{Baked} Honey Garlic Sriracha Chicken Wings
04/10/14

wings title

The following is the best example I have of just how much I love hot wings:

I went to a small liberal arts college in the middle of Ohio called The College of Wooster.  When I mean small, I mean the general population of the college was 1700 students by the time I graduated in 2002. During my Junior year of high school, my mother informed me that she refused to let me apply to an in-state (Georgia) college or university. She wanted me to get out and explore the world.  So I ‘explored’ all the way to Amish Country, Ohio.

Jewhungry kosher baked honey sriracha hot chicken wings

About 2 months into my first year of college (us Liberal Arts college attendees did not use the vulgar, gender-specific word of “Freshman”.  We were ‘First Years’), the college hosted a Parents Weekend.  I feel strongly that my mom had booked her ticket for Parents Weekend before I even started college so needless to say, she would be attending.  When my mom arrived, she arrived with a small carry-on bag as well as what appeared to be a cooler. When I asked her what was in the cooler she told me to grab a few friends, find a nice spot to have a picnic and then she’ll tell me.

Jewhungry kosher baked honey sriracha hot chicken wings

Well, turns out what was in the cooler were more of her super special hot wings than one could shake a stick at (Southern phrase, y’all.  No one’s actually shaking a stick at anything).  The woman had flown from Georgia to Ohio with several dozen hot wings nestled protectively in a cooler.  My friends and I were beyond thrilled.  We also came up with a plan to open a hot wing restaurant in Wooster, featuring my mom’s famous recipe.  Sadly (or not so sadly) that dream never came true.  But I will NEVER forget that weekend and those wings for as long as I live.

mommy and Siona

I’ve booked my Parents Weekend ticket for her First Year of college already. That’s normal, right?

I still make mom’s hot wing recipe as often as I can.  I’ve even started incorporating them into an annual Simchat Torah Wing Ding.  A “Wing Ding” is essentially a dinner of more hot wings than, well, you can shake a stick at.  Because really? What says, “YAY! We finished another cycle of reading the entire Torah” more than chicken wings!? This past Simchat Torah I made 4 different kinds of wings, everything from my mom’s original recipe to a savory Italian, Sweet and Sour and these bad boys, Honey Garlic Sriracha wings.  For me, wings are all about the marinade and how they’re cooked.  We grill a lot but I prefer baking them on a very high heat for roughly 45 minutes.  They come out crispy and delicious and without that ‘grill’ flavor that can get in the way of the marinade and sauce.  See below for the recipe and enjoy!

jewhungry kosher food baked honey sriracha hot chicken wings

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{Baked} Honey Garlic Sriracha Chicken Wings

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. chicken wings
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tsp paprika
  • 1 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 Cup honey
  • 1/4 - 1/2 Cup Sriracha (depending on how you handle your heat)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Wash and separate wings into drummettes and the other part (what is that called?).
  4. Place separated wings into a large bowl.
  5. In the following order, add the salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well.
  6. Next, add the olive oil and garlic.
  7. Mix with hands or wooden spoon to combined and evenly disperse seasonings.
  8. Place wings onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
  9. Flip wings over half way through cook time using metal tongs.
  10. Combine honey and Sriracha into a bowl. Stir well and taste along the way, adding more Sriracha as you go.
  11. Pour sauce over fully cooked wings.
  12. Serve while hot.
https://jewhungrytheblog.com/honey-sriracha-hot-wings/

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Crockpot to the Rescue! BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich w/Zucchini Slaw
12/16/13

bbq-pulled-chicken-sandwich-jewhungry-crockpot 2 (1)

This month’s Kosher Connection round-up was all about comfort food. I feel as though I jumped the gun a bit with my last post, which was dedicated to that siren of temptation and comfort—Macaroni n’ Cheese. So since I already have that box checked, I went for more specific and that’s comfort food, Southern Shabbat-style.

As a full-time working mom, I struggle daily with trying to get all I need to get done. As much as I love blogging and cooking, I’d say the number one thing that keeps me up at night are thoughts like, “When am I going to have time to get this done?!” Grocery shopping and cooking for Shabbat have kept me for roughly a week, if you combined all those hours laying awake trying to concoct a plan for getting it all done. As a side gig (because I have SO much time), I’ve taken on doing some personal cooking for a family of 9 in conjunction with my regular client, whom I still cook 3 Paleo meals a week for. So, by the time I’m done with cooking for all my clients, including my own family, I’m in no mood to cook for Shabbat.

It happens every Thursday evening. I finally sit down after a loooooong day at school where I spend an hour or so trying to convince my daughter to eat dinner then followed by everyone’s favorite pastime, the bedtime routine. By the time it’s all done, I cannot be bothered to spend the next couple hours cooking for Shabbat. There are a few occasions when I can trick myself into actually cooking but that usually involves copious amounts of coffee from earlier in the day and not sitting down AT ALL. That’s usually when all goes to hell—sitting down. The minute I do, it’s all over cause mama is not getting up for no one once I finally allow myself to relax (unless, of course, it’s to get more wine or some chocolate. Mama’s gotta take care of mama, am I right?). So because I wait until the last-minute to cook anything for Shabbat, I am forced to break out that holy grail of suburban living, the crockpot. Sure, I could go cholent, but we live in Miami and when it’s 80 degrees outside, the last thing we want to eat is cholent. Therefore, as long as I have chicken breasts on hand, we will be having BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with zucchini slaw. It’s delicious, it’s easy and it’s messy but, whether you’re crunched for time or you just love a nice, sloppy sandwich, this recipe never disappoints. Enjoy y’all (and don’t forget your wet-naps).

Set it and forget it.

Set it and forget it.

Oh, before I forget, my latest piece for the Huffington Post was posted last Friday!  You can find it here.  The feedback has been humbling and nicely overwhelming.  I was nervous about putting it all out there but, thank Gd, the crazies kept at bay . . . this time. Thanks y’all and enjoy your sandwiches!

A lone sandwich.

A lone sandwich.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches w/Zucchini Slaw

Ingredients for Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 purple onion cut into thin rounds
1 cup barbecue sauce (a flavor you like)
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Ingredients for Zucchini Slaw:

2 medium zucchinis
Kosher salt
1 small purple onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro plus stems, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (warning: I like mine slaw SUPER mayonnaise-y so start with 1/4 cup and add if you want more)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Dash of celery salt
Garlic powder

How to – Chicken:

1. After washing and rinsing your chicken, place it in the slow cooker and top it with your purple onion rounds.  Top your chicken and onions with the ingredients for the BBQ sauce. Set it for 6-8 hours, tasting along the way (after chicken is cooked).  Add spices if need be.

2. Once chicken is ready, remove the chicken to a cutting board.  Using two forks,  shred the chicken into small shreds. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir. Add additional barbecue sauce if more sauce is needed or desired. Cover and continue cooking on low for 45 minutes.

How to – Zucchini Slaw:

1. Using a knife, food processor or julienne peeler, cut the unpeeled zucchini into thin matchstick-sized pieces, though perfection is not necessary here. Place the julienned zucchini into a container, toss with the salt and refrigerate for an hour.

2. Drain off the excess liquid, and then place the julienned zucchini in a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR CELERY SALT AND GARLIC. Stir until they are well-combined. Add a pinch of garlic powder and salt to taste.

The Final Step:

Once all is prepared, scoop some chicken on one side of the bun (we used mini challah rolls) and some slaw on the other.  If you’re feeling extra spicy, add some pickles in there too.  Put them together, put a bib on and enjoy!

Upclose, messy and amazing.

Upclose, messy and amazing.

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19
Deep Breath Chicken
12/02/12
Setting Up Ingredients

Setting Up Ingredients

Something happens when you have a baby. Something bizarre that NO ONE can prepare you for. People seem to lose their filter, especially women. I got a taste of this phenomenon when I was pregnant. People, especially women, loved to tell me their birth stories and more often than not these birth stories were horrifying! I get it. I get that experiencing and living through childbirth is something to be proud of, especially if that labor experience was a rough one. It’s a woman’s red badge of courage and you wanna get it out there–share how proud you are of yourself. However, it never made sense to me that a person, especially another woman, could tell a labor horror story to a visibly pregnant woman but people did and they did it a lot. I was looking forward to no longer hearing these stories once the little baby was here. What I didn’t expect to happen was that these stories would shift to strangers needing to tell you how well their babies sleep at night and how long they nursed their children for and yada yada yada. I’ve had strangers ask me if I breast feed like this is an acceptable question. That particular question is a trigger for me as I really struggled to nurse and eventually, just couldn’t produce enough so we went to straight formula. If you think one Shabbat night I didn’t break down for feeling betrayed by my body you would be mistaken. And so now, whenever anyone inappropriately asks me if I nurse I just throw it out there and watch the awkwardness set it, “Nope. Producing breast milk was nearly impossible for me so we feed her formula. Have a nice day!” You can see it on their faces, the “oh sh*t, did not expect you to be honest with me and now I feel super awkward” face. Maybe I should ease up on folks. I don’t see that happening but maybeI should 🙂

Chopped eggplant and zucchini

Recently, I had a coworker who I respect tell me out and out that what I was doing for my baby’s sleep routine was wrong. I mean she literally said, “You’re doing it all wrong”. Ummmmm, what? Don’t I look rested? Have you asked me if my baby is happy and healthy? Yikes. It was right then and there that I decided that this all had to stop. We, as women, NEED to stop judging one another for their parenting choices and we certainly have to stop scaring pregnant women and new mothers. I mean, for crying out loud, let’s be a little more nurturing here, yes? I’ll admit it, I’ve absolutely silently judged the choices of fellow parents but it is brutal enough out there as a woman, as a parent, etc. Therefore, I’m making the decision right here and now to stop it. It’s exhausting and not worth it. Why make it harder on each other? It boggles the mind. It really does. (Deep Exhale).

So why the rant? I could not stop thinking about this interaction all day on Friday. This, on top of some other stressful work stuff, resulted in me being THIS close to ordering Chinese food for Shabbat and calling it a day. But instead of taking the easy way out I seized the opportunity to cook while also having decent light for pictures and the result was what I am now calling, “Let’s All Take a BIG Deep Breath” Chicken. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening.

Take a deep breath---it smells DELICIOUS

Take a deep breath—it smells DELICIOUS

What?

1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken leg quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (I substituted for Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons freshly-minced parsley
2 tablespoons freshly-minced cilantro

How’s That Now?

1. In large skillet over medium high-heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season leg quarters with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add leg quarters to pan, skin-side down. Brown chicken, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Remove chicken to plate and drain off all but 2 tablespoons oil.
2. Add eggplant to hot pan and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, along with zucchini, onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Raise heat to high and add white wine to pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add all other ingredients, except parsley and cilantro, and place chicken legs in mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through or until an instant read thermometer reads 170F.
4. Do yourself a favor and serve this with Israeli Couscous. You’ll have a lot of leftover vegetable topping and it’ll go nicely on top of the couscous. Sprinkle with parsley and cilantro and enjoy!

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2
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