Author: Dave Tappan

Crispy Garlic-Butter Chicken Wings

2 pounds party chicken wings, drums & flats

1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, NOT baking soda!

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1-2 pinches of cayenne pepper, or to taste

Cooking spray

1/2 stick salted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chopped chives, for garnish

Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving

Dry the wings very well with paper towels. You want them to be as dry as possible. Then, place the wings in a bowl. Add the baking powder, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Toss the wings with the dry rub until they are well coated. Set aside.

Oven-Baked Wings

To bake the wings, preheat the oven to 425° Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or tin foil. Then, place an oven-safe wire rack on the sheet pan. Grease it well with neutral oil or cooking spray.

Place the wings skin-side up in a single layer on the wire rack.

Bake the wings for 20 minutes. Then, flip the wings and bake them for another 20-25 minutes until the wings are crispy on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165° at the thickest part. Remove the wings from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Salt them, to taste, as soon as they come out of the oven.

Air Fryer Wings

To air fry the wings, grease the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray. Place the wings skin-side up in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Fry in batches if you need to.

Fry the wings at 400° for 10 minutes. Flip the wings and fry them for 6-8 more minutes until they’re crispy on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165° at the thickest part. Let the wings rest for 4-5 minutes. Salt them, to taste, as soon as they come out.

While the wings are cooking, make the garlic butter. Combine the butter and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook the garlic butter over medium low heat, until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant.

Once the wings have rested for 4-5 minutes, transfer them to a large bowl. Drizzle the garlic butter over the wings and use tongs to toss the wings until they’re evenly coated.

Garnish the wings with the fresh chives. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the wings immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!

Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos (or tostadas) with Chipotle Lime Crema

1 large egg

1 cup flour

Pinch cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder

Kosher salt, to taste

1 cup pale ale

Oil for frying (or air fry)

2 lbs. large, raw shrimp, deveined, shell and tail removed

1 cup Mexican crema (sour cream will work)

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced (plus additional to taste)

Fresh lime juice

Diced onions

Sliced radish

Fresh chopped cilantro

Shredded cabbage

Corn tortillas

In a large bowl stir together the flour, cayenne, garlic powder and salt.

1. Add the egg and the beer, stir with a fork until well combined.

2. Add about 2 inches of oil to a skillet over medium high heat. You want the oil to be at about 350 degrees, or air fry.

3. A few at a time, dip the shrimp into the batter, let the excess batter slide off, then add to the oil. Allow the shrimp to cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan or air fryer and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the crema, chipotle pepper and lime juice. Char the tortillas over a gas flame or on your grill. Or, fry for tostadas.

5. Add the shrimp to the tortillas, top with diced onions, cilantro, radish, cabbage and chipotle crema. Enjoy!

Honey-Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas

3 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. chopped canned chipotle chiles plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce

Kosher salt, to taste

1 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

1 16-oz. can refried beans

1/4 cup sour cream

A few dashes of hot sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red onion, halved and sliced into half-moons

4 cloves garlic, minced

Tostadas, store bought or fried corn tortillas

Crumbled Cotija, queso fresca or feta cheese

Shredded cabbage

Cilantro

Lime wedges

1. Whisk honey, chiles, adobo sauce, and salt in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

2. Heat beans, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and shrimp mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until glaze is thickened and shrimp is pink and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Divide bean mixture among tostadas. Divide shrimp mixture among tostadas and drizzle with any juices. Top with cheese, cabbage, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Slow Cooker Baby-Back Ribs

2 cups BBQ sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar packed

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried mustard

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 racks baby back pork ribs

1. Remove the membrane, or silver-skin from the bottom side of the ribs. Slide a butter knife or the back of a spoon to lift up the skin and use a paper towel to grab on to that s**t

2. Cut each rack in half and season the ribs generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the ribs in the slow cooker.

3. In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients together, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, dried mustard, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Whisk well and pour over the ribs to cover them entirely in sauce. Add more sauce, if need be. Ribs should be just covered. If stacking the ribs, pour sauce in between them as well.

4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

5. Before removing the ribs from the slow cooker, pour some of the BBQ sauce from the slow cooker over the ribs. Cut the ribs and serve with remaining BBQ sauce.

Come hell or high water, I’m gonna make tacos sometime this weekend. I haven’t had my homemade tacos lately. Happy Friday! I hope you have a great weekend!

Dave’s Carne Asada Street Tacos

2 lbs. carne asada (skirt steak or tri-tip)

1 tablespoon cumin

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 Serrano pepper, sliced

1 Roma tomato, diced

1 small white or yellow onion, finely diced

1 bottle Mexican beer

32 street taco corn tortillas

White or yellow onion diced, for garnish

Fresh cilantro roughly chopped, for garnish

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Hot sauce, for serving

Guacamole, for serving

Mix the cumin, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and coat the carne asada with it.

Slice into strips, then dice.

Add it to a large plastic bag or bowl with a cover, and mix the meat with the Serrano pepper, tomato, onion, and beer.

Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes, but up to 1 hour.

Heat a large skillet or griddle with the canola oil over medium high heat, then pour in the entire marinated mixture and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat is cooked through, around 20 minutes.

Build your tacos with the meat and your choice of toppings.

Enjoy!!

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatloaf

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 small onion, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely diced

1/3 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt & fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 pound ground beef

1/2-pound Italian sausage

Topping:

1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, from a wedge

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine egg, onion, celery, panko, wing sauce, oregano and salt & pepper, to taste. Add beef and sausage. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into a loaf in a greased baking dish or on a sheet pan.

Bake 20 minutes. Spread wing sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until a digital probe thermometer reads 160°, 20-30 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

8 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

¼ cup finely chopped shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots

2½ tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

6 oz (about 8 cups) baby spinach

8 oz white button or baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 hard or soft boiled eggs, thinly sliced or cut into wedges

Place the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the bacon cooks, start the dressing: in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.

Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl, then return 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the skillet. (You can discard the remaining bacon fat or save it if you’d like it for cooking.) Add the shallots to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.

Add the bacon fat and shallots from the skillet to the vinegar mixture and whisk to combine. Add the spinach and mushrooms and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide the salad between 4 plates. Evenly divide the egg and cooked bacon. Serve immediately.

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

2 lbs. large raw shrimp peeled, deveined & tail-off

4 large eggs

3 cups Panko

1 cup tapioca flour or cornstarch

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

cooking spray

For the Bang Bang Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

Sriracha, to taste

For the Slaw:

16 oz coleslaw mix

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped green onion

4 tbsp mayonnaise

Juice from 1 lime

Sriracha, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

To Serve:

20 flour tortillas

Chopped green onion

Lime wedges, for serving

Pat the shrimp dry. Then set up your dredging station with 3 shallow bowls. To one of the bowls, add the tapioca flour or cornstarch and seasonings. To the second bowl, add the Panko. To the last bowl, add the eggs and a splash of water and whisk until combined.

Dip each shrimp into the tapioca flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Let them rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place breaded shrimp in your air fryer basket, in one layer and spray the top with oil. You will likely need to cook the shrimp in batches.

Spray the shrimp with cooking spray.

Air fry the shrimp at 390F for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. After you flip the shrimp, spray the other side with oil and continue frying.

While the shrimp is cooking, add all of the bang bang sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Then, add all of the slaw ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.

After the shrimp is done cooking, add it to a large bowl and pour the bang bang sauce over top (reserving a little bit for garnish, if you’d like). Gently toss or shake the bowl to coat the shrimp in the bang bang sauce.

Warm your tortillas over an open flame, on a pan, or in the microwave. Then, assemble your tacos, starting with the tortillas, a bit of the slaw, the shrimp, any leftover bang bang sauce you have, and garnish with some sliced green onion. Enjoy!

Rib-Eye French Dip with Horseradish Sauce

2 boneless rib-eye steaks (about 2 pounds)

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried ground sage

FOR THE JUS

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1 1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

FOR SERVING

4 hoagie rolls

8 slices provolone or Swiss Cheese

Preheat oven to 450°. Rub beef all over with olive oil and place in roasting pan. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, oregano, and sage. Rub spice mix all over beef. Roast for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 125° in the thickest part of the rib-eye. Set aside on a cutting board to rest and turn oven down to 350°.

Meanwhile, make jus: Place roasting pan (with beef drippings) over stove top burner and turn to medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute longer. Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring up to a simmer. Cook until thickened slightly, 8 to 10 minutes more.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the steak with a very sharp knife. Fill each roll with beef and top with provolone. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Spoon some horseradish sauce over the top and serve with jus on the side for dipping.

Horseradish Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp prepared horseradish drained

2 Tbsp mayo

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp chives finely chopped

In a small mixing bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for about 2 weeks.