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Archive for slow-cooker meals

Jane Goodwin | May 12, 2013

Texas Pepper Jelly: Sauces, Jellies, Rubs, Injections, and Fillet Knives

So, you’re stocking up on your grilling supplies. . . filling your pantry shelves with grilling sauces, BBQ sauces, dipping sauces, pepper jellies, rubs, injections. . . .and you’re sure you’re ready for the summer’s grillings. Have you checked out your knives yet? A good filet knife can make your cookout prep a lot easier. Texas Pepper Jelly is proud to carry Messermeister knives, and their Park Plaza filet knife is the best you’ll ever find and use.

Cookouts are a way of life for many people, and no summer gathering is complete without one. There’s something about eating in the house when the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing softly that is just, well, wrong. This weather was made for eating outside.

Balancing a paper plate of delicious food is what summer is all about. Isn’t that why we have knees in the first place? And no food, not even Thanksgiving dinner, can beat a summer cookout and the food that comes off that grill.

My neighbors are grilling already, many of them, in fact. When I get home from work around 7 p.m., the neighborhood smells so good I can hardly walk into the house from my car. The smell of good barbecue is unequaled in the annals of cookbook aromas.

We’re having a family reunion for Mother’s Day on Sunday afternoon. We’re all bringing picnic food, in spite of the thunderstorm forecast. The main dish is spiral baked ham, and the glaze, which MAKES the ham, is straight from the cookbooks of Texas Pepper Jelly. Why? Because that’s the best one!

We’re also having Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad and the BIG crockpot full of Texas Partytime Beans.

For dessert we’re having dark chocolate cake because it’s my nephew’s birthday. But we’ve got a lot of Texas Pepper Jelly to spoon over the ice cream!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our readers, because some of you ARE mothers, and the rest of you HAVE mothers.

Category: BBQ, crockpot meals, grilling, Messermeister Knives, Pineapple Sweet Fire, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas BBQ rubs, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly grilling glazes, Texas Rib Candy | Tags: chocolate cake, grilling, Mother's Day, picnic food, spicy baked beans, spicy ham, spicy potato salad, Texas BBQ injections, Texas glazed ham, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Party Beans, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly injector needles, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Sweet Fire Potato Salad, thunderstorm

Jane Goodwin | January 12, 2013

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SuperBowl Food: Hot Crockpot Spinach Dip

Winter snacks should be hot – hot with heat and hot with peppers! Hot winter snacks warm us up, all the way through.

Crockpot recipes are so easy, and Texas Pepper Jelly’s delicious and nutritious Hot Crockpot Spinach Dip is no exception.

Ingredients:

1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
1 cup mayonnaise (do not substitute Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup sour cream (not fat-free)
1/2 cup Apple Habanero pepper jelly
1/4 cup finely chopped apples (peeled) (applesauce works, too)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (if you use canned, drain thoroughly!)
1/4 cup finely diced onion

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Put mixture in your slow cooker, cover, and set to “low.”

Go to work, if it’s morning. Go to bed, if it’s night. Let the mixture cook in the crockpot for 8-10 hours. Turn crockpot off, and let “set” for an hour or two.

Pour into bowl, surround with breadsticks, chips, raw veggies, whatever your family or guests like best to dip. Stand back.

Don’t count on any leftovers. There never are any at my house. My husband and son and their friends will clean up every bite of this dip in one evening. I’ve taken to hiding a cup for my daughter and me; otherwise, it’s too dangerous to try to dip.

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, TPJ Appetizers, Uncategorized | Tags: crockpot snacks, easy snacks, football food, hot crockpot spinach dip, spicy snacks, SuperBowl snacks, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | December 30, 2012

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Texas New Year’s Feast: Hoppin’ John & Skippin’ Jenny, Festive Style

For those of us who live in the South, Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s Day repast. For those of you who live in the North, you’ve got a real treat in store!

The origin of Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Day has many scholars arguing. Most agree that the southern laves liked to make and eat it in memory of Africa, where dishes made of beans and rice or other grains were easy to get and popular. Others say that Hoppin’ John became popular because it is so easy and economical to make, as well as delicious to eat. I’m betting that it’s really a combination of these and other things.

All we really need to know is that Hoppin’ John, complete with its folklore ( black-eyed peas for luck, etc.) IS easy to make, inexpensive, and really, really tasty. This crockpot version makes a simple recipe even easier!

Ingredients:

4 cans black-eyed peas, thoroughly drained and rinsed and drained again
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 package smoked sausage mini-links
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Texas Pepper Jelly’s Pomegranate Cranberry Habanero Rib Candy
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed, drained, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bacon grease
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
2 cups cooked quinoa, brown rice, or really any grain your family likes

What to do:

Put the drained black-eyed peas, broth, and sausage in your crockpot. Stir in all the other ingredients (except the grains) and stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. I usually fill the crockpot before bedtime and let it cook all night, for lunch. For dinner, fill the slow cooker early in the morning and let it cook all day.

Serve over your grains of choice. I like to use brown rice, but my husband likes quinoa.

Happy New Year from Texas Pepper Jelly!

P.S. If there’s any left over and you serve it for supper the next day, it’s not Hoppin’ John any more. Leftover, it’s Skippin’ Jenny.

Category: crockpot meals, New Year's recipes, Pinterest, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy main dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, TPJ Recipes, Twitter | Tags: craisins, crockpot meals, holiday meals, Hoppin' John, New Year's traditional dinner, quinoa, rice, Skippin' Jenny, slaves, slow cooker suppers, southern meals, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy

Jane Goodwin | September 16, 2012

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Zesty Texas-Style Crockpot Sloppy Joes

Who doesn’t love sloppy joes? I tend to sing the Adam Sandler song about sloppy joes as I put this recipe together, but I’ve always been classy like that. This sloppy joe recipe will become your family’s favorite sloppy joe recipe after one meal – it happened that way at my house!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, crumbled, cooked, and WELL DRAINED
1 teaspoon garlic powder
one large onion, finely chopped
one green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 raw carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup Texas Pepper Jelly’s Candied Jalapenos, chopped fine
1 can black beans, drained and mashed
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
dash cumin
dash black pepper
dash chili powder

What to do:

Put everything in your crockpot and stir well. Set dial to “low” and forget about it for 6 hours or so.

Set out the bun, chips, and tossed salad, and you’ve got a nutritious, delicious meal. All those vegetables in the mixture make these sloppy joes into a dinner, not merely a lunch. This isn’t junk food, parents – it’s GOOD for your kids!

Sometimes I use mashed refried beans instead of black beans; my kids like it that way, too, but they prefer the black beans.

I also break the crockpot rules and will occasionally remove the lid and give the mixture a stir. If it seems dry, add a little – VERY little – water.

Texas-style Zesty Sloppy Joes are a perfect football-fan food, too!

Category: crockpot meals, Monday Munchies, New Texas Pepper Jelly product, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy sandwiches, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, TPJ Recipes, Uncategorized | Tags: candied habaneros, crockpot food, delicious sloppy joes, football food, nutritious sloppy joes, sloppy joes, slow-cooker meals, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas-style sloppy joes, zesty sloppy joes

Jane Goodwin | August 20, 2012

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Texas Round Steak

Texas Round Steak: It’s like Swiss steak, only for people who like it spicy! Chock full of vegetables and flavor, Texas Round Steak will become one of your family’s favorites! Add to the fun – it can be made in your crockpot OR on your stovetop OR in your oven, depending on the season and the weather!

Another timesaver: you don’t have to brown the steak before adding all the rest of the ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 lbs. round steak, well trimmed
1 tbs. salt
dash of black pepper
1 green pepper, sliced in rings
1 red pepper, sliced in rings
2 carrots, sliced in coins
1 large apple, peeled and cubed (I use Granny Smith)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced in rings
1 large tomato, diced (or 1/2 cup canned diced tomato)
1 cup Apple Habanero Rib Candy
1 cup water

What to do:

Place the round steak in a large oven dish (if you’re using the oven) or a Dutch oven (if you’re using the stovetop) or a slow cooker (if you’re using your crockpot) and cover with all the other ingredients. Cover and bake 2 hours in a 350 oven, or 2 hours on stovetop low heat, or 8 hours on low in your crockpot.

If you make gravy with the liquid after removing the meat and all the trimmings, your family will thank you for it.

One more thing: this dish, while cooking, will make your entire house smell wonderful. The neighbors will probably show up at your door, begging for a plate.

Category: crockpot meals, Monday Munchies, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy main dishes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Company dinners, TPJ Recipes | Tags: crockpot, oven, Rib Candy, slow cooker, spicy main dish, steak, stovetop, tender meat, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Round Steak, vegetables

Jane Goodwin | August 1, 2012

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Apricot Habanero and Meatballs? Mmmm, Delicious!

I have always made my (locally – very locally!) famous sweet & spicy meatballs by combining apricot jam, barbecue sauce, and pretty much most of the spices from my pantry’s “baking shelf.”

Now I make my soon-to-be-famous – locally and beyond! – sweet & spicy meatballs another way. The best way.

I use Texas Pepper Jelly’s new Apricot Habanero pepper jelly instead of plain, boring apricot jam. It makes such a difference – my family is crazy about it!

Ingredients:

1 2oz jar of Texas Pepper Jelly’s Apricot Habanero
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon powdered cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
3 dozen meatballs (cooked)

What to do:

Put all of the above ingredients (except the meatballs) in a big mixing bowl and blend well. Don’t use an electric mixer, but a whisk works great.

Put the meatballs in a large baking pan and cover with the sauce. Bake at 350 for a half hour.

I put a box of toothpicks on the table and a big spoon in the meatballs and stand back.

These are even better the next day. I don’t know about the third day; we never have any left then.

This is a great party dish, or a fabulous dinner dish to eat alone or over rice.

Oh, this recipe works well in your crockpot, too. In fact, the flavors blend even better when you do it that way.

Some people make their spicy meatball sauce with grape jam, but we’ve always preferred apricot, and Texas Pepper Jelly’s new Apricot Habanero is absolutely perfect for this recipe! It’s also great all by itself; we love to spread it on hot biscuits, and the kids like to dip breadsticks in it.

Put

Category: BBQ, crockpot meals, New Texas Pepper Jelly product, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy main dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes | Tags: apricot habanero, apricot habanero pepper jelly, barbecue sauce, crockpot, flavors, meatballs, spicy meatballs, spicy recipes, sweet and spicy meatballs, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas recipes

Jane Goodwin | July 23, 2012

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Spicy Crockpot Bread Pudding

Bread pudding has the reputation of being difficult to make, but nothing could be further from the truth, especially if you use your slow cooker! Not only is Spicy Crockpot Bread Pudding easy to make; it’s also absolutely finger-lickin’ delicious. It will also use up any stale bread you might have, and we all know that bread becomes stale really fast in this hot, humid weather.

Ingredients:

6 cups of peeled, thinly-sliced apples (I use Granny Smith, but for this recipe, any kind of apple will be fine)
1 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
1/2 cup melted butter (real butter!)
1/2 cup Apple Habanero pepper jelly
1 tablespoon white flour
1 cups bread crumbs, any kind. (I like to use both wheat and white) (don’t use rye)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 lemon

What to do:

In a large bowl, combine the apples, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, pepper jelly, and lemon juice.

In another large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and bread crumbs.

In the crockpot, layer a third of the bread crumb mixture, then a third of the apple mixture. Repeat, and finish with a final layer of bread crumbs on top. I usually pour a little more Apple Habanero pepper jelly on the top layer.

Put the lid on your crockpot, turn it on “high,” and forget about it for about 4 hours.

My husband likes whipped cream on his; my kids want ice cream with theirs, but I like mine just plain, right out of the slow cooker.

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals | Tags: apples, crockpot, crockpot delights, slow cooker, slow cooker delights, slow cooker desserts, spicy bread pudding, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

Jane Goodwin | July 17, 2012

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Spicy Crockpot Carrot Cake

This is the hottest summer ever in most people’s memory, and we here at Texas Pepper Jelly understand that most of you are reluctant to fire up the stove or oven and make your air conditioner work even harder.

But your family can still have nutritious hot meals, even in the midst of 100 degree and higher drought. Just use your crockpot.

The next few weeks of recipes you’ll find here are perfect for these hot summer days; they’ll feature your crockpot, or they’ll feature no cooking at all, possibly just an hour’s marinating in the refrigerator. Keep coming back to Texas Pepper Jelly to find all the information you’ll need to keep your family coming to the dinner table eagerly for good, nutritious meals that won’t heat up your house!

Let’s start with dessert! Spicy Crockpot Carrot Cake is delicious, easy, and once you mix it all together, there’s nothing left to do!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar (I use Splenda) (Sometimes I use half white and half brown)
2 eggs
2/3 cups oil
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (never leave out the salt in a recipe!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I’ve used both pecans and walnuts)
1 cup shredded pineapple
1/2 cup Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly
1 teaspoon vanilla

What to do:

Once you’ve gathered and prepared all the above ingredients, the rest of the directions are really hard: Dump everything in your crockpot, mix a little, turn the cooker on “high,” cover, and walk away. Come back in 4 hours, turn off the crockpot, give everybody a little plate and a dollop of ice cream, and voila. Dessert.

Or a little midnight snack. Your call.

My sister likes to remove the cake and ice it with a cream cheese frosting. My husband just puts more Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly on his. My mom eats it right out of the crockpot, as is.

And so do I. You and your family eat it however you want. It’s versatile.

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy desserts | Tags: air conditioning, carrot cake, frosting, hot summer desserts, hot summer meals, icing, oven, pepper jelly, Pineapple Habanero, slow cooker, slow cooker carrot cake, Spicy Crockpot Carrot Cake, stove, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | March 30, 2012

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Spicy Chicken & Beans

This recipe uses Texas Pepper Jelly’s fantabulous Peach Mango Habanero Bird Bath sauce, and oh, boy, does it ever make a difference in a recipe! You and your family will LOVE IT!

Ingredients:

1 large chopped onion
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans white or shoepeg corn, drained
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 cups water
1 cup Texas Pepper Jelly’s Peach Mango Habanero Bird Bath
1/4 cup chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (I use lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

What to do:

In a small skillet, saute the onion in the oil until tender but not quite carmelized. Add the garlic and cook about a minute longer.

Transfer to your crockpot. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. In other words, turn on the slow cooker, go to work, and when you get home, your house will smell WONDERFUL and your supper will be ready!

Category: crockpot meals, Pinterest, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy main dishes, Texas Bird Bath | Tags: Bird Bath, crock pot suppers, crockpot dinners, Easy crockpot meals, easy suppers, mango, peach, pepper jelly, slow cooker delights, spicy suppers, Texas Bird Bath, Texas Peach Mango Habanero Bird Bath, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | February 19, 2012

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Spicy Crockpot Chicken Soup

You know that wonderful feeling, when you’re at work, of remembering that your dinner has been cooking all day in your crockpot and will be ready to eat the very moment you walk through the door tonight. . . .

Why not make some Spicy Crockpot Chicken Soup tonight!

Ingredients:

1 16-oz can of chili beans, drained
1 16-oz can of black beans, drained
1 15-oz can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of beer (yes, you read that right!)
1 large onion, chopped
2 10-oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 small can of diced green chilies – undrained
1 cup Texas Bird Bath
3 whole skinless chicken breasts
shredded cheese – whatever kind our family likes best
sour cream

What to do:

Put everything except the chicken, cheese, and sour cream in your crockpot, and stir to blend well. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the mixture. Set our crockpot on low, cover, and go to work.

When you get home six or so hours later, remove the chicken breasts, let them cool, and shred them. Add the shredded chicken back into the soup. You can then serve right away, or let it cook for two/three more hours to blend even more.

Serve with the shredded cheese and sour cream. Lay some crackers on the table, give everybody a big soup bowl and spoon, and stand back.

If you have leftovers, put them in the refrigerator. Your soup will be even better tomorrow.

This recipe makes AWESOME soup. Your family will love it.

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Spicy soups, Texas Bird Bath, Texas Pepper Jelly | Tags: beans, chicken, crockpot, pepper jelly, slow cooker, spicy crockpot chicken soup, spicy main dish, spicy soup, Texas Bird Bath, Texas Chicken soup

« Older Entries

Archive for slow-cooker meals

Texas Pepper Jelly: Sauces, Jellies, Rubs, Injections, and Fillet Knives

SuperBowl Food: Hot Crockpot Spinach Dip

Texas New Year’s Feast: Hoppin’ John & Skippin’ Jenny, Festive Style

Zesty Texas-Style Crockpot Sloppy Joes

Texas Round Steak

Apricot Habanero and Meatballs? Mmmm, Delicious!

Spicy Crockpot Bread Pudding

Spicy Crockpot Carrot Cake

Spicy Chicken & Beans

Spicy Crockpot Chicken Soup

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