more photos:

Any recipe that begins like that...I just can't seem to wrap my head - or my stomach - around. Does that make me a snob? Or worse, have I, over the past few years, transformed into - horror of horrors - a food snob?

I don't think so. I mean, honestly I have eaten my fair share of TV dinners, pre-packaged foods and boxed mixes. I continue to have only-satisfied-by-death-or-delivery cravings for take-out once in a while and I have been known to eat popcorn for dinner at least once a month. I do have a butter chicken mix in my cupboard as well as some Uncle Ben's rice mixes...but I don't know if I want to admit just how long those have been there. Oh, yeah, and sin of foodie sins: I am most definitely not a fan of leftovers.

But those foodie foibles aside I tend to gravitate towards recipes that actually require more work than (1) open package, (2) pour package into microwave bowl and (3) heat until hot. For starters I don't own a microwave - unless you count the old, decrepit one hiding in a closet in S's office closet that we haven't used in over a year. I should really get one because I can only assume normal people don't have to defrost their chicken in the sink full of ice water over a few hours, nor do they have to thaw their home made baby food in a bowl in the fridge over night.

Those sorts of "semi-homemade" recipes drive me batty. Actually, no. Allow me to correct myself on that: the people who "come up" with "semi-homemade" recipes drive me batty. The Rachael Rays. The Sandra Lees. The Anti-Marthas and Anti-Nigellas of the world who think it is much too difficult to make real food with real flavour and real ingredients. And they don't stop there. They actually go out of their way to give their audience not only the excuse to engage in this type of cooking (and I use that term loosely), but they try to make you feel as though you are an alien if you think good food requires effort. That good food requires more effort than popping open a tin or ripping open a package of pre-cut vegetables and one of powdered sauce mix.

I thought about this while I munched on the remains of a pile of Asian-flavoured chicken wings I made recently. Yes, I could have easily gone to the supermarket and bought some great pre-made, frozen wings and simply baked them off for the "guy's night" S. was having at our place. But why do that when you can make truly delicious food from scratch, flavoured the way you want, ready to eat when you want, made with a bit more concern for what you're serving your guests...? And secretly, I adore all the belly-rubbing, lip-smacking and compliments that follow a good meal that I have made. When a guest turns away from a basketball game, chicken wing in hand and says "Jennifer, these are amazing" I smile and nod and secretly go all gooey and googily inside.

Filed under:   Cravings   Family

Related Recipes   Asian-Inspired Chicken Wings

Comments:
Note: Adding comments is termporarily disabled as we rebuild the system...

Mar 26, 2007:	Sam Now, if you'd raised and butchered the chickens yourself, THEN I'd really be impressed. And anybody who "wastes a lot" of perfectly good food to avoid having to eat leftovers (a la Rhonda, above) should sit down and have a good think about where global warming is taking us, and whether wasting food (i.e. energy) is really such a smart idea.
Mar 20, 2007:	Deborah (http://blog.humblehousewife.com) I think everyone agrees fresh and homemade is better. I also think if everyone knew that it's not that difficult or even time consuming to make good wholesome food for your family, it would not be an issue. Rachel gives the impression that you have to use her methods in order to quick cookly... not true. I have been known to have a home made European style (bechamel based) lasagna on the table after less than 45 minutes of prep and cooking. You can bake a cake in less time than it takes to go to the shops to get a mix, a delicious Roast Beef for four with Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes can be on the table in an hour and a half... the list goes on. We need to be encouraged to learn proper classical cooking techniques, which although may be more time consuming in the beginning, eventually become second nature and quicker than the so-called shortcuts. Do you see how quickly chef's chop things? Betcha they didn't start like that! It all takes practice... but I digress... We all have to indulge in take-out once in a while and really who doesn't have the occasional fast food craving! :-) But we do need to learn what our mothers and grandmothers knew... cooking does not have to be hard to be done right! BTW - I hate leftovers too, luckily the husband doesn't! ;-)
Mar 19, 2007:	Julie I much consider myself the same way: a food snob. I luckily grew up in an immigrant asian family where my mom made fresh dinners every night (leftovers always nearby--never to go to waste. A belief I firmy standby as well). Everything was as close to natural as possible and she rarely used processed foods. But being a naturalist aside, I can also understand why RR is great in her own way, but I'll never forgive SL for having her own show and books. She's just complete BS. RR's show gets the traditional non-cookers to see how simple cooking can be. Sure she opens a few cans, but she always uses raw meat and usually lots of fresh veggies. I had a roomate in college who loved her, and used her type of cooking as a stepping stool to more complex and advanced recipes and cooking/eating. I think if RR can get a self proclaimed "I don't cook" to cook, then she's a success. Everyone has to start somewhere. And I agree with the comment someone made earlier in regards to Nigella. Does her British exoticism allow for the pat-on-the-back for her cooking style while everyone else here criticizes RR and SL? From what I've seen of her and read from an interview, she claims she's not a frou frou chef, and has no qualms with opening packages of creamed spinach and canned foods. Ham in Coca Cola recipe? You'd think it was something in SL's book, but think again--Nigella's! Believe it or not, she's much like our RR (only much more charming.)
Mar 19, 2007:	Annika (http://noirbettie.com/blog/) I have a microwave but I always defrost chicken in a sink of ice water (unless I've really planned ahead and can pop it into the fridge a day or two before I need it). But whether I am normal is up for debate.
Mar 18, 2007:	Cris I am also a food snob, and refuse to buy prepackaged foods. I will admit to the occasional order of delivery on those nights when I'm too exhausted to cook, though. I understand the appeal of Rachel Ray to a certain audience (although not to me), because so many people think that cooking has to be a long drawn-out process. I do not understand the appeal of Sandra Lee, though. I actually stopped watching Food Network when they stopped running Iron Chef (the original), because there were too many Rachel Rays and Sandra Lees. I gave up searching for a really good asian wings recipe long ago, so I was so happy to see this recipe. We're eating it right now, and DH and I are both enjoying them. I did make 2 alterations to your recipe, I added to the sauce ½ tsp of crushed ginger and took a few passes of the microplane to an orange. Yum!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Mar 16, 2007:	kelleigh (http://homemakershaven.blogspot.com) We all succumb to the pre-packaged stuff now and then, lol! I usually hide my boxed mixes in the back of the pantry! ;)
Mar 16, 2007:	Gayla Be careful. Some of the things we say come back to bite us in the A double S. Picture three kids, two different hockey rinks, a school meeting, all following a full day of work. Fast food or take-out if you feel better about that phrase starts sounding pretty darn good. You may even feel like Polly Homemaker by whipping something up that does include an ingredient from a tin. The Wings sound wonderful and look amazing. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Mar 16, 2007:	Patti I love fresh, and always buy organic, and I love to cook. But I'm also a single mom of a kid with health issues, and I am finding myself taking more and more shortcuts as my life gets shorter and more complicated and I get more exhausted. You couldn't pay me enough to make anything Sandra Lee, or to go to McDonald's - my son has never eaten food from any of the fast-food places like that - but Rachael Ray has some decent, real food. Not everyone has the luxury of time to do everything all the time.
Mar 12, 2007:	Tiffany I just had to write about the microwave. We haven't had one for years. I've never liked how meat tastes after it's been defrosted so I never used it for that. Since ours broke I found that it is really the same amount of time to steam vegs or heat soup on the stove.
Mar 12, 2007:	Carrie (www.kitchenvixen.ca) Cheers to that. I too am a fresh food snob. I even make my own curry powder! The things worth having in life are worth some effort. Processed or prepared food has no place in "recipes". It's definitely a sign of our fast-food culture. Although, I do have a microwave, I tend to use the toaster oven much more often.
Mar 10, 2007:	Landa (http://allpurposegirl.blogspot.com/) Could not agree with you more and fyi, your Asian wings are delicious.
Mar 9, 2007:	Monika Korngut (http://www.monikakorngut.com/main.htm) I love your recipe for chicken wings. All that honey for sure will make them deliciously sticky and finger-licking good. I must say, I love making food from scratch but sometimes I do use the conviences of the world and pick some things up. Like ketchup. I really like it. A cheese melt sandwitch with fresh tomatoes, basil and a touch of ketchup is sooooo good. Don't hate me :)
Mar 8, 2007:	Marjorie Oh, that Sandra Lee is in a class by herself. If she spent the time actually cooking that she spends "creating" her tablescapes, things may be different. Nigella and Martha have taken the cue from Julia Child. If you watch the DVD's of "The "French Chef," you will see the similarities.
Mar 8, 2007:	Nancy (http://neuroti.ca) My name is Nancy. I am a lover of all things food, and I eat Cheese Whiz. On toast. Don't hate me. Certainly fresh is best, but as Tara said, the odd shortcut isn't an unpardonable sin. My microwave is used primarily for defrosting, but also occasionally for cooking of rice and steaming of vegetables. Leftovers are also okay in my books, mostly because I've spent a good chunk of my life cooking for one or two, and some things are better the next day. Think beef stew! Chili! As much as she makes me cringe, Rachel Ray will always have an audience because there will always be a portion of the cooking population who doesn't cook all fresh, all the time. I'd love to put my arms around Paula Deen and say "Honey, as much as I love you, not all cream sauces have to be made with Campbell's soup. Show me the REAL way." They will always have their place, as will the snobs, purists and everyone else in between.
Mar 8, 2007:	tara (www.sevenspoons.net) Brava, my dear. I could not agree more - while I fully understand that some concessions can be made for time and convenience, I do believe that many of the RR and Sandra Lee "shortcuts" are needless. It does seem that people are encouraged to go out of their way to use prepakaged products, even when it is just as simple/easy/quick to do simple tasks like shredding cheese by hand (or food processor) instead of buying a preshredded pack. My dear S and I do have a microwave, but it dwells in the garage. I must admit you brought a smile to my face as our banished box has but one use - defrosting Benjamin's baby food.
Mar 7, 2007:	Valerie (http://www.bakeyourcakeandeatittoo.blogspot.com) I am SO glad that there are people in this world that actually care about what goes into your dishes. I think taking care of your body is worth the extra effort and the fresh and flavorful ingredients that goes into a dish. Plus, it's SO much more satisfying stinking your teeth into a meal you made from scratch. It's SO worth it. You have a beautiful website by the way.
Mar 7, 2007:	Ani (foodiechickie.com) Long time reader of your site. I believe first time commenter. I do like left overs. Sometimes I think they taste better the day after. Such as Tabouli, Indian cuisine and bean salad. I think Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee are so popular because folks get so packed with schedules these days they forget to enjoy their food and cooking. It's funny you mentioned Nigella Lawson as a cook because some folks in Britian think of her in the same category as RR and SL. Funny. I love NIgella myself.
Mar 7, 2007:	Rhonda (www.scout87.wordpress.com) It's okay to be a food snob. Food snobs unite! LOL I hate leftovers, as well. I eat out a lot because it's just me and my five-year-old son...hard to cook for just us because he's so persnickety. But I detest leftovers when I do cook. Unfortunately I waste a lot of food this way. =[
Mar 7, 2007:	Lisa (http://thefoodsnob.typepad.com) I AM a food snob, and proud of it! These semi-homemade people are just letting people feel satisfied with mediocrity, as if it is something to aspire to!
Mar 7, 2007:	Kady (http://gourmetish.blogspot.com) I completely agree. I could go on and on about how mad Miss "semi-homemade" makes me. Her dishes make me sick. She actually uses velveeta. Her books make me shudder. I used to work at Sur La Table a while ago and I could not understand why they carried her books. Oh, and I also agree about leftovers. There are very few leftovers that I enjoy. That's why I'll have to have 10 children just to satisfy my need to cook fresh meals and desserts every day. haha..just kidding. I'll stick to one for now. :)