Orange and Blue, Through and Through

My grandmother always made these wings for special occasions.  Birthdays, holidays, parties, or just because.  In our house, the Super Bowl is a pretty special occasion.  And since I live with just about the biggest Denver Broncos fan ever, Sunday's game is nothing short of monumental!  I mean, more important than my birthday, and much bigger than Christmas.  My husband is orange and blue, through and through!  There will be a lot of cheering, a whole lot of screaming, and an embarrassing amount of testosterone fueled fist-pumping and couch-punching.  Despite what my family may think, I'm not a huge football fan (but don't tell them that!).  I'd much rather don my apron and take cover in the kitchen.  Planning a Super Bowl party is always fun.  This is the one and only time that the kids are allowed to eat in front of the TV, and that makes it even more exciting.  This year, I'm turning our Super Bowl spread orange and blue, in honor of our hometown team.

My husband has taken to calling these wings, Seahawk wings . . . and then, with a threatening growl, he devours them in one bite.  They're sweet, salty and sticky.  Have plenty of napkins on hand.  I marinate them in soy sauce and brown sugar for several hours, and then bake them to sticky perfection.  With the wings, I decided to serve these adorable baby bell peppers which I found in the market a few days ago, stuffed with blue cheese.  Blue and orange peppers, how fun is that?  Of course, every Super Bowl party needs a super cool treat, so I'm making these Orange Creamsicle Sandwich Cookies.  Sprinkled with orange and blue sugar, naturally, and filled with creamy frosting to match. You could, in fact, make them any color you like (even navy and green, I won't tell).  Sweet orange and creamy vanilla, they remind me of the orange creamsicles I used to love as a child.
 

No matter who you'll be cheering for, I hope you're inspired to create a big game-day feast.  Sunday will be here in no time (and I'm actually starting to get a little excited) so hurry, hurry OMAHA!  I promise, your family and friends won't be disappointed.

Sweet and Salty Wings

marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground mustard

3 lbs chicken wings
chopped green onion (optional)

In a sauce pan stir together the marinade ingredients and place over medium heat.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and cool while you cut the chicken.

Cut the wing tips from the chicken wings at the joint and save for stock.  Then cut the wings in half at the elbow joint.  The easiest way to do this is to slice through the skin and meat at the elbow to reveal the joint.  Bend the elbow backwards so the bone pops out of the socket.  Cut straight through the gap in the two bones.

Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag.  Pour over the cooled marinade and seal the bag.  Place in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours (the longer the better), turning the bag a few times to make sure everything marinates evenly.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).  Line two sheet pans with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Place the chicken on the pans and bake for 1 hour.  Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with green onions.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Peppers

15 mini sweet peppers
1  6.5oz container of Garlic & Herb spreadable cheese (I use alouette)
2 oz blue cheese crumbles

Wash the peppers and cut around the stem to remove the seeds.  If any seeds are left inside, scrape them out with a knife.  In a small bowl, stir together the two cheeses, being careful not the break up the clumps of blue cheese.  With a small spoon, stuff the cheese into the peppers.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Orange Creamsicle Sandwich Cookies

cookies:
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
the zest of half an organic orange (approx. 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2  1/3 cups flour
coloured sugar to garnish (optional)

filling:
1  1/2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp orange extract
food coloring of your choice (optional)


Make the cookies by beating the sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add the egg, zest, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  Beat until well combined.  Add the flour and beat until the dough just comes together.  Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Press it into a disk and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough to a scant 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with small cutters (for these I used the rim of a small liqueur glass) and carefully place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle half of the cookies with colored sugar if desired (these will be the top cookies), and leave the rest plain (these will be the bottom cookies).  Bake the cookies for 7 - 10 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn brown.

To make the filling, stir together the icing sugar, butter, and orange extract until fluffy.  Blend in the food coloring to the shade you want.

To assemble, spread a little frosting on the bottom of a plain cookie and top with a sugared cookie.