Happy Monday and holy heat wave Batman! I cannot complain because I would much rather be warm than cold. I don’t really mind sweating out every pore as long as I have a way to cool down. But man did it go from warm to oppressively hot in a matter of seconds. With 4th of July being this week, I plan on taking the week to relax a bit and find some bodies of water to lay in and stay cool. Don’t worry I have plenty of delicious recipes and topics coming your way, so don’t go anywhere!
Just a friendly reminder to keep yourself hydrated and if you do choose to booze, make sure you are drinking a glass of water in between each. Just looking out for your well being 😉 If you need some added electrolytes, these are my favorite.
Weekend Shenanigans
This past weekend was a hot one, but we didn’t let it slow our roll. In fact, we spent most of the weekend outside. We even went mini-golfing and foot-golfing (yes foot golf is apparently a thing) with friends to wish a farewell to our friend Austin. We had the most fun laughing at our mini golf abilities (most of us were terrible) and spending time off of our phones enjoying each others company. Funny story, our friend Austin is going to work for my brother down in MD at STX (a lacrosse and sporting goods company). I am sad to see him go, but happy he found a sweet job. Too bad he now has to be stuck with my brother instead of me, as we all know I’m the more fun one 😀 Hehe, hopefully my brother doesn’t read my blog, if he does, he owes me a slinky and a new friend…
Any who, this weekend we decided to fire up the grill and it reminded me why I love summer so much. Sitting on a deck, outside, with the smell of BBQ, a cold drink, and laughing with friends is pretty excellent. It gave me the idea of all of this week’s recipes, thanks friends!
Grill Time
This time of year it is almost necessary (in my eyes) to own a grill and use it. While I am lucky enough to have central AC, it is still unbearably hot out and using the oven only makes it worse. While I sometimes suck it up and use the oven, I’d much prefer to use the grill if possible. Not to mention, it makes everything taste amazing, just don’t burn my food to a crisp, okay?!
Grilling sometimes gets a bad rep because it can cause cancer. While I don’t want to be cynical here, I will be for one minute. There are a lot of things unfortunately that can lead to cancer and there are far worse ones (like smoking) than grilling. Sometimes you have to live your life by picking your battles. For me, I eat pretty healthy, take care of my body by exercising, and try to live with as minimal stress as able. So for me, grilling is a non-issue in my mind. Not to mention, I don’t eat fast-food, try to avoid fried foods, and don’t grill everyday.
HOWEVER, that being said, if you are concerned about grilling, which it’s okay to be, you can be smart about how you do so. First off, buy healthier, better quality cuts of meat. Unable to fit them in your budget? Go for the leaner cuts of meat so you avoid the fat of the not-so-healthy animals. When yo do grill, do your best to not burn your food to a crisp and only cook it to the proper internal temp, no charring. It also helps to reduce the time you cook it, so don’t leave the food on there too long, which would also cause it to char and burn. Safety first 😀
Spice it Up!
Want to know something cool? Using spices, like Rosemary and fresh garlic, may lower the risk of cancer associated with grilling meats. WHAT?! So if you want to doubly make sure you are doing your body good, swap out the dried spices in this recipe and throw on some fresh rosemary and garlic, voila! Real food magic.
Ain’t no thing but some chicken wings.
Crispy Chicken Wings
You can thank my friend Ashley for this idea. Any time I would go and stay with her in Boston she would always whip me up some good food. She showed me the trick to getting crispy wings. Her trick? Making sure they were SUPER dry and patted down before doing anything with them. Not to mention, with that trick, if you use a cooling rack, you doubly insure a crispy wing. I don’t know about you but a chicken wing with a crisp exterior and a moist center is what dreams are made of…
Moving on…
I must say that I use to never be a fan of chicken wings because they usually come fried or soggy at most restaurants. Once I found that you can make them at home in a not-as-fatty manner with limited grease and maximum crisp I have been making them ever since. If you prefer more flavor and more sauce you can throw some BBQ sauce or marinade on them before consuming. These can be made in the oven or on the grill so if you aren’t experiencing a heat wave you have some options. So, go ahead, fire up the grill (oven) and get to crisping those wings!
Pro Tip: make sure the wings are dry AND make sure that whatever surface you are cooking on allows there to be air over and under the chicken to get them extra crispy…afterall no one likes a soggy chicken wing. Not into making your own spice blend? Try this one that is ready made and just toss the wings in as much as you like!
Preheat oven or grill to 400°F (or medium high heat)
In a large bowl, mix together all the spices, set aside
Pat down wings to dry with a paper towel, squeeze out any excess juice as well to make the wings dry (this step is key!)
Place wings in large bowl with spices and coat evenly, rubbing in the spices with your hands (it’s okay to get dirty in the kitchen)
For oven: place wings on a cooling rack over a baking sheet (or if you prefer directly on the grates in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F
For grill: place wings on top rack of grill for 8 minutes per side, or about 5 mins per side if directly on the grill.
If desired, toss wings in BBQ sauce of choice or enjoy as-is!
Yummm…. will let you know if Dad likes these. Remember we have a Rosemary bush at the beach….it smells wonderful and you can use the fresh sprigs!!
Hooray! Yes, we will have to use that 😀