International Hot and Spicy Food Day

January 16th is International Hot and Spicy Food Day.  While many people are afraid of hot and sspicy foods, there are many others who enjoy all of the flavor that hot and spicy foods can provide.  Many cultures have dishes that are considered hot and spicy, yet part of the regular diet.

Of course there are times we venture a little bit too far up tha heat scale only to find out that our tastebuds cannot enjoy the dish that is before us.  How can you get rid of the heat?

Most people make the foolish mistake of attempting to douse the heat with liquids such as water.  Being that most of the heat in these dishes is often contained in an oill form, it is like putting out a grease fire with water.  It just makes it worse as it spreads the oils to other parts of your mouth that were not on fire.

The best way to reduce the heat is with dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream etc.  Many cultures will often add these or something similar to the table with the expectation that occasionally, something will be too hot.  Pay attention to the place settings within an Indian restaurant the next time you visit.

Glühwein - Pronounced Glow Wine

We discovered this wine a few years back while we were attending an outdoor Christmas Market in Chicago's Daley Plaza.  While I am not wure if this is the exact recipe for that drink, I do know it is an excellent way to take the chill out of a cold day.  It smells wonderful as it warms and tases wonderful as it goes down.



Hot Mulled Wine (Glühwein, "glow wine")




Ingredients (serves 2-3 persons)



•1 bottle of dry red wine (750 ml)

•one lemon

•2 sticks of cinnamon

•3 cloves

•3 tablespoons of sugar

•some cardamom (or ginger)

Directions

Heat the red wine in a pot (don't boil). Cut the lemon into slices and add to the wine. Then add the cinnamon, cloves, sugar and a little cardamom (to taste). Heat everything for about 5 minutes - do not boil - and let stand for about an hour. Before serving, reheat and strain. Serve in prewarmed glasses or mugs.

Butternut Squash Spaghetti

I saw this dish made by Mario Batali recently.  It seemed like a nice variation to a dish which would provide a vegetarian dish which is something we are trying to include in the weekly menu planning at home.  The dish is very simple and was fairly easy to make.  Give it a try for something different.

Ingredients:

1 lb Butternut Squash cubed about 1/4 inch
1 lb spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion diced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup curly parsley chopped

Add the olive oil into a saute pan over a medium heat.  Begin to boil your spaghetti.  Add the onions and garlic to the olive oil until tender.  Increase the heat to medium high and add the squash.  Stir often for about 5 minutes.  Add the parsley and drained spaghetti.  Stir until combined.  Add additional olive oil if needed.  Serve. 

Coupons

I happened to stumble upon a site yesterday that has a number of coupons to use on a variety of items.  Pretty much a click and print site that appeared to work well.

Hope it helps...

shortcuts.com

Apricot Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We decided to do something a little bit different for Christmas Day at our home and put together an apricot stuffed pork tenderloin.  It was very easy and turned out so tasty.  This one might have to be repeated on the grill when it warms up this summer.

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin
Canned Apricot Halves
Raspberry Rib Slather

I butterflied the tenderloin and coated the inside with some of the Raspberry Rib Slather.  I then placed the apricot halves open side down into the opening of the tenderloin.

I then replaced the top of the tenderloin and coated the outside with the Raspberry Rib Slather.  It was then placed into a preheated oven at 350 degrees until an internal temperature of 160 was reached.  After letting it rest, it was sliced into 1/2 inch wide slices and served.  Very tasty and so simple.

APO Address Giveaway to Brighten a Soldier's Holiday

During the Holiday Season, we are going to give a gift to some deserving person in the Armed Forces.  The winner will need to have an APO Address to be eligible.  It is a way for us to say thank you for serving our country and wish them a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever holiday they celebrate.

In the package, the winner will receive:

• Dad's Roadhouse Pepper Patch Salsa
• Dad's Roadhouse Pickled Carrots
• Dad's Roadhouse Apple Butter 
• Dad's Roadhouse Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce

The rules are simple, to enter you must:

•  have an APO Address 
• or nominate someone who has an APO Address

Enter the name as rank along with the last name as a comment below.   Make sure to leave your email address as a way to contact the winning entry for the complete address.  A random winner will be drawn at 6:00 pm CST on Sunday, December 19 so that the package may be shipped on Monday, December 20th.  Failure to respond to an email request for final information within 2 hours could cause me to move to an alternate winner to assure arrival near the holiday.

Note:  I have edited some of the entries to remove personal information.  I did not eliminate the entries and have retained copies of those entries, but do not want to endanger them in any way by having their personal info on a public forum.  Please leave only rank, last name and a contact email should your entry be selected.  A few have also put some spirited messages of support for their nominees.  That is awesome to see, but not required.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

While looking for a side dish to make for Thanksgiving that did not contain another starch for the meal, I came across this recipe watching Emeril Lagasse on Good Morning America.  It sounded great and looked easy enough.  As we came to learn later, both were indeed correct assumptions.

Ingredients


• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed, halved lengthwise

• 5 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (we substituted a splash of lemon juice)

• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more to taste

• Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Toss the Brussels sprouts in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with the salt and pepper. Transfer them to a baking sheet and spread them out in one even layer.

Roast until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and lightly caramelized around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately transfer them to a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan. Toss to coat evenly, sprinkle with more Parmesan as desired, and serve.