Blue Agave Wings

This one didn’t photograph well, because the sauce was a bit thin.

Serves 2

• 12 chicken wings pieces
• 2 Tblsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tblsp fish sauce
• 2 tblsp Blue Agave Sweetener
• 2 tblsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tblsp rice wine vinegar

1. Wash and dry the chicken wings. Mix seasoned salt and vegetable in a zip top bag and add the wing pieces. Dump the wings into the bag and slosh around. Let them marinate in the fridge for at least two hours. Take the wings out and pat dry.
2. Pour enough vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet to coat the bottom and heat on high until very hot. Spread the chicken wings out in one layer and fry for five minutes. Turn the wings over and fry for another five minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water. Turn the heat down to low and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. Take the wings out and pat dry.
3. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss in the wings and coat well. Serve just coated without extra sauce.

Note:

This is an adaptation of a recipe that uses soy sauce, Golden Syrup, and ketchup. I substituted fish sauce for the soy sauce and Sriracha sauce for the ketchup to give it a Southeast Asian twist. It’s difficult to find Golden Syrup, so I substituted with Blue Agave Sweetener. Use Golden Syrup if you can find it; it has a very different flavor and it’s much thicker, so the sauce coats better.

Insane Hot Wings

I really like this one. How hot it is is up to you, depending on which HOT sauce you use.

When I created this recipe, there weren’t a lot of good wing places, and there wasn’t the proliferation of really good hot sauces like nowadays. Most just offer pedestrian Buffalo wings. I tolerate very, very hot, and I'm a sucker for wings, but I have a hard time finding really good hot wings. Most of the time they're not as hot as advertised. I want hot and tasty, especially when the heat hits you a few seconds after you've actually tasted the food.

• 12 chicken wings pieces
• 2 tblsp seasoned salt (add a dash of cayenne pepper for extra heat)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp sambal
• 4 tblsp. of a very hot, hot sauce (preferably made from ghost pepper, reaper, or scorpion)

1. Wash and dry the chicken wings. Mix seasoned salt and vegetable oil in a zip top bag and add the wing pieces. Dump the wings into the bag and slosh around. Let them marinate in the fridge for at least two hours. Take the wings out and pat dry.
2. Pour enough vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to coat the bottom and heat on high until very hot. Spread the chicken wings out in one layer and fry for five minutes. Turn the wings over and fry for another five minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water. Turn the heat down to low and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. Take the wings out and pat dry.
3. In a bowl, mix the sambal and hot sauce. Add the wings and toss to coat.

I use Vulcan Fire Salt, but regular seasoned salt with a dash of cayenne will work equally well. I like using sambal to add color and a bit of sweetness. I find regular hot sauce sometimes a bit too vinegary and not actually hot enough. The heat really comes from the very hot, hot sauce, so choose your hot sauce wisely. Go for one that’s thick, so it coats the wings.

Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak with Spaghetti Squash with Shiitake Mushrooms & Baby Bok Choy

Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak

• one 14 oz. ribeye per person
• salt and pepper or Seasoned salt

1. Bring the meat to room temperature. 
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, for about 5 minutes. Season steaks as desired. 
3. Place steaks in the hot skillet (do not overcrowd). Do not add oil or water. Do not cover. F
4. or medium-rare steak, sear in a skillet for 6-7 minutes for a 1-inch steak, and 7-8 minutes for a 1½ inch steak, turn and repeat. Rest the steaks for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Spaghetti Squash with Shiitake Mushrooms & Baby Bok Choy

• 2 tblsp vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 tblsp grated ginger
• 1 tblsp minced garlic
• 1 Fresno pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 10 oz spaghetti squash
• 10 oz baby bok choy leaves

1. In a hot wok or iron cast pan, heat vegetable oil until very hot. 
2. Quickly sauté shallot, ginger, and garlic for a few minutes, making sure not to burn them. Add the Fresno pepper and stir for a couple of minutes. 
3. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the spaghetti squash and stir to coat. 
5. Stir in the baby bok choy leaves. 
6. Cover and turn off the heat and let steam for about 5 minutes. 
7. Season to taste.

Pan-Fried Chicken Wings with Shiitake Mushrooms and Baby Bok Choy

I don’t cook (because I’m lazy), and it’s too much work (cooking takes a long time and eating doesn’t), but I do like to cook. Since I’m in a temporary accommodation situation, I offer to cook once in a while. Here’s my Pan-Fried Chicken Wings with a side of Shiitake Mushrooms with Baby Bok Choy.

Pan-Fried Chicken Wings

• 2 lbs. chicken wings
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tblsp seasoned salt
• a few dashes of liquid smoke

1. Pat the wings dry with paper towels. In a zip top bag, mix vegetable oil, seasoned salt, and liquid smoke. Put in the chicken wings; coat well and marinate overnight.
2. Pat dry the wings. Preheat a large oiled cast iron frying pan/Dutch oven. Sear the wings on both sides over high heat for about 1.5-2 minutes per side.
3. Reduce heat to low and cover loosely with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn and cook for another 10 minutes.

Shiitake Mushrooms with Baby Bok Choy

• 2 tblsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tblsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 5 oz. baby bok choy
• seasoned salt/salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a hot cast iron frying pan until very hot. 
2. Sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant. 
3. Sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes until cooked. 
4. Add baby bok choy and fold into the mushrooms. 
5. Turn the heat down. Stir fry until the leaves are wilted. Season to taste.