SPICE!

We planted two gardens this year - one in Seattle and one where we are relocating.

Both gardens boast a ton of pepper plants and now we have a ton of peppers on the ton of pepper plants.

Last year I made Habanero Sauce which lasted us until now.

This year it's all about Thai Chili Sauce. It is a kicky addition to salad dressing or on top of Green Beans in Black Bean Sauce

How to make Thai Chili Sauce:

Cut as many Thai Chilis as you have
Place in jar
Add fish sauce
Lid Jar
Wait a day

Much easier and less caustic than the Habanero Sauce Debacle from last year.

You might want to see Part One And Part Two.

Our Habanero sauce has become a bit of an addiction. Erik actually stays away from it for the most part, but I put it on everything. Erik has taken to using the mash. The mash is a sort of by-product of the hananero sauce making and a different animal entirely.

It is sweet and flavorful and not nearly as menacing.

We use this mash in everything from chili to soup to pumpkin seeds. It cooks well but is not good to use in a stew.

It is grand stuff. Grand and dangerous.

First, and this is important, do not e-v-e-r handle the mash with bare hands. The oils of the mash will not wash off with mere soap and hot water. If you handle this mash with bare hands, I can promise that you will feel a sudden and panic-inducing pain in parts of your body that you didn’t know you had touched. If you are newly in love and have the habit of expressing such emotion, your love-one will not be pleased with the habanero mash…or you.

That said, the best way to use this mash is by cutting up a tomato, throwing in an amount of mash, mixing and dipping a tortilla chip into it–Instant salsa.

Mind the fingertips–don’t double dip.