Poker Night

The best parts about game nights are the laughs with family and friends and, of course, the food.  For our family poker night, Aunt Suzanne's Chinese Chicken Wings and Buffalo Chicken Dip met the challenge of pleasing a big crowd of healthy appetites!


Aunt Suzanne's Chinese Chicken Wings are all that is awesome about wings. They are the perfect combination of sweet and savory and just the right amount of messy. Thanks for sharing Aunt Sue!


1 cup regular sugar
1 cup brown sugar
garlic powder (enough for flavor)
5-10 oz. soy sauce
approx. 8 lbs. chicken wings/wingettes


Mix together sugars, garlic powder, soy sauce (enough to have a thickened but pour-able sauce).  Spread wings into a glass Pyrex dish.  Pour sauce mixture over all wings.  Place in a 250 degree oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours basting every 20 minutes.  Low temp and frequent basting are the keys to an awesome wing flavor.


Notes: After oven cooking, I transferred the wings to a crock pot.  They transferred nicely and only got better as they continued to marinate in the delicious juices.

   The recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip was shared with me by both Aunt Jean and Julie B.  It has a good kick with just enough cheese to counteract the spice and keep the crowd coming back for more.  It doesn't get much better than a bowl of melty, cheesy, spicy goodness.




8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken


Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine ingredients in a bowl and place in baking dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.  Serve with chips, crackers or vegetables.


Notes: I used blue cheese dressing, Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce and shredded cheddar.    

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ah, February, the month of love.  We make extra efforts to let our family and friends know we care for them.  As a cooking enthusiast, I can think of few better ways to manifest love than through food.  So, this Valentine's Day, Sheila's Hot Fudge Sauce is the go-to gift.  The sauce requires a few simple ingredients and cooks up quickly.  Pour it over ice cream, fruit, cake or, let's be honest, grab a spoon and eat right from the jar. To say it is delicious is an understatement.  Thanks Sheila! 


3 cups sugar
1 stick margarine
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla


Melt margarine & chocolate.  Stir in sugar and vanilla.  Slowly add evaporated milk.  Cook until steamy.  Do not boil.  


Notes: I stayed stove side during the entire cook time (about 10-15 minutes) to make sure it didn't boil or burn.  
One batch filled 2 12oz. mason jars 

Garbanzo Salad

Quick, easy, delicious and nutritious. Adjectives that only begin to describe Kathy's Garbanzo Salad.  After scoring some beautiful fresh parsley at a local farm stand, I made this salad to accompany our dinner. Simple to make yet, bursting with flavor, color and texture. The salad that I had intended to be side dish, stole the spotlight and became the star of our dinner table. Thanks for sharing Kath! 

The recipe is as follows: 

6 oz. drained chickpeas 

1 oz. shredded swiss or cheddar

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup scallions, sliced diagonally

1 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, mashed

dash pepper

8 romaine lettuce leaves (for garnish)

In a medium bowl, combine chick peas, cheese, tomato, scallions and parsley.  In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chick pea mixture and toss to combine.  Line serving platter with lettuce leaves and top with chick pea mixture.  

Notes: Instead of Swiss or cheddar, I used provolone since we had a that on hand