Living Lou's Chicken Wings

March brings to mind two things: Spring break and March Madness. Sadly, the first, and more exciting of the two is over, which means that March Madness has begun! The time when we all pretend we've been following College basketball and cheer on our "favourite" (or the best) team.

When I think about food to eat while watching sports chicken wings are the first thing that come to mind. They are probably one of the most loved foods to eat whilst watching a sporting event, whether it be the Superbowl, or say, the World Figure Skating Championships. In my opinion wings should always be on the table.

These are not your typical chicken wings, oh no, these are much better. And they're baked, not fried! The sweet and spicy, tangy and smoky flavors are unusual and perfect. Rubbed with a simple spice rub before cooking enhances the flavours, of the wings, and the Chipotle pepper is what gives them that smoky flare which takes them over the edge. The molasses in the sauce gives them that finger-licking factor, and the Dijon mustard lends a tangy bite. I promise you, these wings will be a new favourite.

Living Lou's Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken wings

Spice Rub
1 tbsp chipotle chili pepper powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar

Sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for the spice rub.

Place wings in a large bowl and cover with spice rub. Using tongs mix chicken wings and make sure all pieces are well coated.

Grease a baking sheet and bake spice rubbed chicken in the oven for 15-18 minutes. After the 12-15 minutes, turn the wings over and bake for another 15-18 minutes more.

Once cooking time is up, turn on the broiler and remove wings to another large bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the wings, use tongs to stir and coat the chicken.

Place back on the baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes on one side, then flip chicken over and broil for 1 minute on the other side.

Serve with remaining sauce and plenty of napkins!

- Lou

Edamame Guacamole

Remember back a few weeks when the blogging world was buzzing with dips, like this Edamame Guacamole? It was the Super Bowl, which could possibly be the most important TV event of the year in the lives of many. For me, the Super Bowl doesn't mean anything, but man, the Oscars, now those are something.

If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love film. Absolutely adore it, all genres, all aspects of films, it's my passion. Now, my love of film means that I'm one of those who watches almost every Oscar movie, excluding a few documentaries and foreign films, I've seen 'em all. My favourite of this year's nominees? Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan - he's a genius, and this film is a true masterpiece. Also, just saw Denis Villeneuve's Incendies and am completely blown away.

So, if you're like me, and must be munching on something come Sunday when I sit around the TV rooting for my favourite movies of the year and discussing that disgusting dress or hideous hair so-and-so was sporting, I always need a snack, or a few, on hand. This edamame guacamole is definitely the dip I'm reaching for. With the creaminess of guacamole, the freshness of cilantro and edamame, this has got to be one of my favourite dips, the fact that it's so simple to prepare is just a bonus!

Dip your chip into some of this dip, and enjoy the Oscars!

Edamame Guacamole
Recipe: Two Peas and Their Pod adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 onion, roughly chopped

1/4 jalapeno, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 limes
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine the edamame, avocado, cilantro, garlic, onion, jalapeno and lime in a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Add in the water and pulse another few times, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste, pulsing again to distribute the seasoning.

Serve with your favourite corn or potato chips, and enjoy the Oscars, I know I will.

- Lou

Cheese Garlic Bread

You know it's the holidays when in the middle of baking cookies, your doorbell unexpectedly rings and you're left standing there with a big (fake) smile on your face, but really you're thinking "Oh no. I have nothing for them to eat!"

Well don't worry, I've come to your rescue! This is something which can be whipped up in 15 minutes: 7 minutes (yes, very precise) to prep your ingredients, and another 7 minutes in the oven and then a minute to slice and serve! And this is sure to be a crowd pleaser, I can't even begin to tell you how many times people ask me to make this garlic bread.

Cheese Garlic Bread
Recipe adapted from: One Lovely Life

Ingredients

1 loaf of bread, can be a french loaf, but I find that ciabatta has the best results
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 tbsp softened butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cups grated cheese (I use the store bought, pre-grated mixture of cheddar, Colby and Monterrey Jack)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Half your load lengthwise. Roughly slice your green onions. Soften butter in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Now that all the ingredients are prepared, combine the green onions, butter, mayonnaise, crushed garlic, pepper and cheese in a bowl. Make sure it's fully combined.

Spread evenly over both halves of bread, and pop in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. Or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to cool for a minute or so, and slice bread into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Serve immediately!

This is seriously the best garlic bread, and whoever you serve it to will be completely smitten!

Hope this holiday season is treating you all well,

- Lou

A Meatless Monday Appetizer!

I haven't been feeling very well today so I had to skip out on my usual "Meatless Monday" dinner post, but I've come up with the next best thing... a Meatless Monday appetizer!! So here's a super easy and tasty recipe for Parmesan straws! The good thing about this recipe is that you can change up the fillings to be basically any flavour you want! This was my second time making these Parmesan straws and both times they have been an absolute hit; these will definitely be on the menu for all future dinner parties!

Ingredients
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry (thawed)
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
All-purpose flour, for rolling

Directions
Thaw the pastry and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl create an egg wash by whisking the egg and 1 tablespoon water together. In another small bowl, combine Parmesan, mustard powder, salt, and cayenne; set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the first sheet of dough. Brush with the egg wash onto the dough and then liberally sprinkle the cheese mixture over the egg wash. Roll out the second piece of dough and brush one side with the egg wash. Place the second piece (egg wash side down) on top of the first piece and press down to adhere the two sheets together.

Using a pizza cutter cut the dough into 24 strips about 1/2 inch to an inch wide. Twist the strips and place them onto a baking sheet, pressing down on the tips to adhere them to the baking sheet. (You press the tips down in order for them not to loose their shape.) Bake until golden and puffed about 8-10 minutes.

These are seriously so tasty! They are wonderful straight out of the oven but they are also amazing when they've cooled down.

- Lou

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart's Parmesan Straws

Bite Sized Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's another one of my promised appetizer recipes; stuffed button mushrooms! These bite sized babies are scrumptious, and I actually got a round of applause from the guests! Now that is success. I usually find stuffed button mushrooms to be a little too rich and cheesy for me. This recipe has the perfect balance of flavors. And they are perfect for a dinner party because you can prepare the filling in advance and fill the mushrooms and leave them in the fridge and pop them in the oven when your guests arrive. Twenty minutes later, when the kitchen is smelling heavenly voila, stuffed mushrooms fit for a King!

Ingredients
24 whole fresh button mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp canola oil
1/3 cup fresh cream cheese
1/8 Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (the added cayenne gives the mushrooms a nice bite!)
1 cup small peeled cooked shrimp

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean the mushrooms (using a damp cloth or paper towel.) Remove the stems from the mushrooms (sometimes this can be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it all goes well!) Set aside the caps and stems. Add the stems and garlic to a food processor and pulse in brief bursts until finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushroom caps and garlic and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until all the moisture has disappeared. Add in the shrimp and turn heat down to medium-low. Stir in the cheeses and spices. Mix together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Boats

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This is one of the first posts of my many appetizer themed posts to come in the near future. On the weekend I was asked to help out at two different events (one being a pre-prom party, and the second a dinner party.) I was helping out in the kitchen working for the most part on the appetizers, so I've got a few appetizers to share! This recipe is an adapted version of the Salmon Mousse over on Annie's Eats

These cucumber boats are perfect for a nice summer event. With the use of the fresh, crunchy cucumber and the soft cold salmon mousse, it's perfect for a warm evening.
Ingredients
1 cucumber (rather thin so that your pieces aren't too large.)
1 cup smoked salmon, flaked with a fork
1 cup of fluid cream cheese
1/4 tsp. dried dill weed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely minced
chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

Wash and chop the cucumber (leaving the skin on) into about 1-1 1/2 inch thick rounds. Scoop out the seeds creating a "bowl" in the cucumber. Be sure not to create a hole in the cucumber round.

Flake the salmon with a fork and put it into the food processor. Next add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until the desired texture. (Note: I like mine very smooth.) Scoop out about one teaspoon of the salmon mousse and place it into a cucumber bowl. Repeat the process for all the cucumber bowls. Serve immediately.

And there you have it, a yummy, summery appetizer for your next dinner party!

- Lou

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats: Salmon Mousse