Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Sticky Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings

Maybe the title of this week's Saturdays with Rachael Ray recipe has you feeling dubious. Maybe you're feeling skeptical about how well the flavors of peanut butter and jelly go with chicken wings. It's understandable. My husband was unsure about these too. But then he tried them, and he couldn't get enough. I mean that literally; we ran out of wings before he was full.

Peanut butter and jelly are no strangers to savory dishes. Peanut butter is often found in Thai-style pasta sauces (and in one of our favorite dishes at the Chinese buffet, peanut butter chicken), and grape jelly is one of stars in those famous three-ingredient cocktail meatballs. And when you combine the two ingredients in a spicy, tangy, sweet-nutty sauce, the results are out of this world. We all really, really loved these.

I used chicken drummettes, and I did have to broil mine for a couple of minutes to get 'em crispy, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Give these a try! I think you'll really like them.

Sticky Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings
source: slightly adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray, February 2009

1 10-ounce jar grape jelly
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Salt
24 chicken drummettes

1. In a bowl, whisk together the jelly, peanut butter, vinegar, hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the wings on a greased rack set on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn, baste with the pan juices and bake until browned, about 20 minutes more. Broil for a few minutes if needed.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Summer Sweet Corn Fettucine

This week for Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray, I'm sharing a really yummy pasta dish. I saw Rachael make this on a recent episode of 30 Minute Meals, and I knew immediately that I wanted to try it. It looked and sounded incredible, and really intriguing too. Corn is not typically an ingredient you see in that much in pasta dishes, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. We all loved this!

This has all the flavors of corn chowder, but the ingredients are all mixed up in pasta instead of soup. I got some really sweet corn from the farmer’s market, and I loved how the sweetness of it and the red bell pepper balanced out the salty bacon and cheese. And then, of course, there was the fresh basil:

If that doesn’t scream summer, I don’t know what does.

In summary (or “summery,” ha ha): this was very good, very simple, and will definitely be in the regular rotation at our house.

Summer Sweet Corn Fettucine
source: slightly adapted from Rachael Ray

Salt
1 pound fettuccine
6 slices bacon, chopped
6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

3. Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the onions and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

5. Pour the stock into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add about 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and toss. Top with basil and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Summer Shrimp Rolls

For the first time, I’m participating in Taste and Tell’s weekly blog feature, Saturdays with Rachael Ray! I’ll probably be doing this for the next couple of Saturdays, because I have some great Rachael recipes to share.

These summer shrimp rolls are absolutely delicious, and true to their name, they are exactly the kind of thing you want to eat during the hot summer months (and boy is it hot; I think we’ve only had a couple of days under 90 degrees during the month of July here in Ohio). There is very little actual cooking required -- mostly it’s just chopping the ingredients and mixing them all together. I loved all of the textures in these rolls: the juicy shrimp, the crunchy bell peppers, the creamy dressing. The sharp bite of the scallions and the tangy flavor of the lemon were a perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the corn, peppers and shrimp. We loved these, and will definitely be making them again!

Summer Shrimp Rolls
source: Everyday with Rachael Ray, June/July 2009

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pesto
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
4 hot dog buns

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the corn and let cool.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pesto and lemon juice. Add the shrimp-corn mixture, bell pepper and scallions; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in the hot dog buns.

LiveSTRONG: Glazed Pineapple Cookies

When I think of the words "live" and "strong," the first person that comes to mind is my mom, because strongly is exactly how she lived her life. That's why, when I recently learned about the A Taste of Yellow blogging event (hosted by Barbara at winosandfoodies) I knew I had to take part: to remember my mom and others who lost their battle with cancer, to celebrate those who won, and to raise awareness for this horrible disease.

My mom's battle with cancer began when I was nine years old. She was diagnosed with brain cancer on Halloween of 1992. After two surgeries, two rounds of radiation and some intensive chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free, which she remained until 2005. In February of 2005, though, her routine yearly MRI revealed that the cancer had returned to her brain, and this time it was determined to take her. She had two more surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, but she finally succumbed to the disease on January 22, 2007.

My mom was the strongest woman I have ever known and will ever know -- independent, with an engaging personality and a smile that was a more brilliant yellow than any food I could possibly make. People gravitated towards her for a reason; she exuded confidence, strength and faith every single moment she lived. Even as she died, her faith and her strength remained. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to lose her -- what it still feels like as I wake up every day without her in my life. I hope that I can be half the mother -- half the woman -- she was.


It's shocking how many lives and how many families are affected by cancer. That's why the work that Lance Armstrong's foundation and other organizations around the country do is so important. I have to believe that, with enough awareness and research, our world can be free of this terrible disease.

Okay, enough seriousness! On to the food. As soon as I learned about this event, I knew I wanted to use pineapple as my "something yellow." Spring is upon us now, and nothing says spring to me like a deliciously tangy and juicy pineapple. I found a scrumptious-sounding recipe for pineapple cookies in one of my cookbooks, so I decided to go for it. They don't really look very yellow after baking, but they're wonderful cookies. Their texture is both moist and cake-like, and I love the little explosion of pineapple flavor in every bite. I think the addition of some toasted coconut mixed in with the glaze would add a nice tropical flavor, so I may try that next time. Hmmm...And now that I think about it, some white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts would be a nice addition to this cookie, too! Really, though, they're delicious just as they are. (Also, I know I glazed my cookies when they were still too warm, because the glaze ran everywhere...but I just couldn't resist! I had to try one of the cookies immediately, and it was worth it!)


Glazed Pineapple Cookies
Source: The Ultimate Cookie Collection (page 52)

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Drain the pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Set pineapple aside; set juice aside for glaze. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Add pineapple and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.

2. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 17-20 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

3. For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar with enough of reserved pineapple juice to achieve a smooth consistency. Spoon glaze over cooled cookies.