Spicy

Wendy’s Chili

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. Late one night I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and found the amazing world of 1980-90s fast food training videos. One of the standout videos is Wendy’s “Grill Skills” that teaches new employees how to grill Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers. One thing that might stand out in this video is that fact burgers that break or have been left on the grill for too long are ground up and frozen to use in chili later. Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas… Read More »Wendy’s Chili

Mumbo Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. Mumbo sauce (or is it mambo?) has always been a bit of mystery to me. Even living right across the river from the Washington, I don’t get a lot of exposure to it without searching it out. However, it seems like in the last few years it has surged in popularity and you are starting to see it in some unexpected places. Washington DC has its own style of late-night dining establishments that locals call “carryouts”. You can usually get… Read More »Mumbo Sauce

North Country Michigan Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. My wife’s family on her father’s side is from a small town in the very Northern tip of New York state. This is far beyond upstate New York (which a lot of New Yorkers that I know joke is anything North of The Bronx). All that I knew about this town was a regional specialty of Hot Dogs called “Michigans” when I visited for the first time in April of 2019. I went on a mission to taste every Michigan… Read More »North Country Michigan Sauce

General Tso’s Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. Zuo Zongtang (General Tso) was born in 1812 during the Qing Dynasty in Xiangyin, China. He rose to great power in his life in the military and government. The origins of General Tso’s chicken are disputed, but it was definitely never created or consumed by Zuo Zongtang. Most people believe that the General Tso’s chicken recipe was created during the 1970s in New York City. There are a lot of people that claim to have invented the recipe for General… Read More »General Tso’s Sauce

The Best Buffalo Sauce

My favorite wing sauce is Bleu Bayou Sauce but sometimes if I am in the mood for something quick and easy I go for the classic Buffalo sauce. A classic buffalo sauce should be made of pepper sauce and melted butter. I like mine really well-emulsified to give it a creamy and thick texture that sticks to wings. Using an immersion blender and optional xanthan gum in this recipe will really increase the emulsion of your sauce. Ingredients: ½ cup of hot sauce 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter ¼ –… Read More »The Best Buffalo Sauce

Coffee Shop Salsa

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. When I was in high school I worked at a coffee shop in Soutwestern Virginia. This coffee shop was a study hangout for the local college and served a lot more than just lattes and scones. They made a lot of salads, wraps, and sandwiches to fuel the late night study binges and after-church lunches. This coffee shop was the only game in town in the pre-Starbucks era, and to this day in that town if you say that you’re… Read More »Coffee Shop Salsa

BRC Bacon Jam

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. I spent the Summer of 2012 working in Houston. Most of that time was spent between office building and hotels with plenty of sweaty commutes in between. At night, I had a small group of friends that liked to meet up on Washington Avenue. My favorite place of all was a gastropub called BRC which had a great menu, great drinks, and a terrifying bathroom. My favorite thing was the bacon jam. They would serve it on burgers and sandwiches,… Read More »BRC Bacon Jam

Japanese White Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. At most American-Japanese restaurants you will find a creamy, spicy, sweet, white sauce that goes by a number of different names. Some call it Yum Yum Sauce, others call it Shrimp Sauce, and I’ve even seen it called Sakura Sauce. Whatever you want to call it, it goes great on grilled meats, fried rice, and vegetables. My college town had a Japanese restaurant that was famous for its white sauce when I went to college (2007-2011). This sauce, which… Read More »Japanese White Sauce

Bleu Bayou Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. I have always been a chicken wing lover. During college, we had a weekly “wing night” tradition where a group of us all went to a local bar on Mondays for discounted chicken wings and beers. Since then (it’s been long time) I’ve started making them myself. I’ve gone through all sorts of variations and read hundreds of recipes and watched dozens of YouTube videos on the topic. When I found The Great Chicken Wing Hunt I immediately became… Read More »Bleu Bayou Sauce