When Vin gets sick, I swear to god he is the biggest baby ever. It's like he's dying or something. He wanted to call his momma for sympathy and her special chicken soup, but I wouldn't let him. "Oh grow up!" I'm saying as I wait on him hand and foot. I'm as bad as she is. I made Potato Jalapeno Soup and he had 2 humongous bowls. Couldn't be that sick.
 Anyways, I don't admit it, but I love to feed him. (No, I never ever admit it.) He wants me to make more tomorrow. Next time, I'll add the jalapeno amount that I want. When it comes to hot stuff the kid is such a wimp. I used the lowest amount, and it was a mild salsa heat level. But he's sick, so I decided to go easy on him today...

Roasty Toasty Potato-Jalapeno Soup Above is my gorgeous chunky Soup [RECIPE HERE]. It surprised me, it was THAT TASTY. Simple ingredients, too. I actually had everything! I freaking love it when that happens.

Here’s where I screwed up. When I substituted one white onion for the red onion that it called for. Bad. Bad. Never again. So when I made it again, cause Vin was bitching, I had to use meat. It looks pretty, anyway. Unfortunately, I’m almost out of my garam masala and I don’t remember where I got that version from. Anyone recommend a favorite garam masala blend? Not too cinnamony, please.

Bell Pepper n' Chicken/Seitan Pilaf RECIPE HERE If you don’t have red onion, like I didn’t, use HALF of the white onion.

So while I was slaving away for a belated Thanksgiving, my friend Carly was eating West African food at her boyfriend’s sisters place. They are from Sierra Leone, and the food is VERY spicy hot. No fair, no fair. What a waste -- Carly hates spices of any kind (lives on Spaghetti-o's and McDonalds). But they would be insulted if she didn’t eat, so she ate their mildest dish with tons of milk. The sister was so impressed, she made Carly a special batch and gave her some spice mix.(Carly wanted to THROW IT AWAY!Aaaaaah!)

It was couscous with some vegetable that was totally new to me. I brought Courtney, of Naughty Curry a small bowl of it, just so she could tell me what the vegetable is--. plantain, found only at the Asian grocer in our town. So that’s where I went. I lightly fried two plantains cubed in a little oil and what was left of the spice mix. Then I stirred in the Veggie Couscous Upma from the NC site [RECIPE HERE]. Oh my god! Oh my god! I immediately made Hamburger Helper to divert Vin. I'm kind of a selfish bitch when it comes to food. Oh well.

Indian-Spiced Couscous with African-Spiced Plantain Above is Veggie Couscous Upma [RECIPE HERE]mixed with the addition of spicy sautéed plantains. Better than sex (lately, anyway. haha) The plantains were sauteed with a spicy hot mix, and the couscous Upma is a super quick-easy-tasty dish that takes 15 min. tops. (you just need frozen veggies and a lime)

Swear to god that I am like Wendy in Peter Pan, taking care of a bunch of big dumbass lost boys, except I'm always telling them, "I ain't your mama! I shouldn't have to tell you (fill in the blank.)" But who am I kidding? I love my boys. And I love to feed them. 
So the other night it was Celebration Poker Night in my kitchen (the election was over, no more phone calls, ads, etc.) They wanted a huge platter of Bang Bang Bacon Bitches [RECIPE HERE]. The deal was, if they could show me their voting sticker, I would make their Bitches. [They all believe I invented them myself, and that I am a genius. I let them -- I'm kind of a liar like that.]
 Anyway, all you do is mix in spices with cream cheese, spread it on the tips of bacon slices, insert jalapeno slices, and roll em up. Everyone LOVES them. Its cool. So...can anyone here vouch for Boca bacon?

Bang Bang Bacon Bitches These be the Bitches [RECIPE HERE]. You can easily make them in advance for a party, then quick shove em in the oven when it's show time.

Vin made me do it. Clean out my closet. I’ve been fudging on it for months now, and he finally took no mercy. Clothes that I do not officially wear had to go. After the dramatic experience, I felt totally out of shape , and made (what Vin and I call ) Popeye Patty Cakes [RECIPE HERE]. Its basically potatoes, spinach, peas, onions, garlic and spices…all mashed up and fried in a titch of oil. The original recipe uses mustard greens, but you know Vin and his spinach. Spinach is much easier, anyway. Not so stiff.
Anyway, it is full of vitamin and stuff, bursting with spice-love and something for Vin to gobble with his plate of bacon. But then I ended up eating them with those buttery ready-made pastry shells, full of trans-fats (whatever those are) so whatever.

Spicy Popeye Pattycakes Say hello to Peppy Green Pattycakes [RECIPE HERE], made with stuff easily found in your pantry. The texture is soothing, and the flavor is bursting with spice-love. Healthy, low fat, vegan, all that good stuff. Fun little twerps.

"Look at what momma has, boys!" I told the big group of cavemen that gathered for the big game at my house the other night.
 I’m really super proud about this one, and I’ll tell you why. Loaded nachos with NO CHEESE, and no one missed it. See, there was this awkward thing going on because one of Vin’s biggest beer drinking buds, can no longer eat wheat. That’s totally weird, since this guy used to be a garbage gut. Now he just brings rice chips and mineral water. I felt bad for the guy even though he is kind of a prick, so I used my new spice knowledge to come up with this frickin awesome wheat-free nachos. [Well actually they are honey-dijon rice chips.]
 What makes it is this sensational tangy hot Screaming Green hot sauce [RECIPE HERE] that is like this crazy jolt of flavor. Also in the pile is spicy rice, soy sour cream, and salsa. Best part is, I only told him it was wheat free. Everyone demolished it. The end.

Spicy Loaded Rice Crisp Fixins A funky pile of spicy rice, honey-dijon rice crisps, soy sour cream, salsa, and the main mojo ingredient, Screaming Green hot sauce [RECIPE HERE]. We were wolves while we ate this, serious.

"I like apples," was the first thing Vin ever said to me, at the club where he used to work. I was wearing a tight t-shirt with an apple on the chest. I thought then that it was a compliment to my chest. Turns out he really is an apple fanatic. The entire bottom drawer in our fridge is devoted to his apples. The kid knows every variety (it's his dream BTW to be an apple farmer in New Zealand one day. Don't tell him I told you.)

He's always bugging me to make fruit salad. You know, the kind with gobs of whipped cream. But I'm more of a salty-hot chick, and anyway I've had enough of that stuff from my Midwest childhood. So when I saw this recipe, using Indian spices, I thought it would be a good compromise.( I used soy yogurt so that my vegan friend could eat some, and I'll be buying soy from now on! ) Everyone at the going-away party loved it, and Vin had me make his own batch. He said it would be even better if I would add chunks of crushed Snickers bar, like his mama used to. I told him to shut up.

Zucchini-Apple Bliss Salad Magically pepped up with non-hot spices [RECIPE HERE]. The dressing is just yogurt, so it's very light. I used soy yogurt, and no one could tell.

This has been the summer of these *Curry-Ranch Oyster Crackers*. They zoom with flavor. I swear they give you a buzz. I love them and I can’t stop eating them. I hate them because I can’t stop eating them. My friend Trobee of the Naughty Curry blog would bring over a batch IF I would do her laundry. Vin kept eating them all up, and the situation was causing heated fights, so I had Trobee make them with extra cayenne so that he would stay away (though sometimes he would try. How I loved seeing HIM cry for once. Haha.)

And all this time they were so simple and cheap to make. Grrr. Trobee (the little wench) made it seem like she was a spice goddess and that it was complicated. I guess the NC blog was never planning to post the recipe – but all our friends kept bugging them. So here it is. If you like spice at ALL, I promise you will go wild for these. Like everyone else. You can use however much hot stuff you want.

Curry-Spiced Oyster Crackers My favorite munchie. Tangy-Hot-Zesty fireworks in my mouth, my good god I can't stop eating them! I finally got the recipe (CLICK HERE), which is a very good thing and very bad...