Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls

I realized the other day that it's been a while since I've posted.  With Schmambs having made the transition from Stay-At-Home Mom back into the working world and transitions at my job, there haven't been as many opportunities for home cooked meals.  It took a nudge from my friend (and fellow foodie) Nicole at High Heel Photography to remind me that I have readers out there who miss their fix of delicious goodies.  So I'm back and hopefully going to be posting on a more regular basis.  At some point I'm going to have to learn to cook myself, right?  Schmambs can't feed me forever!

If you remember, Schmambs and I came up with the brilliant idea of Thanksgiving Eggrolls last year.  I dubbed them "Schmanksgiving Eggrolls" and they were filled with chicken (yes, we cheated a little because we didn't have turkey on hand) and stuffing and mashed potatoes and celery and topped with cranberry sauce.  Ohmygoodness, I'm drooling just remembering them.  Well, since that was such a success, we thought it would be fun to stuff those crispy wrappers with some other yummu filling.  It was still football season, so Sunday's were still Buffalo Chicken Wings day's.  It was decided unanimously.  We were going to make Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls.

When I arrived that Sunday, Schmambs already had all the ingredients mixed together in a bowl.  We had decided on chicken (obviously), hot sauce, celery, and shredded Mozzarella.  Now, I know Buffalo Wings are usually eaten with Bleu Cheese, but in an effort to ensure that everyone would eat and enjoy (namely me, the picky eater) the eggrolls, Mozzarella it was.  Plus, it was being used as more of a bonding agent.  There would be Bleu Cheese Dressing (or Ranch for the picky eaters) for dipping.

Making the filling is the easy part.  Then comes the tedious task of making each eggroll individually while frying and making sure they don't overcook and (and quite possibly burn the house down).  Good thing we had four hands between the two of us.  Schmambs and I rolled together for a while until it got down to the last few and she started the frying process.  

We ended up with a good amount of eggrolls.  I think more than we expected/could handle in one sitting.  We knew we would probably end up snacking on cold eggrolls later that night.  Afterall, we are only three adults and a six year old.  Eggrolls don't look like they'd be filling, but after about 2 1/2 - 3 eggrolls each, we were suffering a bit of a bellyache.  Good thing we were all smart and were wearing our elastic waistband pants!

Buffalo Chicken Wings (Schmambs Style)

Sunday means one thing during the fall.  Football.  On game days, I head on over to my best friend's house where we watch the game, we knit, and she fills my belly with delicious foods.  One of the "regulars" that she makes pretty much every week is Buffalo Wings.  I've had them at restaurants.  I've had them at bars.  I've had them frozen from the supermarket.  But there is something about homemade wings that just hits the spot.  

Usually by the time I get to la casa de Schmambs, she has already taken care of the seasoning aspect of the wings.  A little salt.  A little pepper.  A couple of seasonings.  Toss the wings in flour and let them sit for a minimum of one (1) hour in the fridge.  They really won't look like much when you take them out to prepare them for the cooking process.  

I'll admit, it's probably not the healthiest snack out there, but I rationalize that I'm only eating it once a week, so what's the harm.  Of course, when you start doing the math, it kinda adds up, but let's just enjoy the "now" and not worry about the "later".  The first thing you want to do is to heat the oil in your deep fryer, or in our case, a large skillet, to 350 degrees.  

Once the oil reached the right temperature, Schmambs added the chicken using tongs that could withstand the extremely hot oil.  Once the chicken was in, the waiting game began.  The total cooking time is about 15 minutes, turning the wings over at the halfway mark.  

While we waited for the first batch of wings to cook, we got started on the sauce.  I never realized how easy it was to make sauce.  I always imagined it required a bunch of different spices and liquids to make it just the right consistency and spiciness.   Schmambs gave me the job of being her sous chef.  I thought she was putting a lot of faith in me not to mess the recipe up.  Then I saw the ingredients.  Frank's® Hot Sauce and 3/4 of a stick of butter.  Looked easy enough.

               

I continued to stir the sauce periodically while Schmambs removed the chicken wings from the oil and let them drain a bit on paper towels.  Even without being sauced, the wings looked delish.  I am not really a fan of breaded chicken, so I liked that the flour gave it a very thin outer crunchy coating without being overwhelming. And of course, the last part of making this appetizer is tossing the wings with the sauce.  With a side of Bleu Cheese dressing (personally, I prefer Ranch, but they only have Bleu Cheese at la casa de Schmambs so I make do) and it's the perfect thing to nom on while watching the game.

Served with a Smile

Buffalo Chicken Wings (Schmambs Style):

* ~3 lbs chicken wings

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
* Salt and Pepper

* 1/2 Cup Flour (Enough to lightly coat the wings)

* 3-4 Cups Oil for Frying

* 1 Cup Frank's® Hot Sauce

* 3/4 Stick of Butter

* Dip of your choice (Bleu Cheese or Ranch Dressing/Sour Cream)

Take chicken wings out of the package and season with garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper.  After properly seasoned, toss wings in the flour so that wings are lightly coated.  Let it sit in the fridge for one (1) hour.  Heat up oil in skillet or deep fryer to 350 degrees.  Once oil reaches desired temperature, place chicken in oil carefully.  Cook for 15 minutes turning wings over halfway.  While chicken is cooking, combine butter and Frank's® in a saucepan and mix until butter is melted.  Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels.  Combine chicken wings with sauce and serve with dipping sauce.  Accompany with celery sticks if desired.