Mix it Up: Add some kick!

If you know me, you know I love nearly everything spicy! My guacamole has a kick. My spaghetti has a kick. Even my macaroni and cheese has a kick. And if I'm making something new, I'm always trying to find a way to add a complimentary kick to it. And that's basically what I'm here to talk to you about:

DON'T BE AFRAID OF "THE KICK"

It's amazing how something so simple as some crushed red pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne pepper, a splash of hot sauce or a few slices of jalapenos can totally evolve your food.  Here are a few things that I do to add a kick to some every day foods that Danny and I love...

Spaghetti - Throw in some crushed red pepper flakes into your sauce.  You can do this while its cooking so the heat really has a chance to come out, or as you're serving for just a hit of spice. 

Veggies - When you're sauteing your veggies throw in a few slices of jalapeno or a dash of cayenne pepper, even red pepper flakes.  Whether you eat the jalapenos in the end or not, even just cooking them with your veggies adds some extra boldness.

Mac and cheese - for adults.  When you're mixing in your butter, milk and cheese mix, throw in some crushed red pepper flakes and bam!  It's that easy, and it's not overwhelming.  Since you don't continue to cook the mac and cheese, the flakes only dabble it with heat while its still in the pot. 

Guacamole - This I have found to be the single component to my guac that makes a world of difference.  All I do is one of two things (sometimes both):  I add in some diced jalapenos and/or some jalapeno juice.  That juice from the canned jalapenos has a mild flavor, not spicy at all really, but it adds a flavor that a lot of people really enjoy.

Soups - You can throw in anything from hot sauce, pepper flakes even diced jalapenos in a soup and all of them create a bold new flavor.  I love doing this because you can play around with hot sauces like Sriracha, Tapatio and Cholula and you'll get an entirely different flavor with every soup depending on which one you use.  This combined with the temperature heat of the soup is utterly delicious.

So add a little kick to your meals, don't be afraid!