Eye-Opening Breakfast for Dinner

So we love the spicy. And I mean really love the spicy. I toast dried tien tsin peppers in olive for the base of spicy shrimp and pasta. For the spicy chicken sandwich I season pieces of chicken thighs with Northwoods Fire Seasoning Blend, and then mix melted butter with Frank's RedHot Sauce and toss with the cooked chicken. I put crushed red pepper in just about everything from panini to my standard tomato sauce.

When I met Matt, I quickly learned about Huichol and Valentina Muy Picante. On a a family trip to Mexico, Matt and his parents had stocked up on various hot sauces including the Valentina and Huichol. Valentina also makes a regular heat level of their sauce, but the Muy Picante is veritably a more indulgent sauce. The Huichol is a little acidic, without being too bright (Matt especially likes it in our tuna melts). It has a classic vinegar-based tang to it, but is more mellow than the old standby of Tabasco. The Muy Picante has a fruity sweetness with impressive depth of spice and heat.

The Muy Picante has a starring role in what we call "weekend breakfast". Weekend breakfast is sunny side up eggs cooked in a honey-chipotle compound butter I make up, with Italian bread toast and bacon. A top the eggs go freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and a liberal lacing of Valentina Muy Picante. We ran out of the Muy Picante months ago, and have been getting by with the regular Valentina. On today's farmers market excursion, we popped into a Mexican grocery downtown and grabbed their only two bottles of Valentina Muy Picante for $1.50 per 12 ounce bottle. Although it is neither the weekend, nor is it morning, we were compelled tonight to enjoy weekend breakfast for dinner and savor the Muy Picante.