note: this photo is not mine, but it looks a lot like my gazpacho

I posted a recipe a couple years back called Guy Gazpacho on Bullz-Eye’s Grub for Guys section, and I re-posted it here last May. And I thought that now is a good time to re-visit that one, because it’s getting brutally hot outside everywhere, and because tomatoes are coming into season, as are cucumbers and peppers. Plus, hey, it’s Wednesday, and that means it’s a great time to have another Wing Sauce Wednesday column. That’s because wing sauce is one of the secret ingredients of my gazpacho.

If you, like me, love Buffalo wing sauce and feel like you’d be really happy just doing shots of it, this is the soup for you. It has 2 tablespoons of wing sauce, but I have started adding more like 3-4 per batch. The other secret ingredient for me? Avocado. It gives the soup a nice smooth texture and taste. I also do not use onions or raw garlic as many chefs would, because my stomach is not a fan of that stuff in its raw state. But you could certainly add some of either or both. There are no rules, but if you do make this gazpacho on Wing Sauce Wednesday, you should definitely add the sauce. Trust me, it’s worth it on Wednesday or any day.

I love Buffalo wing sauce. I love it so much that I am starting a new column every so often here called “Wing Sauce Wednesday” in which I will review a product made with Buffalo wing sauce, or tell tales of something related to wing sauce, or bathe in it. Okay, maybe not bathing in it. But man, my mouth waters when you mention this stuff. Anyway, it’s become a mainstream flavor in so many foods now, that I thought we’d start to mention as many as we can–weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, or whatever.

First up, Nabisco Wheat Thins Spicy Buffalo. Wheat Thins are delicious, and have a signature sweetness that offsets the whole grain crunch. So how would a spicy flavoring alter the overall experience? It’s really good–with a very generous dusting of Buffalo wing sauce powder, a bit spicy but not too spicy, and with that nice tang that wing sauce has. And you can tell by the sweetness you are eating Wheat Thins. The only drawback? That sweetness is a bit odd against the salty and spicy tang–odd, but tasty…if that makes sense.

Anyway, if you like Wheat Thins and wing sauce, you should definitely try these crackers.

I’ve said this a million times, but I could live on wing sauce. I could drink it. I could eat it on every food known to man. I use it in recipes, I put it in my chili or in my soup. I douse food with it. I dip wings in it that don’t have wing sauce. And I love foods that use it, commercial foods or otherwise.

Such a food is Pringles Xtreme Blastin’ Buffalo Wing potato crisps (don’t call them chips, I think it’s illegal or something). I bought a stack of these today and they are true to the original flavor–that tangy, peppery, spicy, salty deliciousness. But it’s not doused–instead it’s kind of sprinkled and/or caked on each crisp. And so you get the flavor blast in addition to the subtle Pringle’s potato taste. This is good snack food–not necessarily good for you, but good tasting, good-with-beer, good-with-sandwich, good-with-late-night-anything snack food.

If you like Pringles and you like wings, why are you still reading this? Go buy a can/stack now and watch them disappear!

Well, this is the original “a can a week,” as the Blue Diamond Almond folks coined that phrase a few decades ago with their “A can a week, is all we ask” TV campaigns. And with nuts falling back into our good carb-hating graces again, Blue Diamond has expanded their line of almonds a lot in the past few years.

They first introduced their BOLD line which included flavors such as Chili Lime, Jalapeno Smokehouse and my personal favorite, Wasabi and Soy. Seriously, when that Wasabi flavor came out, I bought a case directly from the company–no joke.

Anyway, they have now introduced a flavor that is also near and dear to my heart–Blazin’ Buffalo Wing. If you love wings and if you’re like most folks who love wings, you’re addicted to the flavor of the sauce so much, that when you smell it or think of it your mouth waters on command. That’s how I am, and if you are, these nuts are for you….no pun intended.

However, if you eat these Blue Diamond beauties too fast –crunching and swallowing right away–you might miss the flavor of the powdered wing sauce on these almonds. So best to savor them slowly and let the taste of wing sauce linger on your tongue–yeah, i said “linger on your tongue”…go ahead and laugh, but these nuts are no laughing matter. They are bold and delicious and you should go try them, or buy a case just in time for Super Bowl week.