Carolina Sauce Newsletter: Trick or Treat for Free Sauce!

Say "Trick or Treat" and Get FREE Sauce!
Who said trick or treating was just for kids? Now grown-ups can trick or treat for FREE sauce gifts! Simply place an order with the Carolina Sauce Company in any amount, now through Halloween (October 31st), and enter the words "Trick or Treat" in the comment section, and we'll send you a FREE mini-sample of sauce! Every order is guaranteed at least 1 free mini-sample, but the bigger your order, the more different free samples you'll get:

*Get 2 different free mini-samples for orders of over $20 in products
*Get 3 different free mini-samples for orders of over $30 in products
*Get 4 different free mini-samples for orders of over $40 in products
*Get 1 full-size free sample AND 4 different free mini-samples for orders of over $50 in products
*Get 2 full-size free samples AND 4 different free mini-samples for orders of over $100 in products

(Note: If your order is a gift to be shipped to a different person, please specify if you want the gift recipient to receive the free sample(s), OR if you want us to email you a special coupon so that you can receive the free sample(s) the next time you place an order to be shipped to yourself)

Just remember to include the words "Trick or Treat" in the comment section of your online order (or say "trick or treat" when ordering by phone) between now and October 31st. If you don't say "Trick or Treat", we won't know to send your free sauce, so don't forget! And don't delay - this special ends on Halloween, October 31st.

To help you get in the Halloween spirit, our Scary Sauces Gift Set is frightfully hot, and the bottles look pretty scary too! Say "trick or treat" with your order and you'll get 3 free mini-samples just for ordering this gift set! We also have 4 different varieties of Blair's Death Sauces each with the famous skull keychain, Black Widow Hot Sauce with a realistic plastic spider stuck on the bottle, You Can't Handle This Hot Sauce with a creepy demon on the label, and Satan's Blood Hot Sauce in a vial that might have come from a witch's workshop...

Fall Flavors On Sale & Latest New Products
We've recently added a few new products that we think are especially delicious -- and we also have some gourmet treats on sale that perfectly capture the flavors of Fall:

New BBQ Sauces & Marinades
*Carolina Sauce Company Apple Butter BBQ Sauce: Made with real apples, molasses, and sweet & savory spices, this all-natural BBQ sauce is wonderful on ribs, chicken, meatloaf, kabobs & more. And for every jar sold, we donate $1 to Operation Sauce Drop to send free sauce to our troops!
*Nando's Hot Peri Peri Marinade from South Africa, made with the fiery Peri-Peri pepper in a rich, lemony tomato base

New Relishes & Sweets
*Our very own Sweet Pepper Relish featuring farm-fresh mild red and green bell peppers, and our hot & spicy, tangy-sweet & crunchy Habanero Pepper Relish, both hand-made for us in the North Carolina mountains using all-natural ingredients. We donate $1 to Operation Sauce Drop for every jar sold of either pepper relish!
*Red and Green Pepper Jellies in Mild and Hot, also made in the NC mountains especially for us using old family recipes. These beautiful pepper jellies make lovely gifts and are delicious with pork, poultry, beef, cheese & crackers, biscuits, etc., and they're on sale, too!

New Gift Boxes
*Two new gift boxes are now available, just in time for Christmas: Pepper Dog Salsa Sampler with 3 full-size jars of Pepper Dog Salsa in Mild, Medium and Hot; and the Pepper Dog Salsa & Rub Gift Box featuring full-size jars of Pepper Dog Hot Salsa & Salsa Verde plus a bottle of the savory-smoky Pepper Dog Dry Rub Seasoning. Both gift boxes come in sturdy, reusable wooden crates and feature a red and green color scheme that's perfect for the holidays!

Fall Flavors on Sale!
Apples are in season in the Fall, and we have several wonderful apple products currently on sale, including the Blue Ribbon winning, savory-sweet & mildly spicy Apple Peach Chutney and the sublimely delicious Apple Pie MmmMarmalade from North Carolina's own Mrs. Picky Fanicky; and the exquisite Mullen's Apple Sauce which is fabulous with everything from ice cream to hot oatmeal to pork chops and even straight from the jar. Another favorite fall flavor is maple syrup, and Lilly's Gourmet Maple Butter is an irresistible old-fashioned spreadable treat that's wonderful on toast or biscuits and in hot cereal as well as on baked sweet potatoes and drizzled over ice cream. Also perfect for heartier autumn fare are Thomas Gourmet Chutneys, available in Apple, Peach, Mango and Green Tomato, and all 4 flavors are on sale. And if you have a hunter in the family or enjoy venison and other game, you'll love Ann's Marinade from Durn Good, created by a hunter and with a mouthwatering savory-spicy flavor that will penetrate and tenderize the toughest cuts of meat. All of these delicious Fall Flavors are on sale!

New Sauces in "Shop to Support Operation Sauce Drop"
Operation Sauce Drop is our non-profit program that sends free gift boxes of sauce to US military personnel stationed abroad. Thanks to the generosity of the good folks at Jodeco Foods, each time you order Hot Southern Twang sauce from us, the ENTIRE purchase price goes straight to Operation Sauce Drop! This feisty, citrusy & spicy tomato-based sauce is thick and rich, and is wonderful on meats, chicken, veggies, pasta & more -- and it comes with beautiful full-color recipe cards. We've added several other products you can purchase to support Operation Sauce Drop: Just click on Shop to Support OSD to see all our offerings.

To date, we've shipped over 700 free gift boxes to our deployed military, and once we're finished with our long waiting list we'll resume accepting new gift box requests from our troops. It costs us around $20 to purchase and ship each gift box. The troops really appreciate the free sauce, as you can see from the thank-you notes to donors and photos they've sent in. Want to send a soldier a taste of home, and bring a smile to his or her face? Then please shop to support Operation Sauce Drop, where some or all of the purchase price of the listed products goes straight into Operation Sauce Drop (you get the products you order, and the money you pay is used to send free sauce to the troops). You can also support Operation Sauce Drop by making a donation.

Lobster, Steak, Gourmet Coffee, Fresh Flowers & Gourmet Gift Baskets



Treat yourself or a special someone to lobster so fresh and sweet, it could only have come from Lobster Gram! In the mood for mouthwatering gourmet steaks? We have those, too, from La Cense Beef! You can also try the world-renowned Gevalia coffees and get your FREE Coffeemaker today! For a special gourmet gift, select from bountiful gourmet gift baskets loaded with fabulous foods, delightful snacks and candy confections, specialty teas, and more. Need to send flowers? Order fresh flower bouquets direct from the grower, and send florist-arranged flowers of the highest quality, all at a reasonable price. Next-day and even same-day delivery options available! Personalize your floral gift with your own digital photo and card by selecting a "PhotoBlooms" gift. Simply click on the boxes above to browse our offerings and select that special gift that says "I love you," "I'm sorry," "Thanks so much," "Congratulations," or anything else you want to express.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Spicy Venison & Pumpkin Stew

This is my version of a savory beef & pumpkin stew from Rodale's Basic Natural Foods Cookbook. You can use beef instead of the venison, if you prefer. This recipe makes 4 hearty servings.

Ingredients
1/2 Tbs vegetable or canola oil
1/2 Tbs bacon grease (if you prefer a lower fat stew, simply use 1 full Tbs of oil and omit the bacon grease)
1 1/2 lbs venison cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, diced (you can de-seed to reduce the heat)
1 1/2 cups boiling water (you can substitute up to 1/2 cup with beef broth for richer flavor)
2 lbs pumpkin, peeled & cut into large chunks (the weight of the pumpkin chunks should be 2 lbs, so the original whole pumpkin needs to weigh more)
2 Tbs dry white wine
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper or cayenne pepper
Dash (or more) of hot sauce (a simple pepper sauce works better than one with many ingredients)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace (if you don't have mace, simply increase the amount of nutmeg to 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Salt to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Optional: 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Optional: 1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked rice (white or brown) or cooked barley

Heat the oil and bacon grease in a large deep skillet (cast iron is perfect) or in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and brown the venison or beef on all sides. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper, stir and keep sauteeing until the onions are golden brown. Add the boiling water and cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the pumpkin, wine, hot sauce and spices, stir well and bring back to a simmer. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the meat and pumpkin are tender. Add the cornstarch mixture and parsley, continue cooking while stirring constantly until the stew thickens and bubbles, then simmer 3 more minutes. Add pumpkin seeds and/or rice or barley if using, stir well, then add salt to taste. Serve hot.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Food Finds at the NC State Fair

Despite the dreary weather today, we had "a whole lotta happy" at the NC State Fair today, and enjoyed the exhibits, crafts, animals, sights, sounds & smells, and of course the FOOD (or at least some of it). Here are some tasty food finds, and some disappointments, and some stuff we didn't try but thought deserved mention.

*The apple "shacks" by the bluegrass bandstand & blacksmith exhibition: The one closest to the blacksmith has fresh apple cider, hot and cold. The apple place closest to the bandstand & the John Deere Tractor ice cream (which is pretty good) has old-fashioned fried apple pies (the ones that look like half-moons), apple dumplings, apple fritters and fresh apple "chips" (fresh apple wedges served with caramel dipping sauce). There's another apple stand near the livestock barns that serves fried apple fritters, and those are also quite good.

*The gumbo at the Ragin' Cajun wasn't spicy hot, but it was surprisingly flavorful and definitely filling, served over white rice with a hunk of bread. Definitely hit the spot on a cold, rainy day.

*The San Francisco Bread Bowl soups are excellent on a cold day, and are served in large a sourdough bread bowl. I had the New England clam chowder, but you can also get beef vegetable, broccoli cheese, chicken soup, chili, pinto beans, etc.

*The homemade ham biscuits at the Cary United Methodist Church restaurant are delicious. Soft, tender, buttery biscuits with plenty of savory country ham that's NOT dried out or overly salty.

*The strudel from the bakery stand near the pig races is sweet & flaky, oozing with fruit filling, and big enough to share. We had blueberry, and they also have apple & cherry. I've heard the eclairs are phenomenal, but I didn't try one.

*The fried tilapia sandwich from the "Fresh Fish" stand across from the Dorton Arena waterfall is cooked to order, always fresh & flaky, perfectly cooked so that the breading is crunchy but not greasy. I like it with lots of Texas Pete Hot Sauce and tartar sauce. Their sweet potato fries are also good, served with a sprinkling of salt and cinnamon sugar.

*The ice cream from the NC State booth is worth the wait in line. The new Java Bean flavor is awesome: Coffee ice cream with chocolate covered espresso beans, 3 huge scoops!

*Every year I get a blooming onion (or collossal blossom or whatever the vendor calls their version). And every year, regardless of which stand I get it from, it never lives up to expectations. Lots of grease, not enough flavor in the breading (and usually the breading falls off the onion).

*Al's Fries are overhyped, IMHO. The batch we got was undercooked and greasy. Admittedly, there are two Al's Fries stands. Maybe we stopped at the wrong one...

*The coffee everywhere is generally flavorless and weak -- EXCEPT at the cinnamon roll stand by the Jim Graham building. That was full-flavored, freshly brewed and appropriately strong without being harsh.

*Fudge. Can't go wrong with any of it, methinks! I'm partial to the all-natural Amish fudge.

*Roast corn from the stand near the Village of Yesteryear. The best I've tried at the fair.

*Lots of weird deep-fried stuff, including: Deep-fried oreos, twinkies, Ho-Hos, pecan pie, cheesecake, candy bars, cheese, fruits, veggies, bacon (yes, breaded & deep-fried), even corn on the cob is battered & deep-fried. Couldn't find any deep-fried butter, however, and no fried Coke this year.

*Maple cotton candy. Much better than the little-kid pink or blue sugar stuff.

*Free hushpuppies, from the grist mill or in the exhibit hall. Always fresh, but often long lines.

*For serious chileheads, try the habanero beef jerky at the end of one of the exhibit halls. The less-fiery sweet & spicy jerky is pretty good, and the savory Western beef jerky has a nice black-pepper bite. Not much other hot & spicy food at the fair, but hey, they have chocolate covered bacon (and no, I didn't try it).

*Party In A Pita (yes, that's the name) has decent Lebanese food, although I haven't had it this year yet. If you want to eat healthy, that's the place. Will probably get it on Wednesday night when we go back to the fair, for the fireworks and more fair food.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

New Pepper Dog Salsa & Rub Gift Boxes

If you enjoy spicy, smoky Southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisine, or if you need a gift for someone who does, you're in luck: The Carolina Sauce Company now has two new gift boxes from the makers of Pepper Dog Salsa and Dry Rub! The Pepper Dog Salsa Sampler Gift Box comes with three full-size jars of all-natural Pepper Dog Salsa: zesty Mild with just a touch of pepper, spicy Medium with tangy jalapenos, and fiery Hot with serious habanero heat. All three salsas are thick and smooth (not chunky and not watery), with subtly smoky, tomato-rich flavor that's great in recipes or as a chip dip. The jars come nicely packed in a sturdy wooden gift crate that's perfect for storing CDs or DVDs.

The Pepper Dog Salsa & Rub Gift Set is ideal for folks who love hot & spicy foods. This gift box comes with two full-size jars of the spiciest two varieties of Pepper Dog Salsa: The fiery Hot salsa, and the tangy, medium-hot Salsa Verde that's made with green tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro and lime. The third treat in this gift box is a bottle of Pepper Dog Dry Rub, a robust and savory seasoning made with chili powder, cumin, cayenne and other Southwestern spices. This all-natural dry rub is wonderful with meat, poultry, seafood, rice and more. Both of the Pepper Dog gift boxes make terrific host or hostess gifts, housewarming gifts or party gifts -- and with their red & green color scheme, they're also perfect as a gourmet Christmas gift!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Quick Tips for Perfect Fried Chicken

You can make finger-lickin' GREAT fried chicken at home if you follow these tried & true tips gathered from some of the best Southern cooks (and not just famous ones, but also from beloved grandmas):

*Cast iron is by far the best type of cookware. If you have a cast iron Dutch oven, kettle or skillet, now is the time to use it!

*Frying in lard is ideal for best flavor, but unhealthy - for a healthier dish that still delivers delicious flavor, use peanut oil and mix in 3 Tablespoons of bacon grease

*For pan-frying, the oil or grease should be about 1 1/2 inches deep before adding the chicken, and for deep-frying, the depth should be about 3 inches. In any event, DON'T fill the pan more than half-way with grease or else it might spill over the sides when you add the chicken, and this could start a grease fire

*Use a deep-frying or candy thermometer to make sure the oil or grease gets to (and stays at!) the right temperature: 325F degrees for pan-frying and 350F degrees for deep-frying. Don't let the oil or grease get too hot - keep below 375F degrees, and between 325 and 350F for best results (this may mean turning up the heat after you add the cold chicken because it may drop the temperature of the oil or grease at first)

*Add the legs & thighs first, because dark meat takes longer to cook

*Insert a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer into the plumpest part of a chicken piece to test for doneness, and don't let the thermometer touch the bone. Dark meat is done when it reaches 170F degrees, and white meat when it reaches 160F

*For super-moist chicken, some folks swear by brining the chicken parts or soaking them in salted buttermilk (with or without adding hot sauce!) for an hour, before dredging or breading or otherwise seasoning the chicken for frying

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company

Carolina Sauce Co. Will Be Closed on Fri 10/16

The Carolina Sauce Company will be closed on Friday, October 16th. You can still shop and place orders on the Carolina Sauce online store, and orders will resume shipping out on Monday, October 19th. Although no one will be available to answer the phone or reply to emails while we are closed, please feel free to leave us a message and we will reply once we are back at the warehouse and office. We will reopen for business on Monday, October 19th. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and have a great weekend!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Mama T's Zesty Ranch Snack Mix

Here's a simple home-made party snack mix that's oh-so-tasty and much better than overpriced store-bought snack mixes. You can multiply or divide the recipe to make more or less, as desired.

Ingredients
One 16oz bag of mini-pretzels
One 12oz bag of fish-shaped cheddar crackers
Optional: 1/2 cup plain shelled, roasted peanuts OR cashews
1/2 tsp Mama T's Ranch Style Seasoning
1/4 cup Canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 250F degrees. Combine the pretzels & crackers (and nuts, if using) in a large roasting pan. In a small bowl, whisk or stir together the oil and the ranch seasoning. Drizzle the oil mixture over the pretzel mix, gently tossing the mix to coat well. Bake at 250F degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool to the touch before serving (you don't want to burn your mouth!). Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Operation Sauce Drop Receives $1,000 Donation!

No, that's not a typo: Operation Sauce Drop has received a $1,000 donation from a very generous donor! Operation Sauce Drop is a nonprofit program run by the Carolina Sauce Company that sends free hot sauce & BBQ sauce gift boxes to US troops serving abroad. The Carolina Sauce Company matches all donations, including this $1,000 donation, and as a result another 100 troops will receive a free taste of home. Thanks to the amazing generosity of this repeat donor who had previously contributed to OSD, we are busily ordering sauces for the gift boxes, assembling and packing gift boxes, and shipping them to waiting troops as soon as humanly possible. Best of all, our lengthy waiting list for free gift boxes has been whittled down to just 8 troops.

The average cost for us to buy and ship a gift box is around $20, so a mere $160 in donations is all that's needed to fulfill these last 8 gift box requests AND to allow us to resume accepting gift box requests from our troops (you may recall that we had to stop accepting requests earlier this year because demand had far outstripped donations and our waiting list had grown to over 300 requests). Because the Carolina Sauce Company is currently matching all donations, just $80 in donations will wipe out the waiting list. If you can spare $10 to donate to Operation Sauce Drop, we'll chip in the other $10 and you'll have helped us send a free gift of sauce to one of those 8 troops on our waiting list. You can also shop to support Operation Sauce Drop and treat yourself to some delicious sauces while you help us send free sauces to the troops. The troops will thank you for your kindness, as you can see from the photos and thank-you notes to Operation Sauce Drop donors.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Buy Hot Southern Twang & Support Our Troops!

If you enjoy dining on zesty foods and would like to support our brave troops serving abroad, you can now do both! The generous folks at Jodeco Foods, makers of Southern Twang gourmet cooking & grilling sauces, have donated a bunch of their feisty & flavorful Hot Southern Twang to help raise funds for Operation Sauce Drop, our nonprofit program that sends free gift boxes of BBQ sauce & hot sauce to US troops stationed overseas.

Thick & rich, sweet & tangy with a hint of citrus and a medium-hot pepper kick, Hot Southern Twang is an award-winning tomato-based sauce that you can use as a marinade, grilling and basting sauce, a dipping and finishing sauce, and even as a zesty addition to casseroles, meatloaf and other favorite recipes. It's particularly good over spaghetti as a spicy alternative to ordinary tomato sauce. Southern Twang sauce pairs well with all types of meat & poultry, plus seafood (especially shrimp) and vegetables (simply sublime with roasted veggies). Every jar comes with beautiful recipe cards to help you get started in the kitchen. And best of all, Hot Southern Twang is part of "Shop to Support Operation Sauce Drop", which means that when you order Hot Southern Twang from the Carolina Sauce Company, the ENTIRE price of the sauce goes to Operation Sauce Drop! The average cost to send one Operation Sauce Drop gift box to a deployed soldier is about $20, so if you purchase 1 jar of Hot Southern Twang, we're one-quarter of the way there. Order 4 jars, and a deployed soldier receives a free gift box of sauce while you get to enjoy lots of Hot Southern Twang -- a win/win situation all around!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria