Mom's secret chili ingredient goes viral and leaves TikTokers stunned
The video was posted by the Hnieno Fam, a family-oriented TikTok account centered on a London mother and a father of two.
Advertisement
Jade Hnieno, the mom of the family, shared the video last month, revealing the mysterious addition: a square of dark chocolate added directly to the pot.
'Secret ingredient to make the best chili,' she captioned the video.
The video, which has been viewed over 6.4 million times, was met with both intrigue and disgust.
'Absolutely not,' one person wrote.
Advertisement
'No,' another said bluntly.
Others defended the little-known ingredient, sharing their own unusual tips for incorporating dark chocolate.
5 A mother's chili secret has viral on TikTok, sparking debate.
M.studio – stock.adobe.com
5 Jade Hnieno shared the video last month, showing a square of dark chocolate that she added to the pot.
Tiktok / @TheHnienoFam
Advertisement
'Although chili and mole are different in terms of ingredients and cultural origin, both are usually added with dark chocolate to enhance their flavor experience.'
'I worked for a small-town chocolate brand for a while and THIS was our key ingredient for a chili cook-off,' one person said.
'It's so good.'
'Also works in a bolognese sauce,' a second person wrote.
Advertisement
5 'I worked for a small-town chocolate brand for a while and THIS was our key ingredient for a chili cook-off,' one person wrote.
Joshua Resnick – stock.adobe.com
'I'm Mexican and yes, it is very normal to use dark chocolate in chili,' another said. 'We literally use it to make mole.'
A different TikToker revealed, 'I like to cook some cocoa powder with the tomato paste in the beginning and deglaze with a Coke.'
The mother behind the account, Jade Hnieno, told Fox News Digital her family really enjoyed the chili.
'We had it with baked potato and sour cream, our favorite way to have chili,' she said.
5 'I'm Mexican and yes, it is very normal to use dark chocolate in chili,' another person commented.
Phil Cardamone – stock.adobe.com
'I think the chocolate enhances the flavor by adding depth and richness to the dish, balancing out the acidity from the tomatoes and peppers.'
Science appears to support her reasoning. Fox News Digital spoke with food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., about how chocolate can enrich the dish.
Advertisement
Le, who is based in California and works for Mendocino Food Consulting, said the fat compounds in dark chocolate help soften the spicy punch of capsaicin.
'Due to its higher cocoa solids, flavonols and fat content compared to other grades, unsweetened, high-percentage dark chocolates are recommended.'
'On the other hand, the bitterness of chocolates due to compounds like flavonols, phenolics and other non-polyphenols effectively balances the bright sourness of tomatoes due to citric and malic acids, making the umami taste more prominent,' he said.
Advertisement
'Although chili and mole are different in terms of ingredients and cultural origin, both are usually added with dark chocolate to enhance their flavor experience.'
5 'I think the chocolate enhances the flavor by adding depth and richness to the dish, balancing out the acidity from the tomatoes and peppers,' Hnieno said.
Tiktok / @TheHnienoFam
The cuisine expert also noted that mixing chocolate and chili peppers dates back to the Mayan and Aztec empires.
'One of the earliest evidence of mixing chocolate and chili peppers dates back to the 15th century [when] Olmec, Maya and Aztec consumed hot chocolate with chili peppers due to [their] medicinal purposes and ritual traditions,' he said.
Advertisement
But if you have a spare white or milk chocolate bar in your pantry, the food scientist recommends keeping it out of your chili.
'Due to its higher cocoa solids, flavonols and fat content compared to other grades, unsweetened, high-percentage dark chocolates are recommended,' Le advised.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
18 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
14 Ex-Tradwives Are Revealing How And Why They Got Divorced
Recently, I wrote an article sharing stories from people who actually were 20th-century "tradwives" about what the lifestyle was like for them. Their stories prompted me to ask divorced members of the BuzzFeed Community who have been trad- or stay-at-home wives what it was like and how their relationship came to an end. Here are their stories. "He decided to trade me in for a newer model with a trust fund. We were 10 years into what I thought was a good marriage. I was wrong." "He married her months after our divorce. Now, 20+ years later, they are miserable. Bicker constantly according to my children, and I'm quite okay with not being with him or dealing with her. Yes, she knew he was married with two young children, but pursued him anyway. No, I'm not sorry for how it all turned out; ultimately, probably for the best. I've had a great life and career. I spent the last two decades making sure my kids are okay, and soon it will be time for me. Being a starter wife was a blessing in disguise. I think ultimately, we all got what we deserved."—jbkswfla "I guess I fell into the category of tradwife: a stay-at-home mom to two kids [who] homeschooled them and had a great community of friends doing the same kind of thing. I wouldn't say we [my husband and I] were 'trad' like what you see on TikTok; it wasn't a goal of mine or anything, we just did what worked for us. Until it didn't work anymore." "Our relationship started feeling off, emotionally, physically, it all just started falling apart slowly over a year or so. He worked so much, we lived apart when our second child was born because of work. It was a lot. We did therapy and tried all sorts of things until we decided to divorce. Turned out, my husband was gay, didn't want to ever face it due to his own reasons (parental shaming as a kid, amongst other things) [and had] created the life he thought he should have and had been having affairs online for years. I understand why he couldn't be truthful sooner, but I think it's wild he lived a whole different life for so long. He ended up having a lot of resentment towards me because I wasn't what he wanted, but he felt like he needed to live the 'traditional life'. We're in such a better place now, friendship-wise and personally. Life is crazy!"—Anonymous "Honestly? It just got boring. We didn't divorce because of the 'traditional' aspect; I only stayed home until our kids were a little bigger, and after that, oh, my God. It was SO. BORING. There's only so much pilates and painting and getting-coffee-with-the-girls you can do before your brain starts to atrophy; I needed work!" "So, our traditional lifestyle came to an end. I got a job that was pretty flexible, so I was still the more 'hands-on' parent when it came to the kids. Our marriage worked totally well like that for a few years... until it turned out my husband was a pathological liar, [a] drug user, and was embezzling money from his company 😁. We are divorced, he is in jail, and I have a big-girl job now. I'm happy to be able to support myself and my kids!"—Anonymous "He simply didn't respect the role that I was in. Unfortunately, I had a rough time as a single mom before meeting my ex. When he came into our lives, he love-bombed me and convinced me that he wanted me to be a stay-at-home parent so the financial stress would be off of me, and I could just stay home and enjoy being a mom. At first, it was great; but then it felt like I was a single parent all over again and he was just paying the bills." "He kept so many secrets, like opening credit cards without my knowing. We are currently going through a divorce and I'm going to get stuck paying 50% of his $60k credit card debt even though I had no knowledge of it. I wasn't allowed to know any of the financials and was 'living' off of a $400 per month allowance for groceries, gas, and household expenses. "I began going to school and he would try to convince me to drop out all the time. I took night classes that didn't end until 10 p.m. and in the three years I was taking those classes, our youngest was asleep by the time I got home a total of five times. Every other time, our youngest would be awake next to his sleeping dad, one hand in a bag of family-sized chips, and one hand holding his dad's phone [watching] YouTube videos depicting things that would give ME nightmares.I finally had enough and told him I wanted a divorce early last year. Since then, he has made my life absolutely miserable. Every time he has the kids for his visits, he doesn't feed them meals but gives them endless amounts of candy. He gives our 11-year-old energy drinks, so she comes back home to me completely riled up, sick to her stomach, and moody. He's not a good parent because he doesn't want to be, and he likes to make my life harder since I wouldn't remain his tradwife. According to him, I needed to be more like his mom — even requesting that I dress like her even though I'm in my early 30s and she's almost 70... My kids and I are a million times happier with him out of the house."—Anonymous "Being a 'tradwife' as the kids call it nowadays had its good and bad. I was very happy to be the parent who stayed home with the kids, and my husband had a great job that could support us all. I know many happy couples with this setup. The problem, though, is that there's no "insurance" in the event that he decides to leave you." "After nine years of marriage, my husband told me that he had fallen in love with another woman and that our marriage would come to an end. He said he would always support our children, which he has to this day, he fails to comprehend that all the years I spent supporting our family at home were years that I could have spent building up my salary, and my life, to support our family in a different way. I didn't just lose nine years of a salary; I lost nine years of building my salary. At 35, I had to start over making what a college grad would make."—Anonymous "It was hell. I have a Bachelor of Science in nursing and ended up with a husband who decided he didn't want me to work at all (prior to kids!) so I stayed home." "He was threatened by any friends I had or if I had fun without him, so he deleted all my contacts. Then my car needed to be fixed, and he chose not to do it even though we had plenty of money. I was trapped at home with no support system (my family was in another state), no friends, no work to fulfill me, and nothing to do. I'm basically ready for jail life if I ever have to go for any reason. I used my whole first paycheck after I got my first Big Girl Job to overpay a new friend for a photo shoot with my divorce settlement paperwork I received in the mail. Well worth it."—Anonymous "Not divorced, but widowed. [Being a 'tradwife'] was a decision made from a purely financial standpoint at first. I made less money than daycare would cost and also was not yet in an established career." "I LOVED staying home with my kids and got used to being in charge of the house, cooking, cleaning, [and] whatever else came with it. However, my husband died and now it is almost impossible to find a job after having taken so many years away from working. So if you're a tradwife/stay-at-home parent, I'd recommend doing whatever small things you can to be able to put something on your resume in case you find yourself having to make a life change!"—Anonymous "I am from a culture (LDS) that prioritizes getting married very young. My husband was somebody I knew from high school and from church, and he was a fun-loving guy as a teenager. We got married when I was 19 and had three kids together. By the time he was 24 or 25, he was growing more controlling — but it was all stuff I thought was cute and normal, if possessive, at first." "Then things progressed; he didn't want me seeing my friends outside the home anymore, he convinced me to leave my part-time job, and he didn't see why I needed to have a credit card (instead of a debit card he now funded). He said I needed to prioritize the kids, even though we could afford childcare and my parents are very only took a few months after leaving that job for me to realize my closed-off life was leaving me isolated and depressed — he even wanted to limit the time I spent with my own sister! Without telling him, I started applying for jobs again and landed a full-time position. Then, I sat him down and very calmly told him that he could either let me work or we could get divorced. He was pretty mad (as were some people in my community, when they found out), but..." "We are now divorced. I realized that that man was not the nice boy I knew from high school. Getting married young can be really great, but it's not for everyone. I would even (although many people I know would disagree with me) say it's not for most people." "Girls, you deserve to know who A) yourself and B) your husband are as ADULTS before you get married and have kids with him. I am doing great now, feel wonderfully in control of my own life, and love my children so much. Being free does not limit my own or my children's lives at all."—Anonymous "I was a traditional wife who worked outside of the home about 25% of the 59-year marriage. I was responsible, hard-working, and did everything. He worked. He physically, emotionally, and verbally abused me. He raped me. He pissed away nearly $300k. He always lied. He cheated. I finally got sick of being used and abused." "Before he moved out, he transferred all his retirement accounts to a his-name-only account and replaced me as the beneficiary on everything. Money was the only thing he contributed, so ultimately I divorced him. He and my lawyer procrastinated (both are greedy, selfish miscreants) and dragged things out for over a year. He walked away with 12 contempt citations, a new car, and $100k annual income. I am destitute, but free."—Anonymous "I'm not divorced, but I wanted to be. My husband passed away, and I feel very guilty for feeling this way, but it has been a blessing in my life." "I am American from a very conservative Muslim family. I guess I wasn't a 'tradwife' in the current online way, which feels very Christian-oriented to me, but really with conservative religions, it's all the same. I went to college, but I'm pretty sure the point of my education was so my parents could 'brag' about it. They made it very clear to me that I was lucky to be 'allowed' to go, unlike my cousins back in Bangladesh, and that they wanted me to find a husband. It was like my life was the I found a really nice guy, he was from a similar background but he himself was pretty secular (more so than me). He drank and partied with his friends. We got married out of college. Turns out, he was very willing to turn up his 'conservative' side once we were married." "First, it was that he wanted me to stay home while he worked. At the time, I was all about it — hell yes, I'll stay home and let you buy me things and fund my life! But — buckle up — problems started when I gave birth to a baby girl." "I got pregnant again and suffered [a] miscarriage that was very traumatic for me. He blamed me and wanted me to get pregnant as soon as I could so he could have a son. That was a red flag and [was] when I started seriously considering leaving him, but I didn't have any he hit me. He only did it once, but for me, that was enough. I packed up and went to my parents' and demanded a divorce. I don't think he would have given me one, but I guess it doesn't matter night, he said he was going to 'come get' me and [our daughter]. [He] got in a car accident (his fault), and died from his injuries two days later. Turns out, he was drunk when it has been two years and our daughter is starting first grade soon. I am very happy I have my degree, because I now have a stable job. We are not rich but I never want another man to 'provide' for me. I can make do for myself."—Anonymous "It has been very hard. I feel a lot of guilt. I wanted to stay married for our family, but he got to be too much. I didn't have very much bargaining power in the relationship, but now we are divorced and I have my own job, which is nice." Something that's hard is that I come from quite a religious community and am still very religious, but lots of single-mother support groups etc. are very anti-Christian (I have grace for them, because a lot of them have been abused by their communities). I myself find a lot of inner strength in Jesus."Sometimes in dark moments I still doubt if I did the right thing, but then I remind myself I am being ridiculous. My husband beat me. I had to leave before he turned on our children. I have full custody and a restraining order. I am proud of myself for getting out."—Anonymous "I was one of the thousands of women who were in the workforce before COVID and left when it struck. At the time, I had a 3-year-old and [a] 2-year-old, and [when] life with COVID reached a point [where] I COULD return, I decided to stay. I now have a 6-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, [and a] divorce in progress." "He completely shut down as a parent in the house and refused to even be a partner to me romantically. He focused on professional joy only and I felt alone and exhausted. He did not manage the finances. He did not want to advance his career. I just couldn't take it anymore."—Anonymous "I was a stay-at-home mom, got a remote job because I didn't have personal money to spend, moved halfway across the country per his urging (away from my family), and then he convinced me to quit my job because I 'couldn't take care of the house like I used to.' (Not true.) The day after my last day of work, we went to our seventh-anniversary dinner, and on the way home he decided he was done with no reason other than he didn't want to be married anymore." "We drove home, paid the babysitter, and while our children slept, he left. He was gone for two months (my lawyer's PI couldn't even find him) with no communication with me or our children. He then acted like I was trying to pull one over on him because I sold things to make rent and feed our children, [said] that I cheated on him (I didn't) and was hiding money from him (but he's hidden money from me, in reality)." "Flash forward two years and he hasn't paid child support in almost a year and refuses to help me take care of our children or to take me off of any credit cards or loans that he fraudulently signed my name to. All while he's a CTO of a tech company and living with his girlfriend." And finally: "God, once he wanted to go 'trad' the marriage lasted like, two seconds, LOL. I'm very pro letting people live how they want to live — but that lifestyle is NOT for me, and he married me knowing my personality." "I loved him a lot, we met at work (if that says anything) in our 20s, and got married when he was 30 and I was 29. After two years he wanted to move to Connecticut and have a the baby just wasn't happening for us... which I am now grateful for... and I was NOT moving to Connecticut. We were having sex less and whenever we were, he was stressed about making the non-existent baby. I started falling out of deep love with him and I felt so guilty, but he kept getting kind of... meaner? It all clicked one Thanksgiving at his parents' place. His mom was being pretty weird and kept ordering me around and acting like I couldn't do anything quite right. After we went home, he kept harping on about 'wasn't his mom so great and isn't she so talented at hosting and maybe we could try to host Christmas' if I thought I was up to it, etc. All of a sudden I realized: he didn't want me, his girlfriend anymore. He wanted a are now separated and he has been dating a new girl. I heard from a mutual friend that they are already engaged, and we're not even divorced yet! I feel for him because I know how badly he wants a child, but I think he's letting it control his life. I'm worried for his mental health in the case that he never has kids."—Anonymous Let me know your thoughts on all of the above. And if you have your own story involving a "traditional" marriage, please feel free to share down below.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
They Didn't Want Their Senior Dog to Get Hurt at the Party. The Resulting Balloon Trick Went Viral (Exclusive)
'I really have this internal feeling he knew he was getting his claim to fame soon,' Alexa Stockhausen tells PEOPLENEED TO KNOW A 16-year-old dog named Marley found viral fame thanks to a loving family and one brilliantly simple idea What started as a sweet party precaution turned into a TikTok moment that resonated with millions In an exclusive interview, Marley's owner shares the story behind the now-famous balloon and the pup who just wants to be near his peopleAt a recent family party, one tiny guest nearly stole the show — and the internet. When 16-year-old Marley, a gentle Yorkie poo, showed up with a balloon tied to his back, no one expected the moment to become a viral sensation. 'People love a heartfelt story,' Alexa Stockhausen tells PEOPLE, still surprised by how quickly her sweet old pup captured hearts online. The TikTok text overlay told the tale simply: 'They put a balloon on our 16-year-old family dog so no one would trip on him at the party,' while the caption sealed it with love: 'diapers and balloons for our good boy Marley.' Marley wasn't just a prop at the party. He was the beloved centerpiece, roaming gently between guests with a balloon floating above him that read 'beware of dog.' 'He's just a people lover,' Alexa says. 'He actually hates being alone.' Alexa explains that Marley lives with her mom, but whenever her mom has to leave the house, someone makes sure Marley has company. 'I usually come here and just hang out with him,' she says. 'He's a friendly mush.' The decision to outfit Marley with the party balloon came together in a moment of playful genius. 'My sister came up with that idea, and it was pretty spontaneous,' Alexa shares. At 16, Marley moves a bit more slowly these days, but he still insists on being part of the action. 'We were kind of looking at the guy like, you know, how do we let him walk around safely?' Alexa recalls. So the balloon idea was born. It was both functional and undeniably adorable, giving guests a heads-up and Marley the freedom to stay in the mix. The video, a short clip of Marley toddling around with the balloon bouncing above him quickly resonated with viewers. 'I didn't post it with the intention of it hitting millions of views,' Alexa admits. 'But at the same time, I wasn't too, too surprised.' A social media professional herself, Alexa understood how the clip's emotional clarity and charm made it shareable. 'It was quick and to the point,' she says. 'And people knew exactly what was going on.' 'He's just always a happy dog,' Alexa says. 'He's got that gentle soul.' During the pandemic, Alexa moved home and worked remotely, spending every day with Marley by her side. 'He would literally just sit next to me in Zoom meetings,' she says. 'He was just always there.' She describes him as 'attached at the hip in the best way' and says he still has some of that old puppy energy. 'He'll start barking if we leave the house and when we come home,' she says. 'He just always kind of had that puppy personality in him.' Even after 16 years, Marley's quirks continue to delight the whole family. 'He tries to eat our food all the time,' Alexa laughs. He does have a favorite snack. 'Chicken,' she confirms with a smile. 'He likes chicken a lot.' Until recently, Marley was still happily playing with toys and chasing bits of joy like a dog half his age. 'He doesn't like baths,' Alexa adds, 'but when he gets out of the bath, he's the happiest dog ever.' Marley also has a mischievous streak that has made him a minor legend in the neighborhood. 'He's definitely an escape artist,' Alexa says. Usually, he runs straight to a neighbor's house that's known for feeding animals. 'He knows he's getting treats there,' she laughs. The balloon and diapers may have been the stars of the TikTok, but to Marley, they're just part of life. 'He's got a diaper on right now,' Alexa notes. 'He's totally fine with those, and the balloon did not faze him.' Some commenters expressed surprise that Marley tolerated a balloon. Alexa assures everyone he was completely unbothered. 'He was just walking around like it was made for him,' she says. When the video started gaining traction, so did the comments section. 'One of my favorites was just straight up, 'I would die for Marley,' ' Alexa says. People also had practical questions, especially about what was wrapped around Marley's belly. 'A lot of people were asking about the diapers,' Alexa shares. Marley has been wearing them for a couple of years now. 'He doesn't have control,' Alexa explains, but says it doesn't seem to bother him at all. In fact, Alexa would recommend the balloon trick to other pet owners looking to include their senior dogs in big events. 'Definitely,' she says. 'As long as they're not typically scared of balloons.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The joy Marley has brought to his family spans nearly two decades. 'He's brought us so much joy over the past 16 years,' Alexa reflects. A few months ago, Marley had a bit of a health scare that left the family worried. 'He wasn't doing so hot,' Alexa says. 'But we took him to the vet, and he came out like a new puppy.' Alexa likes to think Marley knew his big moment was coming. 'I really have this internal feeling he knew he was getting his claim to fame soon,' she says. Marley joined the family in 2008 after months of Alexa begging her mom for a dog. 'She showed up with him,' Alexa remembers. 'And he's just been here ever since.' As he continues into his golden years, Marley remains the heart of the home with his soft eyes, scruffy charm, a love of chicken and a balloon-worthy presence. 'He's happy,' Alexa says simply. 'He's just happy to be here.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Competition's Already Begun Between "TSLOMW" Stars Jen Affleck And Whitney Leavitt Ahead Of Their "Dancing With The Stars" Debut
Earlier this month on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 reunion, it was announced that Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt will be joining the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. Jen and Whitney are taking their #MomTok moves to the DWTS dance floor! Related: This week, Whitney shared a TikTok of her and Jen gearing up for their upcoming "competition": @whitneyleavitt Before you get your garments in a twist, don't fret, it's all in good fun: Related: The good-natured joke was further confirmed in the comments: Related: My fave part of the video is Conner — Whitney's husband — who just looks happy to be there: They're even practicing their moves together since rehearsals won't start for a couple more months: @whitneyleavitt / Via Related: Jen and Whitney are joined by influencer Alix Earle and wildlife conservationist Robin Irwin on the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. Until then, we must survive off of the morsels they give us on their TikToks: @jenniferaffleck / Via Stream The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity:
