Tangy Barbecue Wings and Cheese & Walnut Quesadillas

Week 3 of the New Year brought us cold, snow & a little bit closer to this year’s Superbowl.  We are still meeting our resolution of bringing you a recipe a week & actually you get 2 this week!  The Wings came to us in 2003 from Taste of Home magazine, yes folks; we have been holding on to this recipe for that long & the Quesadillas, almost as long, but from a previous co-worker who always brought into work some unique & different treats.

Tangy Barbecue Wings - makes about 4 dozen

25 whole chicken wings (about 5 pounds)

2-1/2 cups hot & spicy ketchup

2/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup molasses

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke, optional

Cut chicken wings into three sections; discard wing tip sections. Place chicken wings in two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30 minutes; drain. Turn wings; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, honey, molasses, salt, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder & chili powder. Add liquid smoke if desired. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes.

Drain wings; place a third of them in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with about 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Cover & cook on low for 3-4 hours. Stir before serving.

Cheese & Walnut Quesadillas

6 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas (we prefer flour)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup chopped pitted ripe olives

2 tsp fresh oregano or ½ tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 tbs olive oil

Salsa

To soften tortillas, wrap in foil; heat in a 350 degree over for 10 min.

Then combine cheeses, nuts, olives, and oregano; spread onto half of each tortilla.

Fold in half; secure with toothpicks.  Brush one side with oil.

In a skillet cook tortillas, oil side down, over medium-low heat for 4 min., brushing with oil and turning once.  Cut into triangles.  Serve with salsa.

Tupps Tibits ~

 for the Wings…uncooked chicken wing sections (wingettes) may be substituted for whole chicken wings; we purchased a 10 lb bag of wingettes from Sam’s Club.  You will need 2 of the 15oz bottles of Heinz Hot & Spicy Ketchup or ketchup with Tabasco sauce would work as well

for the Quesadillas… after folding them in half I placed them in the skillet, no need for toothpicks, add sour cream & shredded lettuce on the side to compliment the plate

The Wings were very moist, sweet with a touch of zip, that is where the Tabasco came in…as we say….YUMO & Lip smacking good & a Keeper!  We will defiantly make these again & again, they ranked up there next to Mom’s Oriental Wings (maybe someday we will share that secret with you).  As for the Quesadillas, sorry ex co-worker but this recipe is getting thrown out, NOT a Keeper! Boring & not much flavor…maybe it just needs more cheese.

Next week we will tackle a Root Vegetable Soup recipe that we achieved from Marquette, IA in fall of 2011.