Some like it hot

Iswear my husband Sam could live off of hot sauce and salsa. He denies it, but I’m pretty sure he had nachos for breakfast, lunch and dinner while I was out of town for three days this past month.

How do I know that? Because the ingredi ents I bought to replicate a few recipes for our Salsa Showdown were either running low or gone completely when I got back.

We eat salsa pretty regularly at my house, which is why I was excited about this spur-ofthe-moment contest for our readers. It started with a story we ran in the May issue about the health benefits of salsa. I also know a lot of you have vegetable gardens and have perfected some tasty recipes to showcase your summer bounty—and boy was I right! We received dozens of recipes for red and green salsas, fruit salsas, nutty salsas, salsas for canning, and more. I wish I could try them all.

tell you how many dishes he’s ruined for me because I just can’t take the heat—so I just use it as an excuse to stay out of the kitchen.

Sam’s fascination with heat goes beyond his collection of really hot sauces. He will challenge his tastebuds to see how much heat they can handle.

At his birthday party one year, he and some buddies each ate an entire ghost pepper (the ghost pepper ranks at the top end of the Scoville scale). What likely began as a show of “manliness” resulted in a bunch of young guys with tears streaming down their faces.

Dear friends at the BEACON: This is the third time I have found this overdue notice at the bottom of a pile of mail on my kitchen table and still the BEACON keeps coming. I apologize in getting this to you late but I do appreciate your reminders. I enjoy your publication, especially your Laughing Matters section. I sometimes copy it and send it on to a friend to brighten their day. Thank you so much for being a communication link for seniors. Keep up the good work!

- Patricia W.

Thank you for the great article on the Fruita Thrift Shop! It was fun doing it. You are the best!

- Kayren G.

Hello! We are moving to Fruita in a few weeks from Texas. We are 66 and 64 years young so we are learning all about seniors in the Grand Valley. We don’t know anybody except for two friends. Is there a welcoming group to welcome us to the area?

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Shirley E.

I prefer my salsa on the chunky side, whereas Sam usually puts his in a blender. We don’t usually make fruit salsas, but I always love a refreshing mango salsa on tacos from a restaurant or at my sister’s house (my sister’s a good cook, plus her husband’s family is from Mexico so their salsa usually packs some heat)!

I like my salsa hot, but I’ve never been huge fan of hot sauce. I’ll add some Cholula to a bland dish, but Sam puts hot sauce on nearly everything! He’s amassed a collection of sauces that claim nearly an entire kitchen cabinet.

Another time, I watched as he consumed a burger with seven different really hot peppers as part of a timed challenge at a local restaurant. He barely fell short of completing the challenge, and at home later that night, he called the paramedics after some severe intestinal discomfort. The good news is that he was feeling better by the time they arrived and they didn’t have to drive him to the hospital.

Apparently chili peppers contain chemicals that triggers the body into thinking it’s in danger. In response, the body releases endorphins, which are pleasure causing hormones. This is the body’s way of trying to eliminate the “threat” it feels when you eat spicy food.

I’ll never understood why anyone would put their body through such torment, let alone my husband. Luckily, I think he’s learned his lesson.

Turn to page 32 to see our Salsa Showcase winners! ■

Cloie: Hi, Shirley! Welcome to the Grand Valley! Yes, there is a very active Newcomers Club here. There are also some very active seniors at the Fruita Senior Center (inside the Fruita Community Center). You can call them or email Kimberly Preisser, the senior center coordinator, to learn more!

Summer Salsa Showdown (See our contest winners on page 32-33) Thank you for creating such a fun challenge!

- Cary K.

I wonder how this challenge will go with yucky store-bought tomatoes. I just put my plants in the ground so they are a good two months from producing.

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Arden B.

How fun is this! Please find attached my recipe for submittal to the Summer Salsa Showdown!

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Tracy H.