Moo's Japanese Chicken Wings

If you don't like wings...move along! Okay, I'm assuming about 98.9 percent of you are still with me. These are great. I think they are my all time favorite wings. An appetizer palate pleaser. Warning: Make plenty.

2 Plastic bags (you need clean bags--like garbage bags--with no scent or deoderizer imbued and no holes)
Start with about a dozen wings (about 2 1/3 lbs)
1 medium clove garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger (about 1”x1”), peeled
½ c. Japanese rice wine (sake)
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ t. dried hot red pepper flakes

Remove the tips from the wings and discard. Separate the remaining two joints. Place two plastic bags inside one another and place the wings inside. Place the bags (and their contents) in a large bowl.

To make the marinade, run garlic and ginger through a food processor. Chop about 10 seconds--until very fine. Scrape down the work bowl then add the remaining ingredients and process 5 seconds.

Pour the marinade over the bagged wings and toss to coat thoroughly. Seal each bag tightly with a twist tie. Let wings marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a shallow broiler pan or baking dish with heavy foil. Remove the wings from the bags and arrange them in a single layer in the pan. Reserve the marinade. Bake the wings uncovered until golden brown and crusty, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn and baste them every 15 minutes.

Glenda's Greek Chicken Wings

You can't have too many chicken wing recipes...Really. You can't. Wings ARE palate pleasers. This one comes from the mother of a friend of mine. I've been making this one for 20 years. They are soooo simple. Glenda doesn't use quantities. She just does this by starting with the number of wings she wants and then does everything else by eye and taste. You really can't go too wrong with this.

Chicken wings
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
Whole and ground oregano
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice

Lightly salt chicken, then dredge with flour that is seasoned with oregano. Put chicken into a baking dish that has about 1/4 inch of olive oil in bottom. Bake, covered with foil, for about 25-35 minutes at 450°. Remove foil and brown wings on both sides. Squeeze lemon juice on each wing (each side) and bake 5 minutes longer.

Moo's Very Best Clam Chowder

Prepare 10 dozen clams for steaming (i.e., soak in water and cornmeal to clean the sand out of the clam. If particularly sandy, you might have to change water/cornmeal more than once.). Steam until clams open and can be easily removed from shells. Save 1 ½ cups of the clam broth, poured through cheese cloth to catch any residual sand.

In a kettle, sauté 1 ½ cups diced onion in a generous amount of butter until soft and transparent but not brown. Add 2 ½ cups diced potatoes and the reserved clam broth. Simmer 20 minutes. Add clams and simmer 5 minutes. In a sauce pan, heat 2 ½ cups milk and ¾ cup heavy cream (or sour cream). Pour into the soup pot and add 2 t. salt and ½ t. crushed thyme, pepper to taste. Make a mixture of butter and flour (roux), add to hot soup. Do not allow to boil. Finally add 2 cups chicken broth. When plating the soup, add a pat of butter to the top of each bowl.

Moo's Chicken Ginger Coriander Soup

8 cups chicken stock
6 slices fresh ginger
5 stalks fresh lemon grass
1 bunch coriander
Fresh, raw dark meat of chicken (legs and thighs)
Fresh spinach, chopped
Japanese Udon noodles or Chinese noodles
Fresh mushrooms
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Suggested garnishes: scallions, chopped tofu, chopped hard-boiled eggs, coriander leaves, lime slices, fresh bean sprouts

To chicken stock, add ginger, lemon grass and coriander. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes in order for flavors to merge. Remove ginger, lemon grass and coriander. Add chicken (still on bones) to the flavored broth. Once cooked, remove chicken. Cool enough to debone and chop into bite-size pieces. Now prepare soup: To flavored broth, add chopped chicken, fresh spinach, noodles and mushrooms. Simmer until noodles and vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Prepare separate bowls for garnishes. Serve soup and invite diners to garnish soup to their taste.

Moo's Three-Mushroom Soup

This can easily be turned into a vegan soup by using mushroom or vegetable broth in place of chicken. Olive oil or a non-dairy butter can replace the butter. Omit the sherry and sour cream. I've also taken to playing with the original recipe. I sometimes add fresh ginger, finely chopped, and cilantro, chopped. This is my all-time favorite palate pleaser soup.

4 cups chicken broth
1 large leek (white part only), coarsely chopped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
1 can (15 oz.) straw mushrooms
2 oz. dried Polish mushrooms
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 T butter
3 T flour
¼ cup sherry or white wine
½ t. salt or to taste
Lots of freshly ground pepper
¼ cup sour cream
Chives or coriander for garnish

Soak dry mushrooms in warm water until pliable (about 1 hour). Cut mushrooms into ½” pieces. Discard stems and woody pieces. Heat butter in saucepan. Sauté mushrooms, shallot and leek until soft but not brown. Stir in flour and gradually add hot broth, stiring continuously. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream just before serving. Add garnish.

Shrimp Bisque a la Dovell

Hot or cold, this soup kicks. It's one of my brother's favorite palate pleasers.

1 pound cooked shrimp
1 small carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 T butter
Pinch of thyme
¼ cup brandy
½ cup sherry
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans frozen shrimp bisque

In a saucepan, sauté carrot and onion in butter. Add a little thyme. When golden brown, add shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. Add brandy and flame. When the fire is out, set aside. Thaw frozen shrimp bisque in a large saucepan, and add sherry and chicken broth. Put thawed bisque mixture in blender along with 1 cup sour cream and a little red food coloring. The soup should be a light pink. Put the cooled shrimp mixture in the food processor. Combine the two mixtures and serve hot or cold.

Cucumber Dill Vichyssoise

This is a refreshing, flavorful soup. And because there are such interesting flavors going on here, it's best to make this a day ahead to give the flavors a chance to mingle and merge. A summer palate pleaser.

¼ cup butter
2/3 cup leeks (white part only), chopped
1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
¾ pound potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 cup half and half cream
Salt & white pepper to taste
3 T fresh dill
2 t. “Hot & Spicy” seasoning

Melt butter in saucepan. Add leeks, bay leaf and onion. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer about 20 minutes. Mix chopped cucumber into soup. Puree in blender or processor in batches. Add cream, dill weed, salt, pepper, and “Hot & Spicy.” Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled. If it gets too thick overnight, you can thin to preferred consistency with a little additional chicken broth.

Moo's Cold Stuffed Sushi Clams

Moo served these as either hors d'oeuvres or as part of a selection of sushi. The number of clams you'll need to prepare will depend on how you plan to use this dish.

Seasoned sushi rice
Little neck clams
Japanese rice vinegar
wasabi

Use your best recipe to make a batch of seasoned sushi rice. Steam little neck clams. Remove clam meat from shell, keeping clams intact. Clean shells because you are going to use them to serve these little treats. Moisten hands with a little Japanese rice vinegar. Pick up a small portion of sushi rice and press into a ball. Set rice in a clam shell half. Dab a little wasabi on top and add a clam. If you wish, place the other half of the clam shell on top. Serve soon after making and at room temperature.

Moo's Brie Quiche

1 pound of brie
4 egg, separated
1 1/2 cup light cream
1/8 t. salt

Take out brie ahead of time to soften. Shave off the crust. When soft you can beat egg yolks and cream. Add brie to yolk mixture in chunks. Blend thoroughly. Add salt. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture into a shallow baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until custard is set). Cool slightly before serving.

Moo's Hot Black Bean Dipping Sauce

Moo sent this recipe with the following note: This is excellent. And it keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

1 pint olive oil
1/2 cup dried red chili flakes
2/3 cup fermented black beans
2/3 cup Tientsin preserved Chinese vegetables
1/4 cup Mainland preserved cabbage
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup scallions, minced
1 T sherry
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Heat olive oil in your wok. One at a time and in the order listed, add all the ingredients except the cilantro. Mix thoroughly between ingredients. Take care not to let ingredients boil over. Once you are satisfied that ingredients are well infused, remove from head. Add cilantro. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Moo's Lemon Soy Dipping Sauce

Another of Moo's palate pleaser dipping sauces. This one is perfect for Japanese dumplings like gyoza and for tempura.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T Mirin
3 T water
2 T rice vinegar
1 T bonito flakes

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan, cover and steep for 2-3 hours. Strain and serve.

Moo's Cauliflower Salad

This is a vegetable salad of cauliflower, celery and onion (I think you could easily add some sliced carrots too). Moo received this recipe from a friend, but she then took the recipe apart and recreated it. The lemon dressing makes it a Moo palate pleaser.

fresh cauliflower, sliced
celery, sliced
raw onion, chopped
salt & pepper

Lemon Dressing
2 large lemons, use juice of both and grated rind of one
2 T sugar
3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup sour cream

Lightly beat the egg yolks and set aside. Combine lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Reserve the rind. Bring ingredients slowly to a boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Stir a little of the hot juice into the egg yolks to warm them. Return all the egg mixture to the juice saucepan over low heat. Whisk briskly until the eggs have thickened slightly. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in sour cream and rind. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pour over vegetables, mix well and serve.

Moo's California Ceviche

2 pounds fresh lean fish fillets
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 medium size onions, finely chopped
3 fresh green chilies, roast, peel and chop (or 1 can Mexican-style green chilies)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 t. dry oregano
1/2 t. marjoram leaves
1 t. celery seeds

Dice the fish, taking care to discard all bones and skin. Pour lime juice over fish, cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally to ensure good coverage. Drain fish well, then add onions, chilies, tomatoes, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, celery seed and herbs. Mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to about 6 hours for freshest flavor.

Denny's Corn Souffle

Dennis used to enjoy trading recipes with Moo. This is one of his palate pleasers.

6-7 ears fresh corn, boil and strip kernels from ears
6 T butter

Combine the following:
4 cups whole milk
4 eggs, beat lightly
1/4 cup honey
2 T flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread corn in the bottom of a 9 x 12 pan. Pour the milk/egg mixture over corn. Place the butter in chunks on top of the corn mixture. Bake about 1 hour, until golden brown and springy.

Moo's Avocado-Chicken Salad

It's a simple salad but always good for a quick, light lunch.

2 ripe avocados
2 cups chicken, cooked, diced
2 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
2 T sweet red pepper, diced
2 T coriander, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
pinch of tarragon
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3 T lemon juice
Romaine lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices

Combine the first 10 ingredients and toss with lemon juice. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Moo's Fluffy Chicken Pancake

Moo used to make this as an entree, but as a smaller helping it would be an excellent side dish. She often put a little of her fabulous all-purpose lemon sauce on top. What a palate pleaser. Experiment with different sauces and toppings for new tastes.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 chicken breast, finely chopped
4 egg whites
2 T coriander, chopped
2 t. sherry
salt and pepper to taste
Few drops of sesame oil

Bone and chop chicken. Beat egg whites until foamy. Mix in chicken, sherry salt and pepper. Put olive oil in flat frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the chicken mixture. When firm, turn mixture. Cook until both sides are firm but NOT brown. Add sesame oil and serve.

You can give a little more flavor to the chicken by marinating it in: 1 tsp. sherry, 2 tsp. soy sauce and 1 star anise

Moo's Litchi Sauce
2 T sugar
2 T vinegar
2 T catsup
3/4 cup litchi juice (drained from a can of litchi fruit)
2 tsp cornstarch
Boil and stir all ingredients until think enough.

Moo's Chocolate Omelet

This chocolate omelet makes a great brunch item. You could also serve it as a dessert with dinner. Also, I like to add a little ice cream for a change. It's a delicious palate pleaser.

2 eggs
2 T cocoa
2 T coconut rum liqueur
4 T sugar
6-8 fresh strawberries, sliced
White creme de menthe
Dark swiss chocolate, grated
Whipped cream
Powdered sugar

Mix eggs, cocoa, liqueur and sugar for omelet. Set aside. Slice strawberries, put in a bowl and drizzle a little creme de menthe on top. Whip up some cream or use prepared whipped cream if you like. Pour egg mixture into hot omelet pan. When the omelet is ready to fold, sprinkle grated swiss chocolate and the strawberries on top then fold. Remove from pan. Add whipped cream and a little powdered sugar.

Moo's Cheese Pie

This is a Fifties vintage recipe of Moo's. I've found some of these older recipes are fun to bring back and enjoy. An old palate pleaser is now new again.

2 cups cheese-flavored crackers, finely crushed
2 cups sour cream
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup stuffed olives, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2 T lemon juice
1 small onion, minced
1 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco

Brush sides and bottom of 8" cake pan with butter (or spray with Pam). Cut a circular piece of wax paper to fit in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the crackers in the bottom of the pan. Mix remaining ingredients together thoroughly. Spread layer of cream mixture on top of crackers. Alternate layers and finish with crackers on top. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours. Turn on to a plate shortly before serving. Garnish with crisp greens and olives.

Moo's Asparagus Custard Casserole

This is a little something Moo threw together. It's a great side dish that's a great way to enjoy asparagus.

5 eggs
2 cups milk
2 T butter
2 T onion, chopped
2 T flour
1 can mushroom soup (concentrated)
1 cup cheese, shredded (Moo usually used either Jack or mozzarella)
I large bunch of asparagus cut into bite-size pieces
Bread crumbs
Slivered almonds

Beat eggs and milk. Saute chopped onion in butter. Combine these ingredients, then add flour. Turn oven to 350 degrees and preheat. Put cut asparagus in souffle dish. Pour egg mixture over asparagus. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and slivered almonds. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until the custard is set. Serve warm

Moo's Basil Sauce

Here's a light, fresh sauce for pasta. Moo often used this sauce to create one of her palate pleasing pasta casseroles.

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
6 sprigs fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute all the ingredients in the butter for 5-10 minutes. Pour on top of pasta and top with parmesan cheese.

Coriander Dipping Sauce

Moo loved to create her own special dipping sauces for her many original Asian dishes. She felt this one was a real palate pleaser.

In a small bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce (I prefer low salt)
2 T scallion tops, minced
1 1/2 T rice wine
1 1/2 T Chinese black vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T fresh coriander leaves, minced
2 t. sesame oil
2 t. fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 t. fresh garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 t. hot chili oil

Stir ingredients until sugar is fully dissolved.

Moo's Corn Crepes with Chili Butter

2 cups white cornmeal
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
3 T scallions, minced
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup corn nibblets, pureed
1/2 cup olive oil
3 T melted butter

Filling
1 1/2 pounds of cooked shrimp
2 1/2 T chopped chilies
1/2 pound of shredded Jack cheese

Chili Butter
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 T chilies
1/2 pound cooked shrimp

Sift dry ingredients, including salt into a large bowl. Stir in onion, buttermilk egg, oil and butter. Fold in pureed corn. Heat crepe pan and brush lightly with olive oil (or spray with olive oil Pam). Pour 1/4 cup of batter into hot crepe pan and swirl to cover evenly. Return to heat and cook until golden on both sides. Crepes may be kept in 200 degree oven.

Puree chili butter ingredients.

Toss shrimp, chopped chilies and cheese to make filling. Place a liberal amount of filling in crepes, roll and heat. When ready to serve, spread chili butter liberally on each crepe and serve with your favorite combination of toppings: guacamole, ranchero sauce, sour cream, chives and coriander.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Livers

We don't eat fried livers very often these days, but if this appeals (and it is a real palate pleaser) I recommend organic chicken livers and skillet cooking rather than deep frying. Olive oil, of course, helps too. Enjoy this guilty pleasure.

1/2 pound chicken livers
2 T Hoisin sauce

Fritter Batter
1 cup flour
1 t. salt
2 T cornstarch
2/3 cup water

Prepare livers by cleaning and cutting into bite-size pieces. Marinate in Hoisin sauce for 2 hours, turning regularly. Make batter about 20 minutes before you are ready to cook livers. Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Dip livers in batter and skillet fry in olive oil. You can deep fry if you prefer. If you make ahead, reheat in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Niki's Chili

While this is my sister's favorite chili recipe, she gave it to Moo who would make it a palate pleaser for Daddy and me by using venison. Also Niki says the quality of the chili powder makes all the difference...this is, after all, chili!

2 pounds ground sirloin (or chopped into bite-size pieces--cook's choice)
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup onion flakes
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup yellow mustard
Slightly less than 1 cup catsup
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T chili powder
Mesquite seasoned salt, to taste
Steak seasoning, to taste

Cook meat in large skillet with olive oil. As meat begins to cook, add onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, catsup and chili powder. Mix thoroughly. Add can of beans and tomatoes. Add mesquite salt and steak seasoning to taste. Simmer for half an hour and until thickened a bit. Best made ahead to allow flavors to mingle and merge.

Moo's Asian Crab Balls

This crab appetizer goes fast, so make enough. Also you'll probably find other good uses for this dipping sauce. This is a palate pleasing crab dish.

1 pound crab meat, mince
1 egg
2 T scallions, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sherry
1 t. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 t. sesame oil
1 T cornstarch

Olive oil

Dipping Sauce
1 t. hot soy bean paste
1 T catsup
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T garlic, crushed
1 T fresh ginger, very finely chopped

Mix crab meat with all other ingredients. Form into bite-size balls. Deep fry or pan fry until slightly brown. Serve with dipping sauce.

Moo's Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Want to whip up a palate pleasing appetizer in no time? Try these stuffed mushrooms.

1 pound fresh mushroom caps
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish, finely chopped

Wash and dry mushrooms and remove stems. Chop up the stems and any poorly shaped caps. Saute the onion in butter, add chopped mushroom stems and lemon juice. Cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add flour and stir until thick. Add cream, season with salt and pepper and cook until thickened again.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill mushroom caps and bake on a buttered or Teflon cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve hot.

Moo's Favorite Green Chili Salsa

Salsa is a wonderful condiment and dip. Most recipes are fast and easy to make and so much better than anything you can buy. Moo liked to collect, invent and reinvent salsas. As a result I have a lot of recipes to offer in this category. I'll be sharing many of her palate pleasing salsas with upcoming posts.

6 tomatillos, husks discarded and fruit quartered
1 T Olive oil
5 green chile peppers, I like to roast and peel
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1/2 to 1 t. salt (to taste)
1 cup sour cream
1 t. fresh lime juice

Place husked and quartered tomatillos in a skillet with olive oil and cook over low heat until softened (3-4 minutes). Transfer tomatillos to food processor. Add chilies, garlic and avocado. Blend until smooth. Add sour cream, cilantro and salt. Puree until smooth.

Moo's Quick Cracker Dumplings

This is a very quick and easy way to make dumplings. Excellent in soup or stewed vegetables, such as tomatoes. It's part of a palate pleasing comfort meal.

23 soda crackers or saltines, crushed
2 T flour, unsifted
1/2 t. baking powder
1 whole egg, beaten

Combine crackers, flour and baking powder. Crack egg into a small bowl so you can beat with a fork. Then add to the cracker mixture. Mix into a dough. Mold each dumpling with the help of a teaspoon, then drop into simmering chicken stock. Cook until done. It will float to the top.

Moo's Szechwan Lobster

It's lobster with a Szechwan flavor...of course it's delicious. This is Moo's version and she declared it a palate pleaser. I love boiled lobster right from the pot, but I have to say this is a very good dish. And easy to make.

1 two-pound live lobster
1 t. soy sauce
1 1/2 t. white vinegar
12 drops chili oil
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. salt
3 t. sherry
12 water chestnuts, cut in 1/2" pieces
3 T cloud ear fungi, soaked about 30 minutes to soften
20 peapods
1/4 cup scallions, minced
1/4 cup Olive Oil for stir frying

Select a pot large enough for boiling the lobster. Add water and salt water enough to simulate sea water. Bring to a boil, add lobster and cook for just 10 minutes. The lobster will not be completely cooked but enough so that removing meat from shell is easy. Allow lobster to cool enough that you can handle it. Remove all meat from the shell and cut into 1 1/2" pieces.

Wash and pull strings from peapods. In pot of boiling water, blanch peapods for just 15 seconds--until bright green. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients together: soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, garlic, salt and sherry. Heat oil in wok on high. Add lobster and water chestnuts. Stir fry about 3 minutes. Add cloud ears and scallions for about 30 seconds. Add sauce and cook another 15 seconds. Finally add peapods and cook another 15 seconds. If you like a thicker sauce, you can prepare a teaspoon of cornstarch with a little water and add to the dish. This will thicken dish slightly.

Moo's Chicken Wing Appetizer

When Moo first gave me this recipe, she wrote: This is as good as the old standby. The use of chicken broth makes this one very moist.

18 (or about 3 pounds) chicken wings
Olive oil
3 scallions, cut into 3" pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sherry
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup catsup
3 whole star anise
2 T sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 large head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Cut wing tips off at the joint and discard. Cut the remaining two joints apart. Heat oil in skillet and saute wings until golden brown. Remove wings and pour off the excess oil. Combine soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth, catsup, scallions, star anise, sugar and ginger in skillet. Add wings and simmer 25 minutes or until tender, basting occasionally. Then cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Serve wings on bed of shredded lettuce.

Imperial Moo Chicken Salad

This is a palate pleasing salad with an Asian flavor.

2 large chicken breasts, boned
1/3 cup sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 thin slices ginger

Olive oil for frying

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
6 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

2-3 ounces of Chinese rice sticks or bean thread

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T plus 1 t. soy sauce
3 t. sesame oil
2 t. dry mustard
2 t. sugar
1 t. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 t. hot chili oil

Combine sherry, soy sauce and ginger slices to create marinade. Marinate chicken breasts for several hours (overnight, if possible). Turn chicken breasts over a couple times. When ready to cook, drain chicken breasts, pat dry and lightly salt. Then coat with cornstarch. Refrigerate for an hour to allow cornstarch to set.

Heat olive oil in skillet and deep fry chicken breasts for about 5 minutes per side or until golden and crisp and cooked through. Drain chicken on paper towel then slice into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add lettuce, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds.

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok. Deep fry rice sticks or bean threads. They will puff up very quickly. Drain, salt lightly and add to salad. Mix dressing ingredients, add to salad, toss and serve.

Moo's Coconut-Coriander Chutney

If you like chutney, you'll love this. Who'd have thought making a palate pleasing chutney would be so easy.

1 bunch coriander
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 fresh or canned chili (if fresh, you'll need to roast and peel off skin)
1 cup coconut
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1/4 cup water

Trim leaves from coriander stalks and put them into blender with remaining ingredients. Blend and pour into serving bowl. You can make ahead and refrigerate, but I think it tastes best at room temperature.

Day Ahead Potatoes

Although you have to begin making this the day before, it is a fast and easy side dish. I guarantee your guests will love it. I give this 5 palate pleaser stars.

12 potatoes, peeled
1 pint whipping cream, unwhipped
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Boil potatoes the day before your dinner. Refrigerate over night. This will firm the potatoes up a bit and make them easier to grate. So grate potatoes on the day of the party and lightly layer into a casserole seasoning throughout with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle whipping cream over the potatoes. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 12

Moo's Chinese Noodle Custard

This is a good first course or side dish for any Asian dinner. It's light and not what most people expect when ordering Chinese. I prefer light (low sodium) soy sauce and organic chicken broth. If you want to avoid the chicken broth, try vegetable broth.

1 pkg fine noodles
4 eggs, whisked
1/2 t. salt
2 t. soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk

Cook noodles until tender. Rinse and drain. Set oven to 325 degrees. Pour noodles into a 2 quart casserole. Whisk eggs well and add other ingredients. Pour over noodles and fold in. Set casserole into larger pan with some water and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Moo's Peanut Butter and Pepper Sauce

There's something about a good peanut butter sauce. This is a palate pleaser...Asian style!

2 T peanut butter
3 T warm water
2 T soy sauce
1 T cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T scallions, finely chopped

Combine peanut butter with warm water to make a smooth, thin sauce. Then combine the remaining ingredients except the garlic and scallion into a very smooth dressing. Add garlic and scallion just before serving.

Blue Cheese Dressing

This is a delicious blue cheese dressing for any salad. But while I like it on greens, I adore it on cold pear slices (either fresh or canned). An unusual palate pleaser.

1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 t. salt
3/4 and 2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup apple sauce

Combine vinegar, salt and pepper in blender. Slowly add oil while running blender at low speed. Add sour cream, apple sauce and blue cheese. Blend until smooth.

Thai Tartare

Given my concerns about hormones and antibiotics given to many commercial cattle, I prefer to use organic beef. I don't have tartare as often as I used to, but this is a good palate pleaser.

1 lb raw, high-grade ground lean beef
Grated rind of 1 1/2 limes
3 shallots, minced
3 scallions, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T cilantro, finely chopped
6 T lemon grass, minced (cut off sticklike part and remove outer leaves of bulb before chopping)

Place all the ingredients together in large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place several lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Mound tartare up on top of lettuce. Garnish with mint leaves.