Savoring the fellowship of the wing

I am addicted ... to chicken wings.

It's not so much the drums or wings that get me, but rather, the irresistible flavor of Frank's Red Hot sauce combined with cooling and creamy blue cheese dressing. Is there anything better than that? I don't think so.

I have discovered so many foods that combine the two flavors that I swear I have convinced myself I am eating a balanced diet -- as long as balanced means equal parts of hot sauce and blue cheese.

In my diet, there are wings -- wings in and of themselves come in so many varieties -- and there are pizzas, pastry puffs, salads (see, I told you it was a balanced diet) quesadillas, dips and even grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches, another option for the healthy days.

Okay, so I haven't figured out how to incorporate hot sauce and blue cheese into dessert, but who cares, as long as I have the other courses covered.

The first time I ever had chicken wings I was in college, which seems absurd to me now that I'm addicted. How did I go 21 years without them? I guess they always seemed like a man's food, and back then I simply had way too much discipline to eat chicken wings during happy hour. I was probably the only 21-year-old who opted for wine over draft beer.

Once I was introduced, I learned there are so many different kinds -- big and small, crispy and tender, tangy and sweet, and even boneless, for the days I'm not in the mood for a mess.

Typically, my favorite wings come in the form of crispy wings that are drenched in tangy, vinegar-based hot sauce. I also like Hooters chicken wings, when I'm in the mood for extra fattening wings (I'm such a cool wife). Some of the best wings I've had, however, come from the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, N.Y.

The Dino -- the only northern restaurant that can hold its own to southern barbecue -- specializes in those fall-off-the bone tender, barbecue wings. Just writing about it makes my mouth water. The only wings I have ever found that come remotely close to that style down here would be found at the Slick Pig in Murfreesboro -- but they're still no comparison to those found at the seedy biker bar in Yankeeland.

Another one that has to go to the north would be pizza -- including buffalo chicken style pizza. Last weekend, Jack and I were out for our usual Sunday afternoon outing with friends at a pizza parlor in Murfreesboro. We normally order their "gourmet white" pizza but, because I was craving wing sauce and blue cheese -- big surprise -- we opted for their buffalo wing pizza. I think that it took everything within him do this, but Alabama-native to Jack leaned over toward me and whispered, "Honey, I think I've got to hand pizza over to the Yankees."

Yes, that's right. You'll never find better pizza than you do in New York, and buffalo chicken pizza is no exception. My favorite would be from another dive -- Irish Pizza in Glens Falls, N.Y.

I have come to perfect buffalo chicken quesadillas. All it takes is some Frank's Red Hot, pulled chicken, crumbled blue cheese, butter and tortillas -- you can take it from there.

Recently, I have discovered pastry puffs filled with buffalo chicken in the freezer section at the grocery. They're addicting, and the perfect snack to serve to friends when you're short on time.

But the food that is going to land me at the Buffalo Betty Ford Clinic is a recipe given to me by my aunt Mary for buffalo chicken wing dip. It's hot, it's cheesy, it's tangy -- and it has put me over the edge.

For all the other addicts out there -- a.k.a. my loyal readers who read this column in its entirety -- I'm giving you a real treat today: my recipe for Buffalo chicken dip.

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Large bottle of Frank's Red Hot (yes, the big bottle)

Mix the cheese together and toss with the shredded chicken. Pour the entire bottle of Frank's over the chicken/cheese mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 or 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

-- Sadie Fowler is a Times-Gazette staff writer. Her column, Sadie Says, runs every Thursday. She may be reached at sfowler@t-g.com or 684-1200 ext. 214.