Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

We'll be spending our New Year's Eve with two other couples, including my cousin and her husband.  Wendy's a great cook, and Ted is a chef.  Needless to say, we'll be eating well tonight.

I'm contributing some appetizers (and, surprise surprise, Oreo Truffles).  They're not fancy apps - they'd be quite at home at a Superbowl party - but they're both yummy.  I'll post the buffalo chicken dip later, but here's the recipe for lime-apricot chicken wings.  

Because these wings tend to leave a mess to clean up, I definitely recommend making them in disposable foil roasting pans. Watch these carefully so they don't burn - I speak from experience.  Blackened chicken has its place, but these should be sticky and mahogany-hued.

Lime, Apricot, and Soy-Sauce Chicken Wings

8 pounds chicken wings
1 cup fresh lime juice (from 8 to 10 limes)
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup sugar
4 large garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut off wing tips, reserving for another use, and halve wings at joint. Divide wings between 2 large disposable roasting pans (about 12x16" each), arranging in single layers.

Purée remaining ingredients in a blender and pour mixture over wings, dividing evenly between pans. Bake wings in upper and lower thirds of oven 50 minutes. Turn wings over and switch position of pans in oven, then bake 45 minutes to 1 hour more, or until liquid is thick and sticky (watch carefully so they don't burn).

Serve wings warm or at room temperature.