tabasco

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it: Cream cheese smothered in pepper jelly and served with crackers is an easy and irresistible party appetizer. (Seriously, try it for Super Bowl.) Left with a deliciously sweet and spicy jar of Tabasco jelly from a recent gathering, I assembled an adult rendition of the old-school kiddie combo of cream cheese and jam.As a nod to childhood bagged lunches, I cut the crusts off the bread for a sandwich as pretty as it is simple. Decadent and gooey, the pepper jelly has just the right amount of spice, which is gracefully cut by the creamy spread. I also threw in some baby romaine leaves to create a festive color palette of orange, white, and green and to add a bit of extra texture. The only danger of this sandwich is that I could easily eat five in one sitting. To get the recipe and step-by-step photos, read more

My favorite condiment in the entire world might just be Tabasco hot sauce (DearSugar and I both put it on everything!) — so when I heard the hot-sauce empire was developing its own tequila, I got my hands on a bottle stat.

If you're a fan of tequila and not afraid of heat, you should definitely give Tabasco Tequila ($21.99) a try. The spirit has the toasty-tart flavor of tequila with a bit of spice that's not overpowering. It would make for a great round of shots at the bar. I tried it in my Bloody Maria, and didn't have to add as much hot sauce to make it spicy. I'm most excited about using it in margaritas where fruit will marry with the tequila to make a delicious, sweet-hot cocktail! I'll be serving the spicy stuff at my next taco dinner.

The 750-ml bottles are currently being rolled out in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Dallas, and Houston markets. Will you be on the lookout for them?

Last week, I was headed to the grocery store and drove past one of the best Bloody Mary spots in the city. I saw the line of people and knew I had to have one. So while at the store, I picked up some tomato juice, celery, and olives — I was positive I had everything else at home — and rushed straight home.

When I asked YumJimmy which recipe I should make, he told me to try Wikipedia. He said, "Well if it's on Wikipedia it must be the 'classic' one right?" I couldn't really argue with this, so I decided to go for it. It ended up being a delicious — and yes "classic" — version. I opted to add a bit more spice — more cracked pepper and a dash or two more of Tabasco — but flavor it to suit your needs. If you want to see what goes into the Wiki version of a Bloody Mary, just read more