March Madness is the perfect setting to serve up some tasty homemade wings, ribs or both.

Ed White is a self-described “wing nut.” He loves to eat wings and he loves to cook them, especially for his wife, who is partial to extra-crispy ones. So, he set out on a quest to perfect a recipe that would result in wings that were not only tasty but crispy.

He tried one he called “Spicy Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings,” in honor of relatives who were coming to visit and who had helped make hundreds of PB&J sandwiches as part of an outreach to the homeless in Washington, D.C. “They were tasty but not crispy,” White recalls.

So he tried again, this time adding flour along with cornstarch to the coating. “That made the difference,” says White, a retired parks and recreation superintendent who now works as a plumbing contractor. To get them extra crispy, he recommends cooking them longer, which requires some patience. For his sauce, he likes to use Tapatio brand hot sauce, which has medium heat.

Baked Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken wings (using the whole wing or halve them at the joints, discarding wingtips)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Buffalo sauce:

• 1/3 cup Tapatio Hot Sauce
• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. Keep the chicken wings whole or halve them at the joints, discarding wingtips. Use paper towels to pat the wings dry and place them in a large bowl. It’s important to dry them very well. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing evenly to coat. Arrange wings, skin side up, in single layer on prepared wire rack. Bake on the upper middle oven rack, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. Total cook time will depend on the size of the wings but may take up to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer wings to a bowl and toss with sauce.

Buffalo sauce:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together all sauce ingredients. Mix well until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to wings or prepare the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate.

Ed White

Ribs and Green Bean Stew recipe from Sara Jean Brooklere. (Brooke Echols / Alabama Living)

Ribs and Green Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 1 slab ribs
• 1½ pounds green beans, preferably fresh
• 1 12-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 11.5-ounce can tomato juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion, cut in large pieces
• 4 Irish potatoes, cut in large pieces

Instructions

Wash ribs and take off excess fat. Cut the ribs in pieces, one or two bones, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a large pan covered with parchment paper. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown. Pat excess grease off ribs. In a large pot, put in tomato paste and tomato juice. Add salt and pepper, and cut green beans. Cook about 30 minutes, then put the ribs in the pot with the green beans, add large pieces of onion and enough water to cover. Cook about one hour, add Irish potatoes and cook an additional 30 minutes. Serves 6. Delicious with Italian or French bread.

Sara Jean Brooklere

Sweet Honey Wings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings
• All-purpose flour
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce
• Cooking oil, for deep frying

Instructions

Cut wing tips off. Roll in flour. Deep fry until light brown. Mix brown sugar, honey and hot sauce. Dip wings in sauce. Lay out on a foil-lined baking pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook 15 minutes.

Betty Black

Ellanor’s Easy Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• Hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and spread over ribs, chicken, roast or any meat of choice. Cook as desired.

Kay Harrison

Rub-a-Dub Rub

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Tajin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon white pepper

Instructions

All ingredients can be mixed into a single spice container and used as a rub for chicken or fish. Makes for a sweet and smoky salmon rub. Can also be combined with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil to use as a marinade.

Stephanie Khamken

Brooke Burks of The Buttered Home whips up a batch of wings in a hurry with her Instant Pot Chicken Wings recipe. (The Buttered Home)

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

There have been dozens of varieties of wings since they were invented in Buffalo in 1964, but our favorite recipe is one that allows us to eat them the fastest. That motivation led us to develop this chicken wing recipe made quick and easy in the Instant Pot. We take whole wings and drumettes, steam-cook them in the pot and then crisp them up by finishing them under the broiler with a tasty sauce. For more recipes like this one, visit thebutteredhome.com.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken wings and drumettes
• ½ tablespoon seasoning salt
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce, optional

Instructions

Season wings with seasoning salt. Pour 1 cup water into liner pot of the Instant Pot. Place wings in a basket and put into Instant Pot. Close lid, lock and set vent to seal. Set to manual or pressure cook for 10 minutes for fresh chicken, 15 minutes for frozen. When the cook time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes. Carefully release any remaining pressure.

Mix well all the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Place wings in a large bowl and cover with half of the sauce. Coat well. Place wings on a sheet pan fitted with a rack or covered with foil. Place under broiler for 2 to 4 minutes per side. Baste with reserved sauce just before serving.

Brooke Burks, The Buttered Home

This story originally appeared in Alabama Living magazine.