Fantastic Father's Day Feast

I cannot sing my husband's praises enough. He's a loyal husband, an extremely talented pilot, and his relaxed demeanor brings a sense of calm to our home. Above all else, he is an incredible father. I'll admit I used to worry when I was pregnant: what would he be like with our son? The answer to that: perfect. He loves our son with a passion I've never seen anyone have, and both my boys light up when they see each other. As a wife and mother, it doesn't get any better than that. Because he is such a special man, he deserved a special dinner- one that required a little more time. Yes, my mission statement for this blog is based on not having to spend hours in the kitchen, but this meal will be worth every minute of it. The actual cooking doesn't take long, there is just prep work that needs to be done earlier in the day. If you can get the prep work done before noon, you can rest, relax, watch your husband play xbox (like I did), for the rest of the day!



Ranch Chicken Wings
drizzled with honey hotsauce
Homemade Hearty Coleslaw
Baked Sweet Potato Fries

*Helpful Hint: Get your chicken wings (thawed if you use the frozen ones) in the marinade, and get your coleslaw made earlier in the day! Each need 3 hours in the fridge!

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Ranch Chicken Wings (Food Network Magazine- June 2010)

Ingredients:

* 2 lbs chicken wings
* 3  1-oz packets ranch dressing mix (I used 4 since 4 come in a box)
* 1 1/2 cups flour
* Freshly ground pepper
* 3 large eggs
* Vegetable oil, for frying

To Do:

* Toss the wings in 1 packet of ranch dressing in bag. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. (I used two packets of the dressing to make sure they got a good cover.
* Mix flour, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 packet ranch dressing mix in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat eggs, 2 tablespoons of water, and the last ranch dressing packet.
* Dredge the wings a few at a time in the seasoned flour, dip them in the egg, and then back in the flour. (I did most of my wings in this double dredge. The coating turned out super thick after frying. My last batch, I just went from marinade, straight to the egg, then to the flour, and in my opinion they turned out much better.)
* Heat oil in pan over medium heat until deep fryer thermometer registers 350F. Fry the wings until crisp and golden brown, 5-6 minutes per side. Place cooked wings on paper towel to drain excess oil.

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Honey Hot Sauce (Food Network Magazine-June 2010)

Easiest, tastiest wing sauce... ever!

* Combine equal parts honey and hot sauce. (I used 1/4 cup of each). Done.
* You can add more honey to make it sweeter (what I did), or more hot sauce to kick it up a notch (what Chris did).

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Sweet Potato Fries (Paula Deen)

*this recipe makes a gigantic batch of fries, but sure to cut it down based on how many potatoes you use*

Ingredients:

* 1 cup salt
* 1/4 cup black pepper
* 1/4 cup onion powder
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* Olive oil for tossing
* 5 sweet potatoes- peeled and cut

To Do:

* Pre-heat oven to 450F
* Combine salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika
* Toss cut potatoes in just enough oil to cover
* Sprinkle potatoes with the seasoning mixture
* Lay potatoes on a foiled baking sheet in a single layer
* Bake for 20 minutes, flipping occassionally.
 (my fries weren't quite a crispy as Chris and I like, so we threw them down into the fryer after making the wings for a minute)

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Hearty Coleslaw (Family Circle Magazine)

(Again, this recipe makes a large quantity. Feel free to cut it down. I only used 1/2 a head of cabbage and we have a ton of leftovers. Delicious, delicious leftovers!)

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 lbs green cabbage, shredded (about 10 cups) (I only used 1/2 head)
* 2 large carrots, shredded (I used 3)
* 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat mayo
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/4 cup dijon mustard
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon celery seed (I omitted this because I didn't have any)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper

To Do:

*  Shred cabbage and carrots. (I have absolutely no knife skills, or the patience to make the veggies super thin, so mine turned out big and chunky, and it was so good!) Mix the veggies in a large bowl.
* In medium bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, mustard, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper.
* Pour dressing over veggies and mix well.

* Cover and put in fridge for at least 3 hours