Game Time Treats, With a Dash of Panache!

The Super Bowl is not only the culmination of years of hard work for the players in the game, but for party hosts all over the country! Naturally EVERYONE, would all love to attend the game in sunny Miami, Florida (especially with the snowpocalypse touching down in D.C. any moment now!), but with the right crowd, beverages and game time treats you can bring the action and excitement straight to your living room. Whether you’re rooting for the New Orleans Saints or the Indianapolis Colts, I have a few appetizers that will keep all of your guests happy: my fun twist on a traditional favorite, Wings with a Dash of Panache!

These wings are not for the faint of heart, they are an explosion of flavor and a delicious exciting festival of flavors. Intrigued? Check out the recipe below:

Wings with a Dash of Panache

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 55 minutes

Serves: 24

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of  your very favorite Pestos With Panache brand pesto; Pumpkin Chilpotle Pesto, Fabulous Fig & Gorgonzola Pesto, Succulent Strawberry Pesto, Bangin’ Blueberry Pesto, Decadent Dark Chocolate & Ancho Chile Pesto and or Prosciutto & Smoked Almond Pesto
• 12 chicken wings (tips removed) or 24 chicken drumettes. Feel free to use to frozen bagged wings available at your local grocery store or sold in bulk at a warehouse food club like Costco.

Cut the wings in half at the joints to make 24 pieces. Pad wings dry with a paper towel. Toss the wings with your choice of flavored Pestos with Panache. Place them in a foil-lined shallow baking pan.Bake at 400°F. for 55 minutes or until they’re glazed and cooked through, turning and brushing often with the pesto sauce during the last 30 minutes of baking time. Discard any remaining sauce. If you would like to skip the brushing step……toss the wings that are fully cooked through, in a bowl with a half a cup of the pesto, that you initially tossed them with toss!!

To compliment and enhance the wings, I’ve also included my favorite wing dipping sauce! It’s a quick and easy way to really bring the wings to the next level.

Dipping Sauce with a Dash of Panache:

From: Pestos With Panache

Prep: 10 minutes

Serves: 24

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of your very favorite Pestos with Panache brand pesto
• ¼ cup of reduced fat cream cheese or ¼ cup of goat cheese or ¼ cup of reduced fat sour cream

In a mixing bowl, or magic bullet, if you have one, combine your choice of Pestos With Panache pesto with your choice of cream cheese, goat cheese, and or sour cream.

Place the sauce in a ramekin at the center of your Wings with Panache platter….such a surprisingly nice twist on ordinary wings, looks super fancy, but so easy and tasty!!!

I decided to take the wings on a test run this past Saturday night and they were a huge hit! People kept responding with the critique of, “wow, these are so moist, delicious and different!” The double encrusted wings really packed the flavor punch and kept people asking for more, making these delicious appetizers the perfect surprise MVA (Most Valuable Appetizer, hehe) for all of your Super Bowl Party Guests.

Enjoy & let me know how they turn out!