Cabin Fever

Sometimes we pray for a snow-in. When the pantry is stocked and the fire’s blazing, we welcome weather that keeps us inside, where we can warm hands by the fireplace, and stoke hearths of another sort around the kitchen table. Food needn’t be fancy, as long as it’s plentiful. Against the icy bleakness of midwinter, we take comfort in excess: a bursting woodshed, a groaning fridge. So pile on the blankets, throw another log in the woodstove, and tuck in. It’s going to be a long, delicious winter.

Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Tacos With Hot Honey & Sriracha Bacon Recipe

Sriracha Bacon Jerky // Savage Jerky Co. // Buford, GA

When it comes to road eats, while a rare few gas stations are diamonds in the oil, so to speak (think great hole in the wall taco stands like Fuel City in Dallas or De Amigos in Pescadero), most, of course, are food deserts. Stomach rumbling, gas tank low, a fluorescent oasis beckons — while the car drinks its fill, you muse over hypnotic slushie machines and mystery tubs of no-name jerky. Their road trip grumbles unsated, the Georgia buddies behind Savage decided to make their own. Their Sriracha Bacon, good enough to gnaw as is, but save a slice for your end-of-the-road drink, to replace your bloody mary’s celery stalk or add to a taco with a touch of spicy swagger.

Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Tacos With Hot Honey & Sriracha Bacon Recipe

Mike’s Hot Honey // Mike’s Hot Honey // New York, NY

If some tailgate traditions must remain unchanged — and when pressed, we’d preserve the stack of steaming delivery pies on the coffee table — at least give them a twist; as in sports, even dynasties evolve. And so, (once you towel off a bit of the grease), skip the tabasco, toss out the stale oregano flakes and tooth-sticking red pepper shrapnel, and drizzle that floppy New-York-style slice with this. You’ve had honey on your brie, and this is a similar idea — sweet and savory — but think of it as the R-rated director’s cut, with an extra spicy, herbaceous, kick.

Italian Chopped Salad With Spicy Everything Bagel Croutons Recipe

Turkey San Francisco Style Salami // Foustman’s Salami // San Francisco, CA

A fourth-generation salumi maker slow curing world-class salami in the San Francisco Bay Area? Believe it. It might not be the rolling foothills of Italy but owners Justin and Jessica Foust have a foothold on building an Artisan empire stateside (in the rolling hills of San Fran). Based on old country family recipes, this salami gets a splash of wine and a hit of secret spices. No need to reinvent the wheel here, your favorite bottle of red, good cheese and crusty bread. But if you want to reinvent the wheel? We slice Foustman’s thin and toss with buttery croutons and hot honey dressing for a salad that can easily come off the sidelines and be the main event.

Taco Wings Recipe

Everything But The Taco Hot Sauce // Seed Ranch Flavor Co. // Boulder, CO

Seed Ranch has managed to bottle the pure bliss of a taco. This hits with cilantro and jalapeño, peppers and lime so that you can taco-ify anything. We’re all in on these taco wings for the big game but you can also dump it on pizza or mix it with butter and rub it on corn just to get the taco wheels turning. 

5 Fast Uses

1. Avocado Toast
2. Douse On Pizza
3. Spike Some Chicken Broth & Noodles
4. Scrambled Eggs
5. Over Grilled Veggies  

Spicy Everything Bagel Seasoning // Seed Ranch Flavor Co. // Boulder, CO

Seed Ranch goes beyond the bagel to offer up this versatile spice that we use on everything from avocado toast to shaking over soups. A hint of ghost pepper with garlic kick and crispy sesame seeds means this stuff adds great texture and flavor. Our current obsession? Everything Bagel croutons that add a warm, buttery crunch to any salad or tossing it with roast veggies or grilling meat coated in it.

5 Fast Uses

1. Shake Over Soups
2. Guacamole
3. Toss With Roasted Potatoes
4. Over Eggs
5. Avocado Toast 

Hot Honey Caramelized Apples With Bacon & Bourbon Chocolate Recipe

Hudson Bourbon Dark Milk 61% // Fruition Chocolate Works // Shokan, NY

Tucked up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Fruition is crafting some of the best small-batch chocolate in America. Don’t just take it from us, they’ve won numerous accolades from a good food award to bringing home hardware at the international chocolate awards. How? By ethically sourcing top-tier cocoa beans, using traditional and modern techniques and really, really caring about the quality. They are not afraid to involve bourbon either. This bar uses Roasted cocoa nibs aged with Tuthilltown Spirits bourbon barrel staves and Hudson Baby Bourbon. It’s basically like unwrapping pure joy. We recommend eating with your eyes closed, maybe a nip of bourbon in hand for a little chocolaty moment of zen...you deserve it. 

From The Maker: