All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: hot sauce

Is it wrong for me to admit that my hands-down favorite thing about Cholula Hot Sauce is the bottles? Or maybe, more specifically, the caps on the bottles. What is it about those simple wooden caps that makes me want to carry this bottle to the table with me? Lest you think I'm all about looks, I also enjoy "the flavorful fire" that Cholula offers. I do think that Cholula is all about the flavor, but I don't personally think that it is very hot. It has a subtle heat that lies sort of masked underneath the flavor-burst of the chiles. While my favorite hot sauce has a more pronounced vinegar-punch, I enjoy having a variety on hand for cases when the vinegar doesn't quite fit.

My premonition was that out of the four flavors- Original, Chili Garlic, Chipotle, and Chili Lime -I would fall in love with Chili Garlic the hardest. That was almost true. I wanted it to be true. But somehow Chipotle won my affections. I wound up shaking a few dashes of Chipotle on anything I could get my hands on...it adds wonderful smoky notes to everything from Tortilla Soup to cheese to Steak & Potato tacos. And speaking of cheese, I've developed this little habit of grabbing a hunk of cheddar or a quick snack of string cheese and bringing the bottle of Chili Garlic with me wherever I am going to eat them. A little drop of Cholula per bite and it just lights up. The kiddos took to loving "mock chicken wings" (breaded breast tenders that were breaded and baked...a play on the boneless wings that are so popular right now) cooked and then coated in a sauce made with Original or Chili Garlic mixed with melted butter and a hit of vinegar. It's become a well-requested favorite around here, actually.

I've also experimented using Cholula with a few drinks. I like both the Chipotle and the Chili Garlic in a Bloody Maria. Perhaps the best addition to a Michelada would be Cholula Chili Lime.

Michelada

slightly adapted from Houston Classic Mexican Recipes

serves 12ish...I prefer a smaller dose of mixer in mine

10 oz. fresh lime juice

3½ Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. soy sauce

10 oz. Cholula Chili Lime Hot Sauce (or your favorite)

¼ tsp. black pepper

⅔ tsp. Maggi seasoning sauce

12 cervezas of your choice

Mix together all ingredients except beer.

Pour 1-2 oz. of mixture (I prefer 1 oz. mixture per beer, but that's just me) into each glass and top off with one beer. If you like it spicier, add another dash of hot sauce. Garnish w/ lime slice.

So, for a blast of flavor without the "hurt", try adding Cholula to any dish...you never know what fantastic flavor combinations you will discover. For recipes and a chance to win Cholula, visit Cholula on Facebook and join in the flavorful fun.

*disclaimer: I received a 4-pack of Cholula Hot Sauce free to test and review. All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Does anybody else keep a bottle of TABASCO® Original Red on the table for a little extra oomph? I think the time I reach for it the most is when I'm eating eggs. Any kind, really. Shake it over an omelet or perfectly poached eggs or a fluffy pile of scrambled eggs while they're still warm. That punch of chiles and vinegar hits the warm eggs wafts up to assault your senses. In a beautiful, familiar way. That's the thing about Tabasco, it adds not only a healthy kick, but also wonderful flavor. It's not about the sheer thrill of putting a little hair on your chest. It's about enhancing your your food, instead of overpowering it. For me, Tabasco's defining quality is that it enhances other foods. Because, while I like my heat...I hate it when I can't taste the food itself. Take for instance pizza. From homemade to frozen to take-out. When ours is ready, we grab the plates and the bottle of Tabasco. Anything from plain cheese to ham with pineapple to chicken and veggies benefits from the addition of a few splashes of 140-years-plus of tradition.

Each chile pepper is hand-picked at its peak, when juicy and deep red. They are then mashed and mixed with salt harvested from the waters on the very island the seeds are grown on, Avery Island in Louisiana. The only other ingredient used in Tabasco® Original Red is vinegar. Individual batches are aged for up to 3 years before being strained, bottled and labeled 22 languages and dialects and shipped to over 160 countries and territories around the world.*

I feel confident each time I splash a bit on my eggs in the morning, or my salad with lunch, or my pizza during the big game, knowing the history and care that goes into making each bottle of Tabasco® Original Red. If it's been a while since the last time you used Tabasco, why not give it another go? Or perhaps you're simply looking for new ways to spice up a pizza (Pizza Perfected) or find new game-day food traditions (Game-Day Party Menu)...check out the Tabasco website for all kinds of delicious ideas!

**This is my very first paid review. I may do more from time to time, but please know that I will always give you my honest opinion on the product I'm reviewing...in other words, the opinions stated in this post are all mine!

*source: Tabasco dot com