My mother and mother-in-law are both very fond of salmon cakes, or, as they call them, salmon patties.

This recipe for Spicy Salmon Cakes is especially delicious.

Ingredients:

Two 6-ounce cans boneless, skinless pink salmon, well-drained and finely flaked
1 cup dried bread crumbs, divided into two parts
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup corn kernels (if you use frozen, be sure it’s thawed)
1/2 cup Texas Rib Candy, any flavor, with or without peppers
1 large egg
1 tablespoon oil

What to do:

In a large bowl, combine the salmon, half the bread crumbs, cheese, corn, Texas Rib Candy, and egg; mix well.

Shape the mixture into 8 patties and coat with the rest of the bread crumbs.

Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until they are golden brown – about five minutes. Add the remaining oil to the pan, flip the patties, and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.

Remove the cooked patties onto thick paper toweling and drain well.

We like to put more Rib Candy on the spicy patties as we devour them.

It might be Friday the 13th, but this is actually your lucky day! Today, you’re learning how to make Spicy Strawberry Pie – and it’s absolutely delicious. Period.

It’s also simple to make – and I’ve said many times here that often, the best and tastiest dishes are also the easiest to throw together.

Spicy Strawberry Pie is so easy, you don’t even need a conventional list of ingredients and directions. All you have to do is mix together about four cups of sliced strawberries with a cup of Texas Strawberry Jalapeno Pepper Jelly and spoon it into a fully baked pie shell. Dollop your slice with some whipped cream, if you like whipped cream, and dive in.

It’s even better if you refrigerate it overnight.

Mmmmm, awesomely good.

Spicy Squash Rings is a fantastic side dish, but it’s also a great appetizer if you’ve got company.  It’s also easy as can be to make, and attractive to look at as well.

Ingredients:

2 acorn squashes

1 cup Texas Pepper Jelly, any variety

What to do:

Cut the squash crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices.  Discard the seeds.  Arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan.  Sprinkle lightly with salt if you wish.  Cover and bake in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and pour pepper jelly over the squash rings. Return to oven for another 15 minutes or until squash is completely tender.

Acorn squash is also delicious with Texas Rib Candy instead of the pepper jelly.  Depending on which condiment you choose, you’ve got a completely different dish!

This is an awesomely good dish.  It’s so attractive, in fact, that it’s good for a company meal as well as for a family dinner.  It’s also a vegetarian dinner.

Ingredients:

3 green peppers

3 red peppers

3 yellow peppers

Texas Pepper Jelly, several different kinds

diced carrots

peas

diced apples

raisins

Pretty much any leftover vegetables from your ‘fridge

What to do:

Cut off the tops of the peppers and clean them out.  Keep the “caps.”

Mix together everything else and fill each pepper almost to the top.  Replace the “caps.”

I always make several different mixtures, using different kinds of pepper jelly.

Placed re-capped and filled peppers in a shallow baking dish and bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove and check to make sure vegetables are done.  If they are, remove from oven and serve immediately.  If vegetables are not quite done, let the peppers bake for another ten minutes.

Pour some more pepper jelly on them and you’ve got a meal.  A nutritious, delicious meal.

We’ve got a basket of fresh peaches and tomorrow night we’re having Spicy Peachy Sweet Potato Bake for supper.  Tim and the kids can hardly wait!

Ingredients:

6 medium sweet potatoes, cooked

1/3 cup broken cashews

3 large peaches, peeled and sliced thin

2 cups Peach Habanero pepper jelly

2 tablespoons butter

What to do:

Peel the potatoes and slice them into thick pieces.  In a buttered baking dish, start layering all of the above ingredients. Dot with butter.  (Retain about a half cup of pepper jelly)

Bake, covered, in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.  Uncover, and bake about 10 minutes longer.  Remove, and spoon remaining pepper jelly over the potatoes.

My son likes to sprinkle brown sugar over his portion, as well.

Don’t count on any leftovers.  This dish is so good, it’s like dessert.

Shiitaki mushrooms are so yummy good, however you fix them, but this recipe turns those huge thick slices into deliciousness beyond any comprehension!  Oh, and once again, it’s those simple, easy-to-make foods that are so often the best.

Ingredients:

As many thick slices of shiitaki mushroom as you have hungry guests, plus a few extras.

1 bottle of Texas Rib Candy

What to do:

Fire up the grill, and slap down the mushroom slices.  Heat thoroughly; char a little if you like ‘em that way.  Just before removing from heat, brush on the Rib Candy.

It’s really all the condiment you’ll need.

Serve.  Eat.  Smile.  Repeat.

Texas Rib Candy can’t be beat.

There are many variations of this Cool & Spicy Summer Salad, and each one is as delicious and easy as the one before.

This is one of those salads that’s even better the next day.

Ingredients:

1 package bow-tie pasta, cooked and cooled

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup Raspberry Habanero pepper jelly

What to do:

Mix all the ingredients into the pasta.  Sprinkle a few raspberries on top, cover securely and put in the refrigerator.  It’s delicious now and will be even better in a few hours!

We consider this to be a main dish on those stiflingly hot summer nights.  It’s also a great snack, a super side dish, and a really, really excellent supper for guests.

More variations to come.

Also to come?  Texas Rib Candy news.  There’s a reason it’s called Rib CANDY.

This is one of the most versatile recipes you’ll ever find.  The finished product is different every time, depending on your choice of “filler,” and any of the end results are fit for a company dinner, as well as for your family.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1 jar any Texas Pepper Jelly product (pepper jelly, Rib Candy,  or grilling sauce)

What to do:

Put the chicken breasts on your cutting board and beat them flat with your kitchen mallet.  (If you don’t have a kitchen mallet, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and beat them with a hammer.)

On each flattened piece of chicken, spread Texas Pepper Jelly and sprinkle with onions.

Roll up the chicken and insert a toothpick (or several) to hold the shape.

Bake the rolled chicken in a baking dish (not a cookie sheet) in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Serve with more Texas Pepper Jelly.

My grown daughter came down to visit me tonight, which was lovely!  Her visit was unannounced, though; usually, we know when she’s stopping by.

She walked casually into my kitchen and casually opened the pantry door.  Still being casual, she moved the various cans and bottles around until I finally asked her what in the world she was looking for!

“I was hoping you’d have some pepper jelly I could borrow,” was her sheepish answer.

Apparently, she’s having people over on Thursday night and wanted to serve our family’s favorite pepper jelly/cream cheese dip. along with some awesome dippin’ shrimp.

I didn’t have any Texas Rib Candy to give her, but in a few days I will!  That stuff is truly well-named.  Mmmm, so good.

Fortunately for Sara, I did have some.  I hid the last Pineapple Habanero jar behind the peanut butter, and let her take the others.  Not that we don’t love all the flavors; it’s just that if my husband opened that pantry and found his Pineapple Habanero gone, he’d have had something to say about it.

I offered to give her the brick of cream cheese I found in the back of the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, but seeing as how it expired in June of 2009, she politely declined.

“I’ll stop at the store on my way home,” she said.

Bon appetite, lucky guests of my beautiful daughter.

Now I need to order more pepper jelly.  I’d planned some serious stir-fry for the coming weeks and I can’t make stir-fry without pepper jelly now that we’ve discovered it.

Fresh pineapples are a good price right now – where I shop, a lovely large one is about $2.50.  For our pineapple pie, you should probably buy two, just in case.  You’ll need four cups.

Your family will know it’s midsummer for sure when they see Texas Pepper Jelly’s Fresh & Zesty Pineapple Pie on the table!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar (I use Splenda)

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

Tiny dash of salt

4 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  (do not use canned pineapple!)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh-squeezed – not that bottled stuff)

1/2 cup Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

Pastry for double-crust pie (make it or buy it; it doesn’t make any difference)

1 tablespoon butter

What to do:

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca, salt, pineapple, pepper jelly, and lemon juice.  Let this mixture stand for about fifteen minutes.

Line a large deep-dish pie pan with half of the pastry crust and fill with the pineapple mixture.  Dot with butter.

Adjust the top crust, seal, and flute the edges to your liking. Cover edges of pie with foil.

Bake in a 375 oven for twenty minutes.  Remove the foil, and bake for another 25 minutes or until crust is uniformly golden.  Cool the pie thoroughly before cutting; if you slice it too soon, it’ll run all over the place.

It’s absolutely delicious.  It’s even better the next day, after spending the night in the refrigerator.  Some people put topping on their slice, but my family likes this pie just as it is.

Oh, and that surprise Texas Pepper Jelly will have for y’all soon?  It’s awesome, too.  Just you wait.  Mmmm, you’ll love it!