Crispy Honey Garlic Wings

Double fried wings tossed in sticky sweet deliciousness - good lord they’re sooooo good!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup soy sauce

• 3/4 cup honey

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sriracha

• 2-3 pounds chicken wings

• 1 cup corn starch

• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic

• 3 cups neutral oil for frying

• Sliced green onion & toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Combine soy, honey, vinegar, garlic & sriracha in a small pot

2. Bring to a boil to over medium heat, then turn down and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes

3. White it simmers, dry wings well with paper towels and then toss with cornstarch & granulated to coat well

4. Heat oil to 325 degrees and fry wings for 5 minutes in batches so you don’t overload the pan

5. Remove to a cooling rack, and fry the rest

6. Turn heat to 375 and fry winhgs again for another 5 minutes

7. Remove from oil, let dry slightly then toss with sauce (not too much) plate and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

8. En-fricking-joy!

Baked Brie with Shiitakes

This is one delicious appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 6 Shitake mushrooms, stems removed & thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Pinch Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch garlic powder
• 1 sheet puff pastry, removed from freezer about 30 minutes before using
• Flour
• One 8 ounce wheel of brie, with top rind removed
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Put non-stick pan on high/medium heat, add oil, butter and mushrooms - cook about 5 minutes until nicely softened, add thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder - stir well to combine then remove from heat and set aside
3. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to make it a little thinner
4. Place cooked mushrooms in the center of the pastry - spread out to approximately the same diameter as the cheese
5. Spoon mustard on top of brie, then place mustard-side down onto the mushrooms
6. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover and turn over - trim the excess - and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and press down to seal. Reserve the pastry scraps for decoration (if you want)
7. Beat the egg and milk to combine in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Place seam-side down onto a lined (parchment paper) baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired - brush with the egg wash
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown - serve with thinly sliced baguettes or crackers.

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Polenta Bruschetta

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

• 1 Polenta Chub (makes about 20 rounds)

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil (use what you have but I used avocado oil)

• ½ cup goat cheese, soften

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil - pinch of salt and pepper to taste; set aside

2. Open Polenta and remove rounded ends

3. Slice polenta into ½ inch slices

4. Brush oil onto polenta slices and season with salt and pepper

5. Grill on each side for 3-5 minutes until they get really good grill marks

6. Remove polenta from the grill

7. On each grilled polenta round, spread a little goat cheese, top with bruschetta mixture and serve.

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Fried Pizza

Yes, you read it right, fried damn pizza. Make it, fry it, eat it. Oh my…

Makes 1

INGREDIENTS

• Oil to fry, canola works great
• 1 quarter of the 3 minute pizza dough
• Flour
• ⅓ cup tomato sauce, any you like
• ½ cup burrata cheese
• 2-3 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Pour about ½ inch of oil into a large heavy pan (cast iron would be ideal) and heat to approx 350-375 degrees
3. Sprinkle a little flour on a working surface and roll out dough into a circle 6- 8 inches in diameter
4. Carefully put the dough into the hot pan - lay it down facing away from you
5. Cook about 1-½ minute on each side, flip over carefully using tongs
6. Drain fried dough on paper towel, then place the crust on a baking sheet
7. Spread sauce evenly over the crust and then the burrata
8. Sprinkle with basil leaves and top with parmesan
9. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts
10. Slice and serve - you can thank me later.

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Doughnutmisu

Serves 6

Think Tiramisu, but with powdered doughnuts – yes, it's that simple. And a pretty bitchin name I might add...

Ingredients

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 6 small powdered doughnuts, sliced in half
• 6 tablespoons Hersheys chocolate syrup
• 1/4 cup Kahlua
• Cocoa powder

Directions

1. Blend cheese, powdered sugar and whipping cream until smooth
2. Put 1 tablespoon Hersheys in bottom of martini glass
3. Dip cut side of each doughnut in Kahlua
4. On top of chocolate, place 1 doughnut half, then a big tablespoon of cheese mix, then another doughnut half, then more cheese mix then dust with cocoa powder
5. Refrigerate about an hour before eating

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Buffalo Chicken Fries

Should be self explanatory - but even if they're not...just make em.

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 28 ounce bag of sweet potato fries
• 1 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Sauce or the regular – both are great
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
• 1 cup pre-cooked deli chicken, shredded
• parsley leaves, chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook fries according to package directions – but get 'em extra crispy
2. While they cook, combine hot sauce, honey and butter over low heat – stir to combine
3. Toss fries a portion at a time in some of the sauce (don't over sauce though), plate, add some chicken, drizzle with blue cheese dressing and a little more buffalo sauce
4. Top with chopped parsley.

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Sriracha Popcorn

Makes one damn good bag

Why put sriracha in popcorn? Because we can, obviously.

Ingredients

• One bag microwave popcorn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• Salt

Directions

1. Make popcorn according to package directions
2. While it cooks, melt butter in a small pot over low heat – stir in, garlic and Sriracha
3. Toss popcorn with sriracha butter, sugar and salt to taste
4. Serve

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Spicy Honey Shrimp

Spice…honey & shrimp. Three of my favorite things all in one recipe. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

INGREDIENTS

• Canola oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook onions, red pepper and green onions in a tablespoon of oil in a hot wok or pan until starting to soften - about 3 minutes
2. While it cooks, combine honey, soy and chili sauce in a small bowl - mix well and set aside
3. Add ginger and garlic to vegetables and stir through for about a minute - remove vegetables to a plate
4. Put pan back on the heat, allow to get very hot, add a little more oil and then add shrimp - cook about 2 minutes or just until they’re almost done
5. Add vegetables and sauce - stir through to heat everything and let sauce thicken a bit
6. Serve on rice, noodles or just eat right of the pan.

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Finlandia Napoleons

Wait till you see how easy and crazy delicious these are. Made with #Finlandia Creamy Gourmet Cheese.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• Finlandia Sweet Lemon Creamy Gourmet Cheese*
• Raspberry jam
• Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Roll out a defrosted sheet of puff pastry to make it approximately 30% larger, and poke all over with a fork 

3. Then cut into 2” x 3” rectangles, place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown,15-20 minutes - remove and let cool
4. Using Finlandia Sweet Lemon Creamy Gourmet Cheese spread a 1/8” inch layer on one rectangle, top with another rectangle, add another layer of cheese and finally a layer of raspberry jam – 
5. To serve, add a final dusting of powdered sugar.

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*Finlandia Butter can be found at Vons, Albertsons and Safeway. Finlandia Cheeses are also available, in Southern California at Costco and other fine retailers.

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FINLANDIA DESSERT WONTONS

Want a crazy good, 4 ingredient dessert?  Look no further than these Vanilla Bean & Apricot wontons.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

• 7 ounces Finlandia Vanilla Bean Creamy Gourmet Cheese
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 24 round won ton wrappers
• Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat ovento 400
2. Combine cheese & apricot jam in bowl – mix well
3. Put about 2 teaspoons of the mix in the center of each wrapper
4. Lightly moisten the edges of each wrapper with water, fold in half and seal tightly- place on baking sheet
5. Place in the freezer about 20minutes
6. Bake in a until they start to brown - about 15 minutes and let cool slightly, then dust lightly with powdered sugar, and serve alone or with ice cream. 

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*Finlandia Butter can be found at Vons, Albertsons and Safeway. Finlandia Cheeses are also available, in Southern California at Costco and other fine retailers.

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Cheryl’s Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 16 2" squares or 32 1"x2" small bars

I don't go for many sweet things, but this is a favorite of mine, it's in the top 10.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
• 10-ounce bag Marshmallows
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty.
3. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
4. As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
5. Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. You can use a piece of waxed or parchment paper sprayed with oil or spread with butter (even better, save the wrapper from the butter and use that!) to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.
6. Let cool completely and then cut into squares. Devour.

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BEST CARNE ASADA FRIES, EVER!

Serves 4-6

A Southern California classic… never had em? You are in for a treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch cilantro (no stems) chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon each Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Zest & juice of one lime
• One flank steak – about 1.5 pounds
• 1-28 ounce bag frozen French fries
• About 2 cups shredded colby/jack cheese
• Guacamole, and sour cream for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt & pepper, olive oil, lime juice and zest – mix well
2. Put flank and marinade into a large Ziploc bag, zip shut and squish around to make sure flank is well covered
3. Refrigerate 1-4 hours
4. Heat grill to high and grill flank about 5 minutes each side
5. Meanwhile, cook french fries according to package directions
6. Slice flank into thins strips then rough chop into smaller pieces
7. Put on top of cooked fries and top with cheese
8. Microwave 30-60 seconds or until cheese melts
9. Garnish with guacamole and sour cream

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Maple Chipotle Wings

Makes a pound

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound chicken wings, I like to cut off the wing tip & separate the wing from the little tiny leg kinda thing
• 1 cup maple syrup (or if ur feeling cheap pancake syrup will totally do)
• 3 chipotle peppers, minced fine
• Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler to high
2. Combine syrup & chipotle peppers, mix well and put on med/high heat
3. Bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer - let go about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened
4. Meanwhile put wings on a foil covered baking sheet, and place baking sheet about 6 inches below glowing coils - broil about 10 minutes per side until done
5. Remove, put some wings in a large bowl, add some sauce and toss well
6. Serve & right fricking now!!!! 

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MINI QUICHES

Bust these out for parties and NYE, they are quick and super delicious. Also, a great way to use up leftover pie dough and anything else in the fridge.

Makes 12 quiches

INGREDIENTS

• frozen and thawed pie dough
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 12 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3/4 cup soft goat cheese or Monterey Jack
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon Sambal chili paste (or any hot sauce)
• Big pinch Kosher Salt
• 5 grinds fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. cut out 12 pastry 4'' circles (I use a cup), shape into muffin baking tray
3. Preheat skillet on high, add oil, mushrooms and onion cook 3 minutes
4. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, cook 1 more minute
5. Add spinach, let it wilt for 1 minute, remove from heat let it cool
6. Beat eggs, cream, Kosher salt and pepper, Sambal chili paste
7. Spoon 1 tablespoon of vegetable mix into each, spoon 2 tablespoons of egg mix
8. Bake for 22 minutes, cool on rack for 2 minutes, eat!

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Warm nuts

Bunch last minute visitors arrived on your doorstep...?! Have no fear. Keep your pantry stocked with these simple ingredients and it will always be a breeze.

INGREDIENTS

• bag of nuts (any kind, but I prefer cashews, unsalted)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• dash of smoked paprika
• pinch of Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In small heat-proof dish, add all ingredients
2. Microwave for 30 seconds
3. Mix and serve with a ice cold beer or cocktail.

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Herbed Goat Cheese

A perfect last minute appetizer for the holiday season or any party.

INGREDIENTS

• 4oz soft goat cheese log
• 2 green onions, chopped finely 
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped finely (or, dill works too)
• pinch Kosher salt
• 6 grinds fresh black pepper
• whatever bread you have... Bagel, French Baguette, sliced thinly

DIRECTIONS

1. mix green onion parsley and salt and peper
2. roll the goat cheese in the mix coat generously and evenly
3. toast your bread and serve. 

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Hummus 2.0

One of my favorite go-to lastminute appetizers, take a simple little hummus and make it party fancy. 

INGREDIENTS

• Spicy hummus (or whatever you have in the fridge)
• kalamata olives, chopped
• pita bread or flat bread
• extra virgin olive oil
• pinch Kosher salt
• pinch cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Garnish hummus with drizzle of evoo, olives, dusting of cayenne and pinch salt
2. Toast bread and slice and serve 

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Leftover Steak & Caramelized red onion Naan

This is so delicious. A great party food appetizer, if you are entertaining, the blue cheese pairs well with good bottle of red. 

Serves 2 as appetizer

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb leftover pre-cooked chilled steak (I used filet, but anything you like)
• 1 naan bread
• 1 red onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler
2. In medium skillet on low heat, add butter, oil and red onions cook for 5 minutes or until sugars release and gets sticky
3. Add brown sugar to onions, cook 3 minutes
4. In small pot on med/low heat, bring balsamic vinegar to simmer, turn down as low as possible, reduce vinegar until consistency of maple syrup
5. In dry skillet heat naan for 1 minute each side, just to soften, put to one side
6. In skillet, high heat, lightly oiled, add waffer thin sliced steak, cook 1 minute
7. Build: naan, generous layer red onions, steak, top with blue cheese
8. Broil on high 1 minute
9. Evenly drizzle over 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction, cut and eat.

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Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 24 mushrooms

These little gems are perfect for anything. NO really - anything.

Ingredients

• 24 mushrooms: white, cremini, brown, whatever works for you
• Olive oil
• 6 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup smoked Gouda, grated
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and fresh ground
• 1/2 cup bacon, cooked and finely diced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Remove stems from mushrooms, set caps aside and chop stems finely
3. Preheat non-stick pan on low/medium heat
4. Lightly drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil and place bottom-side up in pan
5. Cook until softened and just beginning to color - about 5 minutes - remove, gently turn upside down on a paper towel to drain any liquid then put face up on a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Cook chopped stems with a little oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan about a minute
7. Add green onions and continue to cook until all is softened, 4 to 5 minutes more - remove and put in a bowl
8. Add panko, gouda, Worcestershire, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper & bacon - mix well
9. Put some of the mixture into each mushroom cap
10. Bake 20 minutes or until slightly crispy on top - serve

Soy & beer braised pork belly

Serves 2

I crave this all the time. Make it. It's worth it. 

INGREDIENTS

• pork belly (got mine from COOK PIGS RANCH)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup of Soy sauce
• 1 bottle asian beer
• 2 tablespoons 5 spice powder
• 2 smashed garlic cloves
• 2'' block fresh ginger, peeled, cut into coins
• 2 tablespoons Japanese (Kewpie) mayo
• handful Chinese parsley, aka cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Warm up pot – Dutch oven perfect for pork belly
2. Cut belly into a couple of pieces and score the top, cutting through the skin but not through the meat in a diamond pattern
3. Add olive oil to pan and add pork belly for a few minutes enough so that its golden brown on all sides
4. In a separate pan bottle of Asian beer
5. Add pork belly to pan and add enough water so that pork belly is covered
6. Let it boil, and then bring down to a simmer and cover it for about 2 hours
7. Take out pork belly pieces and heat in another pan until sides are crisp
8. Serve in a Hawaiian Kings roll and add in garlic hoisin sauce, Japanese mayo, and Chinese parsley, aka cilantro 

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