Back from the Blogging Hiatus

Sorry to disappoint all those who take the time to read this blog/procrastinate.  I have not been diligent about writing for the past week, and I couldn't even get Pumpkin to give me a good idea for her weekly post. But not to worry.  I am back, and ready to post, post, post all those questions related to domestic matters...

A quick recap of things I have cooked/baked this past week:

Thursday:  My friend Ashley was so wonderful and invited a group of us over for dinner.  She made the main course (delicious pasta), tomato and mozzarella and warm biscuits.  She asked me to bring something for dessert and I didn't have much time to put together anything too crazy.  My mom recommended this wonderful recipe from epicurious.com for a quick apple tart.  I recommend following the recipe exactly as is, and the result is a delicious, impressive and delightfully simple dessert.  I also added some homemade whipped cream to the top.

You can arrange the apples however you like.  When I make this again, I will cut the apples thinner.

Saturday:  My family came to my apartment, and although I had invited them, I wasn't sure they would make the stop.  However, when they called on about an hours notice, I was glad I had a few snacks on hand to keep everyone happy during the Michigan State-Michigan football game.  This somewhat unexpected arrival reminded me why it's nice to keep the fridge stocked with a few types of cheeses, some fruit and veggies and a box or two of crackers.  Without too much effort I was able to make an impressive cheese plate for everyone to nosh on.  If you are a cheese-lover like myself, it's never a much problem to have a few extra cheeses on hand in case people come over.

Sunday:  Ashley, being a wonderful hostess, again, invited us over for a bit of tailgating before watching the Browns game at her apartment.  Again, I needed to bring something and had bought the ingredients to make chicken wings a few days beforehand.  I used a recipe from Ina Garten that suggested broiling the chicken wings instead of deep frying them which gives them that nice crisp flavor without all the hot oil.

But the real funny part of this story is how I prepared the actual chicken wings.  Although you can get your butcher to give you precut chicken wings (like the kind you get at your favorite sports bar), you can also cut your own from the chicken wings you buy in the grocery case.  The problem I ran into was that I didn't have a very sharp knife, and the cracking of bones was just too much for me at 8:30 in the morning.  I made my boyfriend cut up the chicken wings, which turned out to be sooo difficult because we were doing it wrong...

All I can say is if you are interested in cutting your own chicken wings, which I would totally advise because it shouldn't be too hard and is cheaper, watch this one minute video for a simple explanation about how to make cutting them a painless process.

Anyway, here is how the chicken wings looked once they were cut and were getting sauced

Love Frank's Buffalo Sauce

And here is how happy everyone was at our tailgate!

What is the kitchen/cooking process you made much more difficult than it needed to be?

-Almost Halfway Through the Week!

Birthdays and Cookouts and Tailgating, Oh My!

Whenever you have an action packed weekend it’s not easy to head back to the office on Monday.  Normal beginning of the work week tiredness is even more unavoidable when much of your weekend fun happens on Sunday funday.

This weekend my friends and I took part in an NFL tailgate.  It was the opening weekend in Cleveland and the City was out in full force in orange and brown.  This was my first NFL tailgate and the dedication of the fans was unreal (I unfortunately saw a man wearing a Browns thong…) and the company was awesome.

However, having gone to a small Division III college, I don’t have the same tailgate resume as my state school friends.  Nonetheless, I did learn a few things that I'll be keeping in mind for my next trip back to the Municipal Parking lot…

A few Lessons Learned:

#1.  Remember to plan ahead if you are heading to a Sunday tailgate.  Most states do not allow alcohol sales before noon or 1pm on Sundays, and others prohibit it entirely.  Plus, you need to make sure that you bring some snacks to contribute to the group.  You can never underestimate how happy your friends will be to see you show up with a bag of potato chips.

#2. Arrive at your designated tailgating area early.  Getting a tailgating space is a process that is similar to the struggle for land in the Wild Wild West.  Also, the earlier you get in the quicker you can complete item #3 listed below.

#3. Stake out your territory.  Bring a card table or folding chairs to use as you establish the boundaries of your “base camp.”  The goal, I believe, is to establish as much space as possible for your group.  Gaining a large amount of territory will also prevent other tailgaters (typically “dudes”) from playing catch with a football near your head.

#4. Bring some delicious homemade tailgate food.  If you’re looking for a simple yet tasty recipe try out these “Classy Pigs in a Blanket” recipe courtesy of Lauren H.

Ingredients: 

Hillshire Farms Kielbasa Sausage

Pillsbury crescent roll dough

Preheat oven to 375.  Slice up sausage into bite sized pieces.  Roll out the dough and cut it into strips wide enough to hold the sausage.  Wrap each piece of sausage in dough.  Place sausages on cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.  Serving suggestion: BBQ sauce.

What are your secrets to a successful tailgate?

-Best wishes for a wonderful week!