some like it hot.

i've said it before, i'm not a sweets kind of girl. I can resist the temptation of brownies, cookies, cake, anything sugary; but put something salty or spicy in front of my & I cave in. i'm pretty sure that it has to do with the fact that i'm mexican.

my mouth waters when i think of chili (like it is right now). i went to high school in east l.a. and instead of having ice cream trucks or bake sales after school, we would have corn men selling elotes & ice cream trucks selling hot cheetos with lime juice. There are 4 snacks that I crave constantly. Some may seem weird to you, but don't shut them down, try them. i promise, they're really good...


1. Tapatío on popcorn. i still remember the first time my dad taught me how to eat popcorn like this. at first, my taste buds couldn't handle the heat so i would literally keep my mouth open under a running faucet! i promise it's not that painful anymore. my old roommates used to think i was crazy, but when i went to méxico, i found that they actually have pumps of hot sauce at movie theaters & they sell popcorn with hot sauce packets. oh & p.s. it's kind of a habit of mine to just call hot sauce chile because that's what it's called in spanish & i grew up calling it that.


2. hot cheetos with lime, with lime juice. hot cheetos with lime are my favorite chips, my friends and i love them so much that when my bestie Jeniffer was in Spain, she had her mom send her a bag. $20 bag of hot cheetos anyone? when i was in middle school, the 8th grade class would sell this snack in a classroom & if you didn't get let out for "nutrition" early enough, they would be sold out. i confess, i used to have two small bags a day. there's something about lime juice that just makes things more flavorful. the only thing with this snack is that if you don't eat it fast enough, it could turn soggy. no bueno. mind you, this snack as well with the others are only for those who like spicy foods, if you don't like hot flavored things, you're not going to like them, simple as that.


3. doritos with laughing cow cheese. this is my personal creation. my grandpa introduced my to laughing cow cheese with crackers, but i thought this snack needed a little kick. i think i was on my period when i created this one & it's been a hit with everyone i've introduced it to. just ask Matty g. this one isn't as spicy as the others, but it's just as yummy.


4. pico de gallo chili powder with pineapple. i haven't found pico de gallo in provo, so i've been using different brands, walmart has a pretty good one. i've always loved chili powder i used to eat it as a candy when i was in fifth grade, lucas anyone? i used to pour the stuff on my hand & lick it. i still do that with chili powder whenever i have it. it accents the pineapple quite nicely. if you think it's weird just go to l.a. any fruit vendor will sell you fruit bags with a packet of chili powder & lemon juice included. it tastes good on anything but my personal favorites are mangos, watermelon, jicama, apples (green ones), and cucumber.



i love my culture so much & especially when it has yummy snacks attached with it. please try some of these out, if anything just to say you did it. if you have any delicious snack combinations that you love, send them my way! (i think diversity is awesome.)

here's to the yummy snacks of the world! & chili & lime. long live the spicy!

All of my ♥,
Lauren