Last month's newsletter drew the biggest response of any edition of The Heat! so far. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. It seems I'm not the only one who adds peppers to their chicken noodle soup...or omelettes, stews, crock pot meals and everything else for that matter. See Lisa, I told you so;)

So many of you sent your tips and recipes over the past month, I want to share them here. We'll have a great hint for storing and using the peppers from your fall harvest, several recipes for unique spicy dishes and also some random thoughts from YOU, the reader.

Finally, I'll share a great recipe for Kung Pao Chicken for you to try. And, once again, I want to thank you all for voting for me at the Chef2Chef culinary website. Now, enjoy these recipes, hints and tips and have a great month.

From the Readers

Our first tip today comes from Rosemarie in Kansas City:

"Here's a hint...for us gals with delicate hands and noses, it's wonderful.

We grow a huge crop of jalapenos each year and I can't bear to throw food away. I wash them and let them air dry. Then stuff them in freezer bags. I keep one in the kitchen refrigerator and the rest in the garage refrigerator.

When a recipe cries out for heat, I use a microplane and grate the FROZEN jalapeno right into it.
Sometimes with the seeds, sometimes without.

The beauty of this hint is -- no tears, no coughing, no burned hands."

She says this tip doesn't really work unless they are frozen. Give it a try when you have so many peppers you don't know what to do with them!

Lisa from Illinois shares her favorite lunch with us:

"I take a package of ramen noodles, any flavor. I chop one or two fresh jalapenos with a clove or two of garlic, mix with a couple of tablespoons of soy or teriyaki sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, several shakes of rice wine vinegar and just a touch of honey or brown sugar to round it off. It really makes a quarter's worth of ramen sing. Also, this same basic concoction is a great dipping sauce for grilled chicken or beef."

Sounds like a great "all-around" sauce that you can whip up in a few minutes.

The next recipe is also a quick and easy snack idea. It has been in my family for over 25 years. A reader, Mike, reminded me of how simple and tasty it is:

"This is more of a snacky thing but it is so good I don't know when to stop. You take a block of Velveeta cheese and cube it up in a glass microwave safe bowl-nuke it until it gets workable, stopping and stirring every couple of minutes. Then add a couple cans of Rotel chile salsa or what ever salsa you like.

We prefer the round Tostitos for dipping and like I said it's hard to stop once you start.

And hey who's to say you can't add a few chopped peppers to fire it up a tad..."

I couldn't agree with you more, Mike! This recipe is easy to tailor to your likes. Just add your favorite ingredients and you have a great snack or party treat.

Barbara from California also had a favorite party dip recipe to share:

SPICY TUNA DIP

Ingredients:
1 (13 oz) can tuna
1 (6.5 oz) jar or can jalapeno chiles, chopped
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Chopped cilantro

Directions:
Mix tuna with chopped jalapeno chiles and jalapeno liquid. Add onion to tuna mixture. Stir in mayonnaise until consistency is mushy. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

I just love anything you can eat with chips! We had readers say they put hot sauce on just about anything you can imagine, including a few things I had never even tried, like hot sauce on cantelope, and warm green sauce on french toast or hot cakes with syrup? Hmmm, it's worth a try.

This comes from Sharon in Midland:

She says they eat peppers "just served on the side with every meal, and of course fixed on the grill (whole or wrapped in bacon).... my husband can not have a meal without a jalapeno fresh from our bushes. I have even dried them and then ground them for seasonings to use in other meals, (meat loaf, bean dip, you name it). Try chopping them fine and adding them to your ground meat for hamburgers, yep, they are good!"

And a loyal reader Jackie says:

"You can let your readers know this: Capsaicin, the alkaloid compound found in the veins of chile peppers of the capsicum families, cause a reaction, once eaten, that releases endorphins in our brains...it's like a natural high. And it helps clear our sinuses! So when we are sick, eating chicken noodle soup spiked with chiles not only clears the nose, but gives us a little 'feel-good' jolt and some nice warm fuzzies."

Now, what could be better than that? I'm sure many more of you have a favorite spicy recipe or tip, or just a pepper story you would love to share with us. So, please send them in and I'll share with our whole group!

I've got one more recipe to share with you today. It comes from reknowned, top selling chef and author Nicholas Zhou. His Kung Pao Chicken recipe is passed down from his family. If you love authentic Chinese cuisine, Nicholas is your guy!

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NOTE: Following recipe is from Nicholas Zhou's Cookbook -
"Real and Healthy Chinese Cooking"

http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/cookbooks.htm

*530+ Authentic and Healthy Chinese Recipes
*100+ Cooking Tips
*200+ Serving Suggestions
*170+ Colorful Chinese Dishes Pictures

For instant download, please visit:

http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/cookbooks.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients:
1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts - cubed
3 Tbls. soy sauce - divided
1 1/2 Tbls. cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 Tbls. cold water
1 Tbls. dry sherry
1 Tbls. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil - divided
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
4-8 dried red chili peppers - chopped
1 slice peeled, fresh ginger - chopped
1 clove garlic - sliced

Directions:
Combine chicken, 1 Tbls. soy sauce, and cornstarch/water mixture; allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine 2 Tbls. soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and sesame oil; set aside.

In a hot wok, stir-fry the peanuts in 1 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil until golden brown, remove peanuts from wok, and set aside.

Fill wok with vegetable oil for frying and heat to 350 degrees. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, piece by piece, and fry for 1 minute.

Remove chicken from oil and drain on a brown paper bag. Remove oil from wok.

In hot wok, stir-fry the red peppers in 2 Tbls. vegetable oil until they turn dark. Add ginger, garlic, and chicken to the wok and fry, stirring constantly. Stir the prepared sauce and add to the wok. Stir and cook wok contents until the sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts and serve.

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