Crispy Buffalo Wings

Hey Football Fans,

Have you ever tried making buffalo wings at home for game day? I’m sure most of you have before…. BUT have you made really delicious restaurant quality ones? Probably not. Today i’m going to tell you the secret to Crispy, Crunchy, and Tangy Buffalo Wings that are perfect for the big game.

The Wings

Alright - so the main thing we want to do with the wings is give them a nice crunchy outer skin layer without adding any breading. In order to do that, we’re going to want to reduce the moisture from the inside of the wings. So first, we’re going to PAR bake the wings on a wire rack so the fat and extra water that’s inside the wings can drip out below. (par bake means that we aren’t going to fully cook the wings. We don’t want them to dry out on us.) Once the wings are par baked, we’re going to pull them out of the oven and let them rest. Then, we’ll give them a quick seasoning, toss them in baking powder, and bake with whatever method you prefer. Air fry, fry, or bake these up for a crispy golden delicious exterior and a tender juicy interior.

The Sauce

Use about 6-8 oz. of your favorite hot sauce and mix with 2-4 Tbsp of melted butter, depending on your heat preference. Toss the crispy cooked wings in the sauce and serve with chopped parsley or green onion, bleu cheese, and some carrot and celery sticks!

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pat your wings dry with paper towel, then salt.

3. Place wings on a wire rack into preheated oven for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.

5. Salt & Pepper the wings and lightly coat them in baking powder

6. Cook the wings using preferred method (Bake, fry, or air fry) until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

7. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

8. Toss your wings in the sauce you made

9. Plate and serve with blue cheese, carrots and celery sticks, and garnish with parsley or green onions.

10. Enjoy!

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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Tips for Pretty Plating

Hi Friends,

The Holiday season is fast approaching. That means lots of family gatherings, playing host, and entertaining people. You’ve gone the catering route already. Now you wan’t to make something homemade for your dinner guests and show them what you’ve got! Wether you’re a good cook or not, the final presentation of the plated food is very important in how the taste of the dish is perceived, believe it or not. Here are some tips and tricks to “wow” your guests with beautifully designed plates…….and hopefully the food is good too. heh

Build on your Starches

A typical balanced dinner meal will include a starch of some sort. “Build on your starches” means add it to the plate first. I usually will put it right in the center of the plate. For example, a big spoonful of rice or potatoes neatly mounded in the center of the plate.

Add a variety of Color

Be mindful of the different colors that will be in your dish. For this example plate, We’re building off a base of roasted diced potatoes and our main entree is roasted airline chicken. Those are two ingredients with very minimal color. If we presented these items on the plate by themselves, no one would be excited to eat it. So, We’re going to add a bright vegetable to the mix. It could be something green like broccoli. Red like beets. White like cauliflower. It really could be anything. For the example dish we’re building, we’re going to add broccoli and keep a fresh lemon, as well as some fresh chopped parsley handy for later.

Build “Up” on the Plate

Alright, so we’ve got our mound of diced potatoes in the middle of the plate and our steamed broccoli on the top right side of the potatoes in a nice neatly presented mound. Now we’re going to take our nicely caramelized airline chicken and lay it over the potatoes on an angle. Making sure we build the plate up high and not letting the potatoes flatten under the chicken. Building “up” on a plate with the focal point at the center is more of a southern style of plating. It creates for an interesting contrast of depth that catches the eye.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Garnishes

Alright, lets review this again. So now we have our neat mound of potatoes in the center of the plate stacked nice and high. Our bright green steamed broccoli in a neat mound to the top right of that. And we just added the chicken atop the potatoes in a visually interesting way. This plate is already quite pretty by itself but it is missing a little something. Take the fresh parsley you chopped earlier and sprinkle it on the plate - dusting the chicken, potatoes, broccoli, and exposed part of the plate. Now take your lemon and zest some of the lemon rind over the chicken and the broccoli. Once satisfied, slice the lemon in half and drizzle some of the juice over the food on the plate.

Finishing Touches

Alright, now my mouth is watering. The only thing left to do is get a damp paper towel and gently wipe around the edges of the plate where juices may have dripped or unwanted parsley or zest may have fallen. Finish with a little salt and pepper, take a step back, and be proud of the edible piece of art that lays before you.

pro tip: You could even take the presentation up a notch further by adding a quartered wedge of salted tomato or a very light sprinkling of some smoked paprika to give it an extra pop.

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

D.B.

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Spaghetti Squash & Turkey Meatball Recipe

Hey friends,

Fall is here! That means squash of all varieties can be found in grocery stores across America. Today, we’re going to talk about a type of squash you’ve probably already heard of before. Spaghetti Squash. This versatile root vegetable is known for its uniquely stringy texture and traditional squash flavor.

For our recipe, we took an Italian staple, “Spaghetti & Meatballs”, and lightened it up a bit for a feel good alternative to a carb heavy classic. Just follow these easy steps below to make this delicious dish!

Yields: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash

• 1 Package of Ground Turkey

• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes

• 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

• 1 Sweet Onion

• 2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

• 2 Tbsp. Honey

• 3 Tbsp. Salt

• 2 Tbsp. Pepper

• Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

• Bonus: 2 Tbsp. Calabrian Chili Pepper Powder, if you have it

For the sauce:

1. Dice half of the onion. Reserve other half for turkey meatballs

2. Place onions in lightly oiled pot on medium high heat. Sweat onion

3. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, honey, half the salt and pepper, and Calabrian chili powder, if you have it. Mix together and taste. Adjust seasoning to taste.

4. Once sauce begins to bubble, adjust the heat and bring sauce to a very gentle simmer. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally so sauce doesn’t burn the bottom of the pot.

5. When ready to eat, add lemon juice and mix in.

For the meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Grate other 1/2 onion into a bowl.

3. Mix ground turkey with 1/2 the salt, pepper, and grated onion. Add any additional seasonings to taste.

4. Make approximately 3 oz. meatballs. Rolling in your hand, then placing on a sprayed cookie sheet.

5. Place cookie sheet in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

6. Once the meatballs have browned, remove from the oven and add to the sauce to finish cooking.

7. Turn pot up to medium and cook while spaghetti squash finishes cooking

For the squash:

1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut Spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and season with EVOO, pinch of salt & pepper.

3. Place squash in a baking dish cut side up. Wrap the dish in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and cook for additional 30 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

5. Once cooled, grab a fork and scrap the spaghetti-like inside of the squash into a bowl.

Assemble all of your ingredients, top with parmesan and/or red chili flakes and enjoy!

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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