Hipsters and Hot Sauce

It’s hard to believe that Father’s Day has come and gone and we’re now at the mercy of the hot hot summer heat. My goal every year for my dad is to make him something special. And though I don’t always follow through (I tend to default to movies and box sets)—every so often I’m able to come up with something a little different.

This year, I found a pretty sweet gift basket online with uniquely flavored jerky, spicy pickles, and other quirky food items. Since I wanted to make something myself, this gift basket was a great point of inspiration. I tried to think about one of my dad’s favorite food items or condiments–hot sauce, of course. So, I researched a few recipes and came up with a personalized combo. Although I used this as a Father’s Day gift, homemade hot sauce is great for any spice lover and could make for a fun DIY harvest party with all of your vegetable gardening buddies.

I used an old jam jar for my sauce, but you can get creative and seek out antique bottles with slender necks, apothecary bottles, whatever you can find. The best part of this project is experimenting with the heat and flavor. The first batch that I made was super hot, so for the second batch, I threw in an extra red bell pepper, lime  and cilantro to add some more complex flavors to balance the heat. The sauce will last several weeks or even months if kept in the refrigerator–you should be able to smell when it’s starting to go bad.

I made my own label in Adobe Illustrator; you can easily do the same in Word or your application of choice. I recommend searching for dragon and devil clip art–the cheesier the better. I used the tasteful tagline, “You think it’s hot on the way in…” See what you can come up with!

My other favorite Father’s Day gift of this year were the t-shirts that my boyfriend and his sister made for their dad. They printed a photo of their pops from back in the day along with the text: “Dad. The Original Hipster.” The shirts were inspired by one of many silly books found at Urban Outfitters titled Dads are the Original Hipsters which is a super fun look at the cyclical nature of fashion and how our parents rocked their effortless style. Don’t forget how simple it is to make a personalized t-shirt in your own home. All you need is some iron-on transfer paper, a printer, iron, t-shirt and a killer photograph. Follow the transfer paper instructions and BOOM! Original style.

Think about any birthdays or special occasions coming up and consider making a spicy condiment or custom tee before you hit the silly old mall!

Bob’s Hot Sauce

• 5 habanero peppers
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (add more to thin out sauce)–you can also use distilled white vinegar
• 1 thai chili
• handful of cilantro
• 4 cloves of garlic
• juice of 1 lime

Roughly chop peppers, chili and garlic. Add to blender or food processor. Add a handful of cilantro and juice of one lime to blender. Pour vinegar over the mixture and puree until smooth. Pour ingredients into a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Stir a couple times and remove from heat. Don’t inhale the mixture at any time; it’s super intense. Let cool a bit and then pour into your jar or bottle of choice and keep in the refrigerator. Add to sauces or dips for an extra kick and enjoy!