Spicy Soy Chicken Wings

Left wing! Right wing! Chicken wing! They're all excellent!

Spicy Soy Chicken Wings: 

This recipe requires extra time for marination

¼ c. (60 mL) soy sauce

¼ c. (60 mL) vegetable oil

¼ tsp. 1.25 mL) Worcestershire sauce

⅓ c. (80 mL) brown sugar

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) ground ginger

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) chili powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) paprika

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 lb. (0.907 kg) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well. Pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hr., turning once during this time. Spread chicken wings on rack in shallow baking pan. Brush with remaining soy sauce mixture. Bake 20 min.; turn wings over and brush with reserved ⅓ c. marinade. Bake an additional 15-to-20 min. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Devilishly Good Wings in Diablo Sauce

Another excellent chicken wing appetizer!

Devilishly Good Wings in Diablo Sauce:

2 lb. (0.907 kg) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints 

½ c. (125 g) brown sugar

¼ c. (60 mL) melted butter

¼ c. (60 mL) chili sauce

½ c. (125 mL) ketchup (“catsup” for my American friends)

2 tbsp. (10 mL) cider vinegar

¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) chili powder

3 tbsp. (45 mL) Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp. (45 mL) prepared mustard (ballpark mustard, Dijon, or any other favorite variety)

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Pour boiling water into a shallow baking pan, spreading chicken wings on rack just above water level. Cover with foil and steam 30 min. While chicken is steaming, combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Remove wings from oven, draining water and fat from baking pan. Add wings to sauce mixture, covering all. Return wings to rack and bake, uncovered, 20 min., turning over halfway through baking time and brushing again with sauce. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Sticky Ginger Wings

Who doesn’t love chicken wings? I’ve made this fabulous recipe over and over!

Sticky Ginger Wings:

1 c. (250 mL) packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) sweet chili sauce

½ c. (125 mL) soy sauce

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20 mL) ground ginger

1 tsp. (5 mL) garlic powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) coarse black pepper

2 lb. (907 g) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints

Sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well. 

Add wings to ginger-soy mix.

Pour over chicken in a shallow baking pan. Bake 10 min. and stir. Bake a further 10 min. and stir. Continue baking and stirring every 10 min. until sauce becomes dark and sticky (about 45 min.). Remove from oven, stirring several times over next 10 min. Sauce will get stickier as it cools, completely coating wings. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds over top. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Hot, sticky, and delicious!

Ron’s Sweet and Spicy Brown Beans

When Ron invented this recipe, I wrote it down. It’s since become a family favorite! I like to use a red onion for color, but a plain-jane cooking onion does equally well.

Ron’s Sweet and Spicy Brown Beans:

2 tbsp. (30 mL) olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped 

into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) chunks

1/4 c. (60 mL) combined chopped red and yellow bell peppers (“capsicums”), diced small

One or 2 chorizo sausages, sliced into thirds (See Note)

Two 14-oz. (398 mL) cans brown beans, undrained

1 medium tomato, in 1-in. (2.54 cm) chunks (optional)

2 tbsp. (30 mL) molasses

2 tbsp. (30 mL) chili powder, or to taste

1 tsp. (5 mL) chili flakes, or to taste

1 tsp. (5 mL) dried basil

1/2 tsp. (2,5 cm) coarse black pepper

2 -to-3 tbsp. (30-to-45 mL) demerara sugar 

In large pot, heat oil on medium-high. Add peppers and onion. Sauté 2 min., stirring constantly. Add chopped sausages, cooking until golden and no pink remains. Stir in remaining ingredients, bringing just to the boil before reducing heat to low. Simmer, covered, 15 min. Garnish with fresh chives or other favorite greens. Yields 4 servings.

Note: No chorizo? Use 6 breakfast sausages, sliced into thirds. 

Heat oil in large skillet. 

Add prepared onions and peppers ... 

Sauté 2 min. on medium-high.

Add sausages, beans, tomato, and molasses.

Add seasonings and chili powder, combining well.

Simmer 15 min. Grab the cutlery! This is great!

Note: If you prefer your beans on the sweet side, try Cowboy Beans ... The kids will love ’em, too!

ABC Omelet

Here’s a delicious egg recipe to get you going morning, noon, or night! A stands for the Assortment of vegetables in this deliciously nutritious dish; B is for its Bacon and Bell peppers; and C is for its Cheese. 

ABC Omelet:

3 slices side bacon
1 tbsp. (15 mL) canola oil
1 small onion, and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/3 of a red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/3 of a yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/4 c. broccoli flowerets, in 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces
1 small tomato, sliced into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces
1/4 c. (60 mL) cheddar, in small chunks
4 eggs, beaten well

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry bacon strips (or cook on shallow microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel). Blot dry and chop into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces. Set aside. In medium skillet, add oil over medium heat. Stir-fry onions, peppers, and broccoli 2 min. Add tomato and bacon, stir-frying just until heated through. Dot with cheese. Reduce heat to low. Pour eggs over vegetables and cheese, lifting egg mixture around edges after 30 sec. to ensure edges cook through. Cover and let sit about 2 min. Serve immediately, sliced into 2-to-4 portions. All in good fun and no harm done!   

As easy as ABC!

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Well, now, I do have a problem. I must apologize to Hungarian baker Grace Hasz, who in 1954 perfected the recipe for what became known as the UBC Cinnamon Bun. 

Bound for the oven: 

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Cooking has evolved since then - some might say for the better, some might say for the worse, some might say a little of each. So I started tinkering with Grace Hasz’s recipe, and Ron added his magic touch, and before you know it ... The UBC Cinnamon Bun has never tasted better! And so I’ve renamed these the Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns, simply because they are! Using both a sauce and a filling for these buns was Ron’s original idea. He truly deserves a blue ribbon for this outstanding creation.

I have just one photo of the finished product, at the end of this blog. That’s because my Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns fell like the sacking of Rome. We plucked up each bun as plunder, unable to stop eating. The few that remained, we gave away. The final photo in this post shows the very last one. So that’s how good they were! 

(While not as decadent or tasty, Quick Cinnamon Buns will offer a measure of satisfaction without the time these take.)

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns:

To Prepare the Dough:

1-1/2 c. (375 mL) milk 

3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter or margarine 

1/2 c. (125 mL) cold water 

1 large egg 

4-1/2 c. (1.125 L) all-purpose flour, divided 

1 tbsp. (0.2 oz. or 8 g packet) quick-rise yeast (see Note)

3 tbsp. (45 mL) granulated sugar 

1-1/2 tsp. (7.2 mL) salt (do not reduce)

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, melted, for greasing pan

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, softened, for brushing over dough

Recipe for Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns

Recipe for Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Heat milk in microwave or on stove-top almost to scalding. 

Melt butter in hot milk.

Remove from heat. Add butter, allowing to melt. Set aside and cool to room temperature. When milk-butter mixture has cooled, add water and egg, combining well. To large bowl, add 2-1/2 c. (675 mL)  flour, one packet quick-rise yeast, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Add combined liquids, beating well with spoon and then with clean hands. Add remaining 2 c. flour a little at a time, stirring well after  each addition. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, kneading 5 min. 

Knead 5 min. before letting dough rest.

Cover dough with clean, damp cloth, allowing to rest 10 min. 

While dough rests, grease a 13x9-in. pan with 1/4 c. melted butter or margarine. Chill to firm. Layer of butter or margarine in pan will prevent Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns from burning. Spread half this sauce over butter layer. Set pan aside and proceed with instructions for dough. 

Once dough has rested, roll into a rectangle measuring roughly 13x9-in. (33x23 cm) Leaving 1 in. (2.54 cm) unbuttered around edges, brush inside of dough with 1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns. Working from long end, roll filled dough up and over itself. 

Roll filled dough tightly ...

Use dental floss to slice through rolled dough.

Slice dough into 3/4-to-1 in. (2-to-2.54 cm) pieces (see Further Note), laying each slice over Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns. Loosely cover sliced buns with waxed paper, allowing to double in size about 30 min. before spooning remaining sauce over top of buns. 

Bake 30 min., or until buns are baked through and sauce runs soft and gooey. These buns are excellent fresh from the oven or at room temperature. Invert the pan to release them with the maximum gooey sauce. Yields 18-to-20 buns.

Ready for ooey-gooey sauce ...unbeatable taste!

To Prepare the Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns:

1 c. (250 mL) golden corn syrup

1/2 c. (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/3 c. (80 mL) butter or margarine, softened

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

3/4 tsp. (3.7 mL) nutmeg

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped raisins (optional)

Combine sauce ingredients, spooning half over firmed layer of butter or margarine in pan. Sauce will be thick. Set pan and remaining half of sauce aside.  

To Prepare the Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns:

1/4 c. (60 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) nutmeg

1/3 c. (80 mL) chopped walnuts or raisins 

1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, or raisins. Sprinkle this mixture over softened butter or margarine you’ve previously spread over rectangle of dough.

Note: This recipe is not interchangeable with traditional yeast.

Further Note: The best way to slice rolled dough is not with a knife, but with dental floss. A knife compresses the dough, but dental floss looped and tightened under and over the dough will squeeze and release it into perfect slices. 

Deliciously tempting!

Bananas Foster

You’ve been patient. You’ve been kind. Never one word of criticism that I’ve kept this recipe to myself. Well, now here it is - almost as good as a trip to New Orleans, where a version of this recipe originated in 1951. 

Bananas Foster:

4 tbsp. (60 mL) unsalted butter
4 tbsp. (60 mL) dark brown sugar
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. (45 mL) dark rum
2 tbsp. (30 mL) banana liqueur
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon
4 bananas, halved horizontally and vertically
Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

In a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal), heat butter, sugar, and juice and peel of lemon over medium-high heat. Stir until mixture begins to caramelize. Add dark rum and banana liqueur, tilting pan slightly to flame with a lit match or propane igniter. Stir occasionally with metal spoon until flames die down and mixture reduces and thickens, bubbling all the while. Stir in cinnamon. Add bananas, gently turning to coat with thickened sauce. Add scoops of ice cream to dessert dishes. Spoon bananas and sauce over ice cream. Serve immediately. Yields 4 portions.

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Cake

Let me tell you a little something about Olga Rumen. Much of Olga’s cooking fame rides on her Carrot Cake and Carrot Muffins. It wasn’t always so. Her Citrus-Nut Soufflé with Hot Chocolate Sauce once won her a trip to Florida - but alas! The recipe is AWOL and Olga can’t find it.

If Olga’s name sounds familiar, it was she who invented the legendary Beer-Cheese Soup. 

Trained as a dietitian, Olga Rumen spent 50 years in the food industry, principally as a dietitian and food services manager at the University of British Columbia. Olga retired in 1999, but the recipes she developed remain timeless. She still has the ability to flick her eyes over any recipe, knowing immediately if it will “work.” And she still has the ability to convert a standard recipe into one that serves 500. Just ask any student who’s chowed down on one of her Carrot Muffins at the University of British Columbia. 

Olga Rumen

I’m a Carrot Cake fan, and understand that there are many different recipes and many variations on a theme. A few years ago, a popular Canadian magazine voted one particular recipe “Canada’s Best Carrot Cake.” I’m not about to reprint it here, but Carrot Cake aficionados will find it on the magazine’s website: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/baking_and_desserts/canadas_best_carrot_cake_with_cream_cheese_icing.php

If you’re a Carrot Cake fan, you’ll love this one, too. It’s definitely a keeper! 

When Olga Rumen and I recently had lunch, we talked about these and other Carrot Cakes. When Olga talks Carrot Cake, she talks Carrot Cake (!), so I came away from lunch with three excellent recipes for same, two of which I’ll save for another day and one of which I’ll share with you today. Olga and I disagree on a couple of things - one being that I prefer pecans in my Carrot Cake while Olga uses walnuts; the other being that I’m partial to raisins while Olga likes dates.

We do agree that a quality Carrot Cake needs a quality Cream Cheese Frosting. This blog offers several different types of Cream Cheese Frosting:  Check the Index under Frosting. 

So here’s Olga Rumen’s flagship recipe for Carrot Cake. Check out Olga’s recipe for Carrot Muffins, too. Olga’s cake and muffin recipes are similar, but with slightly different proportions and a slightly different mixing method. Olga’s muffin recipe also omits the nuts. Olga popularized both recipes in what she calls “the hippie days of granola with peace signs everywhere.” I love that both use whole wheat flour!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Cake: 

4 eggs

1-1/2 c. (325 mL) granulated sugar

1-1/2 c. (325 mL) vegetable oil (I use canola - NP)

3-1/4 c. (810 mL) whole wheat flour

2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder

2 tsp. (10 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt 

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp. (5 mL) nutmeg

1 c. (250 mL) crushed pineapple, well drained

2 c. (500 mL) grated carrots

1 c. (250 mL) chopped walnuts (see Note)

1 c. (250 mL) finely chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Beat eggs until frothy, gradually adding sugar and oil. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Reserve and set aside 1/4 c. of combined dry ingredients, stirring remainder into egg mixture. 

In a medium bowl, mix together pineapple, carrots, walnuts (see Note), and dates, tossing gently with reserved 1/4 c. dry ingredients. Stir into egg mixture and pour into 10-in. bundt pan that has been spray-greased and floured. Bake 75 min. or until cake tests “done” when a skewer poked near center of cake emerges dry. 

Note: Choose shelled walnuts for their color. Pale nuts are fresh nuts; darker nuts are stale and possibly rancid. That’s a tip from Olga!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Muffins

This recipe drove thousands of hungry students into a feeding frenzy at the University of British Columbia “way back when”!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Muffins:

4 eggs

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

3 c. (750 mL) whole wheat flour

2-1/2 tsp. (12.5 mL) baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. (7.2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt 

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp. (5 mL) nutmeg

1 c. (250 mL) vegetable oil (I use canola - NP)

One 10-oz. (300 mL) can crushed pineapple, well drained (see Note)

2 c. (500 mL) grated carrots

1 c. (250 mL) finely chopped dates

Preheat over to 350 deg. F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Beat eggs and sugar well. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients and oil alternately to egg-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with oil. Add pineapple, carrots, and dates. Spoon into ungreased paper liners in muffin pans. Bake 30 min. or until muffins test “done” when a toothpick poked near center of a muffin emerges dry. Makes 18-to-20 standard-sized muffins.

Flaming Whiskey Punch

Is that a sporran in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? Robbie Burns Day is only 232 days away, on Sunday, January 25, 2015. I’m publishing this great recipe now to give you enough time to update your Will and house insurance. I’ve referred to this punch on a couple of previous occasions (input “Whiskey Punch” into the wee search engine at the top left of this page), but have just only located it in my recipe filing system. 

In the same clutch of files was a single sock, an overdue bill (“You’ll never catch me, Copper!”), and an unwrapped cough lozenge stuck to a postcard on which I’d scribbled a soup recipe that a woman with very bad breath and a limp once gave me on a bus bound for St. Louis.

If you make this outstanding Flaming Whiskey Punch, please read the following Important Legal Disclaimer: 

The preparation and use of this product (“Flaming Whiskey Punch”) is entirely at your own risk. Neither Nicole Parton nor the Stainless Steel Kitchens of Nicole Parton’s Favorite Recipes takes any responsibility for damage to owned or leased homes of any description, whether yours or otherwise; for damage to personal property of any description, whether yours or otherwise, including but not restricted to chattels and eyebrows, whether singed, blasted, or blown off as a consequence of making or using [or living in close proximity to someone making or using] this product. The Stainless Steel Kitchens of Nicole Parton’s Favorite Recipes understands that lay readers may find complex legal terms confusing. We support plain language explanations. If something goes wrong, you will be SOL.

Read it over carefully, bairns? Then prepare to meet your maker - um, prepare to have the time of your life! 

Tip: Keep the lid of a large saucepan handy so you can clamp down on the flames at a moment’s notice, should you or your ceiling find that necessary.  

Flaming Whiskey Punch:

3-1/4 c. (810 mL) scotch whiskey (one 26-oz. or 750 mL bottle)

1 lb. (454 g) sugar cubes.

4 c. (1 L) hot, strong caffeinated tea

1 lemon, thinly sliced, as garnish

In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer (but do not boil) whiskey. To a decorative punch bowl, add sugar cubes, tea, and lemon slices, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour in whiskey, flaming and serving immediately.

Mushroom-Quinoa Burgers

This meat substitute is rich in protein and - if you ignore the cheese - it’s also low in fat. These are delicious burger patties!

Mushroom-Quinoa Burgers:

2 cups (500 mL) stock

1/2 cup (125 mL) uncooked quinoa

1/3 c. (80 mL) shredded cheese of your choice

1/4 c. (60 mL) cottage cheese

2 jalapeño peppers, minced fine

1 egg

2 tbsp. (25 mL) flour

1 green onion (“spring onion”), minced fine

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) black pepper

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) ground cumin

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) garlic powder

2 tsp. (10 mL) freshly chopped parsley

2 tbsp. (30 mL) canola oil, for frying

10 or 12 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

Favorite burger toppings (i.e., mayonnaise, relish, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cheese) 

Burger buns, as required

In medium saucepan, bring stock to a boil over high heat. While stock is heating, rinse quinoa in cold water. Add quinoa to boiling stock, reducing heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 30-to-35 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and stock is absorbed. Cool mixture to room temperature.

In large bowl, combine quinoa, cheeses, jalapeño peppers, egg, flour, green onion, pepper, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and parsley. Form into 1/2-in. thick patties. Mixture will be soft. 

Form into patties.

In large skillet or griddle, heat oil over medium-high. Sauté mushrooms and onion until tender. Set aside and keep warm. Sauté quinoa patties 3-to-5 min. on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. 

Delicious with or without the bun!

Serve in heated burger buns with mushrooms, onions, and other favorite toppings. Yields 4-to-5 burgers.

How to Cook Quinoa in other recipes? Quinoa can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley, but takes less time. It is gluten-free and cholesterol-free. To cook, cover quinoa with water or broth, boiling until soft, about 15 min. To cook quinoa in a rice cooker, use 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. 

Brandied Chicken

With a butane-fired table-top cooker, this small, romantic dinner for two can be made right at the table.

Brandied Chicken.

While I prepared it on the kitchen stove, cooking it at the table would have made it even more “special.”

Brandied Chicken:

This recipe requires extra time 

for marination

To Prepare the Chicken:

1/4 boneless, skinless chicken breast per person  (yes, this is enough!)

Olive oil, as required 

Soy sauce, as required 

Generous grinding of black pepper 

Butter and oil, as required

Several hours before dinner, pound chicken to a thickness of about 3/8-inch between two clean plastic bags. 

Pound, pound, pound!

Rub each flattened piece of chicken with a little olive oil, soy sauce to taste, and a liberal grinding of black pepper. Cover and refrigerate several hours.

Marinate several hours.

Have ready at the dinner table: Your table-top cooker, a heavy, medium-sized skillet, some butter and oil for searing the quartered, flattened chicken breasts, and a small pitcher containing the pre-measured, combined ingredients for the sauce.

Prepare and array all ingredients.

To sear chicken, add a lump of butter and some cooking oil (I use canola) to very hot skillet over high heat. Sear two pieces of chicken at a time, so skillet remains hot. Once the chicken sears on both sides - this takes less than a minute per-side - transfer chicken to a dish and begin preparing sauce in the same skillet. 

Sear flattened, marinated chicken breasts ...

... Until golden.

Set aside.

To Prepare the Sauce:

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup diced onion 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2-to-3/4 c. sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 

1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch

1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 c. chicken stock

1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 

Juice of half a lemon (see Note) 

1/4 cup white wine 

2 tbsp. brandy

Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms, stirring just until mushrooms brown.

Sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

Add parsley, stirring a few seconds longer before pouring in the contents of a small pitcher containing well-combined cornstarch or tapioca starch, mustard, and stock. Stir just until mixture comes to a boil. Add Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice (see Note), stirring 30 seconds to allow flavors to blend.  

Stir in combined sauce ingredients.

Quickly stir in wine and brandy. Return chicken to skillet, turning each piece just until heated through and chicken is well-coated with sauce. 

Note: I buy cheesecloth “lemon covers” at my local cooking supply store. Boldly and dramatically poke a sharp fork into your covered lemon and give a hearty squeeze. The juice will flow out; the lemon pips won’t.