Monthly Archives: September 2021

Chile de Arbol Salsa

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The Chile de árbol (Spanish for tree chili) is a small and potent Mexican chili pepper also known as bird’s beak chile and rat’s tail chile. These chilis are about 2 to 3 in long, and 0.26 to 0.39 in in diameter. Their heat index is between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville units and 50,000-65,000 SHU Capsicum Annuum.

At 30,000 SHU, this is 6 times hotter than the average jalapeno pepper. The peppers can carry some high heat, though would be more comparable in heat to a serrano pepper or cayenne pepper.

The peppers start out green and turn a bright red color as they mature. Chile de árbol peppers can be found fresh, dried, or powdered. As dried chiles, they are often used to decorate wreaths because they do not lose their red color after dehydration.

I’ve been working on this chile de arbol salsa (what we call “hot sauce” in the US) for at least five years. My first serious notes about it are dated summer of 2012, but I’d been trying out variations before then.

Here’s my version of chile de arbol salsa. Try it on tamales, fried tacos, breakfast tacos, even pizza. Pretty much rules on everything.

UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel breaks collarbone in loss to Louisville

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UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel has a broken left collarbone, a person with knowledge of the situation had told the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday, and soon after he confirmed the diagnosis on social media.

The program hasn’t commented on the injury to Gabriel’s throwing arm and hasn’t officially ruled him out for the season.

Gabriel said his collarbone won’t require surgery and there is “no timetable for my return.”

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Shrimp Scampi

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Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations.

This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile of pasta or with a hunk of crusty bread. However you make the dish, once the shrimp are added to the pan, the trick is to cook them just long enough that they turn pink all over, but not until their bodies curl into rounds with the texture of tires.

Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando fire: All dogs safe; dozens of cats feared dead

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Dozens of cats were likely killed in a fire at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando location on Conroy Road late Wednesday, officials said.

About 25 dogs were inside the shelter at the time, and all got out safe, officials said.

Orange County Fire Rescue around 10:20 p.m. responded to the fire at the 5,000 square-foot building, which was 50% involved in flames, spokeswoman Lisa McDonald said.

Flames could be seen through the roof of the building.

Pet Alliance Executive Director Steve Bardy said there were about 35 cats in the shelter at the time and that “probably 20 to 30 cats” were killed in the fire.

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Feds capping Regeneron shipments

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Officials set Florida’s weekly supply of monoclonal antibody treatments to 30,950 doses.

The Biden administration is capping the supply of a COVID-19 treatment heavily promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis as demand soars in states hit hard by the delta surge.

DeSantis has opened 25 clinics across the state that provide Regeneron’s antibody cocktail at no cost to patients, but state officials are concerned about new supply limits implemented this week by the federal government, said Christina Pushaw, the governor’s spokesperson.

Federal health officials are setting Florida’s weekly supply of monoclonal antibody treatments at 30,950 doses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A box and vial of the Regeneron monoclonal antibody is seen at a new COVID-19 treatment site opened by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Florida’s state clinics and private providers have been ordering about 72,000 doses a week, Pushaw said. About 36,000 doses are required weekly to supply the state clinics, she said.

“We didn’t get any notice or time to prepare for this — neither did any providers in Florida,” Pushaw said. “We were blindsided by this and the deficit is pretty significant, but it is the governor’s priority to make sure we fill that gap.”

Health care providers and states are no longer able to order the drug from the federal government. Instead, states will get a weekly allotment based on infection and hospitalization rates.

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What is a Tea Towel

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If your house is anything like mine, you probably have a host of tea towels lying around: There’s one by the kitchen sink, another hanging in the powder room, and five more tucked away in a drawer, ready to rotate in when the others need to be thrown in the wash.

But what actually makes a tea towel a tea towel, and why are they called tea towels in the first place?

The main difference comes down to the material: Unlike your run-of-the-mill, super-absorbent bath or hand towels, tea towels are generally flat-woven from linen or cotton, rather than made of a higher-pile material like terry cloth, so as not to leave lint or streaks behind.

While tea towels are nearly ubiquitous these days, the tea towel’s beginnings were far from humble. It’s thought that they first became popular in 18th century England, when textiles became more easily accessible. Often made from soft linen, tea towels were a favorite accessory amongst the upper echelons of English society, as the ladies of the house used them during tea service and for drying cherished china. (This was apparently one of the jobs they didn’t pass off to servants, as they didn’t want to risk any broken saucers. The horror!) The linen tea towels were also a way for women to show off their decorative stitching skills, as they would embroider them to coordinate with the rest of their table linens.

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