Coffee-laced chili = yum

I love hot sauce. It goes on anything ranging from starches like rice, proteins like eggs, or carb-y starches like beans. Whether it's Tabasco, Sriracha, or Tapatio, hot sauce has a special place in my heart. And just because I'm getting older, experiencing more bouts of "heartburn-like" symptoms, I still like to do at least a dash of hot sauce on my food. It just makes it more tasty, even if my gut sometimes feels like it's on fire.

So this weekend when MOH and I went to the Farmer's Market, we ventured to a cute little stand called Dadman Farms. Their signature sauces are part of a line called "Nukeyerbungo" and feature a range of mild to spicy hot sauces that are similar in taste to the tangy sour Tabasco sauce. The owner was super nice and really passionate about hot sauce.

Of all the sauces there, one sauce that really caught my eye was their signature "coffee-laced" Chiletenango Sauce No. 4.

It sounds strange - coffee? In a hot sauce? But the coffee offers a great smokey after taste that gives the sauce a little bit of a kick. It goes great with eggs, but AMAZING with chili.

The stars were aligned it seemed - this weekend's weather was a little more muggy than usual, not to mention cold. So chili and cornbread was a great warm treat.

Chili for me is just something I throw together using residual ingredients and almost-going-to-expire beans (I know, MOH, I buy in bulk and forget these cans exist!). I had a little tomato sauce leftover from tacos, so just threw in the remaining sauce, some chopped tomatoes, onions, corn, and beans (pinto and black), and just let the mixture simmer over a medium heat. For seasoning, I just added some cumin, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, and garlic salt. People like differing levels of spice, so I just like to season accordingly (but be careful because too much cumin will come off too bitter). Then I topped it off with the hot sauce for the extra kick! It was a super hearty soup that went fantastic with some corn bread. The hot sauce adds this slow burn at the end that has a little extra caffeine to rejuvenate your spirits!

Until next time, happy eating!

Cornbread recipe without cornmeal or cornbread instant mix! (adapted from this recipe):

Ingredients:
- Canned corn (I used half a can, but feel free to add more)
- 1 1/2 cups of flour (gluten free or 10 grain are good - 10 grain will be more gritty but equally delicious)
- 1/8 cup truvia
- 1 tbsp baking power
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of Smart Balance butter blend
- 1/8 cup of honey
- cheddar cheese (optional)

Protocol:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
3. Add in wet ingredients into bowl and mix thoroughly (add cheese last)
4. Pour into a pan (I did a loaf, but muffins or a square pan would be fine)
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown

Short break - will be back!

Hi all,

I've been posting fewer and fewer posts here and I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive, just behind on a couple of things. Life's been getting busier, and as a result, I haven't been doing things that I love (writing about science, experimenting, or even sketching), but I'm trying to manage my life better, promise!

Posts will still come every so often, just not in as great frequency as it used to be.

In the mean time, everyone keep eating well, staying healthy, and keep happy thoughts along!

I miss sketching...