Birthday Bloody Mary

In the mix.

I've been slacking lately, kids.  This is a remnant of my birthday on Friday, January 13th.  Some coworkers (including CK, the woman who started it all) joined me for happy hour at Black Door.  CK wanted tequila with a Bloody Mary mix chaser.  Lo and behold, the bartender had this Tabasco mix.  Of course we got excited and told my tale, and the bartender had to have me sample it.  I wanted to try it without supplementals (save a splash of extra Tabasco) and it was good!  Next time I'd like to try it in an actual drink, though I'm more of a Bloody Maria kind of girl myself.

Meatball Sub from Eataly

Eat (legitimately) fresh.

Most things from Eataly are off the charts good, and this meatball sub is no exception.  Mmmman.  I suggest you haul ass to the Flatiron District, purchase one of these, and smother it in Tabasco sauce.  You will win at sandwiches forever.

Mama Zuma's Revenge

Habanero?  More like habazero.

These chips are supposedly made with habanero peppers, some of the hottest peppers around.  However, I didn't find them to be exceptionally spicy, though I guess they were spicy for chips.  Am I desensitized already?  Tabasco made them better for sure.  

Thanks to Paul R for sharing and Paul L for sampling!

Pappardelle with Prosciutto at the Manhattan Inn

Grazie.

Last night I had dinner at the Manhattan Inn, a cozy little piano bar in Greenpoint.  I had the pappardelle with prosciutto, blue cheese, and kale.  My dining companion ordered the same dish and we both thought it was out of control.  I didn't go crazy with the hot sauce on this one, but it did add a pleasant little kick.

Those of my dear readers who know me probably know that I also have quite the penchant for that other sauce.  Specifically, bourbon.  It's worth mentioning here that the old fashioneds at Manhattan Inn are fantastic.  On that note, I'd like to start thinking of some similar cocktails that would benefit from Tabasco.  This is on my agenda for the weekend.

Carnitas Burrito Bowl from Chipotle

Chipotle knows what's up.

Skipping breakfast today was a bad idea.  Devouring a burrito bowl from Chipotle was not.  I get mine with carnitas, peppers and onions, plenty of corn and tomato salsa, both black beans and pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, and just a little bit of rice (I'm not really a fan of the starchy stuff).  Load up on hot sauce and call it a day.  Tabasco appears to have a licensing deal with Chipotle anyway, so I was in good company.  Deeelish.

Serving suggestion.

Spaghetti Squash, Spaghetti Style

Good gourd!

Spaghetti squash has become a favorite this winter.  It's easy to make, and it's fun because you get to rip it to shreds in the end and make a fine mess of things.  I am fond of a gourd of destruction.  Plus it's a perfect substitute for pasta that doesn't leave you feeling heavy.  There's kind of a lot to love here.

I rubbed it with olive oil and a bunch of garlic and threw it in the oven for an hour at 375, with a little water in the dish.  That's it.  Then I heated up some mushroom marinara with oregano, salt, pepper, and my trusty Tabasco.  Poured marinara on the squash with some parmesan cheese and housed it.  Paul Newman would be proud.

Bear with me while I'm figuring out how to adjust the pictures, but can you tell that the first bottle's almost halfway gone?  Considering I only started a week ago and just began to take this bottle outside of my apartment, the project seems well under control so far...

Chicken Kebab and Hummus from Fava

My big fat Greek lunch.

Let's face it: grilled chicken is grilled chicken, "Mediterranean" or not.  So this chicken kebab (minus the actual kebab) was basically the equivalent of any other grilled chicken I could have had for lunch.  I was alright with that.  Throw some hot sauce on there.  Boom.  It was kind of great on the Greek salad too; the yogurt dressing cooled off the Tabasco and balanced things out, even if it did turn into this weird orange situation.  Still good to me!

One more quick note is in order.  While I realize I'll probably get more experimental down the line, I will not put hot sauce on things it clearly shouldn't be on.  Like hummus.  Slippery slope.

Chopped BBQ Chicken from The Smoke Joint

Bawrbekew sawrs.

So this was my first time busting out the bottle of Tabasco sauce in public.  I've begun to carry it around in my purse like the Classy Lady that I am, and I unveiled it during lunch today at The Smoke Joint in Fort Greene.  The waiter didn't seem to notice or mind.  Would I care if he did?  Allow me to quote the immortal Clay Davis.

Being from the South and all, I'm somewhat of a barbecue snob.  Smoke Joint isn't the best I've ever had, but it's a comfy little spot in my neighborhood that will do just fine if I have a hankering.  I ordered the chopped chicken and doused it liberally with hot sauce.  Smoke Joint's sauce is pretty mild so Tabasco was necessary.  I also sprinkled a little on my potato salad and my friend's collards that I sampled.  Both were pretty delightful.

Sara's Solidarity Jambalaya

LA wants to play too.

I didn't actually eat the food above, but I'm really excited to have my first suggestion from a friend.  This right here is my bestie Sara's solidarity jambalaya.  It comes to you all the way from Los Angeles in support of the Tabasco Fiasco.  Tear!  Not only is this a traditional dish straight out of Cajun country, but it's also healthy and tasty and a prime candidate for some Tabasco smotherin'.

Thanks for the love, Skrilla T!  I hope it was yummy.

Amy's Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ye olde standby.

Lazy dinner: heating up a can of Amy's lentil veggie soup on the stove.  I got the low sodium kind, so this soup definitely needed some something.  Tabasco did the trick.