Secrets to the Tastiest Tailgating Party

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From Denny: Well, it's official! The New Orleans Saints won their last game and are on their way to the Super Bowl!!! Can I tell you that all of Louisiana is shocked and amazed - and deliriously happy? The Saints deserved a break and this season God finally shined His Face upon them. What a wild ride with so many people holding their breath, wondering if The Saints would make it. Congratulations, Saints!

Sports are big here in Louisiana and tailgating is a long time honored tradition to get together with friends and loved ones to make new friends. CBS Early Show had a great video and some recipes to share.

From CBS: "Wing expert Kevin Roberts, executive chef and owner of San Diego's East Village Tavern, chili queen Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef of New York's Hill Country and pitmaster Ed Mitchell, of Raleigh's The Pit, prepared their best to fill up your guests on game day. You can see Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday February 7, on CBS."

Recipes:

Smokey West Coast Wings
Far East Wings
The Original Buffalo Chicken Wings
Super Bowl Sunday Ribs
Bowl of Red (Chili)



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Kevin Robert's Smokey West Coast Wings

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds Wings (flats and drumettes only)
1 stick butter, melted
1 bottle Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1 can Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce Grilled - until crispy

METHOD:

In a large pot with boiling water boil the chicken wings for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the water and pat dry. Place on a hot grill and cook until crispy and cooked all the through.

Combine the melted butter, cayenne pepper sauce, and chipotle peppers with adobo sauce. Add the wings and coat thoroughly. Serve immediately.




FAR EAST WINGS

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds (flats and drumettes only)
1 bottle Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
Juice of 1/2 Lemon

METHOD:

In a large pot with boiling water boil the chicken wings for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the water and pat dry. Place on a hot grill and cook until crispy and cooked all the through.

In a large bowl combine the sweet chili sauce, honey, soy sauce and lemon juice. Mix well and add the chicken wings and coat thoroughly. Serve immediately.

THE ORIGINAL BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds Chicken Wing Pieces
1/2 cup Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/3 cup melted Butter

METHOD:

Deep-fry* wings in hot oil (400°F) for 12 minutes until fully cooked and crispy; drain.

Combine Cayenne Pepper Sauce and butter. Dip wings in sauce to coat.

Serve wings with celery and blue cheese dressing if desired.

Note: For equally crispy wings, bake 1 hour at 425°F, or grill 30 minutes over medium heat.




Ed Mitchell’s Super Bowl Sunday Ribs

Ingredients:

Spareribs
Your favorite seasoning or rub
Eastern North Carolina-style, vinegar-based sauce Your favorite tangy barbecue sauce

Prepping: With a good knife and cutting board, remove “skirt” on the bone side of the ribs. Turn ribs over and remove about 2 to 2 1/2 inches along top of rack. Clean both ends of rack if they are ragged. With a small paring knife, lift up membrane on bone side, grab with a kitchen towel and remove from rack. Remove large fat deposits on “meat” side and lightly make several “knife scores” along the rack, parallel with the rib bones.

Next, cut the rack into five bone portions. Four bone or six bone portions are fine, but five are ideal. Once all the ribs are portioned, sprinkle the rub on both sides of rib. Place in covered container if not grilling immediately.

Cooking: Once you have the grill pit hot with charcoal, arrange seasoned ribs, meat side down, on the grill. Allow this side to cook uninterrupted for about 15 minutes. Using tongs, carefully and quickly turn ribs over (bone side down). Baste with Eastern North Carolina-style vinegar sauce. Allow to cook for another 15 minutes or so. With a clean kitchen towel, blot off any blood on the meat side of the ribs. Repeat, turning over ribs at 10 to 15 minute intervals for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until just fully cooked. After each turn, baste with vinegar sauce A properly cooked spare rib will have a nice seasoned browned color.

After removing the ribs from the grill, baste the ribs with vinegar sauce again. This step helps keep the ribs moist and gives the ribs additional flavor. Cover pan with aluminum foil and put in a low-temperature warmer (150˚ F.) until they will be served. Lightly brush ribs with barbecue sauce before to serving.




Elizabeth Karmel's Bowl of Red

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
Olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground chuck
1 12-ounce bottle of Lone Star or other beer
2 10-ounce cans Rotel tomatoes with Chiles
6 ounces tomato paste
2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly ground oregano leaves
1 tablespoon dehydrated garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt or more to taste
1 tablespoon Ancho Chile powder
2 teaspoons New Mexican Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cold Kreuz Market Jalapeno Cheddar link, chopped (optional)
Cornbread or Tortilla chips as an accompaniment

METHOD:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add beef and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add beer, Rotel tomatoes and tomato paste and stir. Stir and simmer for a few minutes, then add spices. Stir thoroughly.

Cover pot and cook on a low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally to break up the pieces of tomato and make sure all the spices are well incorporated. Add sausage if using and heat for 5-10 minutes more or until sausage is warmed through.

If chili is too thick, additional water or beer may be added, but add slowly and cautiously.

Serve with a slice of cornbread or tortilla chips and extra hot sauce for the heat freaks on the side.

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Chocolate Cake Recipes at Romancing The Chocolate

From Denny: Thought I'd start cataloging these chocolate recipes so you can find them faster than a blog search! This is going to take a while so be sure to check back often for added links. Why waste time looking for a chocolate recipe when you can be digging into it with your fork and enjoying it? :)

CAKES

Most Popular Web Recipe: Double Chocolate Cake

Chef Sandra Lees Easy Frozen Chocolate Cookie Cake

Valentines Day: Impressive Four Chocolates Cake

Flourless chocolate espresso cake with berries

3 Quick Awesome Chocolate Recipes for the Holidays:
Almond Fudge Topped Shortbread
Easy MINI KISSES Cookie Torte
Really Chocolate Chocolate Cake
CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

Calorie Monster Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Recipe: Easy Black Russian Cake





Recipe: Easy Cocoa Chocolate Sheet Cake

Recipe: Swiss Chocolate Cake

Recipes: Chocolate Alcoholic Drinks That Taste Like Favorite Foods!

Recipe: Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze

Recipe: University Club's Skillet Chocolate Gooey Cake

Recipe: How to Make German Chocolate Cake Without a Mix

Recipe: German Chocolate Cake and Coconut Pecan Frosting

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot


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How to Cook Perfect Al Dente Pasta, Giadas Simple Recipe

From Denny: Beginner cooks are always asking how to cook pasta just up to the right texture without going past it to the gooey too soft uninspired noodles like you get at a cafeteria.

First of all, start with a huge pot of cold water. Once it comes up to the boil, throw in a fair amount of salt for the volume of water so you get a layered effect of taste. If you wait to salt the pasta after it's cooked it tends to sit on top, not soaked in like if you had cooked it into it.

Second, you don't really need to put any oil into the boiling water to prevent sticking. If you have a large enough volume of water the pasta will "dance" and not stick together at all. Though I like to stir it every now and then with a pasta fork to make sure, especially if it's long noodles.

Or you can break all the proper rules like I do when I'm hard-pressed for time: use a small volume of water to boil and stir constantly. It can get tricky unless you are used to how the pasta is supposed to look when just cooked properly. So, before you break all the rules, first learn them! :)

When you go to drain the pasta, make sure you save a little pasta water, about one cup or so, that has all that starch and vitamins from the processing. Use that to marry your sauce or sauteed veggies to the noodles, thickening the sauce without added butter or oil so you save on calories!

Take a look at the demo:

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*** Chef Giada from Food Network is always showing how to make delicious simple Italian food quickly and this recipe is so easy!

PENNE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

From: Chef Giada De Laurentis

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 (8 1/2 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, basil, and garlic in a food processor just until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel free to comment, a big hug to current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!

Mission of Hope Run by American in Haiti

From Denny: A few years before the disaster struck in Haiti, American Brad Johnson decided to move there and help the people in his parents' ongoing Christian mission to Haiti. He was in a unique position to help after the earthquake as he already had an established school, an orphanage and a medical clinic operating, along with plenty of supplies. His mission is just outside of Port-au-Prince. He is busy distributing supplies to survivors and has been within hours of when the disaster hit.

Here is the website: Mission of Hope in Haiti

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, a big shout out to current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!

Funny Quotes About Chocolate

From Denny: Here it is - All the funny quotes about chocolate I have found so far and given a home here at Romancing The Chocolate blog!



* Bumper sticker: If they don't have chocolate in Heaven, I'm not going!

* Nobody knows the truffles I've seen. - Anonymous

* Money talks; chocolate sings! - Anonymous

* Chocolate doesn't make the world go around ... but it certainly makes the ride worthwhile! - Anonymous

* Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done. - Anonymous

* In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better. - Anonymous

* Life without chocolate is weird like a beach without water. It's just plain unnatural! - Denny Lyon

* "Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso." (Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.) - Spanish proverb

* Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate. - Anonymous

* Man cannot live by chocolate alone but it sure is fun trying! - Anonymous

* There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. - Anonymous

* I would give up chocolate but I'm no quitter. - Anonymous

* In the cookies of Life, friends are the chocolate chips. - Anonymous

* There is no such group as Chocolates Anonymous; no one wants to quit! - Anonymous

* LADIES AND CHOCOLATE

"The Spanish ladies of the New World are madly addicted to chocolate, to such a point that, not content to drink it several times each day, they even have it served to them in church. This sensuality has often brought down upon them the wrath of their bishops; but the latter have ended by closing their eyes to sin, and the Reverend Father Escobar, whose spiritual reasoning was as subtle as his moral doctrine was accommodating, issued a formal declaration that chocolate made with water was not contrary to the rule of the fast days, even evoking (to the profit of his penitents), the time worn adage, Liquidum non frangit jejunium."

- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), The Physiology of Taste

From RTC reader Joann Vallo and fellow blogger friend of women's issues: "I meditate, I do yoga, and I have a lot of friends who are healers...and if none of that works, I go buy a chocolate bar and a bottle of cognac." - Susan Strasberg

"After about 20 years of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." - Mel Gibson

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz

"Anything is good IF it's made of chocolate." - Jo Brand

"I am not a strict vegan, because I'm a hedonist pig. If I see a big chocolate cake that is made with eggs, I'll have it." - Grace Slick

* Look, there's no metaphysics on earth like chocolates. - Fernando Pessoa

* Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate! - Sandra J. Dykes

* I never do any television without chocolate. That's my motto and I live by it. Quite often I write the scripts and I make sure there are chocolate scenes. Actually I'm a bit of a chocolate tart and will eat anything. It's amazing I'm so slim. - Dawn French

* I owe it all to little chocolate donuts. - John Belushi

* I reckon I tried everything on the old apple, but salt and pepper and chocolate sauce topping. - Gaylord Perry

I was handed a chocolate bar and an M-1 rifle and told to go kill Hitler. - Jack Kirby

* Ice cream was my undoing, and six chocolate milk shakes in a row were nothing to me at one time. - Kate Smith

* It's about avoiding reality through various escape routes that become addictions and lead to Hell. My character is addicted to television, chocolate, coffee, to her dream of her son, which has no basis in reality. - actress Ellen Burstyn



* Most men, no matter how well or badly dressed, carry overstuffed, beat up wallets that should have been replaced years ago. Why is that? Every time I see a guy take out a wallet anywhere, it looks like a piece of old melted chocolate cake-with strings. - Jonathan Carroll

* Number one, I absolutely love making chocolate chip cookies. I mean, it's fun. It's exciting. Beyond the fact that I love making them, I love eating them. successful cookie company owner Debbi Fields

* People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are catching cold. - John Jay Chapman

* Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can't remember what they are. - Matt Lauer, NBC Today Show host

* Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. - Truman Capote

* You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar. - George Carlin

* Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces. - Judith Viorst

* Your face makes my soul want to eat chocolate pudding! - Andy Milonakis

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, huge hug to current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email! And, if you are really lucky, I'll save you a piece of cake...