Lazy Sunday? Not over here!

My son started back kindergarten (the equivalent to preschool in America) last week, and boy has it been tiresome! It's great because the children are on a pretty good schedule and my son is back with friends! They're a lot more mellow these days and nap everyday!  Sometimes on me.

Who knew boobies made great pillows? I had to use a webcam, to take the photo because I was afraid to move!

So it was nice to have some adult time with a good friend yesterday. We ate, gossiped, and took photos of our gorgeous city. We even discussed blogs. She's the one who inspired me to try blogging in the first place! Check her out over at http://livingwrighthome.com 

Breakfast buffet. Where the plates were small as saucers. Yet I didn't feel inclined to stuff my face. 

Trashy Butterfly. I saw this while walking down one of the main streets. I said to my friend, "Geez, with the reflection, that looks like a butterfly." We took some photos and were surrounded by curious onlookers.

I like flower shots, yet I know nothing about flowers!

The Heidelberg Castle

I just really love red!

Was a really fun day, however I was exhausted when I got home! And yesterday was also the first NFL Sunday! Though we live in Germany my husband watch and I tweet we watch as many games as we can together.  It's not a family thing as the first game does not start here until at least 6pm and the last ends around 2 or 3am!! It's frustrating because I do miss the full day of football, so I sort of gotten into soccer. USA!

So to celebrate, I prepared a huge spread for the husband! I started later than usual because I wanted the food to be warm for him while he cursed out cheered his team on! Which was perfect as we rarely get to watch our teams play!

This recipe is from my Food and Wine 2009 Cookbook. This is a must buy! It's full of recipes from chefs around the globe. It's has awesome tips and shows you how to make many variations of classic recipes.

So on the menu- Grilled Corn-Mango-Black Bean Salad with Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette, Loaded Potato Skins, Portobello Mushroom Fries, and Green Jalapeno Hot Wings! Also I made my own ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing. Or at least I wanted to make blue cheese! When making the menu last week, I saw blue cheese in our fridge, actually two, so I didn't buy any. When it was time to make the blue cheese dressing, there was none in there!  I nearly cried and it was after 8 so all the commissary was closed and German shops are rarely ever opened on Sundays (I miss Giant!!). I also didn't have panko bread crumbs or cheddar (cries some more)! And you know what, I wasted tears because everything was AMAZING! I didn't take photos throughout because I was quite chaotic in my little kitchen! But, man. I'd do it again- though earlier :) That's what I love about cooking, you can easily improvise and no one will know that you used a different cheese or didn't use a certain sauce. Hell, it may turn into the way you always make a dish!

So I would like to share the recipe for the Green Jalapeño Hot Wings. They were absolutely DELICIOUS! The recipe as is is perfect for children, but if you want some spice, add way more pickled jalapeños! I didn't make the blue cheese with the big blue cheese fiasco, but I did make some great ranch sauce for the portobello mushrooms, and it also went well with the chicken.

Green Jalapeño Hot Wings

5 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints. Reserve tips for stock, or buy the already wings. Usually found in the frozen food section

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup green jalapeño sauce

2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped pickles jalapeños

1 stick of butter

2 large garlic cloves minced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500F and position 2 racks in the middle and upper third. Spread the wings on the baking sheets then season. Roast 40 minutes, turning twice until wings are golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, puree hot sauce and jalapeños in a blender or mini food processor until smooth. In a small saucepan, cook the butter with the garlic over moderate heat just until fragrant, about 2 minutes, Add the puree to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl.

Carefully transfer chicken to the bowl then toss to coat.  Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing!

ENJOY!!!