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Is it possible to have a fun going away party? No matter how joyous you’d like to be, it is still difficult. One of our good friends left Los Angeles for the shiniest Apple in the land, and of course there was a dinner to celebrate his new beginnings. Great food, dancing, laughter, cocktails, memories. As part of the dinner’s round up, we contributed a number of dishes to the affair. We’ve done dinners for five and we’ve done dinners for 50, so this was a nice middle range of only 15. Our friend had a few requests, and everyone was happy to make that happen. We decided to rock out an appetizer, side dish and not one, but two desserts. Because that, friends, is how we roll. When you’re seeing a friend off, you want to be sure they don’t forget you, and how better to do that than with food!
This dinner was interesting because it was a sit down potluck. It can be difficult to make a meal cohesive when it’s a potluck, so with our appetizer and side dish, we went in a general direction sure to please most: chicken and potatoes. Spicy chicken wings and buttery, roasted potatoes to be exact. The desserts…well, this is where we just get so excited. The first was a batch of dense, rich chocolate brownies complete with an array of toppings and a Hummingbird cake. Actually we took an adapted Hummingbird Cake and flipped the switch on it. Surely not yo momma’s version. So here are our top three faves, from ‘our kitchen to yer’s’ as Paula Deen likes to say. And a hearty good luck, not goodbye, to our friend. May he do well in his ventures and never forget who makes some of the world’s best dishes!
Hot Wings – Serves 12 to 16
48 chicken wings and drumettes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups hot sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Canola oil
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Once melted, add remaining ingredients, stir well and turn heat down to a low simmer.
2. Pour oil in a deep fryer or a deep pan or pot. Once hot, add chicken pieces in small batches. Fry until browned, approximately 3-4 minutes.
3. Toss wings with sauce before serving. (Keep wings warm in an oven as the batches cook.)
Blue Cheese Sauce – Approximately 2 3/4 cups
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Not Your Momma’s Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans – Serves 16 to 20 (adapted from MyRecipes)
Cake
3 cups plus 6 tablespoons cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 medium-large bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of 2 oranges, minced
1 cup carrots, grated
8 ounces can crushed pineapple, undrained
1. Whisk 3 cups flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, zest, applesauce, vanilla, rum and oil. Add to dry ingredients just until moistened.
3. Stir in mashed banana, carrots and pineapple. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
4. Spray 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with floured baking spray. Pour cake batter evenly into the cake pans about half way up.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cakes spring back upon touching. Cool in pans for at least 5-10 minutes. Remove layers from pans to finish cooling on wire racks.
Frosting
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon dark rum (optional)
1 tablespoon Cointreau
Juice of 1/4 orange
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed just until smooth. Stir in Cointreau and rum followed by coconut flakes.
Candied Pecans
1/2 pound pecan halves or pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Toast pecans slightly over medium flame just until they become fragrant.
2. Add butter and allow to melt over nuts. Toss to cover nuts with butter.
3. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar and salt. Pour evenly over pecans and toss again, so they are all covered in sugar.
4. Pour nuts onto a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Spread out in an even layer. Place in freezer to cool completely.
Click HERE for printable recipes.
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What a lovely delicious send off for your friend. LOVE the addition of rum in the hummingbird cake. The blue cheese dressing sounds delicious too with the apple cider vinegar. And those wings, excuse me, Id be licking my fingers.
I am so off to vote for you!
The hot wings and the blue cheese sauce look excellent and I bet the desserts were really delicious! Voted for you!
Those wings look tasty! I use brown sugar too, but yours look better. (salivating now, gotta go)
I would totally blow 3 days worth of saturated fat intake on those hot wings in an instant.
Amir! Love this blog! I voted for you guys. Congrats on the nomination!
Make sure to check out our blog too:
http://goingreennews.blogspot.com/
Love ya!
Aw, what a wonderful send off for your friend. I love the looks of that Hummingbird cake and the brownies …. yum! Later this summer I’ll be saying farewell, but not goodbye, to a friend who’s moving to Hong Kong, so I know just how you feel. Hopefully we’ll send her off in such fine fashion too.
HUGE congrats on your nomination, Duo! What a wonderful honor and I’ll be delighted to vote for you. Yay!
Love the wings… they’re easily one of my favorite treats ever! We’ve been doing them on the grill lately, and while the skins aren’t quite as crispy it takes some of the guilt out.
I adore wings, with paprika and blue cheese much better!!
The desserts are incredibility heaven …. Can I have some of them? At least a slice
Cheers and Voted!!
Gera
That’s quite the send off! If I ever leave LA, I’m calling you guys to cater the party!
Off to vote now!
Good times. It all looks great!
Wow! Wish I could have been at this party! That cake looks and sounds really tasty. All sorts of great spices in there. And hummingbird cake — such a cute name.
Oh my, you had me at buffalo wings!
I am going to bookmark your blue cheese sauce the next time I make wings – yum!
Your wings look so great! I’ve never made my own hot wings, but now I’m inspired.
You guys had me going there for a moment with the title of this post. Phew!
What an awesome way to celebrate a going away party. Awesome food with awesome people. Now I’m craving hot wing!!
I avoid goodbyes at all cost.. but your food looks very welcoming!
Wow! Lots of work! Will vote for ya too!
congrats on being nominated!! I’ve never heard of anything like that cake… so interesting!!
Congrats on the much-deserved nomination! I hope you guys win.
These are great party foods. I’m planning on making the hot wings for my friends and family when I visit Thailand later this month. I’m positive they will go nuts over them.
I love wings. My husband and my son know this pretty well. So, I am really drooling looking at your spicy wings. I really need to make this!
I have such a weakness for hot wings – you are hitting me at a low point – cheese cake for you, hotwings for me!
What a delicious send-off for your friend! I am in love the hummingbird cake! I voted for you – lots of luck!
You two can sure throw a party.
Your feast is looking most delish! How about I come over just so you can throw me a going home par-tay??
already voted
all the foods sound delish specially the dessert. yummmmmmmm!!!
I love throwing parties, everybody enjoying themselves while nibbling on good food. As usual, your food rocks, especially the dessert
We know allready, when you two are trowing a party, that the food will be outstanding!
The hot chicken wings look so tasty!
Congratulations on your nomination!!
This spread looks great but my eyes are looked on the hummingbird cake! I made it once, loved it to pieces and have not made it since! For some reason, friends and family are not as keen on the pineapple as I am.
You certainly know how to bid a fond and delicious farewell to your friend!
you got my vote!
If I was given this feast I would never leave (either the city or your house).
You definitely get my vote too!
You can say farewell to me any time!
Those hotwings look goood! I love that hummingbird cake. You two are so fun and always have great delicious food over here. You got my vote any day!
You have no idea how much I LOVE hot wings. I could eat them for days. I really like your blue cheese sauce recipe. If I ever have a goodbye party, I want to have wings too.
Buffalo, NY is just 21/2 hrs. south of Toronto and we’ve adopted wings here as well…love’em and will never tire of them!
I hit ‘read more’ and had a hot wing flash! I put those on a late night bar menu in St Louis and guess who got stuck making them each night, lol, but hey I could eat them for breakfast!
At first glance I thought that cake was a carrot cream cheese cake…now I might have to bake one…
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