Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Wings

My mother was the cook in my house growing up. Really, every adult who inhabited our brick house in Madison,Wisconsin, was a cook, but more literally, my mom was the cook, as in, professionally, too.

And for years it was absolutely established in my mind that she made the best chicken that was ever served as chicken. I could eat her salty caramelized chicken with rice for every meal of the day. I’d ask for it by special request when given the opportunity.

But whoa. My dad one time during a visit home, stepped up his game and made these spicy Vietnamese chicken wings that made me ask, where has this been all my life?

My dad's recipe for spicy chicken wings.

And honestly, I don’t know where they’ve been. It’s not like my dad never cooked dinner–he did, but these wings were no where in my recollection.  Now that they’ve made their appearance though, I think dad’s wings might have trumped mom’s chicken (but shh, don’t tell her I said that). Consider this recipe come fall when football season starts up again (omg!) for something a little bit different and yet a little familiar to spice up your game day spread.

Chipotle Lime Cranberries

I had to use or lose some airline miles, so I got a subscription to Bon Appetit. My thought is, if I can get one really good recipe out of a magazine, the cover price (or price for the subscription) is worth it. I found gold, yet again, with their November 2009 recipe for Chipotle Cranberry Sauce.

I altered it a bit, but the idea is still the same. The chipotles make the sauce very smoky with a hint of heat. I substituted limes for lemons (I like them better), canned chipotles instead of dried (I’m lazy), and added a bit more spice and spices.

Cranberries bubbling away!