Its football season and serving wings for game time is a must. These lime chicken wings are perfect for a football party. These are a great change up from buffalo wings or teriyaki wings.  I would consider these wings to be some sort of a sweet and sour; with the sweetness coming from the honey and the sour from the lime. These wings are tangy, sweet and absolutely delicious. They will be gone in no time! I used a deep fryer to fry the wings but a large skillet with about 1” of oil will work as well. Best of all, they are too easy to make. You can even save time by getting pre-cut chicken wing pieces. The pre-cut wings might be a little more expensive but it can be worth it. If you are looking for a fantastic appetizer for game day, you can’t go wrong with these wings. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
18 whole chicken wings (cut into pieces)
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest (grated)
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup all purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat a deep fryer to 360 degrees. In a large bowl combine lime juice, honey, lime zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
Step 2: Put flour in a plastic bag, add wings and shake until evenly coated.
Step 3: Add wings to the deep fryer and deep fry in batches until wings are fully cooked. Drain on paper towels. If you do not have a deep fry this is also very easy in a pan. Just heat about 1” of oil in a large skillet and fry wings until fully cooked.
Step 4: Toss wings with honey/lime mixture until well coated and serve.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Looking for a fantastic lunch or snack? If so, try this roast beef sandwich. This sandwich is roast beef topped with provolone cheese, lettuce and avocados. The real highlight of this recipe is the spicy mayo, it has just the right amount of kick and adds great flavor to this sandwich. The spicy mayo is a combination of mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce and chopped cilantro. It is important to dip the avocados in lemon juice or else they will turn brown. You might want to hollow out the bread a little to help everything stay in the sandwich (this sandwich is stacked!). This sandwich is so easy to make and so delicious, everyone will love it.  It might be even perfect for a football party. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb sliced deli roast beef
½ lb sliced provolone cheese
1 long French bread (cut in half horizontally and hollowed out a little bit)
1 large avocado (peeled, pitted, thinly sliced and dipped in lemon juice)
romaine lettuce (or iceberg will work too)
salt (to taste)
Spicy mayo-
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or to your taste)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make spicy mayo- in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce and cilantro. Mix until smooth. Spread mayo on the bottom of both halves of the French bread.
Step 2: On the bottom half layer roast beef, provolone cheese, lettuce and avocado. Season lightly with salt. Lightly spread on the top layer of the bread.
(Makes 4 Servings)

One of my favorite lettuce salads is Chinese chicken salad. Chinese chicken salad is a crunchy and delicious dish that makes great use of grilled or left over chicken.  The best part about this salad is the dressing. The dressing, which is sweet and sour, is a combination of rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, salad oil and soy sauce. The sesame oil is optional but I love the unique flavor it gives the dressing. For the chicken, I grilled whole chicken breasts fresh but you could use rotisserie or other left over chicken as well. It is important to make the dressing about a half hour ahead of time. The salad gets a nice crunch of fried rice noodles. I also had to add some canned mandarins into the salad as well, it was delicious. If you are looking for an amazing Asian salad recipe, give this one a try.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
Dressing-
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 (8ounce) package  rice noodles
1 head iceberg lettuce (rinsed and chopped)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (cooked and shredded)
1 small can mandarin orange slices (drained)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make the dressing- In a salad dressing carafe or container combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and rice vinegar. Shake and mix well (dressing should be prepared a half hour before making the salad)
Step 2: To cook rice noodles- Heat a wok with a few tablespoons of oil. Break off a little bit of the rice noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them (they will puff up so only add a few at a time). As the rice noodles begin to puff up, remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.  Be sure to cook them longer enough because undercooked rice noodles will be very hard to eat.
Step 3: In a large bowl combine iceberg lettuce, cooked chicken, mandarin oranges, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Just before serving add the rice noodles. Pour dressing on the salad or allow everyone to put the dressing on their own plates of salad.
(Makes 6 Servings)

This recipe for crab salad makes a fantastic dish for summer or any warm day. I have had my share of pasta salads but this was really good. Could it be even better than BLT Pasta Salad? I will let you decide. The dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, creamy Italian and parmesan cheese. The vegetables give the salad a nice little crunch. Some of the vegetables that go into this recipe include green pepper, green onions and tomatoes. You could add other items as well such as broccoli florets or block olives. It is important to refrigerate this salad to allow the flavors to blend. I recommend 2-4 hours. This recipe is very simple and if you are looking for a delicious cold salad, this is perfect. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta (or macaroni)
1 ½ cups imitation crab meat (chopped)
½ cup green pepper (diced)
½ cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)
¼ cup green onions (chopped)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Dressing-
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup creamy Italian salad dressing
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

 Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large pot cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl. Stir in crab, green onion, cherry tomatoes, and green pepper. Add shredded cheddar cheese if desired.
Step 2: To make the dressing- in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, creamy Italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended and smooth. Pour over salad and toss gently to coat.
Step 3: Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Today I have for you nothing but a classic; scalloped potatoes. These have been around almost forever and chances are many of you have eaten them at least once. If you are not familiar with this dish scalloped potatoes are basically sliced potatoes with a creamy sauce that are baked. Scalloped potato recipes are usually with or without ham, this recipe uses ham. It also uses vegetables such as green peppers and onion. This can either be a side dish or can serve as a main course by itself. It is very filling but if you have a large family you might want to double the recipe. Try and slice the potatoes decently thin or they will take longer to cook. This recipe is very simple and the prep only takes about 20 minutes then the oven does the rest. During the last few minutes of baking, you can top the dish with cheddar cheese if desired. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups milk
3 cups ham (cubed)
1 large green pepper (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 cups potatoes (pared and sliced thinly)
Additional cheddar cheese (for topping, optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt ½ cup butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Mix in flour, salt and pepper. Stir until well blended. Cook while stirring for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk. Return to heat and cook until thickened and bubbly.

Step 2: Stir in ham, green pepper, onion and ½ cup cheddar cheese. Stir gently until mixed well.
Step 3: Add potatoes into a well grease 13×4″ baking dish. Pour milk/ham mixture over sliced potatoes and gently mix. Cover with aluminum foil.
Step 4: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove aluminum foil and continue baking for 1 hour. During the last few minutes of cooking top with additional shredded cheddar cheese (optional).
(Makes 6 Servings)

It’s not too late to fire up the grill! If you are looking for a fantastic home made BBQ sauce recipe, this is the one. This is hands down the best BBQ sauce I have ever made. Once you try this recipe, you will never need to find another. Perfect for chicken, pork, shrimp, ect. This recipe has various seasonings that all blend to create an amazing flavor. The cayenne pepper gives this sauce just the right amount of heat. Nothing complicated about this, just mix well ingredients and simmer. The longer the simmer the thicker the sauce. Bring this barbeque sauce to your next cookout and everyone will love you. This will make quite a bit of sauce so you may want to half the recipe unless you are making a lot of food. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups red wine vinegar
½ cup unsulfured molasses
4 teaspoons hickory flavored liquid smoke
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Over medium heat, in a large sauce pan combine all ingredients.
Step 2: Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. For thicker sauce simmer longer, for thinner sauce less simmering time is required. Brush sauce onto any type of meat during the last 10 minutes of the meat being cooked.

Yes, it is possible to grill quesadillas. I am taking advantage of this nice weather we are getting here in Michigan. If you are a fan of Mexican cuisine you probably have tried quesadillas at least once. For those of you that do not have a grill, don’t worry, you can cook them in the pan as well (or with an indoor grill pan). What makes these quesadillas unique is the pico de gallo salsa goes right into the filling. I even made a delicious sour cream/green chili sauce to spread over the top. Sadly my local grocery stores were all out of cilantro so I was forced to leave it out. These quesadillas use chicken for the meat but you could also use steak as well. I cooked the chicken in the pan and then made the quesadillas on the grill but the chicken could be grilled as well. If you are looking for a fantastic quesadilla recipe, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (cut into strips, leave whole if grilling)
2 tomatoes (diced)
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 limes (juiced)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 jalapeño pepper (seeded and minced)
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion (thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
4 (12) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped canned green chilies
Butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a bowl combine diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until the juices run clear. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté onion and green bell pepper until tender. Stir in garlic and cook until the aroma flows. Mix in the cooked chicken and half of the pico de gallo mixture. Remove from heat, set aside and keep warm.

Step 3: To make sour cream sauce- in a blender add sour cream and chopped green chilies. Blend until well combined and smooth.
Step 4: Lightly oil grill grates. Lightly butter one side of each tortilla. Lay out flour tortillas butter side down  on the grill. Top each tortillas with ¼ cup of cheese. Add ¼ of the chicken mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with a little sour cream sauce. When the bottom is lightly browned and the cheese has started to melt, with a spatula fold one side of the tortilla over the top and press down. Cut into wedges and serve with remaining pico de gallo.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Still have more of that garden zucchini? If so you may want to give this recipe for zucchini cake a try. That abundance of zucchini cannot go to waste. This is very similar to zucchini bread but it uses crushed pineapple as well as zucchini. This cake is very moist and has a delicious flavor. It might just be the best zucchini cake ever. For the cake pan, I used a Bundt cake pan but several other types of cake pans should work as well (such as a 9×13).  Once the cake is cooled it is glazed with a combination of confectioner’s sugar and milk.  Like most cake recipe this is super easy and takes very little time. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 cup walnuts (chopped)
2 cups zucchini (grated)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze-
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.
Step 2: In a bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 3: In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes light colored. Mix in oil. Add sifted flour mixture to the egg mixture.  Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in pineapple, walnuts, vanilla extract and grated zucchini. Mix well and pour into the prepared cake pan.

Step 4: Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for a half hour.
Step 5: To make the glaze- In a bowl combine confectioners’ sugar and milk. Mix well.  Remove cake from cake pan and allow to fully cool. When cake is cooled pour glaze over the top.

Southern fried chicken is an American favorite. Here is how to make fried chicken at home with a deep fryer. I know I always enjoy getting a big bucket of KFC and this is just as good if not better. The chicken pieces are first seasoned, then dipped in a hot sauce/egg mixture and then breaded with flour, baking powder and salt. Don’t let the amount of hot sauce scare you, it’s actually is not very spicy at all. I used Tabasco sauce myself. Feel free to add any additional spices to the flour mixture.  A deep fryer for a very deep pot is required for frying. If you don’t want to use whole cut up chickens, this would also be perfect for chicken strips! This fried chicken comes out perfectly crispy and delicious. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs cut up chicken
Oil (for frying)
Seasoning-
1 ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Sauce-
4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot sauce
Breading-
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat eggs and water. Add hot sauce and whisk together.
Step 2: In small bowl combine ground black pepper, salt and garlic powder. In another bowl or pie plate combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Step 3: Pat dry chicken pieces with a paper towel. Sprinkle chicken pieces generously on both sides with the seasoning mixture.

Step 4: Dip chicken pieces into the hot sauce mixture and coat thoroughly. One piece at a time, roll chicken pieces in the flour mixture and drop into the deep fryer. Don’t over load the deep fryer with chicken. Fry chicken until brown and crisp (dark meat will take about 14 minutes, white meat about 10 minutes). A good way to tell if it’s done is to pierce the deepest part of the bone with a fork, if the juices run clear, it’s done. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all chicken is fried.
(Makes 4 Servings)