Homemade hot sauce and a hot cookbook

The sight of fresh chiles at the farmers' market now means one thing to me. It's time to make hot sauce.

In my column this week, you can find a recipe for hot sauce adapted from The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. It takes a blend of chiles (dealer's choice), chars them, and then blends them with white vinegar and lime juice. Add a touch of sugar, and you've got a fabulous balance of heat, pucker and sweet!

The recipe is really just a template. Feel free to play around with not only the chiles but the sugar and acid components, as well.

The Homemade Pantry has quickly become my go-to source for how to make delicious staples like butter, potato chips and fresh mozzarella - all in my own kitchen at home.

Ybor City hosts first ever evening market

Too busy to make it to market during the day? Now you can enjoy a trip to the market in the evening! Twilight Market in Ybor City is set to welcome its first shoppers and browsers on Jan. 15 and will run every Tuesday night from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Roosevelt 2.0, 1812 N. 15th Street in Tampa.  The night-time venue will feature more than 20 vendors selling everything from organic produce to packaged foods to take home. Participants include Joey's Biscotti, Natural Goodness and The Sausage Laboratory.  Live music will be played from 6 to 10 p.m. The event will operate rain or shine.  Parking is free on the street or in nearby city parking lots.  Location:  The Roosevelt 2.0 1812 N. 15th Street Ybor City, FL 33605 (813) 248-1904

Festival was heaven for cupcake lovers

Today I was a guest judge at the 2nd Annual Cupcake Festival at the Ybor City Saturday Market. Getting to taste a smorgasbord of cupcakes sounded like a great gig, and it was!

The winners:

Best taste

1st: SouthShore Sweets, Ruth Foss
2nd: Cuppin' Cake, Eric Vandine

Best presentation

1st: Erica Gritzer
2nd: Candi Nevin

Congratulations!

Everything cupcakes

Bigger, better and sweeter than ever, the 2nd Annual Cupcake Festival returns Saturday, Dec. 15 to Ybor City Saturday Market.

Festival visitors can purchase original creations from more than 25 cupcake vendors beginning at 9 a.m.

Last year's designs and flavors ranged from a festively adorned Christmas tree cupcake to a summery concoction of pineapple and coconut.

Oh, decisions decisions...

Contestants will compete for prizes and bragging rights. Contact Lynn Kroesen-Schultz at ybormarket@yahoo.com for more information.

Ybor City Saturday Market
Historic Ybor City
Centennial Park
1901 19th St. (corner of Eighth Avenue and 19th Street)
(813) 241-2442

Thanksgiving side dish that'll have them asking for a straw

Thanksgiving usually features the regulars, staring the turkey with co-stars like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing and sweet potatoes drenched in butter and topped with tons of marshmallows. This year, introduce a new co-star!

Brandied Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes
2/3 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c. water
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. seedless raisins
1/4 c. cognac

Wash the sweet potatoes, but do not peel them. Boil in water to cover until barely soft, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and peel. Slice into a greased casserole. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring the brown sugar, water, butter and raisins to a boil. Add the cognac and pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, basting several times with the syrup in the casserole.

Serves 4.