Jalepeno Lime Chicken Wings

6 lbs. chicken wings
6 jalapeno peppers (seeded and chopped into chunks)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. coconut aminos or soy sauce
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
3 tsp. ground cumin
juice of 6 limes

Put the following ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth: jalapenos, coconut oil, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, lime juice.

Distribute the chicken wings between two gallon freezer bags and pour half the marinade over the chicken into each bag. Seal and shake to coat the chicken. Let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning once to redistribute marinade.

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a wire cooling rack or baking rack on the cookie sheet.

Place the wings on the rack and bake 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, turn the wings over.

Increase the oven temp to 425. Return wings to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes or until well browned and cooked through.

Cling Ons

16 oz. pkg. mini marshmallows (white, not colored)

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter

1 14 oz. box Corn Chex cereal

1 c. mini M&M’s (or regular size if you prefer—I find the smaller ones stick to the cereal better)

Microwave the marshmallows, peanut butter, and butter in a large microwave safe bowl on High for 2 minutes or until melted. Stir until smooth.

Pour cereal into LARGE bowl--you need lots of room to stir. Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and stir until coated, sprinkling in the M&M’s as you stir.

Spread onto baking sheet lined with wax paper or lightly coated with butter. Let cool, pull apart, and enjoy.

I find it’s easy to make individual servings by using cupcake liners and placing a heaping spoonful into each liner. This recipe will make approximately 50 liners full. Great finger food for parties.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes

2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan. Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half. Slice them crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices to make half-rounds. Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper and toss them together. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with a little extra salt.

This is a modified version of an Ina Garten recipe.

Avocado Dip

2 avocados, peeled and diced

¼ c. finely diced onion (any variety—I used a sweet onion)

1 c. diced tomatoes

½ -1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced (to taste)

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Salt (to taste)

Black pepper (to taste)

Stir all ingredients together, chill, and serve with chips or crackers.  It's also excellent added to a turkey sandwich or wrap.

Makes about 2 cups of dip.

This is a slightly modified version of my Aunt Sue’s recipe.

Tequila Lime Chicken Strips

½ c. Jose Cuervo Gold

1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (lemon juice will work too, or a combination of both)

½ c. freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

½ tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

About 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken tenders (can use more or less, if you use too much more you might need to double the marinade)

Combine all ingredients except chicken in large bowl with tight fitting lid. Add chicken to mixture and cover. Store in fridge for at least 4 hours and up to overnight—the longer it soaks, the stronger the flavor. Remove from marinade and discard mixture. Grill chicken strips until cooked through. Cooking times will vary depending on grill and size of strips.

These are good as a main dish for a meal, as finger food for a party, as fajita filling, or as a salad topping.

This is a modified version of a recipe found in Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

Bell Pepper Chicken Salad

4-5 cups cooked, diced chicken

¼ c. dijon mustard

2/3 c. mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 c. finely chopped celery

1 Tbsp. freeze dried chives
2 heaping Tbsp. sweet pickle relish

salt and black pepper to taste

2 heaping Tbsp. orange marmalade

Put chicken in food processor and process until it’s a fine crumble, if desired. If you prefer a chunkier salad, skip this step. In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the chicken, mustard, mayo, pepper, celery, chives, salt and pepper. Mixture will be sticky/clumpy. Taste. Add more of anything if desired. Add marmalade last and mix just until combined. The sugars will loosen up the texture and add a slight sweetness.

Serve on sandwiches, or with crackers, chips, or veggies.

Turkey and Ham Tea Sandwiches

Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Sandwich Bread

Thin Sliced Deli Black Forest Ham

Thin Sliced Deli Smoked Turkey Breast

3 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce

1 Tbsp. Tang powdered drink mix (in powdered form)

Stir the Tang into the cranberry sauce. For a sandwich, spread a thin layer of cream cheese on both slices of bread. Put one thin slice of ham on one side and one thin slice of turkey on the other. Spread a spoonful of the cranberry mixture on top of the turkey and close the sandwich. Cut diagonally to create triangles. Serve chilled.

My Aunt Nell used to make these for showers and parties.