Warming Spices

 How to make a dish even hotter? Add some heat. It could be sliced jalapenos or a heaping teaspoon of red pepper. This makes for a blood warming meal that will get you through the cold days ahead.

Of course chili is one of the hottest dishes to make. Many make it with just a one alarm rating yet it can be made to be super hot. A five alarm is a fiery change.This means adding more spices and peppers to your already established recipe. Jalapeno is added a long with teaspoons of chili powder ,cayenne pepper and red pepper. if it's too eye watering it can be cooled down with individual dollops of sour cream or guacamole. Another Mexican favorite mole sauce can also be spiked up another levelIt a dark chocolate sauce made with such cocoa .Usually made with cumin and tomatoes. it can be varied with a good kick of ground red pepper. It's usually serve with chicken or beef but can be good with vegetables too. if you want to add more heat then thick about jalapeno cornbread to any of these dishes. Add half a cup of fresh sliced one for an extreme bite or pickled ones for a lesser zing.

Pasta can be fiery too. Arrabiata sauce can bring in blood warming fire. It's a red sauce, rich with tomatoes and the extra kick of red pepper flakes. A teaspoon o them  toasted in butter should bring out the flavor and give the sauce the appropriate taste. If you want you can add any protein too to give it more oomph. Think chicken beef or shrimp. Keep in mind that pizza sauce can also be made arribiata. Add some spicy pepperoni too or ventricina ,a spicy Italian salami as topping.  for a really elegant hot dish , make lobster arrabiata . This is made with two three pound lobsters and four dry red Chiles. The lobsters do have to be roasted first and the meat and juice added to the creamy sauce. It's usually served with spaghetti but also works with any of the "long" pastas like fettucini and linguini.Indian food is also full of heat. Try a chicken curry that combines ginger - another biting spice and chili flakes to create a blood warming dish.Again ,if it's too spicy then serve with Indian flatbread like naan or roti.

If you want to be toasty hot during these cold days, then cook with heat. These dishes will keep you warm .They're not only not but also delicious.

Emergency Eating

 Sadly more and more people are suffering severe weather thanks to climate change. it affects every aspect of life, especially how we cook and eat. Yet many don;t know what to do when a hurricane ,flood or fire hits. Luckily there is a how to to get through those tough times.

Regular contributor and cookbook author Kristen Migliore gave this handy and important guide in yesterday's New York Times Food section. First of all how much food and water should be kept? For water there should be a minimum of one gallon per person. There should be at least twelve gallons for a family of four. This will keep them hydrated for three to four days if you have space go bigger. Try to have enough water for two weeks. WHat about an emergency go bag? Store both together in a cool, dark place in your house. You may wind up in a place that will supply you with the basics. The more important is what foods should be stocked up - nut butters like almond and peanut along with rimmed fish - salmon and tuna.Tinned veggies and fruit long with beans can go a long way Canned potatoes are perfect because they can be drained and pan roasted with olive oil and salt for a tasty quick comfort food. Also get boil in bag Indian curries and Japanese just add water miso and ramen soups. pasta and rice are also musts because they last for a long time and make for filling meals wien cooked.

Hot drinks are a must. They can soothe and comfort. Store instant coffee and coffee drinks, tea bags and packets of hot cocoa. It's not mentioned but Gator Ade can also be good especially for kids if they need energy. Another must is some kind of cooking apparatus like a backyard grill, camp stove or chafing dish.what's the best way to make canned and tinned foods taste better? Also have shelf stable  flavorings to make that cooked food better.Like any powdered drink, spices like cinnamon , garlic and onion powder stay dry . Soy sauce and sesame oil are also stable and won't go bad. Sesame oil can last for up to two years once opened.Japanese furikake seasoning which is ground sesame, mixed with sugar,noei salt and sugar helps tinned veggies and tuna become tastier. Also try any kind of vinegar which can almost last forever and smoked paprika which can elevate food to another level are also good.Keep in mind all these foodstuffs have experitation dates. If you haven't used them already  then cook them before they expire.

These days are sadly filled with all sorts of disasters. Be ready .Be food prepared so your family can eat well. A hot comforting one goes a long way.

Cooking With Fire And Ice

Many home chefs are afraid of of those five letter words - spice and herbs.They're afraid that it may ruin a dish or that their families may not like the fiery , cooling or even strange taste.Those are silly fears. a dash of cumin or dried ancho peppers - or even a few mint leaves can transform a simple dinner into a special one.

Spices are both a professional chef's and home chef's best friend. For those still leery about adding zing to their  recipes, start with the most basic - black pepper. Add freshly ground peppercorns to simple dishes like pan fried steak or even scrambled eggs can lift them out of the ordinary.From there they can graduate from the black kind to the other varieties such as the green, white, and pink,The next step is trying the fiery but delicious Szechuan recipes that prominently feature the spice. Chili lovers can appreciate the value of a hearty and hot three alarm chili.Some cooks balk at making it at home, however their families will love a blood warming bowl if the heat is gradually turned up.It just a simple recipe readjustment of going from one teaspoon to two.Also other spices such as paprika and cumin can also be added to give layers and subtlety to the dish too. These fire bombs can be used in other recipes as well. Think about fried chicken with the added kick of cayenne. If home chefs are leery about putting the usual three teaspoons in the batter, cut it back to only one or one and a half teaspoons..Sub in curry  for a slightly less hotter chicken.

Home chefs can also cool down a recipe by using mint - peppermint and spearmint leaves. They have been used for centuries ,in  Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines to offset spicy flavors. Greeks have added the leaves to yogurt  as a cooling side to heavily spiced lamb and vegetable dishes. It's a simple mix of adding two teaspoons of dried leaves to  Greek yogurt. Tabbouleh gets a refreshing lift from it as well. This blend  of bulgar or cracked wheat ,cucumbers, tomatoes and onions are mixed with freshly minced  parsley and mint leaves for a nice cooling side with grilled kabobs and veggies.The herb can also be ground into pesto.The leaves have the same consistency as basil so it's very easy to grind into a paste.As with the original , Parmesan cheese and pine nuts are added along with lemon  to give it some tartness. It can be served with any kind of pasta but would be best with penne or rotelli. Try it drizzled over a cold pasta salad when barbecue season rolls around.Another warm weather dish  that's cooling is sliced cucumbers in a mint sour cream sauce. Spearmint , usually reserved for tea, can sub in if you don;t have peppermint leaves. Try it with lamb or poultry.

There's nothing wrong with adding a little fire - or a little ice to liven up a dish. Experiment with different spices and herbs.They'll add zing to a once boring dinner.