We always have lemon in our kitchen. It’s so versatile I’ll put it right beside kosher salt and fresh ground pepper as my top go-to flavor enhancers for anything from salads and appetizers, to main dishes and desserts. This time I used it to marinate the chicken tenders. It gives a slight acidity to counter the saltiness of the flour coating and dip. I’m not sure if lemon juice adds to the tenderness, but the chicken pieces were a joy to sink my teeth into. They were very juicy. Yumm!

When Elle posted a baked chicken wing recipe on her site, I craved for these BWW wings. However, as you can see on what we’ve been posting lately, the past week has seen the height of all things unhealthy in our household. I decided to make something less life-threatening . I tried to get the goodness of wings into a healthier package for a guilt-free eating experience by:

(1) using chicken tenders instead of chicken wings;

(2) baking instead of frying in vegetable oil; and

(3) using canola oil instead of butter.

Just to give you some perspective, butter has 62% saturated fatty acids, while canola oil only has 7% [source: On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen], the lowest of all common edible oils. Addendum: According to the nutrition information on the label of the oil I used, it contains 1g of saturated fat per tablespoon. I used half a cup or 8 tablespoons for the recipe and there were leftovers. After baking, some of the oil were left in the pan as well.

Doesn’t that make it a lot more appealing to indulge in these?

I’ll be bold enough to say that they taste better than the BWW wings we cooked before:

It has the right amount of spice and a nice blend of garlic flavor, but not too much to keep you from engaging in a conversation (hehe). It’s a fantastic substitute for spicy chicken wings. Better flavor, but less the fat. What more can you ask for?

Give it a try next time you’re in the mood for wings. Here’s the recipe: Continue Reading

We’ve also had it on Mondays. Who says you can’t have fun and be fancy the comfort of your own home?

Last night I made my favorite Cheese Sticks (cheddar sticks wrapped in spring roll wrappers and flash-fried) . Dan made our current favorite drink: Bejeweled Cranberry Vodka.

The cheese sticks are quick to make after you learn the techniques, and they’re oh so good. The cranberry cubes are a nice, cute touch to your drinks. I used it when we invited friends over to celebrate their engagement–perfect!

To start off your happy hour, make yourself a nice smooth drink:

Jeweled Cranberry Vodka

Optional Special Equipment: Cool Jewels Ice Cube Tray [I got mine from Borders, but you can also get them at Sur La Table, Amazon, and many other stores.] You can use a regular ice cube tray, or other shapes. It’s up to you.

Ingredients

• 1 part Level Vodka
• 1.5 parts Cold light cranberry juice cocktail
• Light cranberry cocktail ice cubes

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Our first post is based on a knock-off recipe for the wing sauce from a resturant, Buffalo Wild Wings. Below are the results of the first tier hot flavored (pictured left) and the medium spicy garlic style (pictured right).

Since we made these for a dinner party for about 8 people, the original theory was to make 10 of each and it should be enough for everyone, given the spiciness. It did not happen that way. They were gone in 20 minutes, if that is even an accurate assumption. The hostess admitted to eating at least 4 of them. I had quite a few myself. – This recipe would be our first true vocal success. There is a request for more when the time comes. If you would like to share in making these, you will need a few things first –

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