Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Marie Sharp's No Wimps Allowed Hot Sauce

When a hot sauce calls itself "No Wimps Allowed", it had better live up to its name or serious fiery foods fanatics will not be amused. Well folks, this incendiary creation from Marie Sharp's Hot Sauces most certainly lives up to its cautionary name. Hailing from Belize and made in the traditional Caribbean hot sauce style (hot peppers in a vinegar-carrot base), Marie Sharp's No Wimps Allowed Hot Sauce lists capsicum oil (pepper extract) as its second ingredient -- as if using habanero pepper mash as the main ingredient wasn't fiery enough! This ultra-hot sauce is serious and unforgiving in its heat level, with a burn that keeps on burning (and burning, and burning), so be sure to use only a drop at a time and have plenty of milk or water on hand if you need to soothe your tongue. Don't rely on carbonated beverages (i.e., soda or beer) as they will actually intensify the heat because of how the carbonation (and alcohol, in the case of beer) interacts with the capsicum oil.

For the sake of your tongue, it's best to use No Wimps Allowed as an ingredient to spice up chili, stews, Caribbean and creole dishes, stir-fry recipes, ground beef, and savory sauces, rather than straight on food. OK, you've now been warned. If you are nevertheless brave (or foolhardy) enough to use this hot sauce directly on served food, you will be pleasantly surprised with its appealing flavor and texture. Unlike other extract-spiked hot sauces, Marie Sharp's No Wimps Allowed has a natural habanero flavor blended with tasty creole spices plus savory onion and garlic. And because Marie Sharps uses pepper mash, fresh carrots, and a bit of tomato, the texture is richer and more substantial than that of regular vinegar-based hot sauces. So if you are an experienced and Teflon-tongued chilehead (in other words, not a wimp), you will enjoy having Marie Sharp's No Wimps Allowed Hot Sauce in your stable of dangerously hot hot sauces.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Monday, February 8, 2010

5 Last Minute Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Still looking for a unique and thoughtful way to say "I love you" to your special someone? How about a romantic and deliciously tasty sampling of sauces and snacks? If flowers are what she wants, we have gorgeous florist-arranged bouquets and grower-fresh flowers, too! Here are five wonderful last-minute gift ideas that will show how much you care:

1. For the person who loves spicy foods, we have the Hot & Saucy Romance Gift Set featuring 3 romantically-named sauces (including "Jump Up & Kiss Me") plus a can of Hot Honeys gourmet chipotle & honey roasted peanuts, just $24.99!

2. Need a tasty gift for a picky eater and not sure what to send? How about an electronic Gift Certificate from the Carolina Sauce Company! That way the recipient can choose exactly what he or she wants, from over 300 delicious sauces, seasonings, condiments and snacks from all over the world. Best of all, these gift certificates never expire!

3. Take her breath away with beautiful florist-arranged flowers delivered to her home or office

4. Send a bountiful Gift Basket full of gourmet goodies for eating or luxurious spa products for relaxing and pampering

5. Instead of going out to an overpriced restaurant, how about cooking a fabulous romantic meal at home featuring mouthwatering grass-fed gourmet beef from Montana, or fresh lobster from Lobster Gram, America's #1 Lobster Delivery Company since 1987, with over 1,000,000+ DELIVERED! Order this week and receive your steaks and seafood in time for your Valentine's Day dinner, without the hassles of driving to a specialty shop or grocery store.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you or someone you know is NOT celebrating Valentine's Day, we still have the perfect gift: Our Love Stinks Gift Set, with four appropriately-named hot sauces including Mean Devil Woman and Scorned Woman, to name just two!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Final Week for Super Coupon Sale!

Want to save money on delicious sauces and seasonings? Then take advantage of our Super Coupon discount! This is the final week for great bargains on good tasting food, using the current Carolina Sauce Company Newsletter coupon. Lots of delicious sauces, condiments, seasonings and snacks are already on sale, AND by using the special coupon code you can save an additional 10% off the product total for orders of $40 or more. And yes, you can get 10% off already discounted sale items!

Want to find the Super Coupon code? It's easy: Read the latest Carolina Sauce Newsletter here on this blog to find the special 10% off coupon and information on our newest products -- but don't delay, because the coupon is good only through this week and expires on Valentine's Day, February 14th!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you already used the Newsletter coupon last week and want to use it again, I have good news: You can! Simply order at least $40 in products this week at the Carolina Sauce Company online store and enter the same Super Coupon code when you check out.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Top 10 Best-Selling Hot Sauces for 2009

Here is the list of the top ten best-selling hot sauces at the Carolina Sauce Company for all of 2009:

1. Busha Browne's Pukka Sauce: This is our best-selling hot sauce of all time, so it came as no surprise that Pukka Sauce was #1 last year. This versatile, fiery and flavorful savory hot sauce is made in Jamaica and inspired by old colonial recipes

2. Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce: This mouthwatering hot sauce from Trinidad & Tobago features fiery scotch bonnet peppers mellowed with sweet tropical papaya, and is fabulous on chicken and seafood as well as meats and veggies

3. Matouk's Calypso Sauce is more savory and hotter than Matouk's West Indian sauce, with a spicy mustard and scotch bonnet pepper base and just a touch of sugar. Matouk's Calypso is thick and rich, and brings authentic island flavor to all your favorite foods

4. Georgia Peach and Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce is a "gently spicy" hot sauce that's great for folks who normally don't care for spicy foods, and the summery flavor is so tasty that chileheads also love it. Sweet and juicy ripe peaches and mellow Vidalia onions are expertly blended with just the right touch of hot peppers to yield a mildy hot and seductively delicious hot sauce.

5. If you prefer a good fiery burn, Scorned Woman Hot Sauce is for you. Coming in 5th last year on our list of best-selling hot sauces, this classic vinegar-based hot sauce features black pepper plus several different types of chile peppers for plenty of peppery heat. Aptly named after the saying that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

6. If you prefer spicy flavor instead of fire, there's Capsicana Zing Gourmet Sauce, a spicy-sweet, mildly hot favorite from North Carolina. Zing Sauce is delicious as a table sauce and also as a cooking ingredient. You can get it in 5 oz and 10 oz bottles, and it comes with a free recipe sheet!

7. Matouk's Flambeau Sauce: About as hot as you can get without adding pepper extract or capsaicin oil, Matouk's Flambeau delivers serious incendiary heat in a traditional Caribbean mustard & scotch bonnet base. Ideal for hearty fare, it's also tasty on scrambled eggs if you have a Teflon tongue!

8. Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce: Dave is not kidding when he cautions you to be very careful with this sauce. Ultimate Insanity Sauce is an ultra-hot food additive that is best used in micro-droplets (off a toothpick) and added to recipes, NOT used directly on food. Yes, it is that painfully hot, and unforgiving in its lingering burn. You've been warned..... but apparently that hasn't stopped hordes of chileheads from buying tons of this hot sauce!

9. Matouk's Hot Pepper Sauce is a classic Caribbean hot sauce made with aged, pickled scotch bonnet peppers in a spicy, savory mustard base. Fabulous on grilled foods including meats, poultry, burgers, sausages, and your favorite sandwiches

10. Walkerswood Jonkanoo Pepper Sauce: Another Caribbean jewel, Jonkanoo Sauce is named after a Jamaican street festival that's colorful and lively, just like this feisty hot sauce. Use it on all sorts of savory foods for fiery tropical flavor

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Friday, February 5, 2010

Carolina Sauce Co. Closed on Friday, Feb 5

The Carolina Sauce Company is closed on Friday, February 5th while we attend a seminar (which we hope won't get snowed out!) You can still shop online while we are closed, and orders received on Friday will start shipping out on Monday February 8th when we re-open for business. Although no one will be available to answer the phone or reply to email while we are closed, please feel free to leave us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can when we re-open.

Thanks for your understanding and patience, and be careful out there if you're in the path of the wintry weather!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Iguana Red Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Who said all good cayenne pepper sauces must come from Louisiana? Iguana Red Cayenne Pepper Sauce is a feisty and flavorful cayenne hot sauce from Costa Rica that's sure to please fans of Louisiana hot sauces as well as Caribbean hot sauces. The reason this moderately hot pepper sauce is so tasty is because its vinegar base is enhanced with tomatoes, carrots, a touch of molasses and a dash of onion and garlic. In other words, it's not a thin, watery vinegar hot sauce with a single note of peppery heat. Instead, all the ingredients come together in a harmonious blend of flavor and fire that makes Iguana Red hot sauce a delicious way to spice up pretty much any dish. And if you enjoy a hot sauce with a more substantial mouthfeel, the rich texture of Iguana Red Cayenne Pepper Sauce is sure to satisfy your palate. It's terrific on meats, poultry, seafood, egg dishes (I love Iguana Red as a breakfast or brunch hot sauce), red and black bean dishes, and even on pizza and sandwiches. Iguana Red is also great in soup, chili, homemade marinades, and splashed on mac and cheese (I kid you not). And if you're watching your diet, you'll be thrilled to learn that this flavor-packed hot sauce is very low in sodium (20mg per teaspoon) and has only 1g of carbs per teaspoon. At only $4.25 a bottle from the Carolina Sauce Company online store, it's practically a steal!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Spicy Peri Peri Nuts

Here's a quick & easy recipe for seasoned mixed nuts, from the makers of Nando's Peri Peri Sauces. You can multiply the recipe if you want to make a larger quantity.

Ingredients
8 oz plain (unseasoned) mixed nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts)
4 Tbs Nando's Hot Peri Peri Sauce*
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together and spread on a baking sheet. Roast in your oven at 400F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer nuts into a bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of Peri Peri Sauce to the nuts and toss to coat well. Serve warm or cold. You can also store in an airtight container for up to a week (let the nuts cool completely first).

*For variety, I sometimes use a different flavor of Nando's Peri Peri Sauce, such as the Garlic Peri Peri Sauce.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria