Championship Barbecue Equipment by Adidas?

Really?
Barbecue shoes?
You bet!



Thanks to a collaboration between San Francisco's Upper Playground design group and Adidas you can be sporting these spiffy red and white gingham barbecue inspired shoes complete with a kettle grill on the back and some shiny silver utensils on the side. These elements will considerably improve the overall barbecue experience. I understand these shoes are equally effective in the support of both the cookery and eating aspects of the barbecue sport.

Interestingly the inspiration for these shoes is one of my favorite barbecue restaurants; Memphis Minnie's. You can search through the blog archive for a full review on Memphis Minnie's Bar-B-Que Joint.

If you'd like to own a pair of these shoes you might need to look around because only 4000 pairs were ever made. If you find a pair you will want to make sure you don't drip any BBQ sauce on them because they are about $200. Of course there's always plenty of barbecue to go around and it costs significantly less.

We've included a video of the Walrus from Upper Playground at Memphis Minnie's in San Francisco talking about their inspiration for these shoes and other projects.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Rubbed Roast Pork

Mustard is not just for sandwiches or hot dogs. Here is an example of another way you can use it! For this recipe we utilize your Crockpot to save on time and cleanup:

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins
salt and pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons Pebble Creek Roasted Garlic & Red Chile Mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, and thyme; pour over the pork. Turn pork to coat thoroughly.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate, cover with foil, and keep warm. Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Combine the cornstarch and cold water; whisk into the reduced juices and cook for 1 minute longer. Serve pork sliced with the thickened juices.

Suggestion: Serve with some baby spring greens tossed in a light vinaigrette.

Send In a recipe using one of the products purchased from RoJo's Gourmet. If your recipe is chosen we will post it for all to read. You will also receive a gift from RoJo's Gourmet Foods if your recipe is selected. Thank you all in advance for your great recipes.

Shop For Gourmet Ingredients...

Is Barbecue Season Is Here?

You might be a redneck artist if messy, rib-eating fingers inspires you to finger paint.
As seen on CMT "Country Fried Home Videos"

Get your painting supplies at www.rojosgourmet.com

Food Network "Impossible" Chef; Sacked

If you could combine James Bond with MacGyver, you would get Robert Irvine, a real life chef extraordinaire and the host of Dinner: Impossible.

The hard edged British chef who stars in Food Networks "Dinner: Impossible" has found that embellishing his resume was not a sweet as the wedding cake he supposedly helped design for Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Chef Irvine issued this statement:

"I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family. I am proud of my work while serving in the Royal Navy and on board the Royal Yacht Britannia , also as part of the Guest Chef program in the White House with the United States Navy, in addition to my culinary accomplishments. I should have stood on those accomplishments alone, without embellishment. I remain committed and enthusiastic about my work with Food Network and other future endeavors. I am truly sorry for the errors in my judgment. To all my family, friends and loyal fans, I will work tirelessly to regain your trust and continue to use my show and life to benefit the less fortunate."

The Food Network has released the following statement:

“We looked into the situation and found that, as Robert as already admitted, there were some embellishments and inaccuracies in his resume. The few and minor incidents of the inclusion of these embellishments into ‘Dinner Impossible’ have been removed. The show is, and has always been, completely accurate in the depiction of the cooking challenges faced by Robert. We will continue airing both old shows and the new season of programs currently in production. We have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons but will fulfill our contractual obligations. We rely on the trust that our viewers have in the accuracy of the information we present, and Robert challenged that trust. We appreciate Robert's remorse about his actions, and we can revisit this decision at the end of the production cycle, but for now we will be looking for a replacement host. "

FREE Hot Sauce at RoJosGourmet

Once again RoJosGourmet.com is giving away FREE Gourmet hot sauce. The sauce that has been selected for this special is the best selling hot sauce in the RoJo's Gourmet Foods line-up.

Monty's Gourmet Foods Uses Only The Finest Green Jalapeno Peppers In This Gourmet Blend Of Peppers & Spices To Ensure Our Great Customers Get The Best Hot Sauce Possible. A new release, Green Scream jalapeno hot sauce has already won awards for its incredibly fresh taste. The fiendish Chile pepper bearing lizard on this label was created by the world famous Dave Kellett; creator of the Sheldon comic strip.

Current Awards:
* Second Place - 2007 Scovie Awards - Hot Sauce - Specialty Chile Category

* Second Place - 2008 Fiery Foods Challenge - Hot Sauce: Specialty

* Third Place - 2008 Fiery Foods Challenge - Hot Sauce: Louisiana Style

All you need to do is place the Monty's Green Scream Hot Sauce in your shopping cart and enter the Promo Code: FREEGSHS. The price of the hot sauce will be deducted when you apply the coupon code.

Other coupon codes currently offered at RoJosGourmet.com are 5OFF for $5 off of any shopping cart with a $50 total. Any shopping cart totaling $99 automatically get FREE FedEx Ground or Home delivery.

See you at RoJo's Gourmet Foods. The Tastiest Place in Cyberspace!

Recipe: Spaghetti A La Mexicana

This recipe for a Latin inspired spaghetti was developed by the good people at the Scorpion Bay Hot Sauce Company. We recommend this version to spice things up a bit and bring your taste buds back to life. Winter can really dull your senses with all that bland comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 6 Jalapenos diced
• 2 Bell Peppers, Red or Green diced
• 2 Tomatoes diced
• 1 Large Onion diced
• 2 Large Portabella Mushrooms diced
• 5 Sticks Celerydiced
• 1 Bunch Cilantro Minced
• 4 Garlic Cloves Finely Minced
• 1 Bottle Scorpion Bay De Arbol Hot Sauce (Adjust more or less according to personal taste)

Additional Ingredients:

2 large cans Spaghetti Sauce, use your favorite flavor
1 Pound ground turkey or ground beef
4 Tb Chili Powder
3 Tb Italian Seasoning
1 Large Bag Monterey Cheese, shredded

Simple Directions:

1. Saute onions and garlic, saute until onions are translucent.
2. Add 1 pound ground turkey or ground beef, and spices cook meat until brown.
3. Add all other vegetables, spaghetti sauce, cilantro and hot sauce.
4. Simmer for 20-30 minutes Boil pasta in water until cooked al dente.
5. Plate the pasta, add sauce, top with a large mound of cheese and serve!

Stone Brewing Company Unleashes Their Arrogant Bastards in Gourmet Sauces

Introduced in 1997 by the Stone Brewing Co, Arrogant Bastard Ale immediately developed a following among "those who know" (a.k.a. "the Worthy"). Arrogant Bastard Ale is an aggressive beer and not for the timid or weak. As such, it demands pairing with food that takes the same stance. So when Russ Bruhn, a similarly (and appropriately) arrogant friend at Carlsbad Gourmet approached them to collaborate on a hot sauce recipe made with Arrogant Bastard, not only did they say yes - they said, "Let's make three!"

Russ, a fixture in the Orange county area, well known for cornering the strawberry market with his myriad of strawberry themed products seems to be having a great time in his venture out into slightly darker territories of the gourmet food world. While this line is a bit of a step out from his Carlsbad Gourmet line in image, Russ puts the same care and quality into these fine brew laden sauces. The end result is some of the best specialty sauces that you will ever find. Oh... and they have beer in them!

This is the Bastard Trinity. “They shall deliver you from mediocrity, whether you want it or not.”

Arrogant Bastard Ale: Jalapeño Heat
Few are Worthy of this sauce. Its distinct burning flavor is certainly beyond the tolerance of most. Beyond you? That is for you to decide. The matriculated will appreciate its flavor and depth. The informed will understand its craftsmanship. Curiously, while the flavor is most certainly suggestive of the fiery depths, simply combine with your favorite food and an Arrogant Bastard Ale, and you might swear you were in heaven.

OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale: Chipotle
OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale is a truly unique beer. All of the aggressive palate-punishing flavor of the original Arrogant Bastard Ale, but with American oak wood chips added in the brewing process, resulting in unique flavors and aromas of vanilla and molasses. Combining it with the roasty distinctiveness of chipotle peppers creates a hot sauce as unique as the beer.

Double Bastard Ale: Double Burn Habanero
A sauce almost as big as the beer that's in it - ALMOST. Merciful beings that we are, we chose to utilize none other than habanero to dilute it. If you're tasting this hot sauce as you read this, you either love habanero or you just lost a bet. (Not yet personally familiar with habanero? No matter, it's a s-h-o-r-t learning curve.) Double Bastard Ale Double Burn Habanero is a surprisingly well-balanced hot sauce to those fire eaters who love habanero, and a singular pain to those who are unworthy.

Besides the Trinity of hot sauces this joint venture has also produced two sauces that are not created to send your tongue on a torturous ride to Endorphinville.

Stone Ruination IPA Curry Mustard Grilling Sauce; Does the mere mention of mustard and curry send your palate into a frenzy of anticipation? Then just imagine those flavors combined with the beautifully bitter potency of our Stone Ruination IPA! You'll transcend to a whole new level of gustatory joy when you use this sauce at your next meal. "A liquid poem to the glory of the hop" is how we refer to Stone Ruination IPA, and this sauce is like setting those poetic words to music. Your palate will sing and your tongue will dance. Careful now...you’re drooling is causing people to stare. But that's not really the problem - except that they might want you to share!

Stone Smoked Porter & Pasilla Pepper BBQ Sauce; a “dark, rich, and complicated sauce", describes our Stone Smoked Porter - and we like our BBQ sauce the same way. Although you yourself needn't be dark, rich, or even complicated to enjoy this sauce, if you happen to be any of the above, perhaps so much the better. Regardless, come with us and venture over to the dark side...if you dare! Just don't waste it on unworthy food. For starters, we recommend natural/organic meats. If you use it on tastes-like-rubber factory chicken, for example, you will simply end up with tastes-like-rubber chicken with tastes-like-dark-rich-and-complicated sauce on it. And we expect more of you than that. Don't ever let us, or more importantly, yourself, down. We won't.

RoJo's Gourmet Foods Brings You New Items From the Fancy Food Show

January is the month that hosts the Winter Fancy Food Show. This years show was hosted in San Diego. Usually held in San Francisco, a scheduling conflict pushed the show south. RoJo's Gourmet Foods made a journey south to visit the several thousand exhibitors and bring back only the most special products available. One of those product is a line of tapenades and spreads from Hand to Mouth Edibles.

Aaron Baum is the owner and creator of these great products and his story goes like this:

Have you ever made a delicious gourmet dish and then have someone say, "Hey, this tastes great! You could sell that...people would love to buy your food!" Well, that's pretty much how Hand To Mouth Edibles Gourmet Foods was founded. In 1995 Aaron Baum, a Communications Consultant and a self described "guy who loves to cook" listened to the suggestions of friends and family and, as a result, changed careers to start his own gourmet food company.

Initially, Hand To Mouth Edibles was called "Baum's Breads & Spreads" - a company that
baked hand-crafted sourdough breads with fresh spreads to put on top. The 1995 model
for Breads & Spreads was based on the old Los Angeles based Helms Bakery business where warm fresh bread would be delivered right to your home or office once a week.

Customer response to the products was exceptional. However customer buying habits, and the fact that you can only bake so many loaves per night in a regular kitchen oven, precluded the business from fully developing. Aaron soon realized that customers could easily purchase
their favorite breads but the spreads and tapenades were not so easily available. Thus, the idea of repackaging spreads for a much wider customer base was born.

Since 1997, Hand To Mouth Edibles has brought to the national market, eight all-natural gourmet tapenades and spreads. These versatile and delicious products have found wide distribution in specialty and natural food markets; seasonal and corporate gift basket programs; amenity programs and in-room dining at better hotel/resorts; and, catalog and on-line shops throughout North America. Day-by-day, one mouth at a time, we're going Beyond the Cracker
to spread the word about good food!

Keep a lookout as we introduce the other awesome new products that we found at this years show. Hand to Mouth Edibles tapenades & spreads can be found at http://www.rojosgourmet.com/category_s/51.htm.

Click here to sign up to be notified about new stuff happening at RoJo's Gourmet Foods!

Specialty food market continuing to thrive despite bad economic times

By Jennifer Davies

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

January 16, 2008

Specialty foods such as fine cheeses, exotic teas and expensive chocolates are no longer only for the discerning food snob. Increasingly, these gourmet items are being gobbled up by the masses as well.

At Colorado gourmet tea maker Two Leaves and a Bud, sales are growing at a triple-digit rate. Richard Rosenfeld, founder of the three-year-old company, said people are willing to pay for quality when it comes to food and beverages.

“You can spend $8 for a box of our tea or $6 for a box of ordinary tea,” Rosenfeld said. “The one thing about specialty food is that it's a very affordable luxury.”

While overall food sales increased 4 percent over the past two years, the specialty foods sector has grown 17 percent, according to the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. In 2006, specialty food sales were $38.5 billion – double the level five years earlier.

The growing variety of specialty foods was on display this week at the 33rd Winter Fancy Food Show at the San Diego Convention Center. The show attracted about 1,100 exhibitors from around the world promoting everything from Indian-and Thai-spiced baby food to soy jerky and raw Sicilian almonds.

Ron Tanner, vice president for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, said the event is one of the biggest it has had – covering about 250,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Still, while the event keeps growing, some exhibitors said they were concerned that the sluggish economy might slow demand for their pricey, gourmet products.

Read the full article

Scorpion Bay Gourmet Hot Sauce sizzles at the San Diego Fancy Food Show.

(PRLEAP.COM) January 11, 2008 – To a gourmet hot sauce company, an opportunity like this is the key ingredient to gaining worldwide exposure. Such is the case for Scorpion Bay Hot Sauce. Scorpion Bay will be a featured exhibitor for the first time at the 2008 Winter Fancy Food Show, held at the San Diego Convention Center on January 13th—15th. The show, now in its thirty-third year, features more than 1,100 exhibitors from around the globe, and offers over 100,000 individual food items to sample.

“It’s a spectacular opportunity to put us on the “taste radar” of a much wider audience,” says Scorpion Bay’s founder and Encinitas resident Rob Burns. Burns, whose love of surfing and extensive travels throughout coastal Mexico first attracted him to the flavors of the region, began experimenting with thicker, Baja-inspired sauces from his kitchen. When his friends’ demand for these homemade sauces exceeded his ability to produce them, he realized that he had something special, and Scorpion Bay Hot Sauce was launched.

It’s been quite a ride as of late for this enthusiastic purveyor of hot sauce. Since his company’s humble inception, Burns is thrilled to add that he’s doubled sales every quarter, a remarkable feat in such a competitive marketplace. And his success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just last year Scorpion Bay teamed up with the Southern California based retailer/distributor Hot Licks. In no time at all, customers were buying up Scorpion Bay’s unique flavors, and sales went skyward. So when Hot Licks decided to exhibit at this year’s Fancy Food Show, inviting its featured vendor was a natural choice.

At the show you’ll have an opportunity to get a taste of Scorpion Bay Hot Sauce served up on an iconic Baja offering—fish tacos. Attendees will get to sample from the company’s three eclectic flavors: HotAcado Avocado, De Arbol and Chocopotle Chipotle Hot Sauce. What makes all of these sauces stand apart is their consistency, which is noticeably thicker than traditional commercial hot sauces. Scorpion Bay’s motto, “Do what you love—do it well and you will never go wrong,” is found on the side of every bottle.

Full story Here

Black Friday Sale Already In Progress

Holiday specials on www.rojosgourmet.com include a five dollar off coupon, FREE jalapeño hot sauce, and FREE shipping on any order totaling $99 or more.

Newly launched is the RoJo's Gourmet Food Gift Certificate. These gift certificates can be purchased in any value from $5 up and can be emailed to your recipient instantly or we can print the gift certificate and mail it to you or your recipient. Either way the RoJo's Gourmet Foods Gourmet gift certificate is the easiest and most versatile gourmet gift available.

With all the insanity of Black Friday and Cyber-Monday RoJo's Gourmet Foods has launched it Holiday Sales promotions on Thanksgiving day. Now you can save yourself from the turkey and stuffing induced coma by hopping on your computer and doing a little holiday shopping from the comfort of your home.

Make the foodie, home cook, tailgater, or anyone excited about their gourmet gift this year. No standing in long lines, no worries about returns. Everyone loves to get a gourmet gift!

Shipping is automatically credited to your order when you reach $99. Use coupon code 5OFF to get five dollars of any order of $50 or more. Use Promo code NL0907BAJ on check out to get your FREE bottle of Gourmet Jalapeno Hot Sauce.

Surfing and Hot Sauce Meet at Scorpion Bay

Warm up your chilly winter night with the taste of Baja Mexico.

Upon returning home from numerous surfing adventures, they'd often find themselves craving that spicy, robust flavor synonymous with the Baja palette. So, with the knowledge amassed from the many adventures, complemented by a hearty dose of experimentation, three unique gourmet-style hot sauces that echoed the true taste of Baja were created. Enter Scorpion Bay Hot Sauce.

So, what makes Scorpion Bay unique, you ask? For starters, the gourmet-style sauces are unmistakably thick. As in T-H-I-C-K! Instead of making them easier to pour by thinning our sauces, they simply redesigned the bottles with a wider opening. And Scorpion Bay Hot Sauces can be used in a variety of ways: as a marinade, a delicious spike for chili, soups and salad dressings, and of course, all of your favorite Mexican foods. Better yet, come up with your own recipe and let us know. After all, variety is the spice of life!

Chocopotle Chipotle Hot Sauce Smoky. thick. Sweet. And a slight hint of chocolate. We combined them all, and added a few sprinkles of our own secret ingredients to bring you Chocopotle! A perfect as a marinade for pork or Portobello mushrooms. Thinking about a BBQ? Brush it on tofu, meat or whatever you have grilling over the coals. Once you've tasted this unforgettable hot sauce you'll find yourself saying, Chocopotle, where have you been all my life!

De Arbol Hot Sauce. Close your eyes and picture the quintessential hole-in-the-wall Baja taco shop. See that bowl of fresh homemade hot sauce on the table? Yep, that's what we've made. We took those De Arbol chili peppers people love, added creamy tomatillos and soon had a thick, fiery, authentic taco shop style hot sauce literally brimming from the bottle. Go ahead introduce it to chili, pizza, chips, fish tacos,the list is infinite as the flavor!

Like nothing you have tasted before, Hotacado Avocado Hot Sauce, this tasty original combines two staples of Baja--Haas avocados and fresh, sun-ripened jalapeno to create an unmistakably thick and creamy green sauce. Of course, you'll also taste that signature Scorpion Bay kick! Spike up your salad dressing, pour it into a bowl as a chip dip, add a splash to your eggs and be sure to have it on hand when the fish tacos are on the table.

Follow the link to find even more interesting gourmet gift on sale now!

Surf the Flavors of Baja...

Monty's Gourmet Score FIVE More Awards

Gourmet Sauce maker Monty Fritts has done it again at this years Scovie Awards. The Scovie Awards are the National Fiery Foods competition that all spicy food and barbecue manufactures look to as an industry standard of excellence. This competition is held each year at the National Fiery Food Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Monty has been winning awards at this competition for years and this year is no exception. He has brought home four awards for 2008.

This years winning products are:

Monty's Smokin' Roasted Garlic Barbecue Sauce - 2nd Place
Monty's Fire Lizard Hot Sauce - 2nd Place
Monty's Party Picante Roasted Garlic - 2nd Place
Monty's Party Picante Cranberry - 3rd Place
Monty's Party Black Bean & Corn Chipotle - 3rd Place

You can get more details at www.montysgourmet.com or even buy these awesome sauces there!

If you would like to try any of Monty's award winning simply follow the link and start shopping. You can get an additional 10% off your order by entering the code: SCOVIES08 upon checking out.

Holiday Recipe: Brined & Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey

Smoking your holiday turkey is a way to bring some new life and flavor to a favorite family tradition. Brining your bird will ensure that it is both flavorful and juicy upon serving.

Brine:
1 gal water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 jalapenos, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon hot sauce (your favorite)
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

Seasoning:
½ cup Dry Rub or Cajun Seasoning
Vegetable Oil

1 Whole Turkey 12-16 lbs (not larger)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all brine ingredients in a clean pail that will accommodate your turkey and the brine solution. Stir brine until well mixed.
2. Remove giblets and wash turkey under running cold water.
3. Place turkey in brine and allow soaking for 12-24 hours.
4. Preheat smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).
5. Rinse turkey under cold water, and pat dry. Rub the vegetable oil and Cajun seasoning or your favorite BBQ rub over the outside and cavity of the bird. Place in a disposable roasting pan.
6. Smoke at 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C) for 10 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) when measured in the thickest part of the thigh. Baste the bird every 1 to 2 hours with the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan.

Note: We recommend apple wood or other sweet fruit woods for smoking turkey as they impart a milder flavor than hickory or mesquite.

It is not suitable to stuff a turkey for smoking. Prepare your favorite stuffing and serve it along side this wonderful bird.

Holiday Shopping Done Right

Hello Gourmet Food Enthusiasts, does this scene look familiar? Are you ready to do it again this year?

Remember last year when you saddled up and toughed it out. You found yourself in endless line in overcrowded stores battling for the last whatever was on the shelf. You only got the pleasure of that experience if you found parking. Hours of frustration; driving around in circles to get beat out of a spot by someone who could care less that they just cut you off to get the spot you were turning into. Then when you finally get back to you car you find a shopping cart and your car have become intimate while you were gone. Does any of that sound familiar.

This year do your shopping from your computer, in your warm house, enjoying a beverage or snack and saving yourself the frustration, the cost of gas and parking, not to mention the cost of dent removal, and possibly weeks of therapy to follow.

RoJo's Gourmet Foods is here to help with your holiday shopping. Over the next week we will be completing two new phases that will make things even easier for you. Currently we have started adding Cost Comparison prices to each of our items. This will allow you to see two or three other popular shopping spots for that particular item without having to bounce around the net. With comparative pricing offered you will be sure that RoJo's Gourmet Foods is not only offering you the best gourmet food products available, they are also offering you the best prices.

We will also be offering gift wrapping and gift packaging services so that you can have your gourmet food gift delivered right to the person it is intended for with out having to wrap and re-ship the package. There will be different levels of wrapping service available to accommodate your varied needs.

As always we guarantee all of our products and services. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please let us know via the contact information area at www.rojosgourmet.com

Holiday Recipe: Green Chile Cornbread Stuffing

An excerpt from the cookbook “Crazy from the Heat”, written by the spicemeister himself; Dave Hirshkop, creator of the world famous Insanity Sauce. This recipe may not cause, or cure any mental illness, it is sure to wake up your bland Holiday side dishes.

Serves 8

Heat Rating – 2/8 Chiles

Ingredients:

CORNBREAD

2 C yellow corn meal
2 C all-purpose flour
½ C Sugar
2 TBS baking powder
2 TSP salt
2 C milk
2/3 C vegetable oil
2 LG eggs

STUFFING

1 LB chorizo, casings removed
2-1/4 C onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded chopped
1 fresh Anaheim Chile, seeded chopped
¼ C fresh cilantro, chopped
1-1/2 TSP dried oregano
2/3 C low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

To prepare the cornbread, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a shallow nine inch square baking dish. In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk the milk, oil, and eggs. Add the milk mixture the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool. (The cornbread can be prepared up to two days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until serving or using in stuffing.)

To prepare the stuffing, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the cornbread into ½ inch cubes ( you’ll need 12 cups). Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until cornbread cubes are dry but not hard, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Butter a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish. Cook the chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add onions, bell peppers and chiles and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the chorizo mixture, cilantro, and oregano into the cornbread. Mix in enough of the broth to moisten the bread. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. (The stuffing maybe prepared to this point 1 to 2 days ahead and chilled.) Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven until heated through, about 50 minutes. Serve Warm.

You will find this and other favorites made fiery in Dave’s Insane cookbook; Crazy from the Heat!

Review: Grumpy’s Private Reserve Bar-B-Que Sauce; Not So Bold.

Hello Foodies and specialty food makers, today’s sampling is Grumpy’s BBQ sauce; Not So Bold flavor. If you would like to see your product reviewed on The Last Bite, email us to find out where to send your samples.

Initial Impression: The jar I received to sample is pre-label change. The sauce is contained in a standard barrel jar and is wrapped with a fancy die cut label. This sauce looks like it has been in grocery stores forever. There is a label over the ingredients declaration. Hmm? Let’s peel it off and see what happens.

Ingredients: Brown sugar, water, tomato paste (tomatoes), apple cider vinegar (diluted with water up to 5% acidity), yellow prepared mustard (vinegar ,mustard seed, salt, turmeric and spices), liquid smoke (purified natural liquid smoke, water), hot sauce (peppers, vinegar, salt),honey, black pepper, spices, kosher salt, oriental hot mustard (mustard, turmeric), cayenne pepper.

The ingredient list is really nice and clean. There are no preservatives or artificial anything. I did peel off the ingredient label that covers the original declaration. It looks like the type of liquid smoke has been changed and that’s it, no nefarious goings on here!

Appearance: This is one rich, thick, and sexy sauce. It is reddish brown sauce and there are sparse but definite pieces of herbs and spices floating around. The consistency of this barbecue sauce lends it to many applications. It was super thick and brushes on and sticks to your meat nicely. It also makes a great dipping sauce since it won’t drip off of whatever you’re ‘queuing.

Aroma: Mouthwatering. I’m not sure what else to say. I popped the cap and took a whiff. It made my mouth water like crazy. Now that I calmed down I can tell you that this sauce has definite layers of aroma. At first you get a sweet tomatoey perfume, next the vinegar pops you in the nostrils and makes your mouth water. The velvety smokiness comes in for the finish and practically hypnotizes you.

Taste: Sweet, tangy, and smoky with emphasis on sweet. This could be a dessert sauce. Tasting it from the jar it has a definite tangy fruity flavor. There are some larger pieces of peppercorn in it. Like magic they appear in your mouth and add yet another layer of flavor. The pepper is pronounced but not overpowering or out of balance. I detect the ever so slightest zest, but not what I would call spicy. Not so bold is definitely the right designation for this flavor.

The Food Test: Since we were having some nice weather I decided to fire up the grill and throw some yard stroller on it. Well not the whole bird just some leg and thigh sections. I gave it a quick rub down with poultry spice and barbecue rub and fired away. Once the chicken was done I brushed the Grumpy’s on them. Since there is such a high sugar content I didn’t apply it until the last few minutes. The Grumpy’s takes well to heat and the caramelization of the sugars rounds out all of the flavors.

Conclusion: Grumpy’s Private Reserve Bar-B-Q Grumpy’s Private Reserve Bar-B-Que Sauce Not So Bold is ue Sauce Not So Bold is a thick and rich Kansas City style barbecue sauce. It has layers of flavor that include mustard, black pepper, and smoke. Not So Bold has very little detectable heat so it would be perfect for those in your family that prefer you don’t singe off their eyebrows. A Chile-head may require the addition of some heat or an upgrade to a spicier flavor of Grumpy’s. Overall Grumpy’s Private Reserve Bar-B-Que Sauce Not So Bold is a fine example of how a KC Style BBQ Sauce should taste.

Packaging 8/10 – Fancy Die Cut Label
Aroma 9/10 – Overpowering
Appearance 8/10 – Thick, Rich, Sexy
Taste 8/10 – Layered Flavors
Heat 2/10 – Barely Detectable.

Overall 8/10 – How a KC Style BBQ Sauce should taste.

Doctors Test Hot Sauce for Pain Relief

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — Devil's Revenge. Spontaneous Combustion. Hot sauces have names like that for a reason. Now scientists are testing if the stuff that makes the sauces so savage can tame the pain of surgery.

Doctors are dripping the chemical that gives chili peppers their fire directly into open wounds during knee replacement and a few other highly painful operations.

Don't try this at home: These experiments use an ultra-purified version of capsaicin to avoid infection — and the volunteers are under anesthesia so they don't scream at the initial burn.

How could something searing possibly soothe? Bite a hot pepper, and after the burn your tongue goes numb. The hope is that bathing surgically exposed nerves in a high enough dose will numb them for weeks, so that patients suffer less pain and require fewer narcotic painkillers as they heal.

"We wanted to exploit this numbness," is how Dr. Eske Aasvang, a pain specialist in Denmark who is testing the substance, puts it.

Chili peppers have been part of folk remedy for centuries, and heat-inducing capsaicin creams are a drugstore staple for aching muscles. But today the spice is hot because of research showing capsaicin targets key pain-sensing cells in a unique way.

Read the Entire Article

Great to Give, Fun to Receive - Gourmet Sauces

Whether it's Monday Night Football or Christmas Day, RoJo's Gourmet Foods has the right gift for you to give. Gourmet food items are loved and enjoyed by everyone, and are moderately priced so that this holiday does not mean trying to pay off your credit cards by next holiday season.

The image above is the Monty's Best Buffalo Wing set. brand new and already earning awards this set is sure to please. With the original Buffalo style wing sauce there are also some less traditional flavors like Teriyaki Buffalo Wing and Roasted Garlic Buffalo Wing, and the Super Spicy and HOT Wing sauce for the die hard Chile-heads.

There is the new Chile-head survival kit from Dave's Gourmet; creator of the world famous Insanity Sauce. Each retro lunch box kit contains two full five ounce bottles of Dave's famous hot sauce. One bottle of his Hurtin' Jalapeno Hot sauce; perfect for eggs, taco's, burritos, or anything you want to inflict flavor on. The other five ounce bottle contains Dave's famous Temporary Insanity Sauce. This sauce is perfect for inflicting severe but temporary agony on yourself or others. Temporary Insanity Sauce is a ultra-hot extract based sauce that delivers great flavor and incredible heat. You will also get a package of Dave's Insanity Popcorn; a snack food guaranteed to deliver both pleasure and pain. It is the hottest snack food on the planet! Don't forget the awesome retro lunch box. It is a metal, painted number; not like the trashy plastic stuff they sell nowadays!

The Aussie Originals Outback gift set is made up of two sauces. Aussie Originals Ginger & Lime Soakin' Sauce is bonzer on Chicken, fish, tofu, and so much more!. It makes a great marinade, dressing, grill or dipping sauce. Aussie Originals Spiffy Steak Sauce is bonzer on steaks, burgers, meatloaf and Chicken. It makes a great marinade, grill or dipping sauce.Together they will work wonders on all your favorite foods. Made with the finest ingredients available. These are definitely the bees knees. So fire up the Barbie and pour on the Aussie Originals!

Two Goombaz is the ultimate in Italian Gravy(pasta sauce), and now you can have the entire experience in the Two Goombaz Italian Gravy Gift set. You'll get Tony's Basil & Garlic, Meadow's Marinara, and Paulie's Puttanesca. That's right, Da Whole Crew. A whopping Three pounds of gravy! Your taste buds will be amazed with the intense fresh flavors that can only be created in small batches. We do this to preserve the incredible, old world flavor of these treasured family recipes. However you choose to use The Two Goombaz Gourmet Italian Gravy, you can be assured that there is no better sauce available.

Follow the link below to find more interesting gift sets on sale now!

Shop Early Rest Sooner ...

Review: Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce

Hey Foodies what’s shakin’? Well I’ll tell you what’s shakin’; this bottle of Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce. Got any idea why it’s shakin’? It’s shakin because Crazy Ed put this silly little flip top restrictor cap on a nice thick hot sauce and the only way to get enough of the darn stuff out is to shake the shit out of the jar.

Initial Impression: The fist thing I noticed about 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce is that it looks remarkably like Tabanero sauce. The big difference being that Tabanero is 10 words less than 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce. Beside the extremely verbose title I think this packaging look cool. I like the clear label; it really shows of the amazing orange color of the sauce. The visual appeal of this sauce made me feel joyful, as if something good was about to happen. Now if you could only figure out what you actually want to call it.

Ingredients: Fresh carrots, selected red peppers, fresh onions, key lime juice, garlic & salt.

Hmmm? Carrots are listed before peppers; and where is the beer? The name says Chili Beer in big letters remember; 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce. I guess in all fairness it does say “Brand” after “Chili Beer”. I gotta say though, I was actually expecting to see beer in the ingredients list. I suppose I have to let this one go since I don’t have baboon listed as ingredient in my stuff.

Appearance: Boy this 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce is bright orange and nice and thick. It sticks to the sides of the bottle and it also sticks to whatever you put it on. Now I am really getting anxious to taste this practically glowing orange sauce.

Aroma: When you smell 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce you might find yourself smiling. I know I did. The crisp fragrance of habanero peppers is dominant here. Upon taking another generous snoot full of this pleasing perfume I noticed the onion is gently lingering in the background. I found the bouquet of 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce to be simple yet well balanced.

Taste: I always like to have a taste before trying any sauce on food. How else will you know with what foods a particular sauce might combine well? When I tasted 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce I noticed that the peppers were not the star of the show here. The acidity of the lime juice seems to jump out at you first. The next thing to happen is a little onion flavor comes forward and finally the peppers show up in the form of both flavor and heat. I would rate the heat of 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce at about a 3-4 out of 10. This sauce, however, is so nicely balanced you might not mind the absence of blistering heat here. Of course this is Hot Sauce blog!

The Food Test: When I first saw 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce I thought Beer. And what goes great with beer, pizza of course. But I was in the mood for some more than just pizza tonight, so I decided to test 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce on a Mediterranean Falafel pizza complete with tahini sauce. Well, I managed to kill about 4 pieces of pizza and I consumed about ¼ of the bottle of 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce. I could not think of a better sauce for the job. It’s like they were made for each other. This tangy, oniony, pepper sauce has won over my palette with or without the beer.

Conclusion: 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce is obviously suffering from some sort of multiple personality issue or perhaps even an identity crisis. Regardless of the name I like this sauce! Even though on the back it says “use chili beer hot sauce…” and there is no beer in it, I like this sauce. If you want a great flavored sauce that won’t burn your face off, you’ll like this sauce too!

Packaging 7/10 – 100% Natural Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer Brand Hot Sauce?
Aroma 9/10 – Fresh, Habanero & Onion
Appearance 9/10 – Bright Orange
Taste 9/10 – Well Balanced
Heat 4/10 – Not Habanero Hot.

Overall 8/10