CityMama™

Hot sauce lovers: Pure Habanero Red Savina Hot Sauce is BOSS

I love spicy foods but I am veryveryvery picky about how I like my hotness. For example, I prefer my Mexican food to be accompanied by whole, grilled jalapeños rather than the sliced pickly ones. The canned ones (like Herdez) en escabeche are a close second. I like smooth salsas as opposed to the chunkier pico de gallo style.

I ask for raw jalapeños to grill alongside my kalbi when I go out to Korean BBQ.

I prefer Sriracha to Tabasco because Tabasco is too vinegary. But sometimes the garlic in Sriracha can overwhelm a dish while sometimes the vinegar in Tabasco is a welcome addition to a Bloody Mary or Caesar salad dressing. (Just keep it away from my eggs.)

I eschew red pepper flakes and instead crumble up whole dried chilies onto my pastas. I wish my kids liked spicy foods as much as my husband and I do because one of my favorite pasta is oil-anchovy-garlic and chilies, but I rarely make it.

I looooove Frank's RedHot sauce and could drink it by the quart but only because it's not hot enough for me. Not even the extra hot version.

I do make my own chili pepper water which has vinegar in it, but that's a Hawaii thing and is so yum over pork or greens or potato or macaroni salad.

I want my hot sauce to be HOT so I am teetering on the edge of uncomfortableness but not so hot that I can't take another bite of my food. In other words, I want it to hurt so good.

My brother shares my hot chili love and over Christmas he gave me a bottle of Pure Habanero Red Savina hot sauce. It's everything a hot sauce should be: fiery-hot but with a perfect balance of vinegar and salt. Spicy on the tongue when you first eat it, but dissipates. It doesn't overwhelm a dish but rather ads a spicy kick without all the unnecessary sugar and spice.

I am in love with this hot sauce and am treating it like the liquid gold that it is. It's the perfect hot sauce in a cute, little bottle. Trust me on this one.

What's your favorite hot sauce?

Thank you, Steve Jobs

My mom emailed me  a couple of days ago with a request. Blog about "how much we love Steve Jobs and what he did for us," she wrote. "Do it before he leaves us."

I knew she was worried about his health and probably as horrified as I was at all the rumors swirling around at the moment, some media outlets even reporting that he had gone into cardiac arrest. The reports that he was dead. It seems like a flock of vultures is circling overhead here in Silicon Valley and all I can think is, "This man is a person. He has a family. This is disgusting."

And that got me to thinking about my family and all the ways that Apple products have touched our lives over the years. My mom wrote, "I love Steve because he gives us great products that make our lives easier…packaged beautifully and make us proud to own." So yes, I am going to indulge my dear mom and write a thank you letter to Steve Jobs.

In this letter the words "Steve Jobs" might be synonymous with thousands of different engineers, product managers, evangelists (well, one in particular),  UI designers, and software developers, but so be it. Today, in this letter, Steve Jobs represents you all.

It's a jungle out there

Recently I was interviewed for a new site called The Juicebox Jungle.  They are doing some great stuff!  See real parents share real opinions on real topics. Take a peek and let me know what you think! And P.S. there is a reason I blog not vlog...oy.

Thoughts on recessionary eating.

I'm over on Tonic today (er, yesterday) talking about Anthony Bourdain knocking Alice Waters off her high horse talking about recessionary eating.

Smile Found Update

On last Friday's bullshit timed tests, she got both tests 100% correct (one addition, one subtraction) and was the 9th one finished (instead of being in the bottom three).  She was so happy.

And so was I because it meant she took what I said to heart. 

1/30/09 Update: This week she finished 6th. Atta girl, Bunny!

President Obama: Words for How We Feel Now by Emily Troutman

The best tuna salad

A touch hyperbolic? Perhaps. But I really think I make the best tuna salad and what's funny about that is: everyone loves their own tuna salad the best, don't they?

In my opinion, tuna salad should never contain pickle relish (pickles a-ok, just not sugary relish) or mustard, and it should be creamy not just-barely-bound-together with mayo. And speaking of mayo, it's Best Foods (or Hellmann's) all the way. It's the only mayo that will do. It should also be made with albacore tuna packed in oil whenever possible (oh, don't be afraid, you drain it off), but water-packed will do in a pinch.

THE BEST TUNA SALAD

• 1 can of albacore tuna (or boneless skinless salmon), drained thoroughly
• 1/2 a fresh lemon
• 1/4 of a sweet onion, very finely minced
• 1/2 a dill pickle, very finely minced
• 1/2 stalk of celery, very finely minced
• Best Foods mayonnaise
• fresh ground pepper
• a little chopped, fresh dill

Place tuna in a bowl, flake it, then moisten with juice of half a lemon and give it a quick mix. This gives the tuna a nice, fresh taste.  Add in onion, pickle, and celery, mix well.  Add in enough mayonnaise to bind all the ingredients, then add a little more to taste so that it's creamy without getting sogged down. I use at least 1 tablespoon to bind, then add another tablespoon at a time until I get the consistency I like. Add in pepper and a sprinkling of fresh dill to taste, mix and serve.  I love it on sandwiches, but I also love it on a Triscuit cracker topped with a dash of habanero hot sauce.

Smile lost. Smile found.

Last week, I noticed that Bunny lost her smile.

Normally when I pick her up from school, I am (still, thank you, universe) greeted by the "MAMMA!" shout that makes me feel like a rockstar, and a big, bright smile.  Last week, the smile went away. J. noticed it too, and asked if anything was wrong.  I told him that I had approached Bunny to find out if anything bothering her and she just shook her head. There's nothing like a late-night discussion about the state of your child's happiness to bring the tears. I vowed to get to the bottom of it.

The next morning, Bunny crawled into our bed and snuggled up against me, her brow furrowed. No child should wake up after a good night's sleep with worry all over her face.  I smoothed her hair and whispered into her ear, "If anything is bothering you, you can tell me, you know. That's what parents are for. There is nothing you can't tell me. I won't get mad, and I promise, I will make it better. As your Mamma that's my job because I love you."

She nodded and relaxed into my arms.

Then she told me that there was one thing on her mind.  The first graders had started taking timed math tests at school and much to her surprise, she wasn't among the fastest students in the class, in fact, she was in the slower bunch.  She closed her eyes and tears started to form. "I'm stupid," she sobbed.

My heart sank. Sank, then cracked in half. I hated math when I was her age and it was because of the timed tests.  We didn't start those until second grade, but I will never ever forget being the last one done. Every. single. time. I will never ever forget Mrs. Byrne leaning over and whispering, "One of these days you are going to have to learn not to count on your fingers."

"Why I'm Happy. Why I'm Not Satisfied."

SO brilliant. Let's keep doing the work.

H/T: MamaPop

National Day of Service: What are you doing today?

If you can't get out and about in your community for whatever reason, you can still do something. Here are some simple ideas for helping to end childhood hunger from Share our Strength and Quaker Oats who is generously sponsoring our MOMocrats inauguration party tomorrow. These are easy ways to help from your desk or your phone.