Ready for ACTION! Updates and Calenders…

Holy SMOKES!! it’s been a strong kick off to 2012. First I want to thank everyone who checked out my epsiode of CHOPPED….I’m sure most of you have already heard the interviews and followed along, so we’ll move on at this point, BUT if you are out of the loop the episode was “Chop on Through: Episode 2, season 10.” and is available to stream online.

Now onto what’s happening…. Following the episode, Nicole and I had a great vacation to kick off the year. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas and it was a great way to completely keep ourselves from working! Believe it or not it was our first real vacation that did not include any work, demos or events in about two years AND it was our very FIRST Vacation as Husband and Wife…(In case you missed that we were married on October 22nd, 2012.) The trip was amazing and while we were away codes were being generated, product was being produced and our HUGE Groupon Promotion was preparing to run!

As of right now there is two days left of the Groupon and If you are already familiar with our products it’s a great chance to stock up and if you’re not you can’t go wrong with trying them out. It’s our hopes that this promotion will get a whole new group of people familiar with what we do best…..making exceptionally tasty, all-natural sauces with a bold heat and having a whole lotta” fun doing it!

While that’s been taking up most of our time this week, as well as the time of A LOT of friends, we’ve been working on many back end upgrades. From shipping elements, to new promotional material to general business funtion….Still we’ve managed to start filling up the calender….So without further adieu…:

1/27: We’ll be demoing our products from 12-4 at Sunflower Market in Woodstock NY, then from 5PM on we’ll be at Cheese Louise in Kingston, NY.

2/3: We’ll be demoing at Whole Foods at Columbus Circle, NYC from 3-7

2/4: We’ll be demoing at Italian Riviera in Waldwick, NJ from 10AM on…..

2/7: I’ll be seeing Mark Lanegan play at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC.

2/10-12 It’ll be our 3rd year at the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention!!! Awesome time!

2/18 & 19: The North Market Fiery Foods Festival, Columbus, OH!! This will be our 3rd year and our second year putting on the Fiery Corn Bread Challenge!!

2/24: 1776 Beverage Co. will finally launch our first THREE official Flavors!!

2/25 Our Products will a featured demo at JUNGLE JIMS, Fairfield, OH. This demo will be brought to you by the staff at Jungle Jims.

3/4,5,6: This will be our first year exhibiting at the NYC Restaurant and Service Industry Expo, Javits Center, NYC.

3/9: We’ll be back at the Columbus Circle Whole Foods!

3/10: I’ll be putting on a very special cooking demo at Chef Central, Paramus, NJ

Of course once again this year we’ll be at Peppers at the Beach, with a very special giveaway, and also doing our monthly demos at Peppers beginning in April. We’ll also be at Bowers, WOF, Grillmasters and MANY others with demos sprinkled in between!

As always we appreciate everyones support, suggestions and friendship!!!!

 

 

Soups, Chili and Fire! Some recipes from Shelby.

Well what is better in these cold winter months than some soup and chili! Thanks to our friend Shelby, he’s got you covered…..and they are fiery HBD versions too! Shelby recently posted these three recipes on our facebook page and I thought we’d share them all with you!

ENJOY and Have a wonderful holiday!

**Heartbreaking Italian Bread Soup

2 cans beef broth
2 soup cans water
3 14.5 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
4 cups stale italian or french bread, broken
into small pieces
1/2 lb. ground Italian sausage (get mild, we’ll add the hot)
1/2 lb. ground chuck
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons Heartbreaking Dawn 1498 Scorpion Sauce
Topping: more Parmesan cheese

Put the broth, water, tomatoes plus their liquid and the
bread into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over a high
heat, mashing the bread and tomatoes against the side of
the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring
occasionally.

Cook the sausage and onion in a non-stick skillet. Add the
sausage, onions, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to
the soup.

Cook for five more minutes, ladle into bowls and top with
more Parmesan cheese.

This stuff is simply The Shizzle of Soup. It tastes like pizza.

**HEARTBREAKING POTATO SOUP 

10-12 Russet potatoes quartered
1 1/2 cup milk
2 TBS butter
Celery-finely chopped 1/2 stalk or less
Carrot strings-finely chopped 2 TSP or less
1 TSP Black Pepper
Celery Salt-to taste
1 t Chili Powder
1/2 t Paprika
1/4 t Cumin
3 TSP Parsely Flakes
1/2 t Basil
1/2 t Oregano
1 t red pepper flakes
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Potato Soup
Heartbreaking Dawn’s 1498 Scorpion Sauce 1 TBS*
http://www.heartbreakingdawns.com/
Sunshine Hollow’s Mean Jean 3-Pepper Hot Sauce 3 TBS*
http://www.sunshinehollow.com/
*MORE OR LESS TO TASTE

O.K., before everyone starts screaming “You don’t put veggies in potato soup!”, the celery and carrots are practically invisible and are just there for seasoning. Get over it, it’s my soup. Put the peeled and quartered potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add the celery and carrots. Boil until the potatoes are falling apart. Mash them into a sludge with a potato masher and then add the other ingredients. Slow simmer for a couple of hours. If you want hotter soup, add more hot sauce to individual servings along with grated cheddar cheese. You can also top with some of those canned fried onions if you wish. This is good, trust me.

**HEARTBREAKING HOT CHILI RECIPE
INGREDIENTS

Ground Chuck- 1-1/2 LB.
Onion 1-MEDIUM, CHOPPED
Garlic 2-3 CLOVES, CRUSHED
Black Pepper 1 TBS.
Beef Broth 2-3 CUPS
Rotel Tomatoes 2 CANS ORIGINAL
Tomato Sauce 2 CANS
Chili Powder 3 TBS.
Cumin 1 TBS
Paprika 1 t
Oregano 1 t
Basil 1 t
Sugar 1 TBS
Worchestershire Sauce 1 TBS
Chili Beans (optional) 2 CANS
Sunshine Hollow’s Mean Jean 3-Pepper Hot Sauce 3 TBS*
http://www.sunshinehollow.com/
Heartbreaking Dawn’s 1498 Scorpion Sauce 1 TBS*
Heartbreaking Dawn’s Ghost Pepper Sauce 2 TBS*
http://www.heartbreakingdawns.com/
*MORE OR LESS TO TASTE

Brown the meat in a skillet with the onions and add the garlic at the end to prevent scorching. Put the meat and all the other ingredients in a dutch oven or crock pot and simmer on low for several hours. If you don’t have the name brand hot sauces, order them. You simply cannot substitute crap like Tabasco or Franks and get the same result. The Scorpion and Ghost Chili sauces are very hot, so them must be used sparingly, but the flavor is simply magnificent. The Mean Jean sauce combines hot and sweet peppers and I use it all the time for a variety of cooking. Trust me, using good ingredients makes all the difference in the world. I’ve provided the links, it’s easy to order, the stuff is not expensive, so you have no excuses other than your own laziness and complacency. If you don’t want beans in your Chili, just leave them out, don’t lecture me on WHAT IS and WHAT IS NOT chili.

 

The mac’n'cheese kid……that’s what they called him!

Hello everybody! Tomorrow is the Annual FROZENDALE event in Rosendale, NY. There all all types of events, specials and sales, a small parade, a lighting of some sorts, and HBD……We’ll be at TWISTED FOODS on Main St. with a wonderful assortment of Gift Baskets!! Twisted foods also carries our individual sauces and products if you are looking to put your own set together. Anyway I saw that the BIG CHEESE on Main Street was putting on a Mac’n'Cheese Bake-OFF….It’s been sometime that I’ve done some competitive cooking so I thought I’d get involved.

Sooooooooo, Here is the recipe!! I started off by boiling 2# of shells with a 1 Tbs of Smoked Kosher Salt. While that was happening, I minced up 3 oz of nice prosciutto, 3 oz of baby portabella mushrooms and 3 cloves of garlic. I softened that all up in 2 Tbs of rendered duck fat. When that was all ready, I added 2 cups Half and Half, 12 oz of shredded Monterey Jack, 12 oz of New York Sharp Cheddar and 1/2 oz of Brie. I simmered that and let it all melt down. I strained and poured the shells into a baking pan and then mixed in my scrumptous cheese sauce. After mixing that all around I topped it of with a little panko and a dusting of Storyville Cajun blend and let that bake for about 10 minutes. The result, well I say it’s Delicious, we’ll see what the judges have to say tomorrow!

INGREDIENTS: 2# shells of your choice, 2 T rendered duck fat or butter, 3 oz prosciutto, 3 oz baby portabella mushroom, 3 clove garlic, 2 C half and half, 12 oz shredded monterey jack, 12 oz NY sharp cheddar, 1/2 Brie. A handful of Panko, 1 T Storyville Blend.

 

The HBD BLACK FRIDAY Extravaganza!!

Starting at MIDNIGHT, just after Thanksgiving, the HBD Black Friday Blowout begins!!! For 24 hours you can use the code “black” for 50% off EVERYTHING on our website….as you may know we’ve already got some amazing gift sets up on the site….If you want to put together your own order we’re doing FREE gift wrapping on everything!!! If you want to add a personal message on a holiday card, we’ve got you covered! You know what else, if you want to put together your very own Holiday selection you can call our 24 hour Super Santa Hotline at 646-957-3484. We’ll help you put together exactly what you want for that very special someone….We’re doing what you need for the spiciest Holiday Season EVER!!!!! Don’t miss this phenomenal 24 hour event!!! 

 

Finally!! The HBD SIP PARTY!!! November 5th.

Alright guys, we’ve had some delays with that crazy weather and schedule conflicts BUT it is FINALLY here! This November 5th at 8PM, come on down to SiP Lounge (Amsterdam Avenue b/t 109 and 110, NYC) We’ve hung some amazing art by Jae Connor of Electric Lotus Tattoo (Boonton, NJ) for your viewing pleasure. Jae has painted the label art for a number of our products.  The work is also for sale. Also, Sip will be doing a full tapas menu featuring Heartbreaking Dawns Hot Sauces……..which will be delicious. AND I know Siris will be mixoligizing up some tasty fiery cocktails! If you are in the tri-state area and love firey food, cocktails, art and soothing sounds…..THIS is the night for you! See you all then.

 

Firehead’s Crabcake Poppers! MMMMMMMM….

FIREHEAD’S CRABCAKE POPPERS

1 lb. Lump crab meat

1 lb. Claw crab meat

2 tbs. finely chopped Serrano peppers (or hot pepper of your choice)

1/3 cup mayo

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tbs. low sodium worchestershire sauce

Old Bay seasoning (to taste, at least 1 tbs.)

1 egg

1 ½ cups of finely crushed cracker crumbs ( I use Townhouse or Ritz)

 Few dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I used Heartbreaking Dawn’s 1542 in this batch)

 

Most people fry their crab cakes, but I prefer to use the bake/broil method at home (it’s a little healthier). Of course, if you’re making them in the field at a tailgate party, then frying them up is the easier way to go as long as you have the equipment to do so. The quality of the crab meat you use here is not very important. If I am making a crab cake dinner, I will opt to use jumbo lump, but since these are meant to be snacks at a football beer drinking fest, you can get away with the less expensive “cuts”.

What I do:

Pre-heat oven to 375*

Fold the above listed ingredients together in a large bowl, try not to over mix, as you want the crab meat to stay somewhat “chunky”. Form the crab mixture into little balls (I made mine about the size of golf balls, maybe a little bigger), and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. The above ingredients should give you at least 20 decent sized poppers. Sprinkle the tops with a little more Old Bay and bake at 375 for around 20 minutes, then put your oven on a Low Broil setting, flip your crab poppers over and broil until golden brown. You’ll just have to keep a close eye on them, since all ovens are different.

Serve warm with some fresh lemon juice sprinkled over top, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or a roumelade sauce. Believe me, they won’t last long!!

 

Firehead’s Backyard Baltimore Pitt Beef

FIREHEAD’S BACKYARD BALTIMORE PITT BEEF1 or 2 Bottom Round Beef RoastsVegetable Oil ¼ cup Kosher salt ¼ cup black pepper 1/8 cup garlic powder 1/8 cup onion powder   Coat the roasts with veggie oil, then liberally rub the spices all over the beef, don’t be shy. Wrap the meat up tightly in saran wrap and let the meat marinade at least over night, but preferably 48 hours. If you’re cooking for chile-heads, try adding a dose of super hot chile powder to your rub (Yellow 7 Pot or Chocolate Habanero powders would probably add a nice flavor and kick!)   Set your charcoal grill up as pictured, making two separate columns of coals with a space in between about the size of your roasts. Get your meat to room temp before placing on the grill. Once your coals are ready, place the meat between the coals and cook on each side for about 15 minutes. You should be getting a nice charred crust on the outside. Once you have rotated the beef around on all 6 sides, take an internal temp. I like to pull mine off at about 130* for the cool side of medium rare. Let them rest, covered in foil off the heat for at least 20 minutes before slicing. I realize that not everybody has access to a deli slicer, but that is really the way to go here if you want authentic Pitt Beef sandwiches. But, if you can’t get to a slicer, just slice your meat by hand as thin as possible, it will still be great piled up on a roll, with some raw onion, bbq sauce, pickle and horseradish! Don’t be surprised if you and your friends are able to eat an entire pound of this delectable beef in one sitting…that’s why I always make at least 2 roasts!! Store your sliced meat in an air tight zip lock bag and much on it all week.

 

Spicy Apple Mint Polenta!

Spicy Apple Mint Polenta

Take 1 package pre cooked polenta (these come in a roll like cookies) and slice it into pieces about 3/4 inch thick. Brush each side with olive oil. Lay out on a grill rack and dust with sea salt and black pepper.

Grill on a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until bottom is golden. Turn over and distribute about a tablespoon of soft goat cheese over each. Close the grill cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Lay these out on your serving tray and top of with the apple mint salsa.

For the salsa dice:

1- large tomato

2 slices of red onion

1 clove garlic

1 apple

add 2 tbs of 1841 Ghost Pepper Sauce

salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan and let in get hot, flash saute the salsa, stir on high for 3 minutes and remove from heat, add 9 minced mint leaves and let cool. and remove from eat. Put in a container and let chill until you are ready to serve.

 

Cajun Craw Stuffed Bass!

So today I felt like getting in the mood for our upcoming NOLA trip and doing something with our Storyville Cajun Rub and a little Crawfish! Here’s what you’ll need to do to recreate this deliciousness at home.

In a large saucepan, melt 8 Tbs butter. Saute 1 minced garlic clove & 1 whole mince shallot. Onece those guys start to soften and get aromatic, add 2 stalks diced celery, 1/2 diced belle pepper and 2 diced shitake mushrooms. Let them gel in with the other ingredients for about 1 minute and then add 1/8 cup of Heartbreaking Dawns Storyville Cajun Blend. Finally you are going to add 3 oz of fresh spinach and toss it in until they soften and shrink up a bit. Let this mix get down to room temperature.

Your next step is to add 1lb of cooked crawfish tails and 1/2 cup of Panko Crumbs. Now that this is all mixed up you are going to take out the Black Bass. I used a 2 Lb. Black Bass, cleaned, head-on. After a nice rub down of a light olive oil, sprinkle a little bit of sea-salt and crushed black pepper on each side. Then STUFF, STUFF, STUFF that sucker full of the craw mixture. While doing this step your grill should be getting up to temp.

For this fish, being it was pretty sizable, and stuffed to the gills (literally) I used a grill top flat with holes. Oil it up a bit and lay that fish on. For this size and being it is stuffed I’d suggest 9-10 minutes per side on a low to low medium heat TOP CLOSED! When you are done, lay that fish over a bed of spinach and finish it off with a drizzle of 1498 Trinidad Scorpion Sauce….next stop, Heaven!!

 

Decadent Fiery Triple Cream!

It’s so tasty and so easy it should be straight up illegal!! Got some friends coming over and want to put out a decadent and tasty appetizer. Maybe it’s just a wine and cheese thing or maybe it’s a prequel to a light seafood dinner. Whatever the reason here is what you will need.

1 wedge of St. Andre’s Triple Creamed Cheese

1 jar of HBD Fiery Trail Preserves

1 small bag of Pine nuts

A vessel of some sort, water crackers, mini bilini, get creative.

Slice the wedge horizontally into three parts, be very delicate in this part. As a suggestion run your knife under hot water and clean well in between cuts. Lay down the first piece and top with 1-2 Tbs of Fiery Trail Preserves…Lay the 2nd piece on top of this and repeat. Finally lay the top and grace it with a decoratively placed Tbs and finish with some pine nuts. Maybe even garnish with some fresh mint from you garden. It is best to serve this at room temperature some the cheese has softened a bit. ENJOY!