I'd Rather Cook

I'm not a foodie, and I'm not into fine dining. I'm just someone who loves the challenge of cooking.
  • I’d Rather Cook
  • Blog Feed
  • Anne Freestone – About Me
  • Category: Appetizer

    • Smoky Chipotle Salsa – Food and Teambuilding

      Posted at 11:11 am by Anne Freestone
      Oct 24th
      Jump to Recipe

      The story behind this salsa is tied to my final years in the workforce. In April of 2019, I retired from a 28 plus year career with Whirlpool Corporation. Working there got me involved in many interesting projects with great people from all over the world. I also enjoyed great benefits – not the least of which was the employee discount (which the company generously still grants me as a retiree). This has allowed me to fill my home with the world’s best appliance brands, including KitchenAid small appliances. My KitchenAid food processor figures large in this recipe.

      I have always loved the kind of salsa you get in Mexican restaurants – the fresh, finely chopped kind. I have never been a fan of the chunky, cooked type you get in jars. So, as usual, I wondered if I could create my own version at home.

      I knew that to get that fine chop in any reasonable time frame would require my food processor. I made a few trials using fresh jalepenos, serranos, etc, but somehow the flavor lacked the depth I was looking for. Then I remembered those cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalepenos, and the adobo sauce is tangy and slightly sweet. I wondered how that would play in a salsa instead of a fresh hot pepper.

      It turned out great – but I’d made such a big batch I (double the recipe below) that I knew it would take us forever to eat at home. So I took it to work.

      The timing was right because it was during what we accountants refer to as “closing”. This is the period of time during which we make adjustments to “close” the books and produce financial statements. It takes place during the first few days of the month following the month being closed. It was also the time when we generally worked the most overtime, and, in order to “ease the pain”, it was common for people to bring in food to keep the team’s motivation up.

      The remarkable thing about this salsa is that it appealed to a very diverse group of tastes. It has some heat, which is great for hot sauce lovers like me, but even the non heat lovers in our group liked it. It became known at work as “Closing Salsa”, and before I knew it, I was bringing a big batch and a couple bags of tortilla chips in every first day of closing. This was a team tradition for several years until I retired.

      Note that since vegetables vary in size, you my have to adjust seasonings and amounts. And another very important thing – don’t skip the sugar – it’s essential to get all the flavors in balance. Also, the flavors won’t fully settle until the salsa has been refrigerated for awhile, so you may have to adjust slightly after that.

      Anyway, that’s the backstory of this recipe. Hopefully it will be a hit with your team, as well.

      Print Recipe

      Smoky Chipotle Salsa

      Prep Time20 mins
      Total Time20 mins
      Servings: 8
      Author: Anne Freestone

      Equipment

      • food processor

      Ingredients

      • 4 cloves garlic
      • 4 green onions
      • 1/2 medium white onion
      • 1/2 red bell pepper
      • 2 tbsp sugar
      • 2 tbsp lime juice
      • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo
      • 3-4 large roma tomatoes (or 4-5 small)
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 1 tsp black pepper

      Instructions

      • Peel garlic and cut white onion, green onions and red pepper into large pieces. Place in food processor and process until finely chopped.
      • Add sugar, lime juice and chipotle pepper in adobe. Cut tomatoes into large pieces and add. Process until finely chopped.
      • Add salt and pepper and process. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
      • Chill before serving.
      Rate this
      Posted in Appetizer, Mexican | Tagged anne freestone, appetizer, chipotle, chipotle in adobo, food processor, KitchenAid, restuarant style salsa, salsa, Whirlpool
    • Game Day Dry Rubbed Wings – Are You Ready For Some Football?

      Posted at 12:13 pm by Anne Freestone
      Sep 25th
      Jump to Recipe

      It’s football season, and what could be better than some chicken wings to go with your beer as you watch the game? Ever wonder how wings got to be one of the foods most associated with American football?

      Well, according to the National Chicken Council, it really begins with the invention of Buffalo Wings back in 1964. The story goes that one of the co-owners of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Teressa Bellissimo, cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends.  They guys liked them so much that the wings were put on the menu the next day.  The “Buffalo Wings” were an instant hit with the locals.

      So then the guy who sold hot sauce to the bar went on the road with the owners’ son to promote the wings and sell his hot sauce, and hot wings gradually caught on with restaurant operators around the country. 


      After that, the correlation of wings to American football was all timing.

      In the 1980s, U.S. consumers started preferring boneless-skinless breast meat, and wings became an inexpensive byproduct for chicken producers.  Restaurants and bars then realized they could make money off of the cheaply obtained wings, and that the spicy sauce made people drink more beer, further enhancing their bottom line.

      Shortly after that, in the 1990s, sports bars with multiple TVs and satellite dishes were becoming more and more common. And, since the most popular sporting event to watch with friends in bars is football, wings were forever bonded to football.

      So, then, on to my version.

      These are not Buffalo style wings (though I love those, too), but rather a dry rubbed baked version, which makes them a bit less messy and easier to prepare than the deep fried and sauced types.

      These have been tested by my husand, and also our 24 year old son (back home with us for awhile while he completes his clinicals for physical therapy school) and a couple of his PT classmates who came over to watch football on our bigscreen. So, these have been approved by actual people watching actual football and drinking actual beer, which to me is the highest endorsement for a chicken wing.

      A couple of notes – please be sure to use smoked paprika, or the result will just not be the same. (Yes, I know I’m obsessed with the stuff, but it really does make a difference). As you make the rub, be sure to note the shift from tablespoons to teaspoons in the recipe, so you get the intended ratios of spices.

      As for the wings, in this recipe I am referencing complete wings, which I break down into drumettes and flats myself with kitchen shears. So, 20 complete wings will result in 40 separate pieces. If you don’t want the work of breaking the wings down, you can obtain them already broken down (usually in the frozen section in bags) for an upcharge. Also note that you don’t have to use all of the rub made here for the 20 wings – just use enough to color them up, and save the rest for another batch of wings.

      Finally, it is important to bake these wings on a rack, so that they are not sitting in their own grease and getting soggy. Put the rack on a foil lined cookie sheet, spray the rack with non stick, and you are good to go with easy cleanup.

      Serve with your favorite dipping sauce – for us, it’s ranch (none of that stinky blue cheese is allowed in my house), but if that’s what you like, go for it. Enjoy!

      Print Recipe

      Game Day Dry Rubbed Wings

      Prep Time20 mins
      Cook Time45 mins
      Total Time1 hr 5 mins
      Servings: 4
      Author: Anne Freestone

      Ingredients

      • 20 chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats, or 40 pieces
      • 2 tbsp vegatable oil, or enough to coat wings
      • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
      • 1 tbsp fine kosher salt
      • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
      • 1 tsp chili powder
      • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
      • 1 tsp ground cumin
      • 1 tsp onion powder
      • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
      • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
      • 1/2 tsp dried mustard
      • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
      • 1/4 tsp black pepper
      • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
      • 1/4 tsp dried thyme

      Instructions

      • Combine all dry ingredients and mix well.
      • Place wing pieces in a large bowl with vegatable oil, and mix to coat.
      • Sprinkle rub mix onto wings gradually, mixing to coat, until the wings are just nicely colored up, as pictured. (The amount of rub in this recipe will coat more than the 20 wings or 40 pieces, so don't use it all at once).
      • Place wings, not touching each other, on non stick sprayed rack placed on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes, until nicely browned.
      Rate this
      Posted in Appetizer | Tagged anne freestone, dry rubbed wings, game day wings, oven baked wings
    • Recent Posts

      • Caramelized Pork Bowls – New Life for Ground Pork
      • Creamy Onion Cheese Soup – Variation on a Classic
      • Lavender Lemonade – Herbal Twist on a Classic
      • Cream of Asparagus Soup and the Accidental Harvest
      • Cinnamon Rolls, Gardening and Other Therapies Amid Coronavirus Chaos
    • Categories

      • Dinner (5)
      • Brunch (4)
      • Soup (4)
      • Cooking Discussions (3)
      • Mexican (3)
      • Breakfast (3)
      • Garden (3)
      • Lunch (3)
      • Italian (3)
      • Appetizer (2)

Powered by WordPress.com.

 

Loading Comments...