Author Archives: Mike from Madness

About Mike from Madness

Mike Hultquist is a chili pepper and spicy food enthusiast with an insane desire to play in the kitchen. He's all about cooking with chili peppers, but also loves chili pepper gardening, preserving, and experimenting with new and creative ways to incorporate spicy food into life. He's also a produced screenwriter, novelist, food writer and web site developer.

Lucky Dog Hot Sauce – an Interview

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Mike from Madness

We have a new interview posted at Hot Sauce Madness with Scott Zalkind of Lucky Dog Hot Sauce, a popular new sauce. Scott shared with us his experience in starting up his hot sauce company and what it takes to deliver your hot sauce vision to the world. Thanks, Scott! Continue reading →

Posted in Hot Sauce, Interviews | Tagged , , , , , |

Carbonara with Roasted Jalapenos and Avocado

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Mike from Madness

When we were in Italy last year, we ordered carbonara as often as we could. The perfect combination of pasta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, pancetta and pepper, it always satisfies, especially with a dash of fresh Italian olive oil. I’ve made … Continue reading →

Posted in Chili Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Pasta, Recipes, Shrimp | Tagged , , , , , , |

A Spicy Cinco de Mayo Breakfast

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Mike from Madness

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We hope you’re having fun celebrating the day in the best way possible. We’re celebrating the way we love to celebrate – with food. And we’re doing it homemade. With chili peppers, of course. We roasted up some jalapeno peppers and incorporated them into a couple different breakfast recipes. I wanted Mexican style breakfast tacos, while Jalapeno Miss wanted an omelet. No problem! Get your Cinco on today. Continue reading →

Posted in Chili Peppers, Chili Peppers for Breakfast, Jalapeno Peppers, Recipes | Tagged |

A Cinco de Mayo Menu

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Mike from Madness

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th, that is) celebrates the victory of the Mexican army in 1862 over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). It is not a major holiday in Mexico, but has been embraced in the United States by Mexican-American populations, and has grown in popularity over the years. Mexicans and non-Mexicans enjoy celebrating the holiday for the sheer act of celebrating, which typically include Mexican traditions, and that includes Mexican cuisine.

If you plan on celebrating at home, here are a few recipes to help make your Cinco de Mayo party an authentic one. Continue reading →

Posted in Chili Peppers, Jalapeno Poppers, Poblano Peppers, Recipes, Spicy Drink Recipes, Stuffed Chili Peppers | Tagged , , , |

Chipotle-Bacon-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Mike from Madness

This is by far one of our favorite barbecue style sauces over at Chili Pepper Madness. With the weather turning warmer, it’s time to bust out the grills and get your smoke on. The great thing about barbecue sauce is that it goes on just about anything, and this sauce is no exception. We like to make it ahead of time and let it sit in the refrigerator so we can use it all week. Try it out on anything you can grill – fish, pork, beef, chicken. It is so good. Continue reading →

Posted in Jalapeno Peppers, Recipes, Sauces | Tagged , , , , , |

An Interview with Doug Lins of Scoville Brothers Gourmet Hot Sauces

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Mike from Madness

I recently spoke with Doug Link of Scoville Brothers Gourmet Hot Sauces. He shared a bit about his business of hot sauce making. If you’ve ever considered selling your own hot sauce, it is best to learn from those already … Continue reading →

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Smoked Pork Loin with 7 Pot Barrackpore Rub

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Mike from Madness

Cooking with superhot chili peppers is fun. Did I really just say “fun”? Absolutely. There are few things more life affirming that cooking with some of the hottest foods in the world. Lucky for me there are more and more varieties of superhot available to cook with. Case in point – the 7 Pot Barrackpore. I got a hold of some of these in their dried form and ground them up into a spicy rub to season a center cut pork loin, then smoked it with apple wood chips for several hours. The result? Spice heaven! The meat was fork tender, spicy, and highly flavorful. I served it over a butternut squash-roasted red pepper puree and topped it with apple matchsticks and a bit of hot pepper jelly. An excellent combination. Continue reading →

Posted in 7 Pot Barrackpore, Chili Pepper News, Chili Peppers, Marinades, Pork Recipes, Recipes | Tagged , |

Plant Chili Peppers for Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Mike from Madness

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We know that most of you will be encouraged to plant a tree in honor of Earth Day. While you’re at it, try your hand at gardening as well. A garden is a wonderful way to support the Earth and also for eating fresh and healthy. Chili peppers are a perfect garden choice, delivering a huge variety, numerous health benefits of chili peppers, idea flavors and addictive spice. Plant your chili peppers today for Earth Day! Continue reading →

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Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes – with Chili Peppers

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Mike from Madness

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month (yes, did you know the entire month of April is dedicated to grilled cheese sandwiches?), we have created 2 different recipes for grilled cheese sandwiches that highlight chili peppers in different ways. We’re not trying to hide the chili peppers here. Instead, we’re trying to blend them in so their flavors compliment the selection of cheeses. These two were quite delicious. Continue reading →

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Chipotle-Tomato Sauce Recipe

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mike from Madness

If you are a fan of the smoky chipotle pepper, this chipotle infused tomato sauce will add a new dimension to your meal. We thickened it up a bit with a roux, added pureed cooked vegetables, and let it simmer to allow the flavors to develop. It took on a stew-like quality, nice and thick. Continue reading →

Posted in Chili Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Recipes, Salmon, Sauces, Seafood | Tagged , , , , , , , |