February 29, 2012

Wicked Faire & Emilie Autumn

I've been sick for the past two weeks, due to running myself ragged. I was uber-busy on February 18th covering day 2 of Wicked Faire in Somerset, NJ, and the Emilie Autumn concert in New York, NY (Manhattan).


Also a lot of the photos from the Wicked Faire fashion show were picked up by TechRepublic.

February 9, 2012

Recipe: Watermelon Vodka-Chipotle Buffalo Wings

12 whole Chicken Wings
1 Chipotle Pepper, diced
1 clove Elephant Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Tabasco Sauce
2 tablespoons of Sriracha Sauce
4 ounces of Tomato Paste
1/4 cup of Watermelon Vodka
5 tablepoons of Honey
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper

Brine
4 cups of Cold Water
2 cups of Hot Water
1 cup of Kosher Salt
1 cup of Sugar



Add hot water to a pot or container to start the brine. Mix in sugar and salt, stir until dissolved. Then add in cold water.

Separate the drumettes, wingettes,and wing tips. The wing tips can be discarded or saved for future use in a chicken stock. Add the drumettes and wingettes to the brine, and place into the refrigerator for a half-hour to an hour.

Remove wings from brine and place onto a cooking pan large enough to have the wings side-by-side and deep enough to hold some liquids (about 2-3 inches deep), lined with paper towels and let dry for a few minutes. Remove paper towels and throw out. Add oil, non-stick spray, or butter to the wings, thoroughly coating them all and the bottom of the pan. Then place into a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Add watermelon vodka, sriracha sauce, Tabasco sauce, chipotle pepper, elephant garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and tomato paste to a medium to large pot over medium heat. Bring to simmer and reduce heat to low. Stirring often. When you're about to remove the wings (around 20 minutes), add the honey to the sauce mixture, and continue stirring.

Remove the wings and add them to the sauce mixture in the pot and fold the wings into the sauce and let them cook together for about five minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400-425 degrees.

Afterwards, pour the wings and sauce mixture back into the pan used to cook the wings and place into the oven. Let bake for another 5-15 minutes, using tongs to turn the wings around. This time period is for glazing the sauce and creating a nice crust, so it depends on your preference for textures.

February 7, 2012

Congratulations to the New York Giants!

A tad bit behind, but congratulations to the New York Giants winning Super Bowl XLVI! Here's some photos of the celebration parade: