alas, Julien doesn't prefer spicy food, and likes bbq, which I hate. lol.  SO, I made him bbq wings and then made my favorite recipe for Buffaflo Wild Wings - the parmesan garlic.

Now none of the recipes really match one another when I googled it or looked at copycat recipes.  So, I tested one based off of the ingredients shown on the BWW website.

Here is my tweaked version!
4 garlic cloves - roasted (drizzle some evoo, wrap up in foil, and place in oven 350F 20 min)
Once cool, finely mince.
In a bowl, add to the garlic:
1 tsp EVOO
1/2 cup mayo
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup parmesan
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 and 1/2 tsp italian herbs - I just bought it already combined
and 1/8 tsp black pepper

Finally melt 8 Tbsp of butter and add to the mixture.
Voila!  Fry your chicken in a cup of oil and then once they are out of the oil on a paper toweled plate and dried, just dip into the sauce and place on the plate!  Its that easy.

To go with the wings I made a version of cornbread.

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup of creamed corn added

Just mix dry ingredients separate from the wet ones because thats what makes the texture and heighth.  Once mixed, add the two and combine in about 12 turns of a wooden spoon.  Pour into a prepared pan - most people use a 9x9, but I have a silicone loaf pan I prefer - and bake 400F for 20 minutes.  Basically look for the top to be lightly brown.  Voila!  You can add jalapeno slices if you want some spice, but I keep it basic so I can eat it with dinner, or add honeybutter to make it dessert!

Dinner 18 - Bruschetta Chicken, broccoli, garlic bread

Well, I wanted to make something good with the chicken we had... so why not combine my favorite salad with my chicken?

Well, I marinaded the chicken breast in balsamic vinaigrette for 4 hours.  Then, I created a brushcetta topping
1 cup fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup minced onions
fresh basil leaves sliced in 1/2" strips

I girlled the chicken and then I topped the chicken with thinly sliced mozzarella and then the bruschetta topping.  Yum!

ham croquette spread

Well, it was HOT today. I mean hot.  The worst part was the humidity.  So, just another day where I didnt want the oven on.  So, I used up the rest of the meat we had in the house - well it was only ham.  So we did a variation on my mom's ham croquettes.  Only issue was, I added too much white sauce in the humidity and so I didnt have ham patties, I had ham mush.  Tasted exactly the same as the correct ones, just more like ham spread lol.

Dinner 16 - Mac n Cheese

Well, Julien was telling the past few days about his past relationship with Kraft Mac n Cheese.... that it was a staple in his diet for a while.  Well.....  I was asking him if he preferred Velveeta or ever had a good homemade one...  he never heard of Velveeta, but said he would like to try mine!  So, I baked mac n cheese

My favorite mac n cheese I have ever had comes from a little restaurant called the Clarkston Union.  The restaraunt is located in a renovated church. They still use the original furniture- long wooden benches flanked by the pews of a childhood churchgoing past.  The place is such a wonderful surprise with a great microbrew list and a comfy atmosphere.  Every dish is fabulous but they are best known for their mac n cheese.  I have been working on perfecting my recipe to taste very much like theirs!

 
I like to use the creamy bechamel sauce I have perfected then I use 4 kinds of cheese - cheddar, asiago, pinconning, and havarti or swiss.  I then add some cajun spices to give the dish some "uumph" and finally add ham chunks.  I top it all off with breadcrumbs although today I had to make my own and didnt bake them before like I could have to make them brown and covered.!

The TamTam - Finally!

We attempted to get on down to the TamTam for the past three weekends.... but everytime we went, it rained, poured, and prevented us from getting there!  This was the first weekend of sun and we took the time to have a lil picnic.  For those of you who do not know what the TamTam is (I didnt:P) its a weekly gathering at a beautiful local park Mont Royal.  Mont Royal is actually a small mountain - part of the Monteregian Hills  The park located on its side was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park and is really cool.  However, what makes this gathering interesting are the events that occur there!  in the main section, people bring on out their tam-tams, playing on these drums throughout the entire day.  There's dancing everywhere and people just enjoying all of it!

"Hippie"-like groups exist throughout selling their tokens and enjoying the weather and ambiance.  But, its really more than that.  Montrealers that love being outdoors and love meeting and hanging out!  Many people jsut come to enjoy the music and eat a little picnic, however there are a few other more interesting activities occurrring higher up on the hill including tight rope walking

In addition, how about seeing jazz performers?

And finally, for you World of Warcraft players or people loving dungeons and dragons - or for you that just saw the the movie Role Models..... there is a live sword fighting event where people get dressed up for battle!

People bring their dogs too, so we brought Murph.  Murphey didn't find any puppy friends today, but I hope he does soon!

Murphey - The Little Prince

Well, I couldn't help but laugh at this face the little boy left today.  I don't know why I have neglected to bring him into the blog before, because he's just as important and is the royal taste tester!  The little boy is learning super quickly how to become an Ameri-cadian and enjoying his new lil kitty friend Epolas.  It's quite funny to see these two either chase each other or work together.

During my renovations I was painting the stairwell.  The pukish color walls were turning a nice blue, the stairs white to chocolate, and the peach ground tile covered with a gray stone and a glass tile border.

Well, the animals were NOT going to leave me alone.  I already had the door closed, but they didnt want me to be left alone!  So, Murphey is kicking the door - his usual way to get into a doorway.  Then - I see a little white socked kitty paw wrapping her paw around the door trying to get it moving the right direction.  Then I head the puppy scratching to get the door.... then the kitty paw!  The two worked together to open the door and start bounding down the stairs..... UGH. wet chocolate paint... I ofc was hoping the kitty wouldnt get too close to the paint as she curls up and sits on things!  Murph bounded to the bottom, missing the painted areas.  Annoyed, I shoved them back up, but the team worked together AGAIN to open the door and come down.  I finally had to put a chair in front of the door so they wouldn't run down and finally get so dirty I had to shave them both!

Dinner 14 - Chicken Cordon Bleu and asparagus

Well, I had started off the month trying to make healthy meals and then I turned around to make some fattening treats... so I turned around and made a chicken cordon bleu without breading and less cheese than usual.

I took a nice chicken breast, pounded it flat, and cut it in half because it was so big!  Then I filled it with cheese and slices of ham.  I grilled it, only forgetting to brush on butter periodically to let it brown nicely.  So, turned out good, but now I know how I can improve!