my little butternut

Dear Mom,

Well, Valentine's Day just flew by this year! But its still a perfect time to talk about love. The kind of love between a woman and her favorite ingredients. For me, that's butternut squash, bacon and blue cheese. Admittedly these are not my only favorites, the list truly could go on and on, but I would say these are towards the top of the list. For that matter so are caramelized onions and pie crust which are also featured in this dish. Although I'm sure those two are on a lot of people's list of favorites. My husband, on the other hand, is not a huge squash fan. If squash is to be served in my house, it better be really good, otherwise you simply can't win him over. But considering its one of my faves I must keep trying. The easiest way to win over anyone, my hubs included, is with bacon. Fortunately for me squash and bacon are a match made in heaven.

butternut squash, bacon and blue cheese galette

4 small onions sliced
1 tsp. sugar
extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced butternut squash (about 1/8-inch thick)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
salt & pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. your favorite mustard (preferably a sweeter one, with out whole grain)
1 unbaked pie crust
3 slices bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  Toss the onions, sugar, salt (to taste) and enough olive oil to lightly coat the onions in a non-stick saute pan over medium-low heat.  Allow to soften and carmelize over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. 

In a large bowl toss the butternut squash, 2 tbsp olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste, until squash is well coated.

Unroll the pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread the mustard over the crust leaving a 1-inch border.  Top with the onions, covering evenly.  Starting in the center lay out the squash slices, overlapping them as you go working your way to the 1-inch border.  Working with the egg wash, gently fold the 1-inch border approximately 3-4 inches long over the squash.  Brush with egg white at one end of the fold and use that to help "glue" the next 3-4 inch fold over.  Keep working your way around until all edges are folded over.  Lightly brush all exposed crust with egg wash.

Bake in hot oven for 25 minutes, squash should start to brown lightly.  Remove from oven and top with crumble bacon and blue cheese.   Return to oven for 5-8 minutes until blue cheese is melted.

the perfect couple

Dear Kristin,

One of the surest signs that a marriage is divinely ordained is when one partner likes the drummette portion of a chicken wing, while the other partner prefers the flatter, or as you and I call them, the "two-boned" part of the wing. Your father and I are blessed with such a marriage. It also helps if you both like the same amount of "heat" in your wings - again, your father and I are born soul-mates here. We prefer our wings on the milder side, leaving at least some sensation in our lips and mouths once we've finished eating.

Born and raised in Buffalo, we were introduced to the chicken wing in its purest form. A crispy wing, coated in hot sauce and topped with a dab of blue cheese dressing is, in our humble opinion, the only true way to enjoy these little delicacies.

Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find a restaurant or take-out place that meets our high standards. Barbequed wings? No. Honey-dipped, parmesean encrusted, sea-salt soaked and brined, battered and butterflied? No. Just the original, please - the way they used to serve them at the original Anchor Bar in Buffalo. Sadly, I've heard from trusted sources that even the Original Anchor Bar doesn't make 'em the way they used to. The only place we've found that meets our rigorous standards now is Duff's Famous Wings with locations in suburban Buffalo.

Trips to Buffalo for a bucket of wings are not always practical. I was forced to come up with a recipe that we could make at home that would satisfy our cravings. Since we don't have a restaurant quality deep fryer, and since deep fried chicken wings are so incredibly bad for you, I decided to bake them in the oven instead. Surprisingly, the wings come out just as crispy - and it's much easier to keep an eye on them, making sure that they don't get overdone and dried out or burnt. As for the sauce - two ingredients. Butter and Frank's hot sauce. No substitutions here, please. Real butter and Frank's hot sauce are the only way to go. I know you and your hubs like things a little hotter (wasn't that a tabasco sauce-fountain at your wedding reception?), so certainly adjust the amount of hot sauce accordingly.

buffalo style chicken wings

12 chicken wing portions
Kosher salt
pepper
3 Tblsp. butter
3 Tblsp. Frank's hot sauce*, or more to taste
Blue cheese dressing
Celery

Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. (the no-stick foil works wonders here - if you can't get it, you may want to spray the foil with cooking spray). Pat chicken wings dry and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes, turning once half-way through the cooking time.

For the sauce: Melt butter and stir in hot sauce.

Serve wings hot out of the oven with blue cheese dressing and celery.

*comfy's note: This amount of hot sauce yields a really tame sauce, If you like 'em hotter (which I know your atomic heat-seeking hubby does), feel free to add more.