Winging It

by Mindy Obenhaus

This has been a fairly uneventful week around the Obi household and, trust me, I'm not complaining. Not after the year we've had.

Friday was the one year anniversary of our big move from the suburbs of Dallas-Ft. Worth to our family ranch in south-central Texas.

And after months of renovations, I am happy to say that we are pretty well settled into our new digs. One of these days I'll have to share some before and after photos.

I have to say, I am truly enjoying small-town life. They had a festival this past weekend and it was such a delight to be able to walk the courthouse square beneath the shade of century old magnolia and live oak trees, savoring the music and chatting with friends. Life moves at a slower pace here and that's fine by me.

After savoring some of the festival fare Friday and Saturday nights--they had several food trucks, one of which had some delicious fish tacos--the cooking was up to me on Sunday. I decided to keep thing simple with some grilled chicken wings.

I know I've shared these before, but some things are worth bringing up time and again.

Start with a bunch of wings. You a can buy them already cut, but I usually cut up my own. Whichever way you choose, toss them in a big bowl then add some of your favorite seasoning. I mix my own basic seasoning for meat. It's comprised of kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

I mix up a big batch every couple of months so it's always at the ready.

Then, for the wings, I like to add some smoked paprika.

A good bit of it, actually. I love the smoky aroma and that hint of smoke it imparts to the meat.

So sprinkle those over your wings.

And toss to coat.

Cook on a preheated grill, however the times will vary depending on your grill. Ours cooks with indirect heat and the temp stays at 400 degrees, so I usually do about 12 minutes per side, sometimes less, depending how cooked they are when I flip them.

If your grill is direct heat, don't have them too close to the flame, them monitor them after about 5 minutes. And remember, just because the outside is charred, which sometimes happens with direct heat, doesn't mean that the meat is cooked on the inside.

After the wings are cooked, you can sauce them as you like.

I kept mine au naturel and added some sweet potato fries I'd cooked up in my air fryer. Exactly what I was craving. Especially with my absolute favorite fry sauce. 

Some mayo, a little ketchup and a couple squirts of sriracha sauce.

Mmm, mmm, mmm. Now that's some good eatin'.

Of course, our dogs really love the country life. Remember this squirrel I've shown you a couple of times? The one that lives in the mulberry tree just outside our bedroom.

Yeah, well, Dixie finally discovered he was there.

Now, this is where she likes to spend her days.

The squirrel must have been active when I took these pix, because Dixie usually lays under the tree, occasionally looking up, watching for any signs of movement.

Now it's your turn. If could choose between city or rural life, which would you pick and why?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children, two dogs and countless cattle. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com.