Empanadas

Empanadas. For some reason before taking an empanada making class I had never even thought about making them. They seemed tricky, like you had to have some special dough making skills passed down from your Latin American great grandmother. Of course, those skills wouldn't hurt to have, but for the gringos out there like me, I found out you aren't too far away from being able to make the fresh baked pillowy pockets. You can make them baked or fried and fill them with whatever your heart desires. I think this might just be one of those most versatile foods ever! Vegetarian? Fill them up with black beans and cheese or some fajita veggies. Have kids? Stuff them with cooked hamburger meat and cheese. (I know that's not traditional, but what kid and parent doesn't love their own hand held self contained dinner?) Below are 3 more ideas to get you started. The first 2 are from our class, the last one we made up. Have any filling ideas to share?

Teriyaki Chicken Wings on the Big Green Egg

My hubby grilled up these chicken wings for me. Delicious! The glaze reminds me of a sweet teriyaki sauce with hints of garlic. The glaze caramelized while they were on the grill making them look a little burnt but they tasted perfect!

First things first, the marinade/glaze

• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce (I skipped this. I didnt want to buy a bottle of oyster sauce for one recipe!)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato ketchup
• 1-3 tsp. chili sauce (to taste - I didn't taste the heat at all, so you may want to add more if you like it hot) 

The rest is pretty simple. Mix all the above ingredients and marinate the wings for up to 24 hours. We did it for about an hour and it was fine. Grill the wings until cooked through (about 25 minutes). Periodically baste with the leftover glaze.

 Enjoy!

 For the real recipe without my changes go here:
http://thaifood.about.com/od/quickeasythairecipes/r/easybbqwings.htm