Memorial Day 2014

This Memorial Day, Carolina Sauce Company is remembering the fallen who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.

May we never forget....

Respectfully,
Gloria

Our Favorite Cinco de Mayo Recipes (Not the Usual Stuff!)

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Or, Happy 5th of May!

Surprisingly, Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal here in the U.S. than it is in Mexico, perhaps because so many Americans enjoy having an excuse to eat hearty Mexican food with lots of big, zesty flavor and drink beer, tequila shots and margaritas.

If you're planning on celebrating today with Mexican food or dishes inspired by Mexican cuisine and are searching for recipes for Cinco de Mayo, you've come to the right place. Here are some of our favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes at the Carolina Sauce Company, several of which are refreshingly different from the usual "rice & beans, cheese & sour cream, guacamole & chips" fare (not that there's anything wrong with those, but sometimes it's fun to change things up):

Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread: As easy to make as a cornbread, but made with flour instead of cornmeal and loaded with cheese and chili peppers yet relatively healthy in comparison to other quick breads, this crowd-pleaser is fantastic with any meal, and not just on the fifth of May. Its also festively colorful, as you can see from the photo above on the left. Click for the recipe for Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread.

Five-Alarm Chili: I can't resist including this recipe, even if not truly authentic in terms of Mexican pedigree. But with a five in the name, and plenty of fiery heat along with ingredients frequently used in Mexican cuisine, this HOT chili is a natural fit for Cinco de Mayo, especially if the weather is still fairly cool in your neck of the woods. Click for the recipe for Five Alarm Chili. By the way, this chili is shown on the right with home-cooked tortilla chips, which are extremely easy to make, a lot tastier served warm from the oven (yes, they're baked but blow away the "baked" chips sold in supermarkets), and far better for you than store-bought chips. Click here for how to make healthy tortilla chips.

If you want to serve chili today but prefer a milder, more family-friendly recipe that's more about the flavor rather than fiery heat, you can't beat my Crock Pot Chili, which I not-so-humbly call the Best Ever Chili Recipe. Are you skeptical about my boast? Go ahead and try my recipe, and I bet you'll agree -- just as everyone has who's already tried it. It's also very easy to make, and you can make it as mild or as spicy as you prefer. Click here for the Best Ever Crock Pot Chili Recipe, which is also shown on the left.

Another non-traditional but Mexican-inspired recipe that's appropriate for Cinco de Mayo is my recipe for Avocado Tuna Melts. This one is extremely popular on Pinterest, and also among followers of low-carb diets. It's high in protein and healthy fats because of the avocado, and is devilishly spicy without being overwhelmingly hot. The avocado becomes decadently creamy when roasted in the oven, resulting in a luxurious and satisfying mouthfeel. It also looks pretty as well as tasting great, and even if you're a hard-core bread addict like I am, you won't miss the bread once you experience a bite. Click for the recipe for Avocado Tuna Melts.

Continuing with the healthy but zesty theme, I give you my Mexicali Tuna Salad, another low-carb recipe featuring Mexican flavors without restaurant-food guilt. Especially if you're celebrating earlier in the day and don't want to get weighed down with the more traditional rice and beans or heavy cheese and sour cream, these feisty and festive spicy salads are perfect -- and they wash down nicely with margaritas or beer. And yes, you can turn the salad into Mexican wraps by spreading it onto flour or corn tortillas and rolling them up, or dig into it with tortilla chips if carbohydrates aren't a concern. Click for the recipe for Mexicali Tuna Salad.

For more Cinco de Mayo recipes, click here.

And if you're in the market for genuine Mexican hot sauces, the Carolina Sauces online store is the place to go -- you can search by country from our "sauces by country" drop-down menu on the left margin of any page in the store, and just select Mexico to see what we have.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Easter and Passover Wishes

Photo by Marsmettn Tallahassee on Flickr

To all our friends, colleagues and fans who are celebrating the resurrection of Christ Jesus, I wish you a joyous and blessed Easter. Alleluia! He is Risen!

And to all friends, colleagues and fans who celebrated Passover last week, I'd like to wish you a belated but heartfelt Happy Passover, with apologies for the lateness of this wish (personal matters have been taking priority lately, leaving me less time for this blog). Chag Sameach and Shalom!

Regardless of faith, may blessings and peace be with you and your loved ones on these joyous and holy days, and all the days of your lives. And to the faithless, peace and good wishes to you and yours as well, today and always.

Zestfully yours,

Gloria

Our Favorite St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here are some of our favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes. Some are Irish and others are Irish-inspired, but they're all appropriate for today and anytime you want a little taste of the Emerald Isle.

Probably our favorite dinner for celebrating St. Patrick's Day is Grilled Irish Pork Chops with Creamy Guinness Mushrooms, pictured on the left along with Roasted Leeks and Carrots (both are popular vegetables in Ireland). Although this is not a low-fat dinner, it is most definitely low in carbohydrates and also paleo-friendly if dairy and beer as an ingredient are part of your paleo lifestyle. If the weather isn't right for grilling the pork chops outdoors, you can cook them in your kitchen on a George Foreman grill or other indoor grill. They won't have that smoky flavor achievable on a charcoal grill, but they'll still be succulent and mouthwatering.

If you're in the mood for a hearty, warming "comfort food" Irish recipe, you can't go wrong with Irish Stew. My Crockpot Irish Stew recipe is quite easy and requires very little effort. Although my version uses both beef and lamb, you can use all of one type of meat if you prefer. Likewise, if you don't care for one of the root vegetables called for in the recipe, e.g., rutabagas, just substitute a root vegetable you do like, e.g., potatoes. One can never have too many potatoes in Irish stew, according to some cooks.

If you're fond of hot & spicy foods and find ordinary Irish stew a little bland for your tastes, try my Spicy Irish Stew recipe -- sure, Ireland isn't known for hot sauce, but that doesn't mean you can't add some spicy, peppery heat to your stew. If you decide to do that, try one of our Irish-themed hot sauces, such as Boyle's Irish Scream and the original Irish Scream Hot Sauce, both of which are made with a wee splash of real Irish whiskey and feature leprechauns on the label..

Speaking of Irish-themed hot sauce, my spicy turnips with bacon are sure to please even hard-core turnip-haters, because bacon makes everything better. If you're worried about your family refusing to even try them, just don't tell anyone you're serving turnips and call them "country potatoes" instead, like Greg's mom used to do in order to get the kids to eat them, which they happily did without realizing they were eating turnips. Personally, I think the ugly-sounding name "turnip" gives that lowly root veggie a bad rap and discourages an open mind (or palate). For the mildest, most family-friendly and generally more appealing flavor, select small, young turnips. It's the larger, older ones that are more likely to taste bitter or be tough and fibrous. Also, make sure your turnips feel heavy and solid, and avoid any with soft, wrinkly spots (that means they're old and past their prime). Go ahead and load them up with plenty of bacon, too, if you think that will make your family more willing to give turnips a chance.

Irish Soda Bread is a no-brainer on St. Patrick's Day. It's a simple bread to make, particularly because it doesn't require yeast and therefore is far more forgiving and less temperamental than making a yeast bread. If you want to try something more interesting and flavorful than the traditional Irish soda bread recipe I recommend you try my Cheesy Onion Soda Bread, shown on the right. This variation on the traditional recipe uses ingredients common in Irish cuisine including oats, onions, and cheddar cheese (Ireland makes some wonderful cheddar style cheeses).

If you serve corned beef today and have some left over, this zesty recipe for corned beef hash & eggs is a hearty way to begin the next day. I can't promise that it'll cure a hangover, but it's worth a shot and at least it will stick to your bones until lunchtime.

And don't forget the cabbage, one of Ireland's most-consumed vegetables: Among your options are Roasted Cabbage with Parsnips & Apples, which is delightfully mellow & naturally sweet due to the roasting process; Braised Cabbage with Onions & Peppers, which isn't so much Irish as it is deliciously savory and an excellent side dish for all sorts of red meat; and Braised Cabbage with Bacon, shown on the left, which certainly can be considered Irish because bacon and cabbage are eaten with gusto in Ireland.

What are YOU eating on St. Patrick's Day? Please tell us in a comment below, and you're welcome to share any recipes, too!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Calavera Hot Sauce: Scary-Hot & Perfect for Halloween

Add "hot sauce" to your list of scary Halloween props.

Calavera Hot Sauce's intense and unrelenting burn is as frightening and dangerous as any Halloween ghoul. Made from the two hottest pepper varieties on the planet -- India's bhut jolokia (aka naga jolokia or ghost pepper) and Trinidad's moruga scorpion chili -- this ultra-hot sauce doesn't need any artificial extracts or added capsaicin oil to boost its firepower any further. Please trust me when I tell you that all you will need to add searing heat to any dish is a micro-droplet from a toothpick. And if you are going to use Calavera in a recipe, please start off with just one or two drops first, to let you get a good sense of its unforgiving intensity before you risk scorching the taste buds off your tongue or destroying your digestive system.

If the preceding description has scared you away from actually eating Calavera hot sauce, please don't let it deter you from buying it: Its colorful "death's head" label makes it an eye-catching, novel and very appropriate Halloween decoration, especially if you're hosting a Halloween party.

For those of you who are experienced with super-hot hot sauces and enjoy them on food and in recipes, you'll be interested in knowing that Calavera is more than just another scary-hot sauce. In addition to the jolokia and scorpion peppers, which happen to be the main two ingredients in this caustic condiment, Calavera is made with other natural ingredients including tomato, onion, garlic and other vegetables plus black pepper and chili powder to enhance and broaden the layers of heat. All of this is blended in a tangy two-vinegar base (cider and distilled), with a squeeze or two of lemon juice for a hint of bright citrus. In short, this extreme hot sauce scores well on flavor as well as fire.

Buy Calavera Hot Sauce online while it's on sale at the Carolina Sauces online store -- but don't delay; if you want to have this hot sauce in time for Halloween, be sure to order today!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  For more Halloween Hot Sauces, please browse our selection of Holiday Hot Sauces. 

Rosh Hashanah Recipe: Grilled Mansanada (Honey-Spiced Apples)

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset on September 4th and ends at nightfall on September 6th. Apples sweetened with honey are a traditional food served to celebrate the holiday, and my inspiration for the following recipe is a Sephardic (from North Africa & Spain) treat called Mansanada.

Traditional mansanada is cooked on the stove to a consistency similar to chunky applesauce. I've changed things up by cooking the apples on the grill -- in fact, I prepared this over the Labor Day weekend for dessert one evening, and it's a wonderful way to end a barbecue or cookout regardless of whether you're celebrating Rosh Hashanah or aren't even Jewish.

My version below is enough for 4 to 6 people, and you can always refrigerate the leftovers to enjoy as a sweet snack (or even with breakfast) the next day. You can probably increase the ingredients and adjust the quantities to suit your tastes and needs. My Grilled Mansanada was delightful hot off the grill and spooned over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream, as shown in the photo at the end of this post. You can also serve it as an accompaniment to meat or chicken (or pork if you're not keeping kosher).

Ingredients
4 apples, preferably a good variety for baking

Oil or cooking spray
1/4 tsp ground cardamom, cloves or cinnamon (I chose cardamom this time)
dash of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey

Quarter the apples and cut out the core & stem. Cut quarters into smaller chunks and place in a bowl. Drizzle or spray the apple chunks very lightly with oil, gently stirring or turning to coat all sides. Sprinkle with the spice of your choice plus the nutmeg.

Cut a sheet of aluminum foil that's large enough to be folded up into a "package" to hold the apples in about a single layer (if your apples were large, you may need two sheets of foil to make two packages each holding half the apples - see photo on right above). Spoon the apples into the center of the foil, then turn the sides of the foil up and fold the edges together to form a package or envelope holding the seasoned apples. Place this on your grill, seam-side up, over indirect low/medium heat and grill for about 15 minutes, until apples feel soft through the foil. Carefully unfold the seam to open the package slightly and continue grilling until lightly golden, about 5 more minutes.

Remove foil packet(s) and transfer the apples with their juices into the bowl. Pour in the honey and gently stir to combine. Serve in bowls, or spooned over vanilla ice cream, as shown on left.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: Did you know that the Carolina Sauces online store carries a wide selection of kosher sauces and seasonings including hot sauce, ketchup, mustard and more? In fact, one of the must popular brands we offer, Bone Suckin' Sauce, makes kosher BBQ sauce and many other Kosher products! To browse our entire Kosher selection, simply click here.

Happy Labor Day! What's on your Grill or Smoker Today?

Happy Labor Day!

We're having great weather for a Labor Day BBQ here in Durham, NC, home base for the Carolina Sauce Company, and hope you are, too. Later today we'll fire up the grill for some German apple bratwursts, cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped peppers, and a special apple dessert that's a new recipe soon to be featured on this blog if it turns out right.

What's on YOUR barbecue grill or smoker today? Tell us in a comment below, and feel free to share any recipes.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: Our September VIP Newsletter will be emailed in the near future to our VIP Club members, with a special discount coupon and mouthwatering end-of-summer recipe. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on this! If you're not already a member of our VIP club (it's FREE!), simply click here to sign up.

Happy Independence Day from Carolina Sauce!

Original Flickr photo by VinothChandar

The Carolina Sauce Company would like to wish all our friends, fans, colleagues, customers and fellow Americans a very Happy Independence Day!

To all celebrating America's birthday on this Fourth of July, please remember to use common sense with fireworks, follow safe grilling and BBQ'ing practices (no one likes food poisoning), make sure your pets are safe and secure when the fireworks begin, and don't forget to keep it zesty.

Happy Birthday, U.S.A.!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Happy Father's Day from Carolina Sauce Co.!

Photo by Jessicizer, on Flickr

Here's wishing a very happy Father's Day to all Dads out there, from the Carolina Sauce Company and me! We hope your day is full of love, laughter, fun activities, well-deserved R&R, and your favorite foods. May you be able to spend time with friends, family and loved ones, and those special people that make life better when you're a Dad.

And to all those fathers who have to spend the day away from family, especially those serving in our armed forces, we send our good wishes, thoughts and prayers.

Finally, for those who grieve the loss of their father, or who never experienced a father's love and caring, our hearts go out to you and we wish you comfort and peace.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Last-Minute Gifts for Dad (no shipping required!)

Still haven't found that perfect Father's Day gift?

Missed the shipping deadline to send Dad a Father's Day gift?

No time to spend at the mall searching for a special gift that Dad will truly love?

No problem: The Carolina Sauce Company is here to help, no shipping or gift-wrapping or trips to the mall required!

Simply select one of our many different email Gift Certificates for everything from hot sauce & BBQ sauce to bacon, seafood, exotic meats, gourmet imports and more, select the amount for the Gift Certificate, enter Dad's email address, and you're done! The e-gift certificate will be delivered to Dad in time for Father's Day -- and usually within minutes, in fact. Dad can then pick out exactly what he wants in the flavors, heat levels or varieties that he loves. They NEVER expire and can be used multiple times until the total amount is spent.

To save you precious time, here are links to some of the e-Gift Certificates and e-Gift Cards we offer (you can view them all on our Gift Certificates page):

Click here Carolina Sauces Gift Certificates (for hot sauce, barbecue sauce, North Carolina products, zesty condiments like spicy mustards & ketchups, BBQ dry rubs, salsa & dips, limited-edition hot sauces and so much more):

Click here for Bacon Gift Certificates (old-fashioned dry-cured hickory smoked bacon, gourmet & specialty bacon, flavored bacon, nitrate-free bacon, other bacon-flavored foods, bacon novelty items, & even bacon-scented cologne):





Click here for Seafood Gift Certificates (fresh & flash-frozen fish, shrimp, crabs, crawfish, lobster & more, plus seafood seasonings, cookbooks, etc.):





Click here for Exotic Meats & Game Gift Certificates (farm-raised venison, bison/buffalo, alligator, boar, kangaroo, emu, antelope, kobe beef, quail, duck and more):





Click here for Gourmet Imports Gift Certificates (olive oils & vinegars, pasta, olives, spices, condiments, cheeses and other specialty foods from Italy, Spain, France, etc.):




Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Five Father's Day Gifts for "Hot" Dads

Click to buy

Do you still need a gift for a "Hot Daddy"?

If Dad enjoys a good hot sauce (or collects hot sauces), we've got five fiery Father's Day gift ideas that are sure to please -- and will be much more appreciated and used more frequently than another boring tie.

1. Bacon Hot Sauce Three-Pack:  It's a fact - most Dads love bacon. And many Dads enjoy hot sauce. So, what could be better than Bacon Hot Sauce? That's easy, THREE bottles of Bacon Hot Sauce! I've tried this hot sauce and it does indeed taste like real bacon, but without any of the greasy fat and with a tangy peppery hot sauce kick. The Bacon Hot Sauce Gift Set comes with 3 full-size (5oz each) bottles of this awesome fusion of meaty, smoky bacon flavor and spicy-hot cayenne and New Mexico chili peppers in savory vinegar base. Go all out and also get Dad a bottle of Slappin' Fat Bacon Ketchup and Jim Beam Bourbon Mustard.  Heck, why stop there: Send Dad a gift of Big Daddy Bacon, which is some of the finest dry-cured, hickory-smoked bacon you can find anywhere! (OK, so I veered a little off-topic, but it's easy to do that when talking bacon...).

Click to buy

2. Blair's Beyond Death Hot Sauce Gift Pack:  Originally formulated in 1992 as a limited-edition ultra-hot sauce, Blair's brought Beyond Dead back from the dead in 2007 (sorry, couldn't resist the bad play on words). As with all of their fiery creations, Beyond Death Hot Sauce is "guaranteed to make you Feel Alive," but don't blame us if the intense heat brings you close to death first. If Dad is serious about his hot sauces, or if he collects hot sauces, this 4 Pack Set is an excellent gift because it includes all 4 unique labels of the Beyond Death hot sauce series, each with the distinctive blue "dipped wax" seal. But this super-hot hot sauce isn't just about appearances and firepower: Made with high-quality, all-natural ingredients including red and orange habanero peppers, fresh cayenne peppers, smoky chipotle, fresh herbs, crushed garlic, a splash of lime juice and a sprinkling of cilantro, it tastes great, too, especially on Mexican, Tex-Mex and southwestern dishes, on pizza or burgers, in chili and stews, etc.  By the way, this is just one of several different Blair's Death hot sauce gift sets that we offer. You'll find them all, as well as other zesty hot sauce gifts, on our Gift Sets & Gift Boxes page.

Click to buy

3. The Cheech Hot Sauce Gift Box: Here's a fun gift for the Dad who's a fan of the Cheech & Chong movies or comedian Cheech Marin, and also enjoys spicing up his food. This zany, colorful gift box comes with three hot sauces created by Cheech Marin, who also happens to be a knowledgeable chilehead in addition to being a really funny guy.  All three flavors of his hot sauce are made with the finest all-natural ingredients (but no "funny stuff," if you get my drift), carefully and expertly blended to deliver a perfectly legal endorphin high while satisfying the palate with enlightened, food-friendly flavors. The festive gift box comes with a full-size (5 oz) bottle each of Gnarly Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce, Mojo Mango Habanero Hot Sauce, and Smokin' Chipotle Hot Sauce.

Click to buy

4.  The Source Hot Sauce Gift Box: First introduced just over 10 years ago, "The Source" is now the stuff of legends, sought out by serious fiery-foods fans and collectors but rarely found -- and we have a limited number in stock for Father's Day. Because it's an intensely hot pepper extract rated at 7.1 million Scoville Heat Units, The Source is properly categorized as a food additive rather than a hot sauce. The difference is in the heat:  Pepper extract food additives are so powerfully hot that they should only be used by the micro-droplet in recipes, and never poured directly on ready-to-eat food. In short, The Source cannot be eaten directly from the bottle, and must be diluted and used 1 drop at a time. If you're not a chilehead, you may be asking, "Why would anyone want The Source hot sauce?"  Two reasons:  The practical one is that it's excellent for adding big-time spicy heat to large amounts of food, e.g., cooking chili for the guys at the firehouse or hunt camp, preparing "suicide" buffalo wings for a party, making your very own hot sauces & spicy BBQ sauces, and other cooking and grilling applications. Secondly -- and this is what makes The Source Hot Sauce an ideal Father's Day gift -- this is the Collector's Edition of The Source, packaged in a distinctive gift box that is suitable for displaying (especially in a man cave) and guaranteed to catch the eye and spark conversation. One more word of warning, however: Because of the ingredients found in this product, you will have to read and agree to the Product Disclaimer posted on our website before you can purchase this product. 

Click to buy

5. Three-Shelf Standing Hot Sauce Display:  Classic black with bright orange flame trim, this eye-catching and sturdy 3-shelf display case will let Dad show off (and grow) his hot sauce collection, and help him keep it organized and available for use. The unit measures 61" tall (over 5 feet in height), 24" deep, and 19.5" wide, with a footprint that's less than two square feet -- which means it efficiently and effectively makes a big impression while taking up surprisingly little room. This snazzy hot sauce display is a great addition to any man cave, game room, study, office or anyplace else where Dad wants to keep his hot sauces handy. And if Dad happens to sell hot sauces at festivals, local markets or other events, this hot sauce display shelf unit is ideal for vending and holding inventory!

Still not sure what spicy gift to give to a hot sauce lover for Father's Day? Visit the Carolina Sauces online store to browse our entire selection -- you can narrow your search by brand, pepper variety, heat level, price range, country of origin, gluten-free, low-carb, low sodium, etc., as well as search by product name.

Click to send a Gift Certificate

Running out of time to shop? Then send Dad a hot sauce gift certificate in any amount, and let him pick out exactly what he wants! Just click on the image on the right to purchase and send a Carolina Sauces electronic gift card or gift certificate.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Five Father's Day Gift Ideas for BBQ-Loving Dads

If you're still hunting for that thoughtful, out-of-the-ordinary Father's Day gift for a Dad who enjoys barbecue, grilling, cooking outdoors and/or using a smoker, here are five great BBQ gifts for Father's Day:

1. The North Carolina BBQ Sauce Gift Set:  Whether Dad is a Tarheel ex-pat longing for a taste of home, a pulled pork purist in search of that quintessentially Carolina tang, or a barbecue aficionado who understands the nuances of genuine eastern, western and low-country NC BBQ sauce, he'll be thrilled with this unique NC barbecue gift set from the Carolina Sauces online store. You can choose between traditional Mild -- which comes with full-size bottles of Wells Hog Heaven (eastern style), Bone Suckin' Sauce (western style), JohnBoy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce (low country) and Bone Suckin' Rib Rub -- or the Hot NC BBQ Sauce Gift Set -- which comes with the HOT versions of Bone Suckin' Sauce & Bone Suckin' Rib Rub, JohnBoy & Billy's Hot Grillin' Sauce, and the original Wells Hog Heaven BBQ Sauce. Better yet, get both of them for Dad if he enjoys a wide range of flavors and heat!

2. If Dad appreciates the mellow, manly flavors of bourbon, give him the Jim Beam BBQ Gift Box, which comes with full-size bottles of thick and rich Jim Beam Barbecue Sauce, sophisticated Jim Beam Steak Sauce, and savory Jim Beam Gourmet Marinade, plus a handy basting brush, all in an attractive Jim Beam gift box. All three sauces are enhanced with a healthy splash of real Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon, which adds layers of depth and sophistication plus rich smoky-caramel notes. This barbecue gift box is currently on sale, too!

3. Bone Suckin' Sauce is probably the most famous North Carolina BBQ Sauce, but they make a lot more than "just" great-tasting, all-natural, gluten-free barbecue sauces. In fact, they also make dry rubs, hot sauce, and beef jerky, all boasting that finger-lickin', tongue-slappin' and bone suckin' good flavor that has made this award-winning barbeque sauce an international success. The Carolina Sauces online store has two different Bone Suckin' Sauce Gift Sets: The Mild comes with full-size jars of the original Bone Suckin' Sauce, the thicker Bone Suckin' Sauce, the original Bone Suckin' Rib Rub seasoning rub, and a package of all-natural, all-American Bone Suckin' Beef Jerky; and the Hot Gift Set comes with a jar of Hot Bone Suckin' Sauce, the hot version of Bone Suckin' Rib Rub, a bottle of Bone Suckin' Hiccuppin' Hot Habanero Sauce, and a package of Beef Jerky.

4.  Steak branding irons let Dad stamp his unique mark on steaks and other meats as they cook on the grill, so there's no doubt as to which slab of meat is his. For a unique gift, give him the Personalized Steak Branding Iron with his initials (or other meaningful combination of characters), which comes in an attention-grabbing wood gift box stamped with his brand. If Dad is a political pundit, give him a Political Party Branding Iron, in your choice of the Democratic party's donkey or the Republican party's elephant (sorry Libertarians, Greens, etc., we haven't found any party-specific branding irons for you -- if you know of any, please tell us about them in a comment below).

5.  If you really want to show Dad how much he means to you, send him cooked-to-order ribs, pulled pork, sausage and more from Pig of the Month!  Choose from Texas ribs, Memphis ribs, bacon, Carolina style slow-smoked pulled pork, and more, all cooked the old-fashioned way and flash-frozen for express shipping (and each order comes with reheating instructions to ensure superior, just-cooked flavor and texture). They even offer a "BBQ of the Month Club" (just hover your cursor over their "shop" link towards the top of their page, and you'll find the link on their drop-down menu). Treat Dad to his favorite barbecue grill or smoker feast, and neither of you will have to slave over smoker or grill, or barely lift a finger.

For other great Father's Day barbecue gift ideas, check out our BBQ Tools & Accessories page, and also our Gift Baskets page where we offer several different BBQ sauce gift baskets including some from Jim's Own BBQ Sauce (another North Carolina favorite).

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  If Dad is more into hot sauces than barbecue, you'll be glad to know that my next post will feature hot sauce gifts for Father's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

To my Mom and all the Moms out there, the Carolina Sauce Company and I would like to wish you a very happy and zesty Mother's Day!

Heartfelt thanks for all the little things (and of course the big things, too) that you do, your selfless caring and compassion, your unwavering love and support, and all of your hard work.

May today and every day be filled with beauty, light and love.

Sincerely,
Gloria

Authentic Mexican Hot Sauces for your Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Flickr photo by PaulSteinJC (Cinco de Mayo Parade in NYC)

Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) might not be much of a big deal in Mexico, but we love to celebrate this relatively minor Mexican holiday here in the U.S. -- perhaps because it gives us an excuse to indulge in all our favorite Mexican foods and beverages.

Instead of blowing your hard-earned cash at a Mexican restaurant and having to arrange for a designated driver while hoping that everyone else on the road also has a sober driver, you can save a LOT of money by celebrating Cinco de Mayo at home.

In fact, many budget-conscious lovers of tacos, chimichangas, burritos, Margaritas and Dos Equis beer will be partying at home this year, and they're already planning their Cinco de Mayo menu and stocking up on their favorite Mexican hot sauces for an authentic and zesty dining experience.

Here at Carolina Sauce Company, we offer an impressive selection of hard-to-find hot sauces from Mexico, including brands usually only found at real Mexican restaurants, taquerias and food trucks. These include:

Bufalo Mexican Hot Sauces, which happen to be the #1 best-selling hot sauce in Mexico, no doubt due to their straightforward pepper flavor and authentic yet not overwhelming heat. Bufalo Jalapeno Hot Sauce is as simple as it gets:  Red ripe jalapenos and fresh carrots blended together for a solid medium heat with that devilishly piquant yet mellow richness of ripe peppers. Bufalo Chipotle Hot Sauce likewise makes the most of simplicity: Earthy, fiery smoked jalapenos, aka chipotle, provide the robust, smoky flavor and deep brown color that's preferred by chipotle aficionados.

El Yucateco Salsa Picante hot sauces are known as some of the hottest Mexican hot sauces around. Their classic habanero sauces, El Yucateco Green and El Yucateco Red, are not to be trifled with, and both are available in 4 oz and 8 oz bottles. For fearless chileheads who like to play with fire, there's El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Kutbil-Ik Mayan hot sauce, said to be made from an ancient indigenous recipe.  For those who prefer a milder heat with plenty of sassy flavor, there's El Yucateco Caribbean Hot Sauce, which is especially good with seafood. And for fans of jalapeno peppers, El Yucateco makes a tangy green Jalapeno hot sauce as well as a smoky-sweet chipotle hot sauce.

The wildly popular Cholula Hot Sauces are equally famous for their rich, complex flavor as for their distinctive wooden tops. From the feisty original Cholula featuring piquin and red peppers to the mild and zesty Chili Garlic Cholula featuring dried arbol and piquin chilies, plus the bright and citrusy Chili Lime Cholula with a mild and gentle heat, and the mysterious and smoky Cholula Chipotle made with a unique blend of chipotle, guajillo, arbol and piquin peppers: We have them all. We also have the original Cholula sauce in 12 oz bottles and even in half-gallon jugs, which are ideal for Cinco de Mayo parties, chili cook-offs, or simply to save money with the larger size.

Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce is a medium-heat Mexican hot sauce with a festive perky flavor that makes it a crowd-pleaser. Named after the local term for someone from the Guadalajara region of Mexico, Tapatio is an old family recipe that's made with red chilies, garlic and a secret blend of spices for a smooth spicy flavor without that tart vinegar "edge."  To this day, the company that makes this hot sauce is the same family that originated it. Tapatio is gluten-free, sugar-free and has no MSG, which makes it a safe yet fun choice for people sensitive to those ingredients -- and it comes in 5oz and 10oz bottles, each at a great low price!

Valentina Salsa Picante hot sauces are savory, tangy and bursting with peppery flavor. The original Valentina Hot Sauce is moderately spicy and made with a secret blend of chile peppers. Valentina Extra Hot Sauce ratchets up the amount of hot peppers for a serious heat but without sacrificing flavor or overpowering your taste buds. Both varieties come in generous 12.5 oz bottles for a lower price than most smaller, 5oz hot sauces, making Valentina a real steal.

All of our Mexican hot sauces are currently on sale at the Carolina Sauces online store, so shop now for Cinco de Mayo!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Happy Easter!

Flickr photo by torbakhopper

Happy Easter from the Carolina Sauce Company, to all of our friends, customers, partners and fans who are celebrating Jesus' resurrection.

May God's blessings be with you and your loved ones on this joyous and holy day, and all the days of your lives.

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

The Creepiest, Scariest Sauces for Halloween

The Ghost Hot Sauce

Some holidays are strongly linked with a specific food, so much so that the mere mention of the holiday brings to mind its trademark food.

For Thanksgiving, it's turkey.

For Easter, it's ham (or maybe chocolate bunnies if you're a kid, or a kid at heart).

For Halloween, it's......   Hot Sauce!

Contrary to popular belief, candy is not the perfect Halloween food.  For me, it's hot sauce. After all, spicy foods and chili peppers can be pretty scary in terms of heat level (the aptly-named "ghost pepper" immediately comes to mind), and there are plenty of frighteningly fiery hot sauces with creepy labels and fear-inspiring names.  In support of my claim, I present to you my list of the top ten creepiest, scariest hot sauces for Halloween:

10.  The Ghost Hot Sauce: Made with the notorious bhut jolokia "ghost pepper," The Ghost hot sauce will continue to haunt your tongue and mouth long after it's gone. Made in the Caribbean style with carrots and papaya in a lime juice and vinegar base, this hot sauce has one of the scarier ghost labels on the market, making it a good choice for displaying on Halloween.

Fear Hot Sauce

9.  Fear Hot Sauce: The eerie, blood-spattered spectral image on the label of this jolokia hot sauce reminds me of the movie "The Ring." Approach this extreme hot sauce with extreme care, and be ready to get scared.

8.  You Can't Handle This Hot Sauce: This classic ultra-hot hot sauce taunts you with its name and the smirking demon daring you try it. Its exotic molasses-cinnamon-cloves flavor initially seduces you and just when you think you're safe, the fiery heat blasts you out of nowhere. CAN you handle this hot sauce?? Try it and find out.

7.  The Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce Gift Box: This hot sauce gift box comes with four full-size bottles of popular and powerful ghost pepper hot sauces, making it an ideal gift for anyone who craves the punishing punch of the naga jolokia chile. It's also a great value for a Halloween party.

Bat's Brew Hot Sauce

6.  Bat's Brew Hot Sauce: Hailing from the Transylvania, Louisiana area, this intensely hot habanero & jalapeno hot sauce is a natural choice for gracing a Halloween dinner table or party buffet spread. It also makes an excellent spicy marinade for chicken, meat, shrimp and seafood.

5.  Zakk Wylde's Berserker Shot to Hell Hot Sauce: From the makers of the skull-decorated Blair's Death hot sauces, this insanely intense hot sauce is nightmare-inducing both in its packaging and in its heat. Made from two types of habaneros, jolokia pepper, cayenne, chipotle and pepper extract, one taste and you'll swear you've been shot to hell.

Ass Reaper Hot Sauce

4.  Ass Reaper Hot Sauce: With its skull-topped cap wearing a black cloth cape, this grim-reaper themed hot sauce is an obvious choice for displaying on Halloween. Habaneros, scotch bonnet peppers and African pepper extract deliver an equally frightful heat level.

3.  Widow No Survivors Hot Sauce: This one is high on my list of terrifying hot sauces simply because of the black widow spider on the label and the large, realistic plastic black spider that comes attached to the neck of the bottle. Arachnophobes beware...

2.  Satan's Blood Hot Sauce:  This had been my favorite Halloween hot sauce for years, not just because of its name and the intimidating devil image but because of its unique bottle shape, reminiscent of old vials of poison or dangerous laboratory concoctions. Satan's Blood is a pure pepper extract rather than a hot sauce, so handle with extreme caution and never serve directly on food.

Pure Evil/Ultra Death 1 Million Scoville Club

1.  Pure Evil & Blair's Ultra Death 1 Million Scoville Club: This is my new favorite hot sauce selection for Halloween. Pure Evil is all-natural 15 million SHU strength pure capsaicin in a dropper bottle, and Blair's Ultra Death is a naga jolokia pepper sauce packing over 1 million SHU (and it comes with the legendary Blair's skull keychain). You get both of these shockingly hot items when you order the 1 Million Scoville Club Gift Set.

What is YOUR favorite hot sauce or food for Halloween? Leave us a comment to let us know.
 
Happy Halloween, y'all!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria