jalapeno -

by Emily

Say Yee Haw to National Burger Month

Did you know that May is National Burger Month?! Well, it is. As a human living in Austin, Texas, I eat my fair share of beef, and my Austin born & raised fiance eats a TON of it. It’s safe to say that burgers are his #1 favorite food in the world. So I feel like I’m somewhat qualified, even if it’s through transference, to tell you about good beef and burgers. And yes, if you haven’t been to Texas and had our beef, it’s good. Really, really good. (May I recommend ALC if you’re ever in the neighborhood?)

The lovely people at the Texas Beef Council sent over their latest recipe for celebrating National Burger Month: the Western Burger. This burger keeps it simple… no crazy sauces or deep-fried mischief here, just solid beef with a slight twist… jalapeños right in the patty! Because Texans also like it spicy. Texas Beef Council says, “This Western Burgeris a perfect, guilt-free way to celebrate the month-long holiday and gives a nutritious spin on one of Texans’ summertime staples fit for any backyard gathering.” Works for me! So if you want this bad boy healthy, you can serve him in a lettuce wrap instead of a bun, but follow your heart/stomach.

Texas Beef Council’s Western Burger

Cocktail O’Clock: Spicy Paloma

Is it me, or this week already looooooooooooong?

Today’s cocktail o’clock comes courtesy of The Roof at Viceroy New York and with a jalapeño-meets-tequila kick, is sure to snap you out of any midweek slumber.

The Spicy Paloma

Mix together:

2 muddled slices of jalapeño pepper
2 oz Casamigos Blanco tequila
.75 oz Aperol
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup

Shake with ice. Strain over ice in highball glass. Add club soda float. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

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by Emily

Food Porn of the Day: Jamaican Pizza

I’m not usually the world’s #1 pizza craver but when I’m in the mood I’m IN THE MOOD, and lately I’ve been in the mood thanks to the discovery of my boy Macaulay Culkin’s pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band. (WHAT? Yes. Culkin will always hold a special place in my heart and VU is my all-time favorite band, so this bit of breaking news is extremely relevant to my interests.)

A few days ago I fulfilled my cravings with a funky pizza party and I just had to share it with everyone. This combination is truly a Christmas miracle that I think everyone should try for themselves immediately:

Jerk chicken, pineapple, red onion, jalapeño, habanero, and avocado. AVOCADO. Its cool creaminess is the perfect foil for all that heat. I got this sucker from East Side Pies here in Austin. I wrote about their lil smokies & egg creation last year, but I figured this revelation of flavors deserves another mention. Macaulay should write a song about this.

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by cyborg

Cocktail O’Clock: Strawberry-Jalapeño Marg!

Just when I thought margaritas could not get any better, BOOM this appeared and it’s here to stay. If you haven’t had a strawberry-jalapeño margarita yet you must do so immediately. Let me tell you, as far as cocktails go, this one—named La Bamba—is a top-shelf MUST.

So refreshing, so dangerously delectable, AY AY AY! It makes me want to dance. Perfect drink for spring and the key behind getting business drunk. In fact, I love it so much I want it twenty four SEVEN and you will too!! Here’s the solution to all your problems:

To start: If one has jalapeño-infused tequila, do yourself a favor and muddle a fresh strawberry in Agave nectar.

* If one does not have jalapeño-infused tequila—NBD! Muddle a jalapeño slice (or more if you wish) with the strawberry in Agave nectar.

*Ice ice baby.

*Add 2 oz. of tequila (infused or not). Feel free to add more, nobody is judging you.

* Squeeze a lime-and-a-half worth of lime juice.

* Top off with lemon-lime soda (Sprite works)

* Shake shake shake.

* Pour into a cold pint glass prepped with a lime, sugar and salt rim.

* If you want to get fancy, garnish with a lime wheel and a strawberry.

* Cheers mate!

Find more creative cocktail ideas in Endless Cocktails.

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by BS

Super Bowl Snacks: Hot Mama Fried Pickles

Well, the lead-up games are over, which means it’s time for that two weeks of pre-Super Bowl hype…aka recipe planning!

America’s game means America’s food, so it’s time to break out the deep fryer. This recipe uses the “Hot Mama” pickles from Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles–which come with a bonus jalapeno kick in the brine–for some spicy, crispy, pickle-y bites of goodness

Hot Mama Fried Pickles

A Salsa for Summer: Grilled Watermelon and Feta

As I get older and now that I have life all figured out (Ha! Sense the sarcasm, folks), I am less embarrassed about stuff. I used to be the girl who turned beet red and just about died from humiliation over the tiniest things. Now, if I trip in front of you (I most likely will) I’ll just smile and wave. Saying something stupid? I do it on the daily. I’m okay with it.

The one thing I am consistently still embarrassed over is my iPod music selection. The worst part is that I voluntarily put all the crazy embarrassing music on there. Just to give you a taste, there are about 300 songs including Pitbull (face getting red), assorted 90’s rappers (getting redder), maybe some country (eyes closed in shame) and a butt-load of Glee renditions (maximum levels of musical embarrassment reached). I’m just gonna tell you, I sometimes roll my eyes when listening to my iPod alone. I need an intervention.

Why am I discussing this with you today? Well, I had some willing taste-testers hanging around my kitchen while I made this killer salsa aaaaand my iPod was on the speaker dock. So, when I think about this salsa, I will forever associate it with the delicious flavors of fresh watermelon with a grilled char and tangy feta, along with the ear raping sounds of Miley Cyrus. Oy. Y’all, forget I wrote this, okay?

Grilled Watermelon & Feta Salsa

Cocktail O’Clock: Happy Repeal Day

The worst thing about Monday is that even though it’s universally acknowledged as the hardest day of the week, it’s somehow also the one on which it’s least socially acceptable to drink.

But wait a minute — us boozehounds have the upper hand this week, because Monday marks the 78th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, which we’re pretty sure is a national holiday. Enjoy this original cocktail recipe — The Rodriguez Sour — from Kevin Diedrich of Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen in San Francisco, or find your favorite poison in Endless Cocktails.

Rodriguez Sour

2 oz Partida Blanco tequila
.75 oz Lime
.75 oz Pineapple juice
.5 oz Jalapeno syrup
.25 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake all ingredients together.

Strain and pour into a rocks glass.

Garnish with slices of jalapeño.

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