Garlic Parmesan Wings | Meet Me On Love Lane

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am happy to be hosting today's TLC Book Tours stop for the newest book in the Hopeless Romantics series by Nina Bocci, Meet Me On Love Lane. I hadn't read the first book in the series, but fortunately I was offered a copy of that one, called On the Corner of Love and Hate, as well. I'm not here to review Book 1 today, but I will tell you that I devoured it from start to finish. I was sucked in to the small town of Hope Lake and its residents.

While Book 1 focused on Emma and Cooper, Book 2 introduces us to Charlotte, and brings some of On the Corner of Love and Hate's supporting characters to the front lines. While reading the first book isn't essential to enjoying the second, I highly recommend you start from the beginning to add more depth to your experience.

Spiced Fig and Garlic Chicken Wings

Whether you're enjoying them outside the stadium, plucking them one by one from a huge foil pan, or getting messy inside during the game, wings are one of those ubiquitous game day foods. Some like them spicy (hand raised), some like them sweet (okay, I'll raise a hand here, too), some like them bathed in garlic (both hands and both feet raised), but you're hard-pressed to find somebody who doesn't enjoy a good chicken wing. Vegetarians—sssshhhhh. You can have cauliflower "wings" instead; I won't deny you.

So, since today is the official start of the #10DaysofTailgate, what better thing to share than a finger-lickin' batch of wings? These particular wings are simple. Beyond simple. With only three other ingredients (one of which is optional), I should probably say embarrassingly simple. But hey, they're too good not to share. Plus, they feature one of our awesome #10DaysofTailgate sponsors, Not Ketchup!

Spiced Fig = Instantly Smitten. This fruit ketchup is slightly tangy and slightly sweet, and my bottle is entirely empty. I rinsed it out and put it back on the shelf, but as of yet, it's not automatically regenerating. And for some reason, I couldn't get the idea of combining it with garlic and slathering on wings out of my head. So, that was exactly what I did.

Chinese Barbecue Wings

So usually when Super Bowl rolls around, I'm busy planning a menu that includes trays piled high with nachos; bowls filled to the brim with dips; platters of cheese, fruit, veggies, and crackers; tender carnitas with homemade pico and guac; wings and burgers; and some good beverages to go along with it. But this year has been different. I haven't really been able to think of anything else besides wings.

It's gonna be an all wings kinda celebration today!  Baked wings, fried wings, grilled wings...marinated wings, breaded wings, sticky wings. WINGS! I'm not sure what started the craving, but it may have been these Sticky-Sweet Caribbean Wings. They were just so ridiculously good that I was sad when they were gone. Ever since, I've been pinning wings like a madwoman, pulling out old saved recipes, and writing down ideas for new flavors of my own.

But you know what? I don't think my family is going to mind. We can smash numerous pounds of wings in one sitting between the five of us.

Sticky-Sweet Caribbean Wings #CaptainsTable

For the past week or so, I've been testing out football food. You know, game-friendly food. Food that can be eaten in front of the t.v. while the big game is on. Food that can be held in one hand while the other one is raising the roof or balled into a fist of fury. Food that can be done in advance so that viewing time is fully optimized.

The funny thing about so many things we consider football food...or finger food...is that it is actually messy. Think dips and salsas (I'm a notorious dribbler), nachos (hey, things tumble off, if can't be helped), and of course wings (sticky, glorious, sauce-on-your-cheeks wings)! But there's a solution to that, and it's called the paper towel value-pack. Or a stack of cloth napkins. But these foods tend to stain, and I'm weird in that I like to minimize stains on my cloth napkins. I'm such a study in contradictions.

But back to the matter at hand. Game Day food. Namely, chicken wings. I've been in a wing frenzy this year, which is funny. Some years I can take 'em or leave 'em, but this year I can't seem to get enough. I've been experimenting with all sorts of fun flavors. I've got a couple more to come (and yes, you may even see some after the big game this Sunday - because we all know that there's not enough time in my day to get things done in advance).

Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings

Doesn't it just drive you crazy when you see an amazing photo in a cookbook? It drives me crazy. I have to have a large, rip-able bookmark with me when I'm looking through a cookbook. I see a picture or read an amazing recipe and riiiip, off comes a strip of said paper to insert as a placeholder. And I'm mad for cookbooks. The librarians must know by now not to put new cookbooks up for display, with no other books as fillers...because I usually just walk down the row and snatch 'em all up (then they have to go and choose something else to stand up)...you get the picture. I can pretty much find at least (at least!) one thing in any given cookbook that I want to make or try.

One of the newer ones I found, Big Small Plates by Cindy Pawlcyn had me drooling plenty, but there was this recipe...this photo...called Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings (YUM)! Suddenly, I was craving wings in a bad way.

Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings (with Ginger)
yield: 2 pounds

2 pounds chicken wings

+for the marinade:+
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey

Combine soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms in a small pot and bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Whisk all of the other ingredients into the pot once cooled to room temperature.If using whole wings, cut off tip, then cut wing at joint to separate into drummies & "flat" sections. Place chicken in a large (gallon) resealable bag. Pour marinade over and seal well. Make sure chicken is well-covered with sauce.
Marinate for 12-24 hours in refrigerator, turning frequently.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a pan with foil, then arrange wings on a rack set over a shallow pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until skin is browned and crispy and meat has begun to pull away from bone at end.

-adapted from Big Small Plates by Cindy Pawlcyn

This is the point where I will say it again...doesn't it just drive you crazy when you see an amazing photo in a cookbook? Crazy in a great, must-have...hungry crazy way. But, also crazy when you make the same recipe and end up with a different result? A different "photo", if you will? Yeah, they still look pretty good. But, the picture in the book- oh man! They were molasses-colored and sticky and finger-lickin' good! Mine didn't exactly turn out that way :( Oh well, they were okay.

I really like the flavor combination in the marinade, but I'm definitely adding something sticky and messy next time. I want the napkins to stick to my finger tips! I want messy fingerprints all over my beer bottle! I want to pick sticky bits of goo from between my teeth! So, good in theory...but I think it could have been better...and will be next time.