This is Texas Pepper Jelly’s newest product, Texas Rib Candy, and it’s so good it’s almost impossible to describe.

It goes with almost everything. Anything and everything. Brush it on chicken or ribs, right before you take them up on a platter and serve them, or at any time during the grilling process. Use it with stir-fry. Use it as a dip. Use it in your crockpot.

It’s excellent as a salad dressing, too.

Texas Rib Candy comes in three flavors: Apple Habanero, Apple Cherry Habanero and Mango Habanero. The possibilities are endless!

The only problem I’ve ever had with Texas Rib Candy is that my husband doesn’t want to share it with anyone. I always have to search for it behind something else in the refrigerator.

Seriously, Texas Rib Candy is like an addictive drug. Once you try it, you can’t ever get enough of it.

P.S. As I write this post, my husband is sitting at the table dipping raw vegetables in Texas Rib Candy. He says it’s awesome.

I can’t take his word for it, though. I MUST try it for myself.

Mmmmmmm. . . . . he’s right.

Many families are still celebrating our country’s independence today, and many people are relaxing on the last day of a four-day weekend.  Most of us would agree that we drink far too much carbonated soda, so let’s make a big batch of Spicy Summer Punch!  It’s good for us, and it’s delicious.  This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for a punch bowl or for several pitchers.  Spicy Summer Punch freezes well, too.

The day before you make the punch, make special ice cubes by using lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, or all three – or any kind of fruit juice – in ice cube trays or in any kind of mold you wish.

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar (I use Splenda)

4 cups water

2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)

6 cans (the 6-oz size) frozen lemonade (do not dilute)

2 cans (the 6-oz size) frozen orange juice (do not dilute)

5 cups pineapple juice

4 cups pineapple chunks

2 cups Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

1 gallon water (Yes, this is another “helping” of water)

2 quarts of dry ginger ale

What to do:

Boil the sugar and water (the 4-cup batch) for about 10 minutes, or until it forms a syrup.  Add the juices and pepper jelly, and chill for 2 or 3 hours.  Add the remaining ingredients, and pour over the ice you made or molded yesterday.

Freeze half (or more) of the punch if you don’t need a large amount right away.

I like to float all kinds of fruit on top of the punch; I usually use thinly sliced limes, lemons, and oranges.  The pineapple chunks are floaters, too.  If I have berries, those are good, too.  In fact, if I have berries, I usually freeze them into the ice cubes the day before.

This is a lovely tart punch with a spicy kick, not the foamy creamy sweet kind.  It does a perfect job of quenching the thirst of a hot and humid summer day.  Put some toothpicks on the table so people can stab and eat the pieces of fruit.

Keep on checking our blog; our newest product is something so awesome, you won’t believe it until you try it.  Just before Labor Day, all will be revealed, and won’t you be glad!  Yes, you sure will be glad.  Mmmm, yum.

I went to a party last night and there was a huge pitcher of Sangria on the counter with the other drinks.  Big as the pitcher was, the hostess had to keep refilling it because people crowded around and helped themselves to a glass whenever the pitcher was full.

I like Sangria myself, but I’d never seen a pitcher of it be the life of the party before, so I poured a little for myself and had a taste.

It was absolutely divine.

My hostess gave me the recipe.  It’s simple as can be – Sangria isn’t a fancy drink – but her little personal touch absolutely MADE that pitcher of Sangria. This recipe must be made fresh with each pitcher refill.  I plan to use a punch bowl when I make it for my next gathering; it holds more than a pitcher and the pepper jelly cubes will look nice floating on top.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of red wine

Juice of one large lemon

Juice of one large orange

2 Tbsp sugar

Shot of brandy

2 Cups ginger ale or club soda

Frozen Texas Pepper Jelly ice cubes (any flavor)

Fresh berries, fruit slices

What to do:

The first thing you have to do is fill several ice cube trays with your favorite flavors of Texas Pepper Jelly and make sure you have plenty of cubes for your party.  Do this the night before or that morning, to give your pepper jelly cubes time to freeze solid.

Mix all of the above ingredients  in a huge pitcher or punchbowl.

Add the pepper jelly ice cubes and as much fruit as you personally like.

Stand back, but be ready to refill the pitcher again and again.

Hey, you know that post on Wednesday here?  The one about spicy ice cubes?

You’ll need those spicy ice cubes for today’s Texas Tip, too.

Two summers ago, I bought an ice shaver.  There’s nothing like shaved ice, with some flavoring, to quench a thirst.  I bought this one; it was economical, and it’s on its third summer so it’s sturdy.  And when I say sturdy, that’s exactly what I mean, because this family has really given it some hard use.

The post about pepper jelly ice cubes gave me an idea.  I bet you can guess what it was already. 

I took some of the pepper jelly ice cubes and put them into the ice shaver and closed the lid.

In less than two minutes, I had a large glass full of spicy shaved ice.  I ate some of it with a spoon and used a straw to get the rest.  It was so good, so refreshing, so superior to anything flavored with grape or cherry, etc.  It wasn’t like a popsicle; it was like nothing I’d ever tasted before.  Icy cold shaved ice flavored with Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly.

Nothing in my life has ever quenched a hot summer’s thirst so quickly and so well.  That ice shaver will be put to even harder use this summer.  This summer will make all those other summers look like sissy summers.

Spicy slushies.  That’s what my kids call them.  I recommend them to your attention.  Highly.

You’ll think this Texas Tip is odd, until you try it.

After you try it, you’ll be hooked, too.

Spoon some Texas Pepper Jelly into an ice cube tray.  Put the tray in the freezer.

The next day, when the pepper jelly is frozen solid, twist the pepper jelly cubes out of the tray and into a pitcher or punchbowl.

So far, my family has used pepper jelly ice cubes with: hot tea, iced tea, various punches, Sprite, Coke, Diet Pepsi,  Mountain Dew, and coffee.

My favorite so far is pepper jelly ice cubes and Sprite.  My husband likes them floating in his punch.  My daughter can’t decide if she likes hot or iced tea and pepper jelly ice cubes best.

My son, however, put his in a glass of white wine and proclaimed himself the winner.

(We’re going to make some spicy pepper jelly margaritas later. )

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we here at Texas Pepper Jelly hope that your holiday is a safe and happy one.  We hope you all are breaking bread with family or friends, and that when the day is over, you are all enriched by the fellowship.

Let me also add that almost anything on your holiday table can be made even better by putting a little Texas Pepper Jelly on it, or in it, or around it.  Dip things into the pepper jelly.  Spread pepper jelly on things.  Use pepper jelly instead of salad dressing, or regular jelly.

Texas Pepper Jellies are delicious on hot rolls or biscuits.  Some pepper jelly in your pasta salad turns ordinary noodles into something festive.  Mix a little pepper jelly into your dressing, before baking, and you’ll have something almost too delicious to be real.

Why settle for plain coffee or tea at your Thanksgiving table?  Stir some pepper jelly into your hot drinks and let it melt, and you’ve got a real treat.

Look around at your Thanksgiving table, in fact, and you’ll see many places a dab or two or pepper jelly would make a positive difference.

Make it easy on yourself and your guests; put some Texas Pepper Jelly on the table and let your guests use it however they wish.  I can’t think of a single limitation for it!

Happy Thanksgiving from Texas Pepper Jelly.

The holidays are fast approaching, and it’s time to start collecting ideas for our festive get-togethers!

When you’ve got a crowd, and the weather is cold, there’s just nothing better than a crockpot full of hot mulled apple tea.  Give everybody a cinnamon stick to stir with, and you’ll be able to hear the sighs of contentment all over the house.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon apple cider                                                                              

1/2 gallon strong tea

One 5-ounce jar Texas Apple Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

One 2-ounce jar Texas Mandarin Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly

1 sliced lemon

1 sliced orange

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon cloves

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

What to do:

Put everything in your crockpot, turn it on “low,” and let it simmer for about three hours.  Give everyone a cinnamon stick to stir with.

Texas Pepper Jelly’s Hot Mulled Apple Tea is even better with doughnuts.

Shhh, don’t tell my mama that I’m giving you this hint!

But, the next time you fix yourself a Bloody Mary, add a few squirts of Texas Habanero Salsa to it.

You’ll never drink a plain Bloody Mary again, and that’s a promise.

It’s FANTASTIC!

Here’s another simple suggestion to kick that glass of orange juice up a few notches:  Add a spoon or two of Texas Mandarin Orange Habanero pepper jelly to it!

Stir thoroughly, add some ice cubes and a straw, and drink up!

My husband will occasionally add a shot of vodka to his Texas Orange Juice, but you didn’t hear that from me.  It’s really, really good, though. 

Once again, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones!

Are you kids addicted to fruit punch in the summer?  Are YOU?  Well, isn’t it annoying when the ice cubes dilute your drink? And wouldn’t you like to put a little grown-up ZING in your punch?

You can do that with alcohol, of course, but we won’t go there.  Instead, why don’t you fill an ice cube tray with your favorite Texas Pepper Jelly and drop THOSE cubes in your punch instead of plain water cubes?  When the pepper jelly cubes melt, they’ll just add more ZING to your punch, instead of watering it down.

Get up right now and go do it.  You know you’ll be glad you did in a few hours when you can cool down your fruit punch with something as delicious and spicy as Texas Pepper Jelly Ice Cubes!