Football Saturday: Game day Recipes

What game day party or tailgate would be complete without chicken wings? When it's honey, bbq, spicy or buffalo--everyone loves a good chicken wing.

So in honor of Carolina's first game of the season I present to you some mighty awesome game day recipes.
And what party is complete with an alcoholic drink of some sort?

Drinks: Blueberry Hard Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2  fresh mint leaves
• ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons gin (1 oz)
• 1/2 cup ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
• lemon wedges, blueberries on a beverage pick, fresh mint, if desired

Directions:

In a highball glass, muddle blueberries, lemon juice and mint.
Fill glass to rim with ice cubes. Add gin. Top with ginger ale; stir gently.

Entrees: Buffalo Wings 

Ingredients

• 12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• Kosher salt

Directions

Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

For Spicy Wings Check out this recipe:

Ingredients

For the Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joint, tips removed

For the Batter:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the seasoning: Whisk the seasoning salt, red pepper flakes, cayenne, poultry seasoning, lemon pepper and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons seasoning in a separate bowl.

Rinse the wings under cold water and place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the seasoning, then refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.

Make the batter: Whisk the eggs, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cayenne and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Put the flour in a shallow dish or pie plate.

In a large deep fryer or Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Dip the wings in the eggs, then in the flour. Place the wings, three at a time, in the hot oil and fry until golden, 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Make sure the oil returns to 350 degrees F before adding the next batch. Sprinkle the wings with the reserved seasoning to make them extra hot.

Make the sauce: Mix the sour cream, horseradish, chili sauce, cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with the wings.

Desserts: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs  (Tablespoon.com)

• Ingredients: 
• 1 pint strawberries
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 plastic sandwich bag

Directions:

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in glass bowl at 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring well between intervals until melted.


Dip strawberries fully in semi-sweet chocolate. Place on wax paper and let cool.

Melt white chocolate in microwave. Let cool for 2 minutes and pour in plastic sandwich bag. Cut tiny hole in corner of bag and pipe football pattern on chocolate covered strawberries.