Hot salsa dish for football games can also be mild

With plenty of college bowl games and NFL playoffs just around the corner, today’s Cook’s Corner features a dip great for any game day snack.

The Stadium Salsa’s Chicken Mexicali Dip is courtesy of Greg Shepherd along with his wife, Heather.

The Bowling Green couple are the creators behind Stadium Salsa so it’s no surprise their salsa which he calls a “healthy snack alternative” is a primary ingredient in the dip.

Shepherd says his salsa is a “hobby gone wild.”

Salsa is a staple and featured ingredient in many dishes at the Shepherd home. All four children, ages 5-12, enjoy it. The older they get, the spicier their taste from mild for the younger ones to hotter with age.

Unlike most salsas, he touts his product as being made from locally grown Hirzel tomatoes with no water added. It has a natural shelf life of three years due to the acidity of the tomatoes as there are no preservatives added. Despite sounding like an advertisement, he said those facts are also the key to the tasty dip. He does not use a tomato paste only fresh tomatoes.

He has used leftover chicken as well as canned chicken and chicken chunks but Shepherd says cook’s can substitute any other meat.

The mexicali dip used in the recipe has a sour cream base though it resembles a cheese sauce.

He uses a taco blend cheese in the recipe, but that can be easily substituted as well. For those who like things spicier more jalapenos can be added. Those can also be omitted for those who prefer a milder dip. He used the hot variety of salsa in his dip, but medium or mild can be used to taste.

“You can really tailor this recipe to your taste,” Shepherd said. “It’s fun.”

Though he has not had any culinary school training, he has been cooking for 10 years and has learned what works well.

This recipe like most on the Stadium Salsa website (stadiumsalsa.com) were created from scratch by the family.

“Adding salsa to any recipe turns an average kitchen chef into something more,” Shepherd said. “We’re always creating something new from leftovers.”

He especially likes adding the salsa to meatloaf or a casserole.

When Shepherd is not working with the salsa, he is a district manager at a medical diagnostics firm. Heather Shepherd does accounting work for her family business.

Greg Shepherd also has a passion for basketball and has served as an assistant coach with Bowling Green High School and its junior varsity team.

Other than the need to use Stadium Salsa brands because of the natural ingredients, he says there is nothing else special to preparing the recipe.

His brand of salsa and chips are available at Stimmel’s, Andersons, Falcon Mart, Express Stop and West Side Marathon.

Stadium Salsa’s Chicken Mexicali Dip

Ingredients:

12-16 oz chicken (chunk or shredded)

2 jalapenos chopped

1 small can green chilies (drained)

1 jar Stadium Salsa (mild, medium or hot)

1 jar Stadium Salsa Mexicali Dip

2 garlic cloves (pressed)

1 small onion (diced)

1 package shredded Mexican/Taco cheese

1 can refried beans

2 teaspoons vegetable/olive oil

Directions:

Sauté garlic, jalapenos and onion in oil over medium heat, do not brown, just soften. Set aside and allow to cool. Warm refried beans according to product instructions and set aside.

Cook chicken (if not using precooked chicken), cut if needed and place in to large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup Stadium Salsa and ¾ cup Mexicali Dip, 1 cup shredded Mexican/Taco cheese, green chilies.

Add in garlic, jalapenos and onion and mix thoroughly in large mixing bowl and set aside.

In pie dish, spread refried beans, then add mixture from large mixing bowl on top of refried beans.

Use remaining 1 cup of Mexican/Taco cheese and spread evenly on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.  Allow to cool a bit before dipping in with Stadium Salsa brand tortilla chips.

 

York County towns drop everything (it seems) for New Year’s

, 505-5438/@JessDispatch   –   York Dispatch

People all over the world ring in the New Year with a variety of traditions, but not many can say they kick it off with a pickle drop.

The Dillsburg Pickle Drop, now in its 23rd year, will be held at the Citizens Hose Fire Co.’s Community Memorial Hall at 109 S. Baltimore St. The New Year’s Eve festivities will feature a variety of activities for all ages and will include a blood drive running from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Those who participate in the drive will receive a free T-shirt.

Family-friendly entertainment — which includes live music, magic shows and Irish dancing — is also scheduled to begin at 4:30 at the fire company. The Dillsburg Area Public Library will also join the party and host a balloon artist and caricaturist at 5 p.m.

The pickle nicknamed Lil’ Dill will be dropped at 7 p.m. —  midnight in Ireland — in celebration of Dillsburg’s Irish founders and to provide an earlier celebration for those who wish to be in bed before midnight. Outdoor entertainment, which will include dancing in the street and vendors offering food treats such as pickle soup and pickles on a stick, is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. on South Baltimore Street.

Fireworks and a final pickle drop are scheduled for midnight in the borough square. For a full list of events, visit Dillsburg’s website.

Dillsburg isn’t the only York County community that does a riff on the classic Times Square ball drop.

York City rings in the New Year with the dropping of a white rose, a nod to its nickname; Red Lion for the 19th year in a row will drop a lion holding a cigar; West York will drop both a bulldog and an oyster; and Hanover will drop the arcade game character Pac-Man.

York City: New Year’s Eve in York City will feature a children’s countdown from 6 to 8 p.m. at Central Market. The event will include complimentary hats and noisemakers for the children in attendance, inflatables, glitter tattoos and face-painting, as well as a balloon drop countdown.

Select Central Market vendors will offer food and beverages, and the dropping of the rose, scheduled for midnight at Continental Square, will be followed by a fireworks display.

Market Street from Beaver to Duke streets and George Street from Philadelphia to King streets will be closed from 11 p.m. on Dec. 31 until approximately 1 a.m. on Jan. 1.

The Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center and the Weary Arts Group will be showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

The movie, which will be an interactive experience, is scheduled to begin at 10:08 p.m., with the VIP party kicking off at 8:08 p.m. The VIP package, which costs $35, includes invitations to a pre-show party featuring food, games, a costume contest, a signature drink and a grab bag.

A standard ticket costs $20, and doors will open at 9:28 p.m.

Heidelberg UCC, located on Philadelphia Street, will have its HeidelBean Coffee House, which will feature snacks, table games and music until 10 p.m.

Both Tutoni’s and Mudhook — which will feature its own pint drop — will also host their own New Year’s Eve parties.

For more information on any events going on in York City, visit its website.

Red Lion: The free New Year’s Eve bash in Red Lion will run from 7 p.m. to midnight and will be held at the Red Lion Municipal Office building at 11 E. Broadway.

Red Lion was the cigar-making capitol of the world and produced millions of cigars a month, so the lion with cigar seemed a natural choice for the New Year’s Eve drop.

There will be a variety of family-friendly events across Red Lion, including displays at the Red Lion Area Historical Society, a model train display at the Red Lion Train Station, children’s activities and pizza at Grace Lutheran Church, and fireworks and live music in the square.

For a full schedule of events in Red Lion, visit the borough’s website.

Other events: West York’s New Year’s Eve event, sponsored by York Fish & Oyster Co. and Reliance Fire Hall, will have a Bulldog Drop at 9:30 p.m and an Oyster Drop at midnight in the square at Market Street  and Highland Avenue.

Hanover’s third annual Pac-Man drop will be held at Timeline Arcade on 22 Carlisle St. For $20, participants can get unlimited video gaming from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be live music, snacks and a beer tasting by Hit Point Brewing Co., and the drop as well as fireworks will take place at midnight.

Reach Jessica Schladebeck at jschladebeck@yorkdispatch.com.

North Carolina New Year’s events include acorn drop, hockey – and pickles

By WNCN staff   –   WNCN

Acorns will drop, as will pucks and pickles, as North Carolinians ring in the New Year Thursday night.In Raleigh, the popular First Night sprawls across downtown with a wide variety of acts and music. There’s everything from a Johnny Cash cover band to an Andy Griffith film festival in an event designed to fit all ages.

The children’s celebration is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., with first fireworks are at 7 p.m.

The performances on the main stage are from 5 p.m. until midnight, when the acorn drops (City of Oaks – get it?) and there are more fireworks.

For hockey fans, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing Thursday night at the PNC Arena against the Washington Capitals. The Canes often play on New Year’s, and the puck drops Thursday at 6 p.m.

In Durham, the city will have its first New Year’s Eve celebration at the Durham Convention Center.

Tickets are $60 per person, and the headline act is the Bull City Syndicate. The event begins at 8 p.m. and rolls on to 2 a.m.

If you’re in Eastern North Carolina and yearning for a small-town feel, consider heading to Mt. Olive for the annual Pickle Drop. The event celebrates the city’s favorite food group – the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, after all, has been in business since 1926.

The event celebrates the city’s favorite food group – the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, after all, has been in business since 1926. The event is held at the corner of Cucumber and Vine in Mount Olive.

The event often draws thousands of people for a family-friendly event. It also includes a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

The three-foot lighted pickle drops at 7 p.m. and the event, which often draws a thousands of people, includes music and free refreshments.

2015’s Best & Worst in Burgers

From burgerbusiness.com, by admin

Another year, another unbelievable assortment of burgers. Are we running out of new burger ideas? Well, BurgerBusiness.com featured more than 600 different builds just in the Burger of the Month specials roundups this year. I like to say there are no bad burgers, but here are some of the more- and less-good creations and ideas of this year. I’m counting on 2016 to be even better. Happy holidays.

BURGER OF THE YEAR
Jack in the Box responded to research showing many of its customers wanted a juicier, more flavorful burger by giving them just that. The chain introduced its Buttery Jack Burgers in January, calling them “the melt-in-your-mouth relationship your burger has always deserved…with butter.” The quarter-pound beef patties feature garlic-herb butter melted on top and a new bun. Customers made Buttery Jack the chain’s most successful new-product intro in more than a dozen years.

BURGER CHAIN OF THE YEAR
The year’s hottest burger concept on Wall Street and wherever it opens, Shake Shack refuses to let the accolades go to its head. It opened just a dozen U.S. locations this year, plus six overseas in the Wales, Japan and the Middle East. A South Korean unit will open in 2016. The secret: a limited menu of top-quality burgers that doesn’t slow speed coupled with operations expertise.

INDIE JOINT OF THE YEAR
It hasn’t appeared in every “The Week’s Most Intriguing Burgers” list only because I want to let some others get some ink. But Victory Burger in Oakland, Calif., creates something different, intriguing and delicious every week. It has pioneered the use of vegetables and nontraditional foods in burgers. For example, its Grilled Summer Squash Burger (above) topped its Five Dot Ranch burger with grilled slices of summer squash, a sauce of heirloom tomatoes and chilies de arbol with spring onion & lemon mayo.

BURGER OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL)
The Freddar Dawg served at UK chain Byron gets the nod not just because the 6-oz. burger was served on a hot dog bun with bacon, lettuce, onion and mustard, but because it has its own proprietary cheese. Named after the chain’s head chef, Fred Smith, Freddar Cheese is a blend of three cheeses that looks and melts like good ol’ American cheese, but tastes even better.

OVER-THE-TOP BURGER OF THE YEAR
I love Des Moines burger emporium Zombie Burger + Drink Bar and feature it often. But even I responded “Umm, no” to itsMarch Fatness burger. Beef, tater tots, American cheese, waffle sausage dogs, Shiner Bock-bacon country gravy and mayo? Love ya, but no.

MOST DISAPPOINTING  BURGER OF THE YEAR
It coulda been a contender. It tapped into the black-bun craze at just the right time, but there was one problem: Burger King’sA.1. Halloween Whopper reportedly turned poop green. Not good.

SIDE DISH OF THE YEAR
Canada has poutine; the U.S. has loaded fries, which this year became the gotta-have side. Wendy’s led the charge with Baconator Fries, Ghost Pepper Fries and Pulled Pork Cheese Fries, but others had a go with the idea, too. Carl’s Jr. even tested Pizza Fries topped with pepperoni and cheese.

CONDIMENT OF THE YEAR
Pickles have gained a hip cachet and often brand-name billing on menus a well. Those fried pickles with chipotle aïoli at burger joint Local 186 in Provincetown, Mass., are Grillo pickles. Kooper’s Tavern in Baltimore used to serve Tanner’s pickles (as with the BBQ Burger above) but now puts Schwartz’s pickles alongside. The Avenue in St. Petersburg, Fla., did an April special burger that was paired with a Surrealist IPA pickle from local Green Bench Brewing Co.

BURGER AD OF THE YEAR
McDonald’s “We hear you” ad campaign that preceded the October 6 introduction of all-day breakfast brought to life actual tweets from customers pleading for the menu expansion. But more impressive is that McDonald’s built a database of all the thousands and thousands who ever posted similar tweets over the years calling for all-day breakfast. Then it tried to respond to each of them with alerts about the rollout.

A delicious and informative taste of Vietnam

The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipies for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches by Andrea Nguyen

Rating: 4 Stars

Are you looking for a taste of Southeast Asia? Looking for something you can create in your own kitchen? Look no further! Grab a copy of The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches by Andrea Nguyen.

This beautiful recipe handbook includes gorgeous photography, recipes that will suit any palate, flavored with history of the Vietnamese culture and how it adapted harmful colonial influence into it’s own soul- in a positive way. This cookbook, published by Ten Speed Press of Berkley, instructs one in the creation of a banh mi from what to look for when purchasing bread to how to make the banh mi rolls from scratch. It doesn’t stop there, however. The next chapter includes many recipes for condiments including homemade mayonnaise, sriracha aioli, and even some garlic yogurt sauce. You aren’t done yet, do not forget the pickles! Citrusy red cabbage pickles or snow pea and lemongrass pickles are only a couple options that are illustrated- complete with recipe!

The Banh Mi Handbook goes on to cover options for the meat component, including a few vegetarian options. Some of the amazing recipes include crispy drunken chicken, spicy wok seared shrimp, caramel sauce pulled pork, coconut curry tofu, and lemongrass sriracha tempeh. For those who do not care for bread or cannot tolerate gluten, there are several other options in the chapter entitled Alternative Banh Mi, which include salad recipes and wrap recipes that utilize a traditional Viet wrapping of food in lettuce.

This amazing book, more than worthy of a five star rating, should find its way to your shelves!

Secret to Michael Gbinije’s success: Syracuse basketball guard drinks pickle juice

By Mike Waters | mwaters@syracuse.com   –   Syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Michael Gbinije sat on the edge of a table in the Syracuse locker room and took a small sip out of a bottle of pickles.

He didn’t do it on a dare. He didn’t lose a bet. About a month ago, after doing some research on his own, Gbinije decided to start drinking pickle juice to help prevent his muscles from cramping.

On Sunday, Gbinije had played the entire 40 minutes in Syracuse’s 80-67 victory over Texas Southern at the Carrier Dome, so there sat Gbinije after the game, taking sips of the briny liquid in between questions from reporters.

“This is my own personal thing,” Gbinije said of his post-game pickle juice. “There are days when I have to force myself to drink it, but I’m just doing it for the health benefits. The taste is not the best.”

So far, Gbinije is the only member of the Syracuse basketball team who has taken to drinking pickle juice.

“Some people just ask for a pickle out of the jar before I take my first sip, but no one will actually drink the pickle juice,” Gbinije said. “I get an ‘Ew, why are you drinking that?’ or ‘What’s that smell?’ You gotta take the good with the bad.”

Athletes generally experience cramping due to dehydration and the loss of sodium from their systems during heavy workouts and games. The National Institutes of Health has reported that the consumption of high-sodium drinks before and after exercise can help prevent cramping.

Syracuse trainer Brad Pike said pickles and pickle juice contain a high level of sodium. Pike added that he has not encouraged Gbinije to drink pickle juice. Gbinije said the most he will drink in a day is about three-quarters of the juice in a jar of pickles.

The average pickle spear contains 220 milligrams of sodium compared to 110 milligrams in an 8-ounce bottle of Gatorade. In addition to being high in sodium, pickle juice also contains magnesium and vinegar, both of which are purported to have helpful qualities in the prevention of cramps.

If pickle juice is the answer, then Gbinije is the question. The Syracuse senior currently ranks sixth in the NCAA in minutes played at 37.3 per game. North Carolina State’s Anthony Barber is playing 38.2 minutes per game, making him the only player in the ACC logging more time than Gbinije. Take away Gbinije’s 26-minute outing in a Nov. 21 win over Elon and he’s averaging 38.5 minutes per game for the Orange.

Gbinije had a team-high 15 points and a team-high 7 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists in the Orange’s win over Texas Southern. That was nothing out of the ordinary for the 6-foot-7 senior. For the season, Gbinije leads Syracuse in scoring (18.6 points per game), assists (4.6 per game) and steals (2.7 per game) while also averaging 4.1 rebounds per game.

Syracuse head coach designate Mike Hopkins said Gbinije will continue to play a lot.

“When you have a guy of Mike Gbinije’s caliber, it just helps everybody,” Hopkins said after Sunday’s game. “He’s doing a lot for us from assisting to rebounding. He’s going to play those minutes. He’s going to play. He’s not coming out of the game. He’s too valuable. He’s in great shape. He’s playing as good as anybody in our league, maybe even in the country.”

Then Hopkins revealed Gbinije’s secret.

“He’s drinking that pickle juice,” Hopkins said. “It’s good for you. No cramping.”

After victory, Syracuse basketball star Michael Gbinije drinks pickle juice

BY NIKO TAMURIAN   –   CNYCENTRAL.com

After Syracuse’s win over Texas Southern and in several wins like it, the Orange’s leading scorer Michael Gbinije enjoys a nice glass of…

Pickle Juice?

Yes, pickle juice. The part of the jar you typically dump down the drain when the spears are gone.

“I’ve been doing it for about a month now. It just helps out my body a lot. You sweat out a lot of salt and electrolytes and it helps me replace them” Gbinije says.

“Pickle Juice is just a healthier option for me” he adds.

The idea, according to Gbinije is to prevent cramps. He says sports drinks like Gatorade also help with that, but the pickle juice has far less sugar and more sodium to prevent cramps.

He made the decision after doing his own research on his own time.

You can imagine the media’s shock when Mike Hopkins first broke the news at his post game press conference in a matter-of-fact manner when asked about Gbinije playing all 40 minutes against Texas Southern

“He’s drinking that pickle juice. It’s good for you. No cramping.” Hopkins said, after telling the media just how valuable Gbinije is to the Orange

Hopkins then provided a warning to not try the pickle juice, unless you suffer from cramps, of course

So far, all of Gbinije’s teammates have followed that warning and not tried the pickle juice.

“Some people just ask for a pickle out of the jar before I take my first sip, but no one will actually drink the pickle juice,” Gbinije said.

Perhaps, if Syracuse can go on a run we can liken Gbinije’s pickle juice to Michael’s Secret Stuff in the movie “Space Jam”

Only time will tell, but, in the meantime if you someone at your local grocer stocking up on jars of pickles..

It might just be Michael Gbinije.

‘Pickling Is A Higher Form Of Art’, Says Indian Chef Kunal Kapur

 

MUMBAI — Despite the art of pickling fading in modern times, there are food enthusiasts who still take pride in dishing out authentic and unique pickles as the Parsi’s ‘Lagan nu Achar’ or ‘Bamboo pickle’ of Meghalaya tribals, who enact its recipe in a dance.

“A pickle is a reflection of who you are. It requires right ingredients, right attitude and patience,” says celebrity chef and restaurateur Kunal Kapur.

Although he admits that pickling is losing sheen, he feels that those who have still preserved the art are immensely proud of their techniques and uniqueness associated with the delectable culinary style.

When it comes to pickle, we only think about the traditional lime, mango and chilli pickles, but “pickling is a higher form of art-meets-science…feel proud to pickle,” Kapur told PTI in an interview.

The 36-year-old Delhi-based Chef Consultant with the Leela Group, as a part of his countrywide tour while hosting TV show ‘Pickle Nation’, has been intrigued and surprised to see the unique techniques and ingredients used to make pickle, which he feels is still a very essential part of Indian food.

He also got an insight into the pickle makers’ vivid reasons and stories behind how and why they prepare them.

“For instance, with the Parsis in Ahmedabad, it is mandatory to make ‘Lagan nu Achar’ and give it to the elders and relatives in the family before they formalise the marriage of a couple,” he said.

“In another fascinating instance, the Karbi tribe from Meghalaya has evolved a special dance that enacts the recipe of the Bamboo pickle.

“The ancestors knew that if the bamboo was not pickled in the right season then it might lead to hunger in the winters, and so the recipe for this crucial pickle was made into a dance form and till date the couples enact this dance to reveal the recipe,” said Kapur, who recently launched his fine-dining at Souk al Bahar in Downtown Dubai.

pickles india

Detailing the fascinating art of pickling, he said that in Jodhpur, the ‘ker sangri ka achar’ is the legacy of love for nature of the Bishnoi tribe.

The Ker shrub and the Sangri tree are the few that grow in this otherwise difficult region. The fruit of the ‘khejri tree’ is the sangri and it is a very critical tree to the ecology of the place. Many have sacrificed their lives to protect this tree.

“The ‘ker sangri’ pickle made from this tree is one of the reasons for survival of the Bishnoi tribe,” said Kunal.

Another example is the Mahali pickle made by Tamil Brahmins. “Mahali is a root that smells of intense vanilla, bitter almond and cinnamon, and it is pickled in yogurt. It is not short of a miracle that no vinegar or oil is used yet the pickle survives for over two years in curd,” Kunal said.

In another insight, he said, “A Hyderabadi style of mango pickle breaks the long held notion by me that a drop of water can destroy a pickle, as this mango pickle is made in water. Limestone or ‘chuna’ is added to preserve the pickle.”

“As I have discovered, pickles are an integral part of how people define their food culture, and each region is intensely passionate about their pickles,” said Kapur.

But, he feels the health conscious modern generation is drifting apart from the traditional food culture.

“I sure see a decline in the pickle making that traditionally used to happen. Traditional pickle making is an art and complete fun, but with our fast-paced lives we live a life of convenience,” he said.

“Bottled pickles have taken over for most young couples. Also, smaller houses with improper sunlight and unpredictable weather are some more reasons adding to go for a bottled pickle over pickling,” says the chef.

pickles india

Also, the fast-paced lifestyle has pushed the art of pickling onto the back-burner.

“Food and life of convenience has taken over the traditional ways of doing things. Pickling is not spared as well. Some of the worst tasting pickles are unfortunately the most selling now. No matter which vegetable that the bottle has, all of them have a standard taste,” he rued.

“Traditionally there was a thought after reason to eat a particular pickle made in a particular way…was a part of balanced diet,” says Kunal, who has played host in many TV shows like “Masterchef India” and “Junior Masterchef India”.

On people’s preferences towards pickles, he said:

“People nowadays want less oil and less salt in their pickles, this is one part they are very clear about. Chilli and mango pickles still are a hot favourite.”

People tend to avoid pickles for various health reasons these days. “Yes, that is becoming a common practice. I wish people could eat what they wanted and burn it as well with exercise routine. Also, there is less awareness on water based or no oil pickles,” feels Kapur, who has authored the cookbook ‘A Chef in Every Home’.

Amid talk of pickles, when asked about the demand for chutneys, the chef said, “Surprisingly, chutney is something that everyone relates to. In fact, chutney is an English word now. Chutneys have been more experimental and hence, can be made to suit any taste profile.”

Finally, Chef Kunal also shared a few tips for pickle enthusiasts. “Pickle things when in season. Consult your elder in family for the recipes. Care for it like you would care and nurture a child. Keep it simple and clean…feel proud to pickle,” he said.

The story of the Christmas pickle

By May Marquebreuck   –   Wicked Local

The origin of the Christmas pickle may be somewhat of a mystery, but it is a holiday tradition in parts of the United States and fun on Christmas morning. In the 1880s, the Woolworth stores began selling holiday ornaments imported from Germany and some were in the shape of fruit and vegetables. Among their selection was the pickle, which was claimed to be an old German tradition. However, no one seems to be certain how and where it originated. According to historical records, production of the Christmas pickle ornaments began in the 1890s. One story about the Christmas pickle is connected with a soldier, Private John Lower who served in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry in the American Civil War and was born in Bavaria in 1842. He and his family emigrated to the United States, and while fighting in the Civil War, he was captured and sent to a prison in Andersonville, Ga. Given the conditions and miserable food rations of the prison, he soon fell into critical poor health. Lower was dying of starvation and it was Christmas Eve, so he begged the guard for a pickle. The guard took pity on him, found and gave him a pickle and that gave Lower the mental and physical strength to live on. After being reunited with his family after the war, he began the tradition of hiding a pickle deep among the boughs of the Christmas tree, which was the last ornament to be hung on Christmas Eve. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune and an extra gift from St. Nicholas. Another theory comes from a small town, Berrien Springs, Mich., which calls itself the “Christmas Pickle Capital of the World” — an uncontested title. As the story goes based on a medieval tale, two boys in Spain were trapped in a pickle barrel by an innkeeper while on their way home from boarding school for the Christmas holidays. They were freed by St. Nicholas, who had stopped at the inn and saved the boys when he tapped on the barrel with his staff. This town in Michigan celebrates the boy’s miraculous escape with an annual Christmas Pickle Festival in early December, complete with a parade led by the “Grand Dillmeister” who would hand out what else? Pickles! Whatever story you believe about the Christmas pickle, you may wish to begin a new family tradition and hide a pickle ornament in your tree. Pickle ornaments are available online at Crate & Barrel, Pier 1 Imports and ebay.

Hillary Clinton Apparently Has a Great Passion for the Hot Sauce

By Ben Mathis-Lilley   –   The Slatest

Buried in the middle of a sentence in an Associated Press story about presidential candidates’ campaign diets is an important and surprising fact: Hillary Clinton is a fiend for the hot sauce.

It’s in a section about her time in the White House as First Lady and low-fat diets and protein and other boring nutrition things:

Many of their meals centered on fish and vegetables. Clinton favored hummus, had a collection of more than 100 hot sauces and a weakness for mocha cake and Dove ice cream bars — a favorite of daughter Chelsea.

She loves the hot sauce!

Also the hot peppers:

At a farm stand in Davenport, Iowa, this fall, Clinton detailed scientific research on the health effects of spicy food, telling a cashier that she finds eating raw jalapenos “so refreshing.”

This predilection for la comida muy picante has actually been reported on before, it turns out. From a 2012 Wall Street Journal piece about her tenure as Secretary of State:

In her Air Force plane, which stocks fruit, almonds and Tabasco sauce, which she dribbles on nearly all foods, including salads, she slept on a foldout sofa in a private cabin.

I don’t know why, but I feel like learning about this changes the whole dynamic of the election and that Clinton’s zeal for peppers should be highlighted in every one of her 2016 ads.