Throw A Hot Party On A Cool Budget

To celebrate the Weekend of Fire at Jungle Jim’s and our producer Jeannine’s 50th birthday, we are adding a little heat to spice up your palate! Not only are peppers second in popularity to salt in the world of spices, but numerous health benefits have also been attributed to eating spicy foods. Plus, spicing things up is very economical as a little goes a long, long way!!

First, if you are a lover of spicy foods, you cannot miss this weekend’s “Weekend of Fire”. The event runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 1 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 2 at the Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s. For only a $5 admission ($7 at the door and children under 6 are free) with free parking, you can sample hundreds of fiery foods: hot sauces, sops, mops, salsas, barbecue sauces, snacks, mustards and lots of spicy foods all day long. These are Hot Foods with Attitude!

You can taste and then place your vote for the best salsa from the four finalists in the Salsa Challenge on Saturday as well as witness or partake later that day in the Defcon Championship Deathmatch, which is a chicken wing eating contest for extreme chileheads. Last year’s attendance topped out at almost 5,000 people, so this event is guaranteed to be a Hot Time for All that won’t hurt your budget!!

Shopping the Jungle, I am certain you have not missed the Hot Sauce & Fiery Foods Section under the big red fire truck that boasts 1400 different hot sauce selections from A to Z, along with other extremely spicy grub. You can add a little heat to almost any recipe.

Fire up your taste buds by adding a splash of hot sauce to appetizers like chicken wings or spicy shrimp, salsas, guacamole, cocktail sauce, crab or shrimp dip and spinach dip, or add to marinades or sauces for all kinds of meats including steaks, pork, burgers, chicken and even fish. A splash of hot sauce can perk up everything from deviled eggs to macaroni and cheese to baked beans, pastas, rice dishes, soups, and salads.

Use your imagination and always start with a little and work your way up to the perfect level of spice. Take the ordinary and make it something special --- and it’s very economical since a little goes a long, long way whether you’re adding hot sauce, hot peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, spicy salsa, or even Asian chile paste!

Speaking of heating things up with a little spice, here’s a party menu to heat things up to celebrate our producer Jeannine’s 50th Birthday and to get you ready for the Weekend of Fire!!! Hot, hot, hot!

Fire and Ice Party Menu

Let’s put a little fire in our dishes, with plenty of cold drinks on ice --- the perfect party combo!!


Sweet ‘n Spicy Shrimp on a Stick
Jeannine’s Chorizo Joes
Chipotle Sauce
Cilantro Lime Slaw
Fiesta Black Bean & Corn Salad
Tortilla Chips

Icy Cold Drinks


Please note that these recipes sport a little heat, but are really not that hot --- taste before you add additional heat. You can always serve this meal with a bottle or two of hot sauces on the side for those that need to take it up a notch!


Sweet ‘n Spicy Shrimp on a Stick

1/3 Cup Lime Juice
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Tsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tab. Canola Oil
2-3 Tabs. Jamaican or Caribbean Jerk Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning
3 dashes Hot Sauce (or more to taste)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 lbs. Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined – leave tails on
16 Wooden Skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour

Stir together the lime juice, honey, soy sauce, and oil in a large glass bowl. Add the seasonings and mix well. Taste the marinade to check for level of spiciness. The level of heat in this recipe depends on the type or brand of seasoning and hot sauce you choose to use. Add the shrimp and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to marinate, while wooden skewers are soaking in water.

Preheat indoor or outdoor grill.

Remove skewers from water and allow to dry a little on paper towels. Thread shrimp onto skewers. Lightly oil grill grates. Grill shrimp, turning once, until shrimp turns opaque, about 4 minute’s total.

These are sweet and spicy as the honey caramelizes on the shrimp. If you prefer spicy with no sweet, simply delete the honey.


Jeannine’s Chorizo Joes

1 lb. Fresh Chorizo Sausage --- Jungle Jim’s makes the best!
1 lb. Ground Chuck
½ Cup Chopped onion
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 – 4 oz. Can of Mild chopped Green Chilies, undrained
1 – 16 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
½ Cup Ketchup
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
¼ Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce (or more to taste)
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Brown chorizo sausage, ground chuck, chopped onion, and minced garlic in saucepan over medium heat, breaking up meat, until meat is browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Drain off excess grease.

Add can of green chilies, undrained, and remainder of the ingredients. Allow to simmer 15 minutes covered. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns with Cilantro Lime Slaw or Chipotle Sauce or both!

Here’s the recipes for both:


Chipotle Sauce

1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (in a small can in Mexican section) Minced or pureed.

Mix the chipotle peppers with a little of the adobo sauce into the mayonnaise, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

You might be thinking this is Chipotle Mayonnaise, and well it is, but once you taste this homemade version, you’ll fall in love! This will become your secret sauce!

Also, here’s another tip: I take the entire can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce and process it all in my mini-food processor. I then keep this chipotle pepper puree in an airtight container in my refrigerator. Not only do I make this Chipotle Sauce with it to top anything from sandwiches to wraps to fish to chicken to burgers, but I also add it to my baked beans, barbecue sauce, refried beans – you get the picture – YUM!


Cilantro Lime Slaw

1 Cup Mayonnaise
3 Tab. Lime Juice, freshly squeezed*
2 Tab. Granulated Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Granulated Garlic
½ Tsp. Kosher Salt
½ Tsp. White Pepper
1- 16 oz. Package of Shredded Coleslaw Mix
¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Mix together the first six ingredients until well blended. Combine slaw mix, cilantro, and mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate slaw at least an hour to develop flavors prior to serving.
Serves 8.

***Since this is the Weekend of Fire, feel free to add a couple dashes of hot sauce to the mayonnaise mixture if you like.


Fiesta Black Bean Salad

1 15 oz. Can of Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 Ripe Avocado, seeded, peeled and diced
1 Cup Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1 Cup Frozen Corn Kernels, thawed or leftover cooked fresh corn kernels
¼ Cup Green Onions, sliced thinly
¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
½ Tsp. Ground Cumin
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
½ Tsp. Lime Peel, grated
2 Tab. Freshly squeezed Lime Juice
1 Tab. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil
¼-1/2 Tsp. Hot Sauce or substitute finely chopped Jalapeno or crushed red pepper flakes
½ Tsp. Or more to Taste of Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste


Combine the ground cumin through the salt and pepper and blend well or place in shaker jar and shake until well blended.

Place remaining ingredients, beans through cilantro, in glass bowl and toss gently with the cumin vinaigrette mixture. If not using immediately, cover bean salad and refrigerate.

Serve with a bottle of hot sauce for those that need to turn up the heat!!!


Whether you celebrate this Weekend of Fire with Jeannine’s Spicy Birthday Dinner above or simply decide to add a simple splash of hot sauce, salsa, or peppers to your favorite foods, here’s to………

Heatin’ Up Your Palate and Spicin’ Up Your Life!


Without hurting your pocketbook, of course!

Jungle Jim’s Margie Potts