Blair’s Death Shake (vial)

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Matt

Calling all Chileheads!!! Follow Blair Lazar on Twitter and keep an eye out for promotions. Every so often the Man himself will run an impromptu contest for free goodies; many times simply for tweeting phrases such as “Feel Alive.” I myself was fortunate enough to get a hold of a vial of “Death Shake” from Blair’s own pepper garden (for a chile head, can you think of a more sacred place?) – and what a delectable prize!

I’m still waiting to hear back what all the constiuent parts of this concoction are, but I can tell everyone that it’s a wonderful dry mixture of various peppers and spices. It has a very “bright” taste; hints of fruit, plenty of heat, and multidimensional flavor. It went great on a variety of dishes that I tried it on, and here have it pictured on a Bob Evan’s breakfast sandwich. It would also be great on eggs, hash browns, popcorn, burgers, pizza, meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, chili, wings…and anything else you could dream up.

And the best news? Blair is intending to make this part of the regular line-up over at Death Sauce HQ. I heartily recommend picking up some Death Shake as soon as it’s available. At this time I don’t know what the pricing, packaging and size/wt. will be, but I doubt anyone will be disappointed. So I say Feel Alive…and Get Excited!

Death Shake is perfect on a breakfast sandwich.

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Chile Peppers Light a Fire Under the San Diego Padres

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Matt

Even though peppers and spicy foods may not be as popular as America’s favorite pastime, they’re certainly making their presence known, and acting as both fuel and fire for the dugout of the San Diego Padres. For those spicy foods lovers out there who follow baseball (and Padres fans in particular), this story on CNN’s Eatocracy should spark your interest.

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El Rancho Verde Salsa

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Matt

A wonderful verde salsa made right here in the heartland – Oklahoma.

Folks, El Rancho Verde is my new favorite green salsa, and if you love jalapeños, then it may become yours as well. It’s bursting with pungent jalapeño flavor, and an earthy, yet lively, aroma. Its rustic consistency makes it equally at home on everything from tamales to enchiladas, to chips and eggs. It’s a simple blend of jalapeño peppers, garlic, comino (cumin), salt and cider vinegar which lets each ingredient stand on its own, yet, enhance and showcase its main attraction: the jalapeño chile. Not only does this result in a verde sauce with a profoundly delicious jalapeño flavor, but also one that has quite a spicy kick. I’ve eaten some of the hottest peppers on the planet, and even I was surprised with how much heat this bad boy packed. And better yet, the heat is at an optimal balance with El Rancho Verde’s fantastic flavor, so one can enjoy the vibrant zestiness of the ingredients without feeling too uncomfortable. And to top it all off, El Rancho Verde is fat free, and all-natural, with a minimum of vinegar being used so as to affect the overall taste as little as possible. So, for those of you who have an aversion to vinegar-based products, this is a bonus.

El Rancho’s Verde salsa gives even store-bought Mexican fare a boost of authenticity.

I already knew that El Rancho made a quality red salsa, but I’m particularly impressed with El Rancho’s foray into green chile-based salsas. Hands down, this is a great product, and makes me eager to see what El Rancho will come up with next. Oklahomans should be proud that this product is made right here in our state. Check out El Rancho’s background and other products here.

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Blaze Gourmet’s Sweet & Hot Mango!

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Matt

Out of the “Rock-N-Roll Capital of the Universe” – Cleveland, OH – comes Blaze Gourmet’s Sweet & Hot Mango! Thankfully, I’ve been privileged to try a lot of great products recently, and the luscious Sweet & Hot Mango is no exception. Yet, it is an exceptional hot sauce that’s quite unique because it’s more like a syrup than a typical hot “sauce”. But this also works in its favor because the thicker consistency assures that it will go with almost anything a typical syrup will go with, but it also goes equally well with food that the usual hot sauce consistency goes with. More importantly, S&HM captures the exotic and wonderfully delicious flavor of mango and appropriately combines it with fruity and hot scotch bonnet peppers. And cranking the volume of this flavor combo to 11 (and adding to its versatility as a condiment) are the rest of its ingredients consisting of apple cider vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, onions, salt, lime juice and “herbs & spices.” The final product amounts to a lusciously sweet and spicy concoction that will enhance almost any dish.

Sweet & Hot Mango with egg rolls is a perfect match!

“Cowboy” George Seres, Blaze Gourmet’s founder and creator of Sweet & Hot Mango, encouraged me to try this on seafood, chicken, warm brie and on day-old-pizza to “bring it back to life.” I imagine Sweet & Hot Mango would be great on any number of seafood or chicken dishes, and can only imagine how delectable it would be over warmed brie, but it definitely revived my leftover pizza (by the way, mango and scotch bonnets would be an amazing pizza topper). Sweet & Hot Mango’s sweet richness and vibrant heat cut through, yet, provided an invigorating contrast to the savory notes of what was already delicious pizza. Not having brie on hand, or seafood or chicken, I got the bright idea that S&HM would also work on pork egg rolls. I was not disappointed! And, I’d go further to say that S&HM would be ideal on all kinds of Asian fare; indeed, it would be a perfect stand in for the sauce in the typical sweet n’ sour or orange chicken. Heck, I may even try it on French toast, and, perhaps, on hot buttered waffles with a side of Owens’ hot breakfast sausage . (Check out Blaze Gourmet’s other intriguing and mold-breaking product here, and visit the Facebook page there!)

Move over Herbert West; Sweet & Hot Mango reanimates leftovers without the use of large, scary hypodermic needles.

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Gunther’s Gourmet Spicy Black Bean Dip with Lime

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Matt

Okay, when I first tried Gunther’s Gourmet Black Bean Dip with Lime, I actually thought it was their Black and White Bean Salsa. And, after trying it thought, “Wow, this would make a great bean dip!” Well, it’s fortunate that this was not lost on Gunther’s and that they actually marketed as, well…a bean dip. And what a remarkable bean dip it is.

Indeed, it’s easy to see why this bean dip won a 2012 Hot Pepper Award and 2013 Fiery Food Challenge Award. It’s a superb dip, and of such a sublime nature that among its all-natural ingredients it has sweet potatoes and Bermuda Onions. I love both of these additions because they add a mild sweetness and understated complexity that really set this bean dip apart from any I’ve had, and are a fitting complement to the rest of the high-quality ingredients. The full rundown consists of: tomatoes, black beans, sweet potatoes, Bermuda onions, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, fresh garlic, honey, sea salt, cumin, habanero chilies, cilantro, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, herbs and spices. This expertly crafted combination of ingredients produces not only a bean dip of impeccable flavor, but of remarkable consistency; thick enough to stand up, and stay on, whatever someone is scooping it with, yet, supple and velvety enough that one doesn’t have to use a 2 x 4 to get it out of the jar . As far as piquancy goes, this product shouldn’t be too spicy for the person who only sometimes indulges in spicy fare, and for those who do more than occasionally, the exceptional flavor more than makes up for any lack of heat.

Gunther’s Spicy Black Bean Dip with Lime stands up amazingly well. This factor, along with its well executed complex flavor, make it a must for bean dip connoisseurs. A sublime ziggurat of wonderful bean flavor, accentuated with a supporting cast of high-quality, all-natural ingredients.

All in all, this is not your average bean dip, and one that must be experienced to be truly appreciated. What’s more, Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries, LLC, out of Richmond Virginia is not the typical gourmet grocery; one can tell that making the finest products is a passion and goal for them, and that they devote the necessary time and attention to bring this about. And not only do they make this wonderful dip, but they also produce salsas, marinades and vinaigrettes. To find out more about Gunther’s Gourmet and their products and recipe suggestions, check ‘em out here!