Good morning, it’s Thursday.
I have written before about my collection of nut butters – rare is the version I have come across that I didn’t like. Recently, a co-worker gifted me a hazelnut chocolate version that is only available overseas and is insanely good. I have been rationing it and dreading the day when I run out.
My love of all things nutty and spreadable is matched only by my love of hot sauce. I have a fairly sizable collection in my fridge and pantry.
I am not one of those people who likes to have my tastebuds burned off, but I do like a little zip with my food. This is in stark contrast to my other half’s preferences. As a result, when I do cook, I tend to err on the side of bland and doctor my plate after the fact.
I was, like many, deeply alarmed by the news of Huy Fung Foods’s suspension of sriracha production, though that upsetting period is apparently well behind us now. While I was waiting for prices to come down and the sriracha supply to stabilize, I got on the chili crisp train, though I’m fairly basic in my tastes here – a tried and true Fly By Jing fan.
I also still like the truffle-infused Truff line. In a pinch, I won’t say no to old standbys like Frank’s RedHot and even good old Tobacco, though I think it’s pretty one dimensional in its flavor profile.
Though I am definitely in the pro-hot sauce category, I have not yet joined the ranks of those who don’t leave home without it.
If you are one of those people, you are certainly in good company, along with the likes of Hillary Clinton (though this widely reported admissionsparked controversy, as did so much of what the former Secretary of State/Senator/presidential contender did), Beyonce, and Florence Pugh.
Hot sauce has been around for hundreds of years, dating back to indigenous times, when the Aztecs and Mayans first domesticated chili peppers and turned them into simple sauces, medicines, and even weapons, adding water and other herbs, depending on their ultimate intent.
Consuming hot sauce can be good for your health – in moderation, of course, like everything else. This is primarily due to capsaicin, the chemical compound in chilis that cause their heat.
Technically, capsaicin is a defense mechanism for plants and also potentially a pain relieved for humans because it depletes nerve-signaling chemicals. That can help relieve inflammation, nerve pain, and even arthritis, and also increase your metabolism to enhance weight loss.
The heat in a hot sauce also can trigger a mood-boosting endorphin response, which explains what those chili addicts are chasing. AND, while eating hot, spicy food can make you feel warmer, it also helps to cool you down when the weather is warm.
Capsaicin – and, by extension, hot sauce – does have some down sides, like the potential to cause stomach irritation. It is not, therefore, good for people who have sensitive stomachs and is a no-no for those who suffer from IBS and/or GERD. Also, if you are going to be consuming hot sauce, check the ingredient label, because additives like sugar, salt preservatives and artificial colors are also not all that great for your health.
If you want to go VERY deep on the debate over whether capsaicin either cures or causes cancer (not kidding) click here.
In case you hadn’t already guessed, it’s National Hot Sauce Day. We’re going to get a break from the cold today, with temperatures soaring up into the low 40s, which is going to feel like a heat wave compared to what we’ve been experiencing of late. There might be a few snow flurries or showers around, but little to nothing in terms of accumulation.
Don’t get used to this warm snap, either, because we’re looking at the single digits – and more snow – this weekend.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump said he will not move forward with tariffs on eight European countries for not supporting his push to take over Greenland following a conversation with NATO’s secretary general about a future deal regarding the territory and the Arctic.
Trump announced on social media that after a private meeting with NATO’s secretary general in Davos, Switzerland, he agreed to the “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region.”
Before Trump’s announcement, the European Union’s legislative body halted work on the formal approval and implementation of the trade deal it had reached with him last summer.
The Supreme Court yesterday seemed poised to reject Trump’s bid to immediately remove Lisa D. Cook from the Federal Reserve board, with key justices expressing concern about undermining the longstanding independence of the central bank.
Jeffery Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell will have nothing to offer when she’s deposed by a congressional committee in its Epstein investigation next month unless she’s first granted clemency by Trump, her lawyer said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began a national “Take Back Your Health” tour with a rally at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, where he said his new dietary guidelines were “not perfect”, addressed supporters, and dismissed running for president again.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly says he’s seriously considering running for president. “I still think it needs to be the right person for the moment, and we don’t know what that moment is yet,” he told CNN.
Rahm Emanuel, 66, a prominent Democrat who has signaled his desire to run for the White House in 2028, called for a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president, cabinet officials, members of Congress and federal judge.
After less than a day of deliberation, the jury has returned a verdict of not guilty in the trial of former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) police officer Adrian Gonzales.
Adrian Gonzales, the first officer to arrive at the school, was facing 29 counts of abandoning or endangering children, 19 for the dead and 10 more for survivors, after seven hours of deliberations yesterday.
As the verdict was read, Gonzalez bowed his head. Several of those sitting in the gallery started crying. He hugged his lawyers, shook hands and appeared to be tearing up.
Gov. Kathy Hochul faces potential budget battles over taxing the rich, establishing protest buffer zones, making changes to auto insurance, and, of course, getting a deal done by the April 1 constitutional deadline.
Facing a potential $12 billion budget gap and a need to make good on promises of an ambitious, but pricey, affordability agenda, Mayor Mamdani indicated he may push Hochul in budget negotiations to include tax hikes on millionaires and corporations.
Despite opposition from Hochul, Mamdani told reporters during a press briefing that he still believes “now is the time to increase taxes on the most profitable corporations that do business in New York and the wealthiest residents that call the city home.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Alana Sivin as his new counsel, which elevates her instantly to one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes politicos in Albany.
New York is joining the small group of states switching to chip-and-pin cards to evade skimming devices that siphon money for food from low-income people.
A push by Democrats to redraw the lines of a New York City congressional district cleared a major hurdle yesterday, when a Manhattan judge ruled that the district disenfranchises Black and Latino voters.
Supreme Court Judge Jeffrey Pearlman of Manhattan issued a ruling that says the boundaries of New York’s 11th District — which currently covers Staten Island and a small part of Brooklyn — was drawn unlawfully and needs to be redone.
Mamdani announced a new city rule that would prohibit hotel operators — those in New York City, as well as those outside the city that advertise to New Yorkers — from sneaking in extra charges often described as “destination fees” or “resort fees.”
Rohit Aggarwala resigned from his position as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Appointed to the role by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022, he also served in a dual role as Chief Climate Officer, overseeing the city’s climate policy portfolio.
Nine months before his term expired, then-Mayor Eric Adams granted Jordan McGraw – the son of TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw – unusual access to police officers to develop a television show called “Behind the Badge.” This is now the subject of a lawsuit.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch met right-wing radio personality Sid Rosenberg, who has called Mamdani a “terrorist” and said he would be “cheering for 9/11”, for dinner on Tuesday evening, the host dished on his radio show.
Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer said that she has been trying for weeks to convince Mamdani’s office to find supportive housing for people living among boxes of their possessions in two locations on Broadway between 75th and 76th streets.
The Hudson River Park Trust, a publicly-owned corporation overseen by the state and New York City, will end its longstanding contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid growing concerns about its heavy-handed tactics.
New York State has poured more than $65 million into public defense over the past seven years, but nearly all of that money bypassed New York City, helping fuel what defender groups now warn is a staffing and retention crisis in the city’s courts.
The New York City metro area could have its snowiest storm in years this weekend, as forecasters say they’re increasingly confident at least 6 inches — and possibly up to a foot — of snow could blanket the city early Sunday into Monday.
Landmark Coney Island hot dog chain Nathan’s Famous is being sold to meat packaging company Smithfield Foods for $450 million, the companies announced.
To move, or not to move? That was the question hovering over Madison Square Garden yesterday as Amtrak released a shortlist of finalists to overhaul Penn Station, located beneath the arena.
Meteorologists are still determining whether a major winter storm expected to bring snow, sleet and freezing rain across the country will hit the Capital Region this weekend.
The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors has rejected another nominee for the Democratic Board of Elections commissioner, after a state Supreme Court justice overturned the appointment of longtime Commissioner Clifford Hay.
Schenectady City Councilman Carl Williams repeatedly refused to allow the city’s engineer to make a presentation, insisting there is no point in conducting other government business until lawmakers break a logjam over the election of a council president.
Former Supervisor John Lant, citing health concerns, said he will not seek an endorsement from the town’s Republican Committee to run for town office again in November.
A conservation group is working to buy untouched waterfront land in Lansingburgh containing archaeological remains from property owner Donald Luccarelli — who for six years backed much-protested plans to construct apartments on the property.
A water treatment plant worker mistakenly dumped a “significant” amount of extra fluoride into the local water supply in November and failed to report the accident for several weeks. But officials said there appeared to be no threat to the community.
Charges have been filed against a recently fired Mohonasen High School wrestling coach who is accused of hitting a student.
The Times Union has been selected as a 2026 Report for America host partner, joining a network of more than 175 media outlets benefiting from a nonprofit program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
