Wednesday Night Dinner...Playground Bullies Style

My group of friends joined a Kickball League earlier this year.  We thought it would be fun, kicking some balls and then going to the bar and kicking some ass on the Flip Cup Table afterward.  Kickball has gotten in the way of a few Wednesday Night Dinners and we don't mind too much, but this week we had a late game so I decided to cook up a quick homey meal before we went to play.  You know what they say load up on wine before a big game!  I have been craving chili, probably because LA has been having some unusually chilly weather lately and nothing warms my tummy like a nice bowl of chili.  I love this recipe and have made it before.  It is from Cooking Light and it mixes Turkey Sausage with Ground Sirloin, so you get two different textures just in the meat, not to mention the Jalapeno and Green Peppers that are added, along with the Kidney Beans.  This chili has a nice kick to it, which of course I love!  Plus, using the Hot Turkey Sausage gives it even more of a punch.  I like to add a couple adobe chilies, to add a little smoky spice flavor.  Just a tip, most recipes when they call for adobe chilies in sauce, only call for one or two, so just take them out of the sauce and put them in a freezer bag, this way next recipe, you can just pull out the one or two you need and none go to waste.  The chili was great, the game not so much, but the flipping of the cups, BOOM, we're unstoppable!  Click on the picture below, and scroll down to take you to the recipe for the Chili as well as the recipe for my Spicy Cornbread Muffins!

Recipes My Friends Want...The Most Wanted

I didn't have a Wednesday Night Dinner this week since I went to see the Broken Bells instead, woo hoo!  So, I figured this was the perfect time to start a new part of my blog called "Recipes My Friends Want."  Just as it sound, here you can find Recipes that I make often or are usually requested to make to bring to BBQs or parties.  This installment is based on the most requested recipes and the one's I make most often because well I love them, too! I know them all by heart and after a party usually end up sending the recipes to multiple people, so I figured why not just get them up on the blog, so I can direct everyone here.  Click on the picture below to get the recipes for my Kinda Famous Guacamole, Sangria, Taco Salad and Jalapeno Poppers.

Wednesday Night Dinner-First Fuges Family Dinner

This week we had two guests to add to our usual crew of dinner goers, Frannie's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fuges.  They are in visiting from New Jersey and fit in just perfect since this Wednesday Night Dinner consisted of all Jersey Girls!

I decided on a a nice clean and fresh meal, after all my weekends are filled with Melgard's pizza (some of the best in LA) and my own KF Wings!  I started out by checking out the local circular's to see what kind of meat was on sale this week.  This is usually the way I start thinking about Wednesday Night Dinner, because I want to make sure I get the best price and the freshest ingredients.  My food store had Pork Loin on sale and I though perfect,  that is a great start to building a nice fresh, light meal.  I bounced around the internet and was really having a hard time deciding, mostly because I had a serious time restraint this week.  I had 8 people coming to dinner and I'm working till about 6 or 7pm, as I know many people do and I have about an hour commute.  My first thought was the crock pot, but most meals call for it to be in the pot for 6-7 hours, and I am usually gone for at least 10-11 hours.  So my next thought...what is something that I can do most of the prep on Tuesday Night and then just cook the meat on the grill for immediate consumption on Wednesday.  I decided on a Pork Kebab, Hummus, Taziki Sauce, and Roasted Peppers.  And I made a beautiful fresh Tomato Salad to go with it.  I loved the meal and I have to say my guests did, too! Click photo for recipes.

Wednesday Night Dinner

I don't know exactly how the tradition started, but I believe it was because my friend Frannie and I were both unemployed, well I was unemployed and she was in school, so I'll just say unemployed.  We would meet up at either my apartment or her's on Wednesday Nights and cook dinner, drink some wine, play some Wii or just gossip, since we are really good at that!  Usually I cooked, no matter what apartment we were at that week.  Eventually, more friends got wind of our weekly ritual and alas...Wednesday Night Dinner was formed!  For such a creative group, we ended up with quite a literal name for it, but it rings so sweet in all our ears, when we realize it is Wednesday and therefore have the chance to get together, eat some food, drink copious amounts of wine, and talk and talk and talk!   The atmosphere of dinner is different each week, it can range from 3, 4, 10 people, but the basic concept is the same...I cook dinner and my friends eat it all!  I use this dinner and my friends as guinea pigs for new recipes I want to try, or to test out a new cooking method.

Although, this dinner started out as a place to eat, it has turned into so much more.  So many ideas, to help start my Kinda Famous Food business have come from this table.  My confidence in my cooking ability and style have been honed at this dinner and friendships have been strengthened every week.  This blog is also going to be used to talk about these dinners, post shopping tips, recipes, cooking mistakes, photos, and a little about each dinner and sometimes the people at the dinner.  This dinner has been going strong for over a year, check back here every Thursday to read about Wednesday's Dinner.

Week Three at Melgard..

and it was a hot one!  Never thought I would be writing that temperatures this weekend were hitting the 100s throughout Los Angeles, in the third week of September, many people weren't leaving their air conditioned houses, but few did come out and fair the weather, by eating some KF Wings and drinking a cold beer or 10!  Some say that eating spicy foods when it's hot outside can actually help the body cool down, believe it or not, KF Wings thinks it is true...Check out this article from one of my favorite food blogs TheKitchn.com Hot Wings in the Hot Weather?  What do you think, ever have soup when it's hot out, or do you stick ice cream and smoothies, like so many others?  The weather is suppose to cool down a bit this coming weekend, so stop into Melgard, hey my wings could even help ya feel cooler!!

Week Two at Melgard PH

Melgard got even busier this weekend, which such beautiful weather in Los Angeles all weekend I'm not surprised.  Melgard has hands down the best patio in LA.  It is so hard to find a large patio, where you won't be hassled by the wait staff to give up your seat, and that is exactly what Melgard is all about.  Had a bunch of Kinda Famous Friends on hand this week enjoying the wings and promoting them to anyone who would listen, thanks guys!  Helped me to sell out for another straight weekend and make some more friends...woo hoo!  Here are some other pictures to enjoy...

Wings So Good, Even Vegetarians Will Want Some..

Meet Aaron, when he woke up today, he was a vegetarian, but once he was around the "Kinda Famous Wings" he couldn't help but take a bite.  These wings are so good, even vegetarians have to have some!  Take a look at the satisfaction on his face, it says it all.

First Weekend at Melgard...

The first weekend of "Kinda Famous" Wings at Melgard was a huge success.  Thanks again to all my friends who stopped out and all the new people I met who gave rave reviews of the wings!  I sold out on Saturday by 5pm and kept the party going on Sunday, while watching some football.  Come check out some college football on the best patio in LA and come back again this week where the owners of Melgard will have the NFL ticket on Sunday and sit down have some wings and watch your favorite team, with some cold beers in hand.

How Many Calories Do You Think Are In Hot Wings?

The average hot wing that you eat at your local sports bar is between 400-500 calories and 28-30 grams of fat for a half dozen.  But Carrie's Kinda Famous Wings are only 130 calories and just over 7 grams of fat for 6 wings!  That means you can have more and not feel bad about.  Plus, since these wings are so hot, you'll need those extra calories for the beers!!  So some down to Melgard this Saturday and indulge as much as you like.

Melgard Public House Saturday September 11th

Carrie's Kinda Famous Wings, will be at the Melgard Public House in Los Angeles starting this Saturday, September 11th at 12pm.    Please come out and support so we can make this a regular event.  They will have the brews flowing and college football on the multiple TVs.  Melgard is located at 7505 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA  90046.  See ya there!