A Manly Meal

You know, I hate it when I finally cook a big meal and then completely forget to take pictures. The intention is always there and yet I still end up kicking myself when it's time for a blog post. Fortunately, most of what I made I've posted about before, so I'm not completely at a loss. 

So my guys were planning a big hog hunt for Sunday morning. I've told you about those nasty feral hogs that are prone to tearing up the ranch land. 

This time, my husband decided to bring in a professional. A fella that uses dogs to locate and hold the pigs, then they are captured so they can be sold. Yes, wild hogs are still a source of meat.

Knowing my guys would be getting up early the next morning, even before things turned bright, mama decided to make them a manly dinner Saturday night. Big Daddy wanted wings (recipe here).

I also threw in a small slab of ribs I'd bought on sale, but I don't have a pic. 

Then there was corn on the cob and cowboy beans (recipe here) to help round out the meal. 

Those chunks of bacon and a hint of sweetness make these a real crowd pleaser.

And, of course, no meal is complete with dessert. At least not in my book. And what's more pleasing than a classic chocolate chip cookie (recipe here). 

What's cooking at your place?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She 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 a mindyobenhaus.com.

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.

This and That

Tex here, coming to you live from...my desk. I'm in the throes of revisions, so this is where I've spent most of my time lately. Funny, you can always tell when I've been writing a lot because my desk is a mess. I mean, who has time to clean off their desk when there's writing to be done?

When I'm writing like this, unless there's something that HAS to be done, it doesn't get done. The family still demands to be fed, though, so I usually go for something quick.

Things I can throw on the grill, like steak (recipe here)

Wings (recipe here)

 Or pizzas on pita bread (recipe here).

Of course, there are other things that HAVE to be done. Like moving our oldest son into his college apartment. His FIRST apartment.

Note the necessities. A bed, pull up bar and a white board. 

Throw in another possible UTI for my mother and a pinched nerve in my shoulder and it's just been one of those weeks. No sympathies, though. It's all a part of life and I'm merely stating facts. Life ebbs, life flows and on and on we go. ;)

But about those revisions. This book is kicking my butt. All I can say is that there must be something in this story that that blasted old enemy just doesn't want out there, because he's doing his best to thwart me at every turn. Too bad for him, though, that I've got God on my side. And if HE wants this story told, by golly, it's gonna be told.

Can I get an amen? 

Okay, that's enough dilly-dallying for one day. Time to get back to work.

Have a great one!

Easy Chicken Wings for Dad

Well, is everybody enjoying summer? Although it won't officially arrive until Saturday, I think we're all finally feeling some warmth, aren't we? Kav, how about you?

Here in Texas, we're just thrilled that we haven't hit 100 degrees yet. That means we can actually be outside. We had  pleasant temps and a nice breeze this weekend, meaning it was delightful weather to just sit outside and read, grill or hang by the pool.

But Sunday was Father's Day and while not quite as exciting as Mother's Day, we had a grand time.

As always, I was faced with the dilemma of what to fix for dinner. And since I'd been staring at a large package of chicken wings in my freezer for a few months now, I decided it was finally time to give those babies the lovin' they deserved.

First, I had to thaw out the wings. These were real wings, the kind with three sections to them, so first I cut off the tip section and set it aside. No real meat there anyway. Then I cut the little drumette from the rest of the wing and tossed both sections into a bowl. 

Now let's add a little seasoning. You can use whatever you like. Anything from seasoned salt to hot and spicy.

You might remember Julie and I talking about Penzey's Spices before (you can find them here).

They have all kinds of wonderful seasoning blends, but there were two in my cupboard that fit the bill.

I actually prefer the flavor of the BBQ3001, but I only had a couple of teaspoons of that. So I started there, then added a teaspoon or so of the Barbecue of the Americas and tossed everything together.

Nope. They're not there yet. They needed something more. 

I grabbed my old standby that I mix up and keep in the cupboard in a large container. It consists of kosher salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, some paprika and who knows what else. I put several tablespoons into a bowl then added some wonderful smoked paprika (also from Penzeys) and stirred it all together.

PERFECT!

I sprinkled in some of that.

Stirred it some more and then let it sit while I fired up the grill.

Once the grill was nice and hot (I used a gas grill), I added as many of the wings as would fit and still have enough space in between to get crispy.

Flip them halfway through cooking.

They're looking good.

When cooked through, remove from grill and keep warm until ready to serve.

Of course, if anyone sees them, you might find yourself missing a few.

Oh. My. Word.

These were some of the most delicious wings I've ever had. Hubby even told me they were "way better than the frozen ones" and that I was not to buy the frozen variety any more. Now if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

Just think of the fun you could have with these little babies. We had them for a meal, but you could also do them for a party. Set up a little wing bar with a variety of seasonings and dipping sauces. Hot sauce, Ranch dressing, Terriyaki sauce... You name it. Bet there'd be a crowd gathered there.

Ah, but summer is just beginning.

How is yours shaping up? Are you doing anything special?