Baked Peri Peri Chicken Wings

When my husband and I first started dating, we often went to Wednesday Wing Nights at a local pub near Simon Fraser University. The wings were cheap, $0.25 per wing if you purchased a drink. It was often packed with university students and league volleyball players (who played at a complex nearby) and everyone was ordering wings by the platter. The wings came in all sorts of flavours: BBQ, honey garlic, salt and pepper, hot and extra hot.

Since then, we have gone to many other pubs for wing nights. One favorite was a pub out in Port Coquitlam where the wings were also $0.25, but the wings were much bigger and there was a better selection of flavors. The downside of Wing Night was the long wait, sometimes up to 20 minutes or more just for a table!

Since most pubs are quite noisy, it is also not an ideal place to bring the little man. For a fraction of the price, we now make our wings at home. Best part is that we do not have to suffer the long wait anymore.

Frozen wings work equally well in this recipe. Just make sure to thaw it in the fridge two days before you want to eat. I bought my frozen chicken wings from Save-On Foods when it went on sale for $15.99 for 3 kilograms.

Ingredients
1/4 cup paprika or smoked paprika
2 tbsp hot chili powder
1 cup fresh or bottled lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 tsp salt

2 lbs chicken wings, tips removed (If frozen, thaw in the fridge a day prior)

Directions
1. In a large Ziplock bag, mix all the ingredients together (except for the chicken wings).

2. Add in the chicken wings and make sure the marinade evenly coats all of the wings.

Give these wings a nice and gentle massage.

3. At a minimum, the wings should be marinated overnight in the fridge up to two nights for more flavor.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. In a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the chicken wings in a single layer (leaving a little space in between each wing). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

7 Days of Positives

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When we first found out that the little man was allergic to peanuts and almonds, it felt the world was crashing down on us. As the allergist discussed with us what this means, my mind raced through all the issues my child will face: being singled out and bullied, daily activities impacted (daycare, school, playdates), dining out, traveling, and how his adult life will be impacted (dating, jobs, kids).

The world felt quite bleak as his blood test results also came back confirming he is highly allergic. It didn't help to read statistics which said that people with nut allergies have the highest chance of anaphylaxis and the least chance of outgrowing their allergies. I wept for him, for his future and for myself.

It was quite easy to be trapped in the helplessness stage. As I was lamenting my sorrows to my friend J, she pointed out that there are other parents in this world who would gladly trade places with me. Even though his allergies are life-threatening, for the most part, it can be prevented through careful reading of all ingredients and carrying epinephrine (Epipen or Allerject) which will save his life should he have anaphylaxis. It made me feel a little better but still did not make me less anxious about how to handle his allergies.

I was in a rut for a good 5 months after my son's diagnosis when my friend A nominated me for a "7 Days of Positives" challenge. The "7 Days of Positives" challenge asks participants to come up with 3 positive things that happened for each day. I admit that there was one day when nothing seemed to go right and I was questioning this challenge. However, after the 7 days was over, I noticed a slight change in my attitude. The world was not as bleak as I had made it out to be. This challenge really helped me focus on the important things in life: that we are loved, fed, safe and generally healthy. 

As a result of this challenge, I am committed to keep a journal of my daily 3 positives to remind myself to be grateful and feel blessed by what I have been given. Life is a precious gift, enjoy every day.

Here's my challenge to you. I want you to come up with 3 positives each day for a week and write this down (either in your journal, posted on social media or as a comment on this blog). I hope this challenge will help you focus on the positives in life.

Here were the 3 positives I came up with each day during the "7 Days of Positives" challenge.

Day 1
1) Great day hanging out with family and my wonderful hubby made breakfast for everyone.
2) My SIL who invited us over for dinner (I didn't have to cook)
3) I broke even in poker and won big on a few hands.

Day 2
1) Dr. Mom (MIL) who chaperoned me to two different pharmacies to find Lanacane ointment for my swollen mosquito bite. (Half of my arm was swollen)
2) Lanacane Ointment (Reduced my swollen arm in 2 days)
3) Meeting a new playmate for the little man.

Day 3
1) Made a delicious brunch with my hubby
2) Watched my delicious baby toddle around confidently
3) Going to bed at 7:30 pm

Day 4
1) Hubby washed my car and changed the oil
2) Watched the little man make sand angels
3) Hung out at the beach chatting with friends and met new people
4) My awesome Diono tech support

Day 5 (This was the day where nothing seemed to go right, but I still felt blessed)
1) Roof over my head
2) Food on my table
3) Hubby who works all hours so I can stay home with the little man

Day 6
1) My amazing baby who is healthy and learning so much
2) I live in a peaceful country free of war
3) Ate Dare cookies which are made in a nut free factory

Day 7
1) Discovered PNE has free admission on August 19
2) Received 5 coupons for Dare products
3) Made a "Slippery Fish" felt story for the little man

Banana Crumble Muffins

When you are a food allergy mom, you are always looking for snacks that you can bring anywhere which can be eaten cold/room temperature and keeps well without refrigeration. Yes, I have the standard snacks of Baby Mum Mums and Gerber Puffs, but they are not substantial enough as a hearty snack for my very active toddler.

This muffin recipe is easy to prepare and quite delicious. It has a lot of banana flavour and keeps well for those afternoons when we are out and about.

I have modified the recipe to make 12 muffins instead of 10 muffins.

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3-1/2 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons and 1teaspoon white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Crumb Mixture

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon butter


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease muffin tin or line with muffin cups.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. In another bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. 

5. Fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix as this will make the muffins tough.

Fold in the banana mixture using figure 8 strokes while rotating the bowl occasionally.

6. Spoon batter into muffin tins. 

I love using my ice cream scoop which easily dispenses batter.

7. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter using a fork until it is a coarse mixture, like sand. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

The batter fills half way but will bake up nice and tall.

8. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Keeps for 3 - 4 days unrefrigerated. Alternatively, you can also freeze these in Ziplock bags.

Source: Allrecipes

TIP

• Use muffin cups for easy cleanup.
• When melting butter in the microwave, cover with a plate to prevent splatters.
• Spoon batter using an ice cream scoop for more precise measurements.
• Check at 18 minutes as these muffins cooked up quickly.

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