Moveable meals

This week in Newburyport it’s Yankee Homecoming, for my family that means picnic dinners at Waterfront Park while listening to the concerts each night. But it also means that we’re running all day and we don’t want to be tied to the kitchen.

Tonight we’re going to have my friend Sheila’s wonderful, easy, chicken wings. My family devours these! They’re a perfect, very simple Quickie meal, because you start them early, and they're ready when you are.

Sheila’s sumptuous chicken wings

2 lbs. chicken wings (already trimmed “wingettes”)
1 bottle Ken’s Teriyaki Marinade or Ken's Buffalo Chicken Sauce

Place wings and marinade in a baggie in the refrigerator overnight.

Early in the morning, before the house gets too hot, preheat oven to 300°. Line cookie sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray (this makes clean-up a snap). Spread wings on cookie sheets and bake wings for 1-1½ hours. Turn oven to broil for about 20 minutes to get the wings crispy on the outside.

Turn off oven and transfer wings to crock pot. Keep in crock pot on low until ready to serve. They’ll be falling-off-the-bone tender!

Add a salad or some fresh fruit to your wings and they’re dinner! Or take them to a party as an impressive appetizer.

Summertime sippin' (for the grown ups)

I was introduced to the Purcell sisters when my next-door neighbor, Ellen, showed me their book, Straight Up! Cocktail Parties. It was another one of those "How did my sister and I not think of this?! How did we miss that party train?" moments. But since we didn't do it, I'm glad that the Purcell sisters did, their recipes and entertaining tips are fabulous, and their writing style is so entertaining, I actually read the book cover-to-cover. Their mom's margarita recipe is foolproof, it calls for 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1 1/4 oz triple sec, and 2 oz tequila, I'm not good at remembering exact quantities, so I converted it all to 1/4 ounces so I could remember the proportions instead: It's a 3-5-8 Margarita, starting with the least potent and moving to the most potent, that I can remember. My friends Tom & Dawn always add a little orange juice to their margaritas, and it gives them a little something extra, I'll be honest, I haven't that with these, because they do seem perfect as they are. The sisters caution to use plain ole Jose Cuervo Gold, that an expensive sipping tequila just doesn't work in this recipe. On a final note, Ellen's promised me an introduction to, even a night on the town with, one of the sisters when she visits next weekend, I can't wait!

Summertime sippin', continued

After I talked about making iced coffee ice cubes in yesterday's blog, I was making iced green tea, and decided to make an extra batch for ice cubes ... same principle, don't dilute the beverage. Also, with all the hullabaloo about green tea being good for weight control, I thought I'd throw a few cubes in my water or in my regular iced tea for good measure.

Then, I opened the Boston Globe's Food section and read a great article about Southern sweet tea, and the varieties of iced tea available in Boston's tea houses and coffee shops.

After reading that, I thought I'd look for an authentic sweet tea recipe. I went to foodtv.com to see what Paula Dean had to say -- she seems to be the authority on all things Southern, but alas, no sweet tea recipe from Paula. I modified this 5-star recipe from a viewer (she used sugar straight, and from everything I've read, the magic to sweet tea is using simple syrup so you don't get any granule-y residue. Does anyone have a tried-and-true favorite of their own?

So everything turns out at the same time, start your simple syrup while you're boiling the water for your tea. (Simple syrup can also be used to sweeten iced tea, mint juleps or other alcohol based drinks, fruit salad, as well as a soaking liquid for in between layers of genoise cake.)

Southern Sweet Tea

8 cups water
4 small or 2 family-size tea bags
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
8 cups cold water

In a kettle, boil 8 cups water. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat the sugar and water and bring to a boil. When the sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat. Add tea bags to boiling water and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes, or to taste. Strain tea into a gallon-size pitcher and add simple syrup. Add remaining cold water to pitcher and stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

With Relish

Ever wonder what açaí is (or how to pronounce it)? How to use chard to it's best advantage? How to cut a mango? If so, Relish magazine (celebrating America's love of food). With features like cookcabulary, personalized video tours of supermarkets with a professional chef (including recipes), blogs, message boards, wine picks, and more, this web site gives a foodie a good deal of fodder.

For those who are wondering, açaí (pronounced ah-SAH-ee) is the berry of the açaí palm native to tropical South America, açaí has rocked the health-food world, shooting to the top of the charts of so-called “super-foods.” Açaí can be found in a multitude of forms: concentrate (perfect for making smoothies), juice, sorbet and powder. My boys love it in their favorite Vitamin Water flavor.

Summertime sippin'

31 Days of Blog: Day 15. One of my great joys of summer is iced coffee. I look forward to it as soon as the weather starts to warm. A few years ago, I found this recipe in Better Homes and Garden magazine for spiced iced coffee. It's fabulous!

Really Hot Iced Coffee

1/3 c ground coffee
2 inches stick cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper
6 pods cardamom, crushed, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Raw sugar or granulated sugar (optional)
Ice cubes
1/2 c whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
1/2 t ground nutmeg (optional)

Measure coffee into the filter-lined basket of a 10-cup coffeemaker filled with 8 to 10 cups water. Add cinnamon, red pepper, and cardamom. Prepare coffee according to coffeemaker instructions. Chill for at least 1 hour. Stir in sugar, if desired. Pour into an ice-filled pitcher or tall, ice-filled glasses. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Makes 10 servings.

(I've only served with the cream on special occasions (book group is the only one that comes to mind). I like my iced coffee very strong, unsweetened, with milk only, so that may be why I like this recipe so much.)

I've adapted the recipe over the years. I only use whole bean coffee, so I often throw in whatever whole spices I have on hand along with the beans. Today I used whole allspice, cloves, and coriander. Two cinnamon sticks and a bit of crushed red pepper is like having a red hot candy in your mouth with coffee. I like to use the spiced coffee to make ice cubes to add subtle flavor to the iced coffee while they melt. You could add your favorite liqueur for an after-dinner drink

However you brew it, enjoy this summertime treat.

Summer desserts

I was bringing a dessert to a friend's poolside gathering yesterday, and it was just too hot to cook (not to mention that there was no time between morning baseball games and afternoon party), so I made a Peach Melba in a Pail. (My husband wasn't so sure about my using the sandpail as a serving vessel, but I assured him, it had only ever been used for food, it's a great way to celebrate the season, it's fun, and it makes an impact.)

Peach melba in a pail

1 half gallon black raspberry ice cream
1 jar Trader Joe's Peach Sauce (or 3-4 sliced peaches)
1 pt of heavy cream, whipped with 1/4 c powdered sugar and 1/2 t vanilla extract (or 2 c Cool Whip)
2 c crushed Oreos
1 pt raspberries
1 clean beach sandpail

Layer ice cream, peach sauce, Oreos, raspberries, whipped cream, until you've used all ingredients. Store in freezer until ready to serve. May be made the day ahead.

Earl of Sandwich

Yum! I just made the tastiest sandwich ... you know how sometimes something simple just hits the spot? What other combinations (and acronyms) can you come up with?The ALT

1/2 Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, & Whole Wheat Flour Lavash Bread
4 slices pepper-crusted turkey breast
romaine lettuce
2 slices avocado (the creamier the better)
Honeycup mustard

Spread mustard on lavash, layer turkey, lettuce, and avocado, roll, and enjoy. (Make lots and slice them into 2" pieces for a party platter.)