BACON HABANERO TORTILLA CHIPS

While hanging out at my favorite hot sauce shop, Heat Hot Sauce Shop, Dylan the owner said he had a new product that I may like. ‘Late July Snacks LLC’ makes an organic non-GMO stone ground tortilla chip that is bacon habanero flavored. Well, ‘Howdy Doody, Fancy That” Why yes, I would love to try a snack made with two of my favorite ingredients. The chips were put in my cart with other great hot sauces and I went straight home to give them a try.

I had to do it. I read the ingredient list. Sometimes it is better not to. “Non-GMO Bacon Habanero Seasoning which I assume are these listed ingredients; Maltodextrin, sugar dextrose, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, natural smoke flavor, yeast extract, spices habanero pepper powder and natural extractions of paprika. Except for calling this bacon seasoning NO bacon is listed. Let’s give them a taste.
   Crispy, salty, and a slight hint of smoke and sweetness are my initial observations. The heat level is weak or mild for the so called habanero component. Where is the bacon? If I close my eyes and wish very hard, bacon is still not present. Do not get me wrong, this chip is pretty decent. I could sit down and eat the whole bag but bacon and habanero is a promise that is not met. You know I had to try them.                                                                                                                                                                          

BLUE DIAMOND ALMONDS, HABANERO BBQ

‘Sometimes you feel like a nut sometimes you don’t.” ‘Blue Diamond Almonds Habanero BBQ’ flavored nuts showed up in my Christmas stocking this festive day. Did Blue Diamond make this flavor just for me? Spicy hot & fruity habaneros combined with bbq has me sold even before the top has been popped. Let’s give them a taste.

Ingredients:

Almonds, vegetable oil, (canola safflower and or sunflower), sugar, salt, tomato, molasses, powder (Cane refinery syrup, molasses) vinegar powder, (maltodextrin, vinegar solids) onion, garlic, natural smoke flavor (contains soybean oil) yeast extract, habanero chile pepper, mustard, malic acid, spices and extractive of paprika are the long list of ingredients. We are also informed that this is peanut free and may contain other tree nuts.

  

The top is popped and freshly roasted almond aroma starts the anticipation glands to kick in. Immediately a handful was placed in my awaiting snack food receptacle. WOW!!! Are you ready for this not so original take; ‘There was a party in my mouth”. Sweet, onions, tomato/paprika, mustard, tomato with a hint of smoke all collided and melded on a crunchy almond. They were so salty good. A tiny small hint of heat finished off this flavor bomb almond treat. I really wanted to taste the fruity habanero sting but was only teased. There is a problem with this product. Once you start eating the almonds it is almost impossible to stop.

Heat:

This ingredients list habanero chile peppers but a light hand is used. The heat meter will barely tip the scale to 1 star out of 5.

Overall:

I admit that I have always been a fan of Blue Diamond Almonds. It is hard to go wrong with fresh, salty flavored almonds. Habanero BBQ is just another great flavor to snack on. The sweet, smoky flavor with just a tease of peppers is a success. Of course my inner Chilehead persona wants some more heat but this snack delivers on all other levels. Thankyou  Santa Claus.

BACON JERKY

Today we will smoking eleven pounds of pork belly. This will take a couple of hours and a couple of snacks would sure be nice. It just so happens that my order of ‘Socrates’ Baconstein-Black Pepper’ bacon jerky arrived last week. This product just sounds brilliant. Who doesn’t like bacon or jerky? This product advertises savory bacon seasoned with spices and slow smoked over a hickory fire. I think I am in love. Let’s open up a pack and have a snack.
   Baconstein smells sweet and smoky just like bacon should. I think we should take a gander at the ingredient list just for research; bacon, sugar, paprika, garlic, and then the kicker, monosodium glutamate, and potassium sorbate. (For mold protection). Now MSG is not a bad thing unless you are allergic or over ingest. It is commonly used as a flavor enhancer. Back to the taste of Baconstein and one needs to be careful because it is so addicting. It is a little greasy but isn’t all bacon? Sweet and smoky, a little pepper sting, slightly chewy but not tough as some jerky can be is the verdict. Overall Baconstein is a convenient snack that actually tastes good. Will it replace traditional bacon? I do not think so.

SOGRATE BBQ and BEEF JERKY
806-319-5BBQ
http://www.sograte.com/

NUTS TO YOU

It is foggy and cold Sunday morning at the ‘Walnut Creek Farmers’ market. We are on a mission to find ingredients for our ‘Rosemary Chipotle Roasted Nuts’ recipe. As soon as we arrive at the market a booth sign proclaiming ‘Bacon Chocolate Chip’ cookies grabs my attention. These cookies were sweet and savory. They were so good; they did not even last for a photo. Our recipe called for a mixture of fresh cashews, pecans, walnuts, and almonds. We did find almonds and walnuts and we were satisfied. We rushed back to the house to make our recipe and hunker down for a day of football viewing.

We only used walnuts and almonds. You can use any combination of nuts that you have in stock. I also substituted honey instead of brown sugar.

Rosemary Chipotle Roasted Nuts

1. 3 cups unsalted cashews
2. 2 cups walnuts
3. 2 cups pecans
4. 2 cups almonds
5. 1/3 cup maple syrup
6. 1/4 brown sugar
7. 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
8. 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
9. 4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
10. salt to taste

Combine all ingredients with half of rosemary and approx 2 teaspoons salt. Place nuts on greased baking dish. I put them on parchment paper. Roast for 25 minutes at 350 degrees stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and add a little more salt and rosemary. Cool and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

 

This was a great snack to go with our frosty beverages while viewing the football playoffs. The rosemary is a nice touch to the sweet salty mixture. We will return to the ‘Walnut Creek Farmers Market’ to stock up on bacon chocolate chip cookies soon.

JALAPENO CHIPS (DEANO'S)

Have you noticed all the pepper flavored snack products lately. I have a weakness for jalapeno flavored chips. The combination of salt and heat is the perfect accompaniment for one of my favorite adult beverages. Of course, this combination is consumed in moderation. (Did I just write that.) We have discovered a new jalapeno chip that is unique. Deano's Jalapeno Chips are actually a real jalapeno chip that has been deep fried and coated in a seasoning.

Deano's is a small company located in Stowe Vermont. Deano's takes a medium hot jalapeno pepper grown in Texas and adds a cheddar coating. They also claim; "no potatoes were maimed or injured in the making of this product." We ordered a couple of bags to give them a try.

These jalapeno chips should be labeled as a controlled substance. They are that addicting. Your first bite will start you crunching crispy jalapeno slices. It is no surprise that they taste like wonderful jalapeno's that are dipped in a cheddar cheese sauce. The taste is like a crunchy 'Jalapeno Popper'. The flavor and salt teases your taste buds into wanting and craving more chips. Deano's where have you been all my life?

Deano's Jalapeno Chips are a brilliant unique tasty product. Unfortunately the only way to buy these chips is to live in Vermont or by mail order. Hopefully someday they will be available on the West Coast.

Deano's Jalapeno Chips