How to prep your wings

Greetings, food fans, today I’ve got a practical primer for turning a chicken wing into flats and drummets for service. 

Here’s our wing. Notice that it has two clearly defined joints. The first and easiest is the nubbin. That’s the wing tip, it’s basically pure cartilage so it’s a very straightforward cut right down the middle.

Next we have the actual ‘elbow’ of the wing. It’s also fairly straightforward; just slice straight through the joint and cut all the skin. 

There we have it, separated wings, ready for any spice rub or sauce you could ask for. On Mikes Grub, the Facebook page, I’ve done tandoori spiced chicken wings.

One pot pasta

Hello, food fans, come to Mike’s Grub and see how I made this fantastic dish 

New recipe is up

Hey food fans, quick heads up: I’m going to start posting quick recipes on Mike’s Grub, my Facebook page. I’ll still post longer recipes and tours here, but you’ll find new recipes like my honey sriracha wings there. 

Spice Blends

Hello, food fans. Today, we’re talking about spice blends. They are a great way to offer fat free flavor to any dish, as well as a way to make each dish your own. 

The first thing to remember about a good spice blend is that it’s like chord, pulling individual notes together to make something greater. A basic spice blend of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder is fine, if a bit bland..but what if you added chipotle powder instead of black pepper? Now you’ve got a smoky, spicy blend ready to work its magic on pork or chicken. 

The second thing to remember is to always ask yourself what am I trying to do here?  It’s perfectly fine to just sprinkle your rub onto the meat, but why not try blending a little olive oil into the mixture and rubbing it on? The added oil will create a better sear, as well as carmelizing the sugars inside the spices (this is called a Maillard reaction).

Thirdly, spice blends can be a bit salty, so it’s often best to mix your own. For an example, here’s my molè spice blend recipe.

3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons of chipotle powder

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of onion powder

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 table spoon of salt 

Mix together and use immediately. 

Try this on pork loin, chicken thighs, or my favorite, on shrimp skewers to be grilled. 

Spice blends are like the individual pigments a painter uses. On their own, they aren’t much, but mixed together they can turn any canvas into a masterpiece.

Needle and tread

Today, I’m not here to talk about food. Instead, I want to tell you about something truly worthwhile; travel. There is a local company in Wilmington NC, named Needle and Tread. They craft hoodies that allow you to wear your journeys. 

Included in your purchase is a kit that allows you to stitch the places you’ve been onto the included map

Further, this is a purchase with a conscience. For every purchase, 5.00 goes to Youth For Understanding, a charity that helps kids travel and learn. 

Travel is important, if we stay in our homes then we never learn about the world around us. If we don’t learn, we don’t grow. Check out @needleandtread on Instagram and learn more. 

(This is an unpaid advertisement, I make no money on this and have no stake in the company)

Smothered Chicken

Food fans, today I have a recipe that you’ll want to remember when winter comes to your doorstep, smothered chicken. This dish, featuring slow cooked chicken thighs, homemade gravy, onions, and rice, is sure to keep you warm on cold nights. 

                      Smothered Chicken

                                 Serves 3-5

Ingredients

2 lbs of chicken thighs

32 oz of chicken broth or stock 

1 large sweet onion cut into strips 

2 cups of seasoned flour (I use salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder)

3 minced cloves of garlic

Oil for frying 

Preparation

Begin by heating your oil on medium heat

Then coat your chicken in the flour, knocking off the excess and placing it on a tray while the oil heats up. Reserve the flour for making a roux later.

Once the oil is hot, brown your chicken skin side down for four minutes, before turning and browning the meat side for another four minutes. 

Once the chicken is browned, remove the chicken to a clean tray and put your onion and garlic, cook until the onion is softened then add the flour.

Cook the flour until it’s a slight golden color, then add your cold broth or stock.

Add the chicken to your sauce and simmer for 45 minutes

Once the chicken is tender and cooked through, serve over rice. 

Final thoughts: 

This is a perfect cold weather dish, that said, it’s equally great anytime you feel like having a great comfort food. 

Cape Fear Spice Market

Food fans, this is a special post. It features my all time favorite place in downtown Wilmington NC, Cape Fear Spice Market. 

Cape Fear Spice Market has whole spices, ground blends, teas, coffees, and all the tools needed to work with spices at home. 

Pro-tip from Mike’s Grub, and Mike himself, when purchasing spices, unless you plan to use all of it in a matter of weeks buy whole. Whole spices are easily stored in a cool, dark place and can last for months if not a year. Pre-ground, no matter how excellent the quality can’t survive as long. Another good tip is when blending your spices for a rub, always had three quarters of the salt to the recipe that it calls for. You’re going to be seasoning your food as you go, so if you have all your salt in the rub, then you continue to salt as you add aromatics and the like, you end up with a dish that’s saltier than you intended. Coming in a later post we’re going to discuss spice blends. Like my masala blend that I’ve already shown you, spices are where the cook can really tell a story with the plate. 

Our final stop before leaving showed us the ready made items. They have a great selection of soups, pastas, and as you see in these pictures, a host of organic chocolates. I had the pleasure of trying the super dark on a previous trip,m: that is not a chocolate for the casual fan. That is serious chocolate for serious chocolate lovers. 

Cape Fear Spice Market has what you need to make each dish uniquely your own. 

Visiting New Bridge Organic Market

Food fans, today I bring you New Bridge Organic Market (708 New Bridge St. Jacksonville NC). 

This is a full service organic market, featuring meats, vegetables, bulk spices, and more. 

Fresh produce is a great way to introduce more vitamins and minerals into your daily routine. 

Bulk spices are a cost effective way to purchase what you need to take your tastebuds on a journey to anywhere in the world. 

Organic merlot. I’m not a wine drinker, but if you are then they’ve got you covered. They had a very nice selection of reds and whites available. 

Here we have two variants on my food guilty pleasure: sticks of spiced stuff. The top is from Epic, the bottom is from Primal Spirit Foods. I found that I preferred Primal Spirit Foods’ offering. The Epic bar was, to my palate badly in need of some more seasoning and the fat needed to be cut slightly. Primal Strips, on the other hand, tasted like the burnt skin from ribs. The other major difference is the bar from Primal was made of seitan, which meant that I’ve finally found a meat substitute that I actually enjoy. 

New Bridge Organic Market is a great place for the shopper interested in organic eating. Try it for yourself, there’s plenty of great stuff for anyone to enjoy!

Old Fashioned Fried Chicken

Howdy, food fans, today’s offering is that southern classic fried chicken. Before I begin though, I want to invite you to check out Mike’s Grub on Facebook. There you’ll find more articles that I collect from the Internet as well as the occasional giveaway.

Another note, as you will find I do not use a lot of spices in this recipe. That is because this is recipe is meant to act as a canvas, something for you to find the spice mix that works for you. Now onto the show!

                          Fried Chicken

                           Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

3 lbs of chicken pieces

3 cups of flour in a bag

1/4 teaspoon of pepper per piece

Salt to taste
Preparation

Heat 1 quart of oil in a large skillet on medium heat to 325

Add pepper to chicken 

Place chicken in bag, coat with flour and then shake off the excess

Let rest in plate until oil is hot

Once oil is hot place chicken in pan skin side down and cook for 10 minutes

Flip and cook for additional 8-10 minutes

Remove and let drain on paper towels

Add salt

Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

Fried chicken is a classic American meal. It’s the sort of food that makes you think of family get-togethers. Tell me about your favorite food memory in the comments 

Mighty Manicotti

Hello, food fans, today’s dish is a long time in coming. I love cheesy stuffed pasta, and when you combine that with a hearty meat sauce; you’re in for a treat. Let’s dive straight in:

                      Mighty Manicotti

                            Serves 4-5 

Ingredients

1 pack of manicotti pasta

1 lb of Italian sausage

1 pint of pasta sauce

10 oz of frozen spinach (thawed, drained, and chopped)

1 container of ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon of onion powder

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of salt

8 oz of shredded mozzarella 
Preparation

Boil noodles in salted water, remove to drain and cool to room temperature

Brown sausage in pan, remove and add to sauce

Mix ricotta, parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper

Stuff mixture into pasta

Place pasta into casserole dish and cover with sauce and cheese 

Bake at 400 for 1/2 hour

Final Step

Plate up and enjoy Italian comfort food at its finest