Snow Falls on Sasha

This is my wordless Monday. Yeah I know, that's not great alliteration. But this picture makes me smile so much I just had to share.

I'll be back tomorrow with an update on my latest project. And we're painting the bedroom next weekend! Yay!

Chili Lime Chicken Wings

It's turning into a food-focused week, isn't it? Lord knows, I love to eat. And while I wouldn't say I love to cook, I do like trying new things. Something new I tried this past weekend was Chili Lime Chicken Wings. It's a recipe I found on Nom Nom Paleo, my go-to source for easy and interesting paleo-centric cooking.

I made two pounds of these and Tom & I ate them all in one sitting. Honestly, it was ugly. We might as well have been oinking at each other.

I didn't realize how good they were going to turn out or I would have taken pictures right from the start. Maybe I'll have to make them again and update with better pictures. Oh, the hardship. The steps are pretty basic though - you'll have to use your imagination and I'll explain as best I can.

You'll need:

2-6 lbs uncooked chicken wings
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds & ribs removed
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1/2 cup cilantro (I used cilantro paste because the store didn't have fresh)
2 limes (zest and juice is needed)
black pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons coconut aminos (you can substitute soya sauce if you aren't Paleo)
limes wedges for garnish

Get out your blender and toss in the onion, garlic, peppers, cilantro, pepper, fish sauce, and coconut aminos. Add the zest from the two limes plus a 1/4 cup of lime juice. Blend the whole thing together until you get a puree that looks like one of those "healthy" juicer drinks (Eat your veggies, people, don't drink them!)

Put your chicken wings in a bowl or a  sealable container and pour the mixture over the wings, making sure they're well coated. Yeah, they look kind of creepy and weird, but it'll all work out. Trust me. Cover the bowl or container and let the wings marinate for 1 to 12 hours in the fridge.

You can cook these in the oven or on a grill. They'll be sticky though so make sure you oil the grill first. Lay them out on a cookie sheet - or a rack if you're lucky enough to have one (I'm not) - so that they aren't overlapping.

I cooked them in the oven and even though I oiled the sheet they still stuck a little bit. Bake them for 30-40 minutes - flipping them halfway - or until they're crispy and brown.

Once they're cooked, plate them up and add lime wedges to garnish. Which I didn't do, but you're a better food stylist than I am, right?

You won't believe how good these are. You definitely have to have the time to marinate them, but it's so worth it!

Extreme wing close-up:

What's your favourite chicken wing recipe? 

Share in the comments, I'm always looking for something new.

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I'm linking up here this week!

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels: Redux

***Note: this is a reposting of an entry from last year. Those of you new to these parts may not have seen it before, and those who have might still like seeing it again! I'm planning on making some new ones this weekend but I didn't want any of you to miss out on the chance to try them yourself before Valentine's Day, just in case I completely flub the deadline! Enjoy!***

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I've got to admit that I've never been a big celebrator of Valentine's Day. I'm all for chocolate, but not the cards and flowers and hearts and pink and whatnot.  I'm just not that girlie I guess. Case in point: What I want for Valentine's Day? Private obedience training for the little dog. That's how you win my heart.

However, it's a co-worker's birthday this week (Happy Birthday Sue!) and I thought I'd make her a treat that ties in with Valentine's Day.

You only need three ingredients for this - pretzel rods, candy melts, and nonpareils (or any other topping that suits you).  I bought the melts and nonpareils at the bulk store for just a couple of dollars, and the pretzels were about 3 dollars for an entire bag.

You'll start be melting the "chocolate" in a double-boiler to keep it from burning. It stays soft for quite a while so you have lots of time to work with it. I had read about melting it in the microwave but all I ended up with was half blackened, half melted pink discs and a house that smelled like burnt marshmallows. 

Dip a rod into the melted chocolate - about halfway up - and spin it around to get an even coating. You then should wait a minute or two to let it cool a bit before adding the nonpareils. You can roll it directly into the nonpareils if you want a heavy coating, but I just held the rod over the bowl and sprinkled them by hand until I got the coverage I was looking for.

Here is my tester.  Looking good!

You will then need to set them down somewhere to cool. Our solution (thank you Tom) was to hang them over the edge of a dinner plate with a coffee mug sitting on the undipped end to weigh it down.

I ran out of nonpareils with two rods left so I improvised with crushed honey-roasted peanuts. Not as pretty but they still taste good. I also tried rice krispies (they looked like mini clubs) and chocolate chips (too heavy, wouldn't stick). 

Here are my finished pretzels. Pretty, hunh? And the mix of sweet and salty is always a winner.

 

  

I bought some long cellophane gift bags and put two pretzels in each, tied up with some pink and white ribbon. 

  

I'm loving these so much! Considering how easy they are to make I think I might whip some up the next time I need to bring a snack or a dessert to a get-together.

Did you try out any new Valentine's recipes this weekend? Try to burn the microwave up melting chocolate?  Was that just me?

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Linking up here this week!