"jalapenos" news and stories

Photo: Scott W. Baker

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

The moving truck rolls into Brooklyn this week. The big international move to Mexico has been brutal to organize, but -- lucky me! -- I had the very cool cats called Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) host a splendid Hasta Luego shindig in my honor.

One of the members, Elayne Duke, served up an original creation she called "Little Bit of Country," that's perfect for the chill coming in the air these days. Her cocktail pretty much sums me up: kick of bourbon, little sweetness, nice tartness, touch of spiciness and just enough bitter to balance it all out. My Granny sent me a fabulous leopard-print dress to wear that just had to have a pink feather boa for the party ... and I sported my cowboy boots for a "little bit of country."

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Strawberries get the salsa treatment when served in an avocado bowl.

Cheese scones two ways: Beginner for newbies, and expert for old pros.

Obama and Biden dine out at Ray's Hell Burger.

Revolvers don't just shoot -- they can also get you happily drunk if they're a mix of bourbon, Tia Maria and orange bitters.

A slideshow spotlights alternative uses for jalapenos: Cookies, burgers and drinks all get an extra kick.

First Fendis, now Fieris: A man sporting platinum spiked hair passes himself off as Guy Fieri in Kansas City.

Poll: When baked goods require new bakeware, do you head for the store?

Oh, hot peppers -- they've created a big divide between those who love a little spice in their food, and those who recoil at the littlest bit of tongue sass. Michael Ruhlman is, no surprise, in the former category. He just put up a great blog about the lovely spice of peppers, and said, quite aptly: "These fruity, spicy wonders make life better in so many ways." Indeed! Now if only I could get my friends on board so that I don't get looks of startled pain when I throw a little bit of spice in. (Says the girl who can only handle a strong medium heat herself, but she's learning.)

Anyway, the post holds one little bit of knowledge that makes me wish I had The Elements of Cooking a few years ago: "The heat in chillis (capsaicin) resides in the white flesh to which the seeds are attached..." See, a few years ago, during the height of cheap tomato season, I prepared to make a lot of salsa. So, I sat myself down and prepared a slew of jalapenos to go in the mix -- and I stupidly cleaned out the insides with my fingernails.

I washed my hands a few times, but once that juice gets under the nails ... searing pain! Imagine putting your hand in an oven or fire and feeling it burn, but your skin staying in tact -- for a good twelve hours. So, my friends, it might be easier to scrape out the insides with your fingers, but it's so very worth it to use a knife.

The only vegetables you really need for chili are onions and garlic for flavor, jalapenos for heat, and of course canned tomatoes to create the "gravy." However, I know that people like to add other vegetables either because they like particular vegetables, or they're trying to sneak some nutrition into their friends' and family's diets. Naturally, if you're making a vegetarian chili, additional vegetables like celery, carrots, and bell pepper make sense, but in a beef chili, why would you add carrots? Why?! You aren't fooling anyone.

Adding Vegetables to the Chili
To the oil that's left in the pan you used to brown the meat, add 2 chopped medium onions, ½ to 1 whole head of smashed garlic cloves (depending on how much garlic you like), and 5-7 chopped fresh jalapenos. If you are adding other chopped vegetables, add them here, too. Cook for about 10 minutes to soften, then add to the beef in the crock.

Add 1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes with the juice, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pot. Also add 3 cups of beef stock.

As you know, there is an enduring battle at breakfast time for me between Savory and Sweet. For almost all of my life, I've loved sweet breakfast foods, whether that was cold cereal in the form of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Belgian waffle with sweetened fruit and whipped cream. However, savory has taken the lead in recent years, and it's everything I can do to keep myself from ordering the same egg white, vegetable, and cheese omelet.

Food blog What Did You Eat has put a break in the battle, if at least for one morning. Jalapeno Corn pancakes (a recipe from Ask.com) look like normal pancakes, and with a small amount of sugar in the recipe that "lends a subtle sweetness to the pancakes," may even taste like regular pancakes, but the addition of masa flour and jalapenos, makes these all kinds of spicy and savory. You could eat them as is (I don't think I'd add any syrup), or do like Sher did and throw a fried egg on top!