Greetings!

Good morning from a very wet Ellis Co. We have had so much glorious rain - it's standing everywhere and people's tanks are filling back up. Wonderful!!!! I hope all of Texas is benefiting from this very slow moving rain that is just saturating the ground.

Today is Muffin's birthday. Yes, one half of the Hump Brothers team turned two today. He was spoiled this morning with dedicated belly rubs and lots of kisses :) His daddy let him dig in the mud last night and that was sort of an early birthday present. We love you Waylon!!!! Our lives are so much more joyful with you in it!

Chipotle powder. I did not get on the Chipotle bandwagon when it became real popular a few years back. Remember restaurants were making chipotle everything. I'm around it so much now and I really love the aroma and flavor of it. I've been wanting to use some at home and hadn't had a good opportunity until last night. We had steak for dinner last night and I topped it with a Chipotle Lime Butter. It was pretty damn good! It would also be great on corn, too. Below is the recipe for Mild Bill's Chipotle Lime Butter

4 Tbsp Softened Butter (I used salted)
1/4 tsp Mild Bill's Chipotle Powder (I used a HEAPING 1/4 teaspoon)
Juice of one Lime

Mix the above ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to use. Top steaks, corn, fish or chicken with a dollop of Chipotle Lime Butter and serve :)

I'm also obsessed with Smoked Spanish Paprika right now. I could just sniff that stuff all day - as opposed to the Green Jalapeno Powder that sets my nasal and sinus passages on fire. That shit is HOT!!!!!! Do not "eff" with the green jalapeno powder. It will "eff" you up!!!!!

I had a really good conversation recently with a chili cook asking about the differences in color and flavor in New Mexico Mild Chili Powder. He mentioned that sometimes it's a brighter red, while other times it seems to be darker. I wanted to take this time to have a little "Chili Pepper 101" for anyone who's ever wondered the same thing.

Ground Chili Pepper Powders labeled as "New Mexico" or "California" are not specific peppers ground and used to make those chili powders. The chili peppers used to make up those ground chili powders are generic, hybrid chili peppers grown in the flavor, heat and appearance model of peppers that do grow in both of those states. Many times peppers grown in New Mexico will be used for California Mild (or Hot) chili powder and vice versa. Thus the inconsistency between batches. The peppers used in both of these chili powders are the peppers that have survived the crop and best reflect a New Mexico or California chili pepper profile. So, what does all of that mean? Well, it means that you are always going to get a ground chili pepper powder that fits the flavor and aroma "style" of New Mexico or California chili powder, but it's always going to be a little bit different each time. The only way to get a consistent ground chili pepper powder is to use a ground chili pepper powder that is grown and processed in a specific region - think Chimayo and Hatch. And Dixon....aaahhh...delicious Dixon :) Chimayo, Hatch, Dixon, Santa Cruz, De Arbol, and Santa Fe are specific chili peppers grown in their respective regions each year. There is little change from batch to batch. I can personally attest to the consistency of these ground chili pepper powders - there is rarely any discernible difference between batches. You always know what you are getting every time you use it. Now, do not take what I've said as a diss towards New Mexico or California Chili Pepper Powders. I happen to love California Mild - it has a nice medium grind and a very mild, pleasant taste. It's not overpowering and I think it really adds great flavor to chili. I have always preferred New Mexico Hot to New Mexico Mild. It seems to have a finer grind and I like to cook with heat....which explains my love for Dixon :)

Have a great day everyone - enjoy this rain!

Kelly