Parmesan Ranch Chicken Wings

One of the ideas I had for a recipe to enter in the Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Ranchify Recipe Challenge was ranch dressing paired with chicken wings.  Ranch dressing is often served as a dip for carrot sticks served with buffalo wings.  I wanted to take that flavour one step further, right on the wings!  We usually visit Hooter's for wings each trip to our vacation home,  My husband loves their garlic Parmesan wings.  These wings are rich, gooey, messy and delightfully yummy.  I decided to go with that type wing using ranch dressing.

Hidden Valley Ranch^TM dressing is available in three yummy flavours - original, cheesy and spicy.  I tried all three combinations for the contest creation stage recipes.  Hands down the Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Ranchify spicy dressing was a sure fire taste winner when paired with chicken wings!  Although I did not submit this recipe as my entry, it is tantalizingly delicious and ever so easy to make.  They are rich, gooey and messy but oh so good!  I'm sure your family will enjoy them for your next wing night!


Parmesan Ranch Chicken Wings
recipe by:  Garden Gnome

Note:  I used 16 large wings, tips removed and cut at the joint to form 32 pieces.   The parmesan ranch sauce is enough to comfortably coat 8 to 10 large chicken wings.

chicken coating
1 c organic unbleached flour
½ c homemade breadcrumbs
1 tbsp garlic pepper

Mix well in large container.

Parmesan ranch sauce




½ c Hidden Valley Ranch^TM cheesy ranch dressing
1/3 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Reserve 2 tbsp of the grated cheese.  Mix the remaining cheese with the dressing in a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken wings.

Prepare the desired number of wings.  Place in the flour mixture.  Shake to coat.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Leave the wings in the flour mixture until ready to deep fry.  Heat the deep fryer to 356°F.  Fry the chicken wings in small batches of 8 to 10 wings at a time until golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Remove from deep fryer and drain.  Place the wings into the sauce then use a flipping motion to coat the wings.  Remove wings to serving plate with tongs.  Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the wings.

Chipotle Ranch Sliders

It was a great honour to be chosen this year as one of Canada's top online influencers to participate in the Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Ranchify Recipe Challenge.  This was the perfect excuse to get into the kitchen to do a bit of experimenting with the goal of creating a recipe to enter in the contest.  This year's contest will be judged by Chef Ned Bell, of the Four Seasons YEW Restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I honestly had a lot of fun experimenting with the Hidden Valley Ranch^TM dressings included in my contest kit.  It was really difficult to choose a favourite between the Original, Spicy and Cheese-flavored ranch dressings.  Quite frankly they are all delicious!

Pictured are the Bacon Ranch Sliders submitted for my contest recipe.  These little gems are delicious, packed full of flavour with just the right amount of heat.  They are kicked up a notch from my contest creation stage recipe for bacon ranch sliders.  These mini burgers were a lot of fun to create.  They were declared a winner by my husband.  The Bacon Ranch Sliders are easy to make so I hope your family enjoys them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Chipotle Ranch Sliders
recipe by:  Garden Gnome, June 2013

For this recipe you will need the following: mini burger buns with sesame seed tops, grilled mini patties, chipotle ranch sauce, fresh salsa, and leaf lettuce.

burger patties
1 lb lean ground beef
3 tbsp cooked crumbled bacon pieces
¼ c Hidden Valley Ranch^TM spicy dressing
 ½ tsp garlic pepper
8 small squares Asiago cheese

Cook the bacon pieces and drain.  Mix all of the ingredients together.  Divide into 8 equal sized portions.  Form into large meatballs then flatten to form patties.  Place the patties into mini burger grilling rack.  Grill on medium high cooked through, turning once.  Remove top of mini burger grilling rack.  Place a slice of cheese on each burger patty.  Continue grill just until cheese melts.

chipotle ranch sauce
½ c Hidden Valley Ranch^TM spicy dressing
½ chipolte pepper in adobo sauce
1 tsp chopped red onions
½ tsp chopped garlic
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp dried oregano leaves

Place all ingredients except oregano leavesinto blender.  Blend until well mixed.  Transfer the sauce to a small container with lid.  Stir in oregano leaves.

fresh tomato salsa
3 tbsp tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped red onions
2 tbsp chopped yellow pepper
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Mix together.

Assembly of Chipotle Ranch Sliders
Toast the buns until golden brown.  Place a circle of leaf lettuce on the bottom half of the bun.  Place a cheese topped mini burger patty on top.  Spoon about a teaspoon of Chipotle ranch dressing over the patty then top with fresh tomato salsa.  Place the top half of the bun on the burger. 

Have a Wing Night

Chicken wings have been a long time favourite pub grub fare.  Traditionally, cheap wing night was held on Tuesday nights but that varied from pub to pub.  The going price was 10¢ per wing several years ago but now that has more than tripled to 35¢ per wing.  Still, even at the higher price it is still a cheap at only $3.50 for 10 wings.  Wings tend to come naked (no coating) or breaded, sauced or sauce on the side and a choice of usually mild, hot or suicide sauce although new and exciting sauces like chili lime and honey garlic are quickly becoming popular.  We love chicken wings so get together with the guys quite often on Tuesday nights to enjoy wings at one of our favourite bars.  Wing nights are fun because the focus is on the wings, with wings making up most or all of the meal.  It's quite common to order a big plate of wings and a drink.  That's it!  The price of drinks greatly increases the cost of the meal as does ordering a side salad as I like to do.  The biggest complaint I have with this particular bar and their wings is the lack of consistency.  One week the wings will be large and nicely cooked, the next week the wings will be small and over cooked.  The sauces are never the same!  Seriously, how difficult can it be to make the same honey garlic sauce the same way so it tastes the same from week to week?  At any rate, the place remains popular with the guys because it is the only place in town with a wing night.

I decided to experiment with chicken wings as a potential candidate recipe for my Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Ranchify Recipe Challenge. I've tried naked and coated wings.  Coating in the pubs tends to be more on the thicker breaded side.  Quite frankly, I am not a huge fan of anything breaded but when it comes to wings, some type of coating helps make the sauce stick better.

I started with 16 large chicken wings then removed the tips and cut at the joint for 32 pieces.  I used a light breading mixture consisting of 1 c organic unbleached flour, ½ c homemade breadcrumbs and seasonings.  I placed this in a large container, mixed well then added the wings to coat.  The easiest way to coat the wings I found is to lightly shake the container then let sit for five minutes and shake again.

I left the coated wings in the container until ready for frying.  I heated the deep fryer to 356°F then fried the chicken wings in small batches until golden brow, about 7 minutes.  It took three batches to fry the 32 wings.  Once the wings were fried, I drained them then set aside for the various sauces I was testing.

I used  ½ c of each sauce in separate bowls then divided the cooked wings into four equal amounts (8 pieces per sauce).  I added each portion of the cooked wings to the respective sauces then used a slight flipping motion to coat the wings well with the sauce.  I used tongs to remove the wings to be plated for serving.

I made four varieties of chicken wings.  Three were ranch based creation stage recipes for the contest, the last was Sweet Baby Ray's.  Of the four versions, bottom left with garnish and the Sweet Baby Ray's were definite keepers.  Watch for the creation stage recipe to be posted.

The beauty of using the light breading method for homemade chicken wings is virtually any sauce desired can be used.  They are good left without sauce then sauce on the side for dipping as well.  You can experiment with the seasonings added to the flour and breadcrumb mixture as well so the possibilities are endless! 

The homemade chicken wings came in at 37¢ each but the wings were quite large.  Chicken wings seldom go on sale here so that price likely won't change much.  However, drinks and salad were a lot cheaper at home.  This is really a quick and easy meal as the sides can be kept quite simple.  It is a sure to please meal as well since each family member can choose their own sauce or just mix and match.  Having a wing night is a fun activity the whole family will enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Sliders - Creation Stage Recipe

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to say I was selected as one of Canada's top online influencers to participate in this years Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Ranchify Recipe Challenge.  This is the second year running for me.  Last year's entry for the Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Recipe Challenge was Grilled Zucchini Boats.  Although it was not a winning entry, it is still a very good recipe perfect for summer time grilling.  This year only one recipe can be submitted so I've been busy working on a few to narrow down my choice.  The deadline is July 1^st at 12 AM.  The recipes will be judged by Chef Ned Bell.

Note:  This is a recipe in the creation stages with the goal of a possible entry into a contest.  No creation stage recipe will be posted here however, the final recipe may appear here after the entry deadline closes so please check back. 

Mini burgers aka sliders have become rather popular so I decided to create slider recipe, more specifically a bacon ranch slider recipe.  I started with hormone free, grass fed lean ground beef to ensure a high quality burger pattie.  While I won't disclose all the ingredients that went into the patties, I will tell you that I used no fillers (eg. bread crumbs) so they are all beef patties and I used Hidden Valley Ranch^TM Spicy Creamy Dressing & Dip as an ingredient.  Additional ingredients and a spin on the patties remain a secret for now but don't worry as I will tell you what I did in the final version after the contest closes.

I shaped the prepared meat mixture into large meatballs then flattened to fit into the mini burger grilling rack.  This helped me keep the burger patties uniform shaped while making it easier to grill.  The grill rack is made by Cuisinart but other brands are available.  These can be found in the grilling section wherever outdoor grills are sold.

Sensations is a Sobey's brand.  We no longer have a Sobey's close by but during one of my recent travels I found one.  Sobey's tends to have a few extras that No Frills doesn't.  Anyway, I spotted these cute mini burger buns with sesame seed tops. I thought they would be perfect for my contest creation stage recipe. 

Buns plan an important role in any burger.  I chose this bun because it was cute and perfectly shaped so each slider would look the same for presentation.  Each bun measures about 2½ - inches in diameter and about 1½ - inches combined thickness.  A package of 12 cost $2.79 so they are a bit pricer than regular burger buns.  I was after a particular look for this contest creation stage recipe with the full intentions of substituting a homemade bun for the final recipe.

Homemade burger patties should not look like those used in fast food restaurants.  There are burger presses on the market that will allow you to make your own burger patties, uniformly shaped and perfect for freezing but honestly, hand shaped gives a nicer homemade touch.  A grilling rack simply keeps the smaller burgers in one piece while grilling, making them easier to turn.

I sprayed the inside of the rings with cooking oil in a health mister help prevent the patties from sticking.  I grilled the patties on medium high direct heat turning once.  I liked the hash marks the grill rack gave the patties!

I tested the patties on lightly toasted and toasted buns.  I topped each slider with Asiago cheese and a dollop of ketchup - simple and easy.  The end result was quite delicious!  The patties were nicely flavoured, tender and juicy.  I immediately knew I was heading in the right direction with this recipe!

Regardless of the initial success that my husband declared a winner, I knew I would have to get a bit more creative if I wanted a winning recipe.  So it was back to the drawing board, armed with a few tweaks to test.  Ketchup was ok but common.  I had something else in mind!  The buns were good and while I liked the texture from toasting, I had plans to kick them up a notch.  I was off on a culinary adventure.  Stay tuned...

May Giveaway Contest - One Lucky Reader Will Win Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving

The busy home canning season is just around the corner so I decided to offer a little incentive to get you thinking about home canning.  This month's giveaway contest is for a copy of the current Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving.  This beautiful 148 page softcover book is filled with more than 300 recipes for home canning, freezing, drying and mason jar crafts.  It is a valuable resource for home canning!  For those who do not know, Bernardin is the leading Canadian authority on home canning, the equivalent to Ball in the US.  The home canning recipes all meet current USDA guidelines to ensure you are putting delicious yet safe food on your table. 

The May Giveaway Contest for the Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving is open to all residents of Canada and the United States (mainland only).   To qualify for a chance to win, you must comment on this post giving one reason why you would like to win this wonderful addition to your home cooking library.  Please include your email address so I can contact you if you win.  The deadline for entry is May 31, 2013.  The lucky winner will be notified by email on June 1 and will have 48 hours to respond with shipping address.  If there is no response after 48 hours, another winner will be chosen who will be given the same opportunity as the first.  Good luck to all who enter!

On the home preserving note, I have been quite busy doing a bit of last minute canning of dried beans and stocks before the busiest time of home canning begins for me.  As many of you know, I home can year round with the canners only taking a break when we are at our vacation home.  I did manage to do a bit of boiling water bath processing at our vacation home but will never get up to the level I do at home because of lack of storage.  We rent our vacation home out January through April and while we do have an owner's closet for storage, it is not practical to store much in the way of food.  I have to say too that when we fly to our vacation home in Florida, we can't bring home canned foods because they are over the 3 oz flight restriction.  My gosh, do we ever miss our home canned foods, not to mention the sticker shock of having to buy what I normally can!   We spend about two and a half months there divided into three trips so it is a big adjustment not having the home canned foods we are used to relying on.  This year we are driving down for the second trip, flying home between the second and third trip, then driving home from the third trip which means I will be able to take a good supply of home canned foods down to enjoy while there.  There's nothing like a taste of home while on vacation :)

My Kitchen Dreams if I Ever Won $50,000

As a food blogger I get a lot of perks because of my blog.  These include free products, gift cards, recipe books, higher value coupons and of course, monetary compensation through allowing affiliate advertising on my blog.  I don't write paid posts so any opinion I express on this blog are my own.  I have been affiliated with Mom Central Canada for a little over three years now.  They treat me very good!  I was offered a chance to be one of 40 Canadian bloggers to participate in the Royale Golden Kittens Blog Tour.  I like Royale products.  The potential to win $50,000 in the Royale Golden Kitten Contest.  Each golden ticket you find gives you an opportunity to win the grand prize along with instant prizes.  Golden tickets are available on specially marked packages and through the Royal Kittens Facebook Page.

I received a gift box of Royale products that included a package each 3 ply Royal Ultra Signature Bathroom tissues, 3 ply facial tissue, travel pack facial tissue, 3 dinner napkins and 1 ply serviette napkins.  Let me tell you our postal  worker who delivered the parcel got quite a chuckle that we had toilet tissue delivered!

The big question is, "If I win the $50,000 what would I do?".  I'm a very frugal person so the temptation would be to share with our kids, invest some and pay down our mortgage.  However, I dared to dream what I would do with all that money!

We bought this house with a closing date of September 15, 2011 although we arranged to take possession on September 1.  The house was built in the 1990's.  It is a large, spacious home (five bedrooms) with a lot of nice upgrades, and ample room.  We are currently working on doing more upgrades.

The kitchen is small but has marble floor, ceramic tile counter top and back splash.  It was originally painted taupe so we brightened it up with a deep red, closed in the bulkhead, added custom trim, new dishwasher and natural gas range, and the custom shelf over the sink.  I blogged earlier about a few kitchen upgrades in our new home purchased in 2011.  We still need to replace the microwave, fume hood, faucet and sink.  But I have big dreams!

The patio doors lead to a nice sized deck with two dining areas and the outdoor dual fuel grill.  It over looks the pool and smaller detached deck.  Last summer was our first summer there and we quickly discovered the kitchen deck gets too hot, so my husband erected a very nice, but temporary covered gazebo.   What we want to do is expand that deck over by 3 feet, create a new entrance to the downside entrance, move the garage door to the side of the garage, then tie into the pool decking so basically 80% of our back yard would be under deck (aka maintenance free).  It would involve replacing the fence and building a pool change room.  We want to put the kitchen deck entirely enclosed for year round use, basically an expansion of the kitchen.

We are very blessed in that we are avid DIYers who more than capable of doing fencing, decking, roofing and siding thanks to over eleven years renovating a turn of the century home.  We have friends who knows how to tie the addition into the house as it would involve cutting into the roof and side of the house.  The biggest expense for all these plans come from materials but while I am dreaming I would like my husband to work in an outdoor cooking area complete with counter.  I would also be elated if he could work in a wood fired oven!  With all these great plans, I really hope I do win that $50,000 :)

What would you do if you won $50,000?  Be sure to enter the Royal Golden Kitten Contest for your chance to win!

Grilled Zucchini Boats

145 Years Young

Strong, Proud and Free

Oh Canada! 

[This is my second of two entries being submitted to the Hidden Valley Ranch™ Recipe Challenge.  I hope you enjoy the flavours! ] 

Well, yesterday I found myself in the undesirable position of recreating a recipe to submit to the Hidden Valley Ranch™ Recipe Challenge.  I had tweaked and had friends over for a tasting feast of a recipe for the contest when disaster struck.  I don't know what went wrong other than the coating wouldn't stick, my deep fryer is a mess and I had do a quick substitution.  A recipe is of little use other than a starting point if it cannot be duplicated especially for contest purposes.  So I went to plan B to recreate the third runner up in my set of tested Ranch® recipes.

Many kids don't like vegetables because their parents don't like vegetables.  The thing is aside of a few stronger vegetables like cabbage or brussels sprouts, most kids will eat any vegetable especially if it involves some type of dip.  Our grandkids are particularly fond of Ranch® dressing as a dip.  Now Hidden Valley® has come up with a few new flavours so I just had to combine their new Spicy flavour for this family favourite.  I have to tell you the new Spicy Ranch® is delectable, not too spicy for kids yet just that extra zest for mature palates.   These yummy grilled zucchini boats are a sure hit!

Grilled Zucchini Boats
recipe by: Garden Gnome 

1 small zucchini
⅓ c Hidden Valley® Ranch original dressing
2 tbsp ( 30 ml) chopped sweet peppers (red, yellow)
2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped eggplant
2 tbsp chopped broccoli
1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped onions 
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp (5 ml) sliced green onions
1 tsp (5 ml) chive pieces
3 tbsp Hidden Valley® Ranch® spicy dressing
3 tbsp (45 ml) shredded cheddar cheese

Wash then cut the zucchini in half from stem end to blossom end.  Cut a channel removing the seeds.  Cover with the Ranch® original dressing.  Let marinate for 1 hour.  Heat the grill and place the zucchini channel side down.  Prepare the sweet peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, broccoli and onions.  Heat the butter in a fry pan then toss in the vegetables and let cook until just tender.  Remove from heat and drain.  Turn the zucchini over when there are nice hash marks.  Divide the vegetable mixture evenly.  Continue grilling until zucchini is tender.  Top with cheddar cheese.  Continue grilling until the cheese is melted.  Remove from grill and top with green onions and chives.  Drizzle with Hidden Valley® Ranch® spicy dressing or serve it in a dipping bowl to accompany the zucchini boats.

Serving size: 1 zucchini boat

Mini Ranch Pizza Appetizers

[This is my first of two entries being submitted to the Hidden Valley Ranch™ Recipe Challenge.  I hope you enjoy the flavours!  My second entry will be posted tomorrow.]

As soon as my box of Hidden Valley Ranch™ samples (full sized bottles) arrived for the Hidden Valley Ranch™ Recipe Challenge, I had an idea for a recipe.  Well, actually I had three so I started experimenting in the kitchen.  In the end, I had four nice recipes that were delicious keepers according to my taste testers and two that were good but needed more tweaking.  So here is one of the keeper recipes that I decided to use for my first entry in the recipe challenge.

Yesterday, I told you how I made the  charcoal grilled jerk seasoned chicken that I would be using for my first entry in the challenge.  I use a lot of Greek style pocketless pitas when entertaining.  Cut into four or eight wedges they are perfect for appetizers.  At the same time, these pitas are perfectly sized for a child's meal and they would be a tasty, easy treat for a child's birthday party.  My goal when creating this recipe was a bit rustic, flavourful, easy to make mini pizza that would appeal to both adults and kids.

If you are making them for kids, place various vegetable toppings and let them assemble their own pizza.  Guaranteed they will choose more vegetables than expected!  Of course a little taste testing of the ingredients while making their pizza always helps.  We did this with our kids when they were young.  Even though they were and are still veggie lovers, it always amazed me how letting them choose made a such a difference. 

Ranch® really is the new flavour of the day.  It's not just for dressing and dips anymore!  I used the new Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch® Cheese Creamy Dressing & Dip as a blending base flavour for this recipe.  The flavour works nicely with the other flavours, giving a creamy element to the pizza.  We liked the flavour so much, the Ranch® Cheese has earned a place in our pantry. 

Mini Ranch Pizza Appetizers
recipe by: Garden Gnome

3 Greek style pocketless pitas
1 cup (250 ml) prepared charcoal grilled jerk seasoned chicken
4 slices Provolone cheese*
2 tbsp (30 ml)sweet peppers, red and yellow
3 tbsp (45 ml) Sweet Baby Ray's® Barbecue Sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch® Cheese
2 tbsp (30 ml) brocoli, chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) green onions, sliced
⅓ c (75 ml) seared mushroom slices
1 tbsp (15 ml) butter
3 tbsp (45 ml) chopped tomatoes (optional)

Slice the mushrooms and pan sear in a little butter.  Drain and set aside.  Chop broccoli and sweet peppers.  Slice the green onions thinly.  Brush the tops of the pitas with Sweet Baby Ray's® Barbecue Sauce.  Tear the cheese slices into thirds and distribute even over top of each pita.  Divide chicken into thirds and place on pitas.  Squeeze in a circular motion about 1 tbsp of Ranch® Cheese dressing over each pita.  Top with mushrooms and then the prepared vegetables.  Bake at 350ºF/175ºC in oven or outdoor grill on Silpat lined baking sheet until cheese is melted and just turning golden on the edges.  Remove from oven.  Cut into 4 or 8 wedges as desired using a pizza cutter.

*I could only find sliced Provolone cheese here so used it as that is the flavour and texture I wanted.  Grated Provolone cheese can be substituted.

Ranch Potato Salad

A few days ago I announced that I was one lucky Canadian blogger chosen to participate in the Hidden Valley Ranch™ Recipe Challenge.  That means I have been having a bit of fun experimenting with Ranch!  I have three specific recipes I am still tweaking for the final submission prior to July 1.  Of these recipes, I will be submitting two but will not share them here until after the judging.  Hopefully, one will be a winner!

Our kids and grandkids were home last weekend for a family pool party and BBQ.  I made a ranch potato salad to accompany the charcoal grilled jerked chicken breasts and corn on the cob.  I love packing as much nutrition as possible into salads and that means extra vegetables.  My potato salad is no different.  What was different about this potato salad was the addition of homemade bacon bits and Hidden Valley Ranch™.

Everyone enjoyed the upscale flavour of the ranch potato salad.  It was very easy to make and I liked that I managed to get a few extra vegetables into a dish.  Now I will admit our kids and grandkids love their vegetables so I really don't need to use any tricks to get them to eat more.  This is a keeper recipe that I'm sure you will enjoy.  It is not one I am submitting for the contest but it still is quite good!

Ranch Potato Salad
source:  Garden Gnome

10 medium waxy potatoes
1 lg stalk celery
½ English cucumber
4 - 5 radishes
1 small onion
1 green onion
¾ c Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
⅓ c Hidden Valley The Original Ranch®
 ½ c homemade bacon bits

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Cut into bite sized pieces.  Steam until tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Cut about 4 slices of bacon to form pieces.  Fry until crispy.  Remove from heat and drain.   Place in mixing bowl.  Cut the celery stalk down the centre then thinly slice and pour into bowl with bacon.  Cut the English cucumber into quarters then cut into bite sized pieces.  Add to bacon bowl.  Cut the radishes into quarters and slice, add to bacon, vegetable bowl.  Slice the green onion thinly and add to bowl.  Chop the onion finely and add to bowl.  Mix vegetables and bacon together.  Stir into cooled potatoes.  Mix the Hidden Valley The Original Ranch® and Miracle Whip or mayonnaise together.  Pour over the vegetables.  Use a wide, slotted spoon to mix.  Add a little extra of either if the mixture is too dry.  Spoon into serving bowl.  Refrigerate 1 hour before serving to allow the flavours to blend.