Last night on Twitter’s #DadsTalking live chat, lucky parents won bottles of Texas Rib Candy, and they were excited to get theirs!

(By the way, if you’re a parent, and especially if you’re a dad, why don’t you follow along with the hashtag #DadsTalking along with us? We never stop talking, and you’ll pick up awesome, useful parenting hints as well as tips as to when the next live chat will be.)

Tonight was a long time getting here, so we’re going the lazy route once again and having soup and chicken nuggets for supper.

However, ever since we discovered Texas Rib Candy, plain old chicken nuggets have never been plain again. Now even something as simple as a chicken nugget has become a piece of awesomely delicious yumminess, because I brush them with Texas Rib Candy before I throw them into the microwave.

Not only that: my husband now dips almost everything into Texas Rib Candy as he eats. Seriously, Rib Candy is addictive (the GOOD kind!) and wonderful.

So, envy us, dear readers, for we are having chicken nuggets and black bean soup for supper tonight, and, to be perfectly honest, BOTH of these simple dishes were made with Rib Candy.

Mmmmm, Rib Candy. . . .

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.

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 was what was for dinner last night.  Don’t bother stopping by; there aren’t any leftovers.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups Texas Apple Cherry Habanero Grilling & Finishing Sauce

1 cup fresh cherries and apple slices (cut the apple VERY thin, and don’t peel it)

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup brown rice

What to do:

Put the brown rice in a large bowl with the appropriate amount of water and let it cook while you fix up everything else.  It will take longer to cook than the chicken will.

Don’t laugh, but I like to pound boneless chicken breasts sort of flat before I put them on the grill.  They cook faster, they appear bigger (that’s important to a dieter!) and they’re a lot more tender.  You don’t have to do that, though.

Brush the chicken lightly with the grilling sauce.  While the chicken is grilling, combine the rest of the grilling sauce with the cherries and apples, and the honey.  Microwave for about one minute.

Get out your big platter.  Put the cooked brown rice on it, and cover with the grilled chicken.  Pour the sauce and fruit over it all, and let it “set” for about five minutes before serving.

All you need now is a nice green salad and you’ve got dinner.

Be watching for a Texas Pepper Jelly announcement soon; we’ve got something really, really awesome coming your way, and you don’t have long to wait!  Keep an eye on this blog!!!

There are many variations to this fantastic and versatile summer pasta salad, but this is the one we’re having for lunch tomorrow:

Ingredients:

1 box bow-tie pasta

1 cup feta cheese

2/3 cup Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly  (more if you like it “goopy,” less if you don’t)

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup shredded pineapple

1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken (if desired; it’s great without any meat, too)

What to do:

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Drain.

When the pasta has cooled, add all the other ingredients and toss lightly until pasta is coated and other ingredients are evenly distributed.  Don’t mix too roughly or you’ll tear the bow-ties.  (Don’t try to mix this pasta salad while the bow-ties are hot; you’ll melt the pepper jelly!)

Pasta salad is great served immediately, but my family likes it better after it’s been refrigerated for several hours.

Spicy Summer Pasta Salad is a great summer meal all by itself, but it’s also an excellent side dish.  We’re having it tomorrow with corn on the cob.  That’s a lot of starch, I suppose, but hey, it’s summer.  They’ll run it off.

(Sometimes I add some diced green pepper, if I have a green pepper.  This time I didn’t have one.)

I’m picking my daughter up at the airport tonight, and fortunately she e-mailed the times and directions to me earlier today.

She ended her e-mail with a dinner request:  she doesn’t want to be taken out to eat in a restaurant; she comes to come home and chow down on Texas Calico Salad.

Her wish is my command.  Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 can French cut green beans

1 can shoepeg corn

1 bag frozen peas

1 can red pimento strips

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup shredded pineapple

1 small flat jar of water chestnuts

1/4 cup of pecan pieces (optional) (but we like them in there)  (Your call)

1 5-ounce jar of Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

What to do:

This is the hard part:  Mix all the vegetables and fruit together in a large bowl.  Pour the Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly in the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Heh.  That’s not really very hard, is it.  Gotcha.

Eat up.

Your kids will be requesting this awesome summerish salad, too.

(It’s best made right before it’s served.  It’s still awesome next day, but the consistency is a little different after a night in the refrigerator.)

Note:  Calico is an inexpensive fabric often used by pioneers back in the day.  It was usually multicolored.  This salad is inexpensive and multicolored, hence the name.

In case you wondered.

I only set out four eggplant seedlings in the garden this year.  Last year, we had eight, and were nearly buried alive in eggplant.  Even with only four, we’ll still have eggplant out the wazoo.

My kids weren’t all that interested in eggplant, no matter how it looked when it came to the table, until I discovered this recipe for Texas Style Eggplant.  My husband, who loves eggplant in any form, likes this recipe best, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 – inch slices

1/3 cups Texas Habanero Salsa, warmed

1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

What to do:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oil, garlic powder, and oregano.  Brush over both sides of the eggplant slices.

Grill basted eggplant slices for about two minutes on each side or until tender.  To serve, spoon a small amount of salsa into the center of each slice, and sprinkle with cheese.

I usually double this recipe for my family of big eaters.  After they’ve worked in the yard all afternoon, I triple it.

It’s been a warm, early spring, and people are already out on the deck grilling!  One of my family’s warm-weather favorites is Kielbasa Apple Kabobs.

Here’s how we do it here in southern Indiana!

Ingredients:

1 pound fully cooked kielbasa, cut into inch-long pieces

2 large tart apples, cut into inch-long chunks (I use Granny Smith apples)

1 sweet red pepper, cut into inch-long pieces

1 medium green pepper, cut into inch-long pieces

2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch long pieces (Vidalia onions are what my family likes best)

1 12-ounce jar of Texas Apple Jalapeno or Texas Apple Habanero pepper jelly

What to do:

Moisten the skewers with Apple Habanero or Apple Jalapeno pepper jelly, and alternately thread the sausage, apples, peppers, and onion.  You can add other vegetables or fruits, too, as you have handy or as your family likes.

Grill, uncovered, over indirect head for about 10 minutes or until heated through, turning and brushing with pepper jelly occasionally.

Eat up.

This is a versatile, nutritious, and delicious one-dish meal that your family will ask for again and again!  Mine does.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound of pretty much any kind of meat, ground or cubed, that your family prefers

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups Texas Habanero Salsa

One 16-ounce can of black beans, well-drained

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced into little half-moons

1 finely chopped garlic clove

1 pound pasta, whatever kind your family likes.

What to do:

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add the meat.  Season with the salt and pepper.  Cook until lightly browned – about five minutes.

Stir in the salsa, beans, and cumin.  Simmer, covered, for about ten minutes.  Add the zucchini and garlic and simmer another five minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta until tender.  Drain and toss with the sauce.

Serve right away.

As usual with Texas Pepper Jelly recipes, don’t count on having any leftovers.

Sweet & Sour Chicken is a family favorite here, but since we discovered Texas Pepper Jelly, my husband and kids much prefer Sweet & Sour & Spicy Chicken!

I don’t blame them, either.  The addition of Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly makes a world of difference – and it’s a DELICIOUS difference!

Ingredients:

1 can pineapple chunks

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

1 large onion, but into chunks

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into chunks (my family prefers very small pieces)

1 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use low sodium, no MSG soy sauce)

1 cup Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

1/4 cup sweet & sour sauce

2 cups prepared rice

What to do:

Drain the pineapple. In large skillet or wok, add the oil and chicken; cook until chicken is done.  Add vegetables, pineapple, all the sauces, and stir-fry until vegetables are “tender crisp” and pineapple is thoroughly hot.

Serve with the hot rice.

You can also use a package of frozen stir-fry with this recipe, adding the sauces, chicken, and pineapple.

Any kind of rice works with this recipe.  (I use brown rice.) (My sister uses Minute rice.)

As with all Texas Pepper Jelly recipes, don’t expect to have any leftovers.