Recipe - Falco's Fire Sauce

It's been quite a while since I posted a recipe here. Using the ingredients shown in the picture below, I actually measured everything today while I whipped up a batch of this, though I've been making this sauce for over a month now.

This zesty sauce can be used as a marinate, barbecue sauce, or condiment. I use it on hot dogs both as a catchup replacement, or brushing the dogs with it before grilling. It's really great with vegetables too. I often toss veggies with it, and fry them on the stove with eggbeaters as a spicy garden omelet. It's as tasty with seafood as it is with any kind of meat. I've even brushed it on corn on the cob and then grilled the corn. While this recipe has heat, cooking mitigates a good portion of this. For those with limited tolerance for hot foods, you probably do not want to use this uncooked as I often do.

WARNING! Use caution when preparing this recipe and handling habenro peppers and other spicy ingredients! Afterward make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Rubbing your eyes after de-seeding a Habenaro pepper can be quite the unforgettable experience! Use caution when removing the lid of the blender after blending. The fumes arising from the blender can be irritating to the eyes and throat (makes your mouth water for some of this, don't it??). No kidding here! Th first time I made this I followed the chef's instinct to take the lid off the blander and smell my creation. BIG mistake! My eyes watered profusely, my throat almost clogged shut, and I coughed for an hour afterward. I also rubbed my tearing eyes with the hands that had been rinsed in water......it...was......memorable!! Ingredients: 1 7 oz jar Conimex Sambal Oelek (It must be this brand) 1 7 oz can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (I use Embassa brand usually) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup water 1 cup Splenda 2 tbs curry powder 2 tbs paprika 2 tbs onion powder 1 tbs cumin 2 Habenaro peppers (seeds in or out; in makes it spicier!) 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (only 1 tsp; don't want to make it too spicy!) 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves Juice from one lime Note: Those not concerned about sugar or calories can substitute 1/2 to 3/4 cup of honey for the Splenda. Preparation: In a blender add the jar of Sambal Oelek, the habaneros, the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the red wine vinegar, the Habenaros, and 1/4 cup of water. COVER! Blend on liquefy or puree until smooth. Wait a minute or two before carefully removing cover, as mentioned above the fumes of this first blend can be most powerful! Seriously! Add remaining ingredients and again blend until smooth. Keeps for about 8 days in the fridge, I sometimes split the batch and put half in a freezer storage bag and freeze for up to a month. ENJOY!!

Sunday (Day 91)

Yesterday was 90 days on my diet and exercise or Lifestyle Modification Plan as I have been referring to it, as it is more than a diet and must be a new way of life for me going forward after the mishap that happened 91 days ago when I collapsed and nearly passed out. I had dizzy spells and vertigo for weeks afterward. I was, in sad shape!

I am up to no more than 1100 calories/day during the week, though some days I am in the 900s, and on Sundays I allow myself 1500 calories. The first week I did 600 calories a day, the next week 700, the third week 800, and then I did 900 for a few weeks, then 1000 for a few weeks, and now I will do a max of 1100 calories a day for a few weeks.

I exercise every day, and these days I am up to 75-90 minutes of exercise a day. I have lost 68 pounds as of Friday's weigh-in, which puts me 2 pounds shy of the half way point. My blood pressure and blood sugar are much better! I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there. Fear is a great coach!

They say it takes 90 days for something to become a habit. The whole routine is getting a bit easier so maybe there is some truth in that. I picked up sweet rolls for the kid's breakfast this AM when I shopped, and I had my usual nutrition shake. I did that without a second thought when it used to be very difficult. I have not stepped into a restaurant or had takeout food (other a few Chicken McNuggets one Sunday) in all this time, though I do get Italian food and Chinese takeout for Scott and Danielle. They eat that and I eat my food. It's been a radical departure from my usual eating habits! I do allow myself one guilty pleasure. When I take them to Burger King or McDonalds I allow myself 2 fries from each of them.

My warm thanks to my friends who have encouraged and supported me in this effort. I really appreciate it!

Anyway, enough about my health issues, on to other boring things!

It was a gorgeous day here, it got up into the 80' but it's dropped down into the 70s at the moment. The humidity after starting out around 60% when I awoke this morning is down to about 35%. There has been a fresh breeze blowing all day and the AC was last run Friday evening when the humidity made it too uncomfortable to sleep.

It is certainly not a typical July where I expect it to be hot and humid, and have the AC running from the afternoon on until about 1 AM so the house is OK for sleeping in.

I love weather like this!

Scott went to the lake yesterday and because he rarely burns he passed on my offer of sun tan lotion and is now paying the price. While he is not severely burned he has enough sunburn to be very uncomfortable. Maybe next time he will listen! I remember once at his age I got burned so badly I had blisters filled with yellow fluid all over my chest, arms, and legs....it is an experience you only need to have once and since then I have religiously prepared exposed skin when headed out to the hot sun for extended periods.

So, as today was Sunday I made a nice dinner for us. I picked up a three pack of Delmonico steaks this AM at the store along with some boneless skinless chicken tenders, and some corn on the cob. The chicken I marinated with Sambal Oelek, along with diced garlic and habanero peppers plus some lime juice. I skewered the chicken and chunks of onions, and grilled them along with the corn on the cob and the steaks.

The kids ate the steaks, I ate the chicken, and we enjoyed the grilled onions and corn as well. It was a most excellent dinner and they were pleased to have three steaks to devour between the two of them. The local grocer, Forest Hills Foods features value or family packs of steaks, particularly on the weekends. Its always a crap shoot; luck of the draw as it were. I've learned to go early in the morning and even so today I had to go through all the packs to find the one I procured, but for $10 and change for three Delmonico steaks.....you can't beat that!

A Busy Saturday

Tomorrow is Father's Day - We will be having it here, so in addition to the work I am doing on my rear sliding doors there are other things to be done today in preparation for tomorrow.

It has stopped raining and the sun is out. It is a Saturday and no work! So, today will be good just tiring. Yesterday I spent over two hours re-screening one of the rear sliding doors. I have never re-screened a large sliding door and it was an adventure! I was more soaked with sweat when done than two days worth of exercise bike riding and after one of those session my shirt is soaked with sweat. The spline tool that came with the screen kit was cheap, so I ended up having to use a screwdriver after the tool to insure the spline was all the way down in the channel on the door.

It was a lot of work, but, it looks great, and the materials cost a fraction of what having someone coming to the house would have charged. And there is that feeling of accomplishment after doing a job one has never done, and doing it well.

The door I did yesterday was the slider for the Living Room and it is always sticking and popping out of the track. This morning I spent the better part of an hour cleaning out the bottom tracks for the Living Room and Kitchen sliding doors. They had all kinds of dirt and debris in them. Once the tracks are dry I will WD40 them. I also readjusted the four rollers on the Living Room slider. I think I finally have it well adjusted (unlike me!). Between the clean tracks and the WD40 perhaps it will stop sticking and jumping out of the track.

After all the bending yesterday working on the first door coupled with the bending this AM to clean out the tracks for both doors my back is not pleased with me but I told it suck it up as I must exercise in about half an hour and cool down. Then I must run out and pick up a better spline tool for kitchen slider awaits me on the dinning room table (I have a big table!). That one was way fun getting out of the frame, it has totally different rollers and tracks but I finally figured it out.

Once the kitchen slider is done I must go shopping for tomorrow and then the meat has to be cut up and marinated today - sigh! It's Father's Day, a day of rest for dads I would think, but because of my diet I must do the cooking . The kids, the X, and her folks will be here. It will be good to have everyone over, plus I can make sure Dad has a great meal for Father's Day. I don't really mind the grilling portion but the prep work is a pain. I have to make two different marinates. For my son Chris and I (and possibly Danielle) the marinate will be very spicy with chipotles in adobo sauce, Sambal Oelek, and fresh habanero, and a milder sauce for those who cannot handle the heat of what I am going to call Falco's Fire Sauce if it comes together as I plan. Both marinates will also feature other spices.

The house also needs some cleaning; yesterday was the end of my week with the kids and they've gone back to their mom's. If you have kids you know how messy the house can get. If you don't, and you are a slob, well, then you know too and you probably only clean when the board of health comes knocking on your door!

Back to dinner tomorrow I figure I will make the grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad, and if someone wants to bring dessert for the normal eating folks that's fine. Perhaps I will get strawberries and blueberries for me - we shall see. There will also be apple sauce for Dad and perhaps I'll make some baked beans too for everyone else.

The day's tasks would not appear so daunting if I was not so tired. It rained here until around 3 AM so I did not get to sleep until after that and only got four hours of broken sleep.

Perhaps I will feel better once I have exercised! Time to quaff down my morning nutrition shake and then after 30 minutes or so.....we ride! I exercise while watching shows from the Food Network! Yes! I am a glutton for punishment. I consider this my penance for letting myself get to the point I was at. it serves as a reminder of how I got there, and gives me something to look forward to; the occasional meal that goes above my daily caloric limits. It also gives me ideas for cooking, such as using chipotles in adobo sauce. After hearing Bobby Flay talk about it many times on shows like Iron Chef America, Grill It, and Throwdown, I finally bought some last weekend. This will be the second time I use it. It is awesome stuff.