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Archive for Texas Cookin’ Tips

Jane Goodwin | May 23, 2013

Memorial Day Suggestions and Recipes!

Memorial Day weekend is upon us – the weekend of family reunions, get-togethers, picnics, cookouts, family, friends, all linked together with memories and fantastic food.

The traditional Memorial Day meal is a cookout, naturally. By this time, we’ve all used our grills and mad outdoor cooking skills several times – we hope. This weekend is really special, though. Memorial Day. Our reunions will be filled with beloved people who are there in body and people who are there in spirit and memory.

And, there will be food. Exceptionally delicious food, too. Here are some of Texas Pepper Jelly’s most beloved picnic recipes.

First of all, the meat. Grilled outdoors, covered with homemade BBQ sauce, Texas Pepper Jelly or Rib Candy, injected with Butcher’s best, and grilled to perfection, over charcoal or gas. Remember, lean meats grill best, as there isn’t as much fat to drip down and cause flareups, and thinner glazes aren’t as likely to burn.

What’s a picnic without Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad, after all?

Don’t count on having any Texas Pepper Jelly cole slaw left over for tomorrow.

Got a few vegetarians at your cookout? Don’t worry – we’ve got some great recipes for a vegetarian cookout, too!

You can’t have a cookout without baked beans!

For dessert, Texas Pepper Jelly has several awesome recipes for all kinds of pies and cakes, but for an outdoor cookout, why not let your guests make their own ice cream in a baggie? It’s fun and delicious, and each guest can add the pepper jelly, fruit, or whatever that they individually prefer! (We like it best with pepper jelly and diced fruit.)

Add these fabulous, delicious Texas Pepper Jelly recipes to the outdoor buffet, let your guests place their contributions there, too, and see which pans empty out the fastest. We’re betting on ours, although anything Grandma brings will come in a close second.

Category: BBQ, grilling, Pineapple Sweet Fire, Spicy desserts, Spicy side dishes, Texas BBQ rubs, Texas Bird Bath, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly grilling glazes, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Rubs and Spices, TPJ Sauces and Salsas, Vegetarian grill | Tags: baked beans, Grandma's pie, grilling injections, grilling meat, ice cream in a baggie, Memorial Day cookout, Memorial Day reunion, potato salad, Rib Candy, Texas cookout, Texas grilling, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | March 29, 2013

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Happy Easter – Enjoy Your Pineapple Habanero Ham!

There’s nothing like a nice big baked ham for Easter dinner, is there? And if you think you’ve had some tasty ham before, just you wait until this year. Texas Pepper Jelly’s Pineapple Habanero Ham is the most awesomely delicious ham you and your family have ever tasted in all your lives, now and forever.

It’s easy, too. Super easy.

Just buy a big baked ham, a can of pineapple rings, and some Texas Pepper Jelly’s Pineapple Habanero.

Line a big sided baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the ham (be sure to get all the plastic wrap off it!) in the pan on the foil. Brush the ham all over with pepper jelly, and start sticking the pineapple rings all over it with toothpicks. Fasten a cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring if your family likes cherries. If you’ve got some pepper jelly left over, spoon it onto the top of the ham. (It’ll melt and trickle down all through the pineapple rings and make your ham even MORE delicious!) (Use Cherry Jalapeno -or Cherry Habanero – if you put cherries on your ham.)

Put the ham in a cold oven and set it to 350. Your ham is already baked, so all you’re really doing is heating it up and “setting” the glaze. Bake the ham about 15 minutes per pound, so you’ll have to do a little math.

When the ham is done, remove it from the oven and, while it’s still on the foil in the pan, pour a little more pepper jelly over it. Let it “set” for about 20 minutes, then remove and put on a platter. Slice. Serve. Step back. If you’re counting on leftovers so you can make a sandwich tomorrow, you’d better steal a few slices, put them in a baggie, and hide them behind the ketchup bottle in your fridge.

This ham is delicious. Absolutely delicious. And isn’t it easy? I told you it was easy.

Happy Easter from Texas Pepper Jelly!

Category: Easter ideas, Spicy main dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Holiday Recipes, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Company dinners | Tags: easter egg, Easter Ham, Easter Pineapple Habanero Ham, happy easter, pineapple rings, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | March 21, 2013

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Easter Sunday is March 31st – Make Those Breakfast Eggs Texas-Style!

Easter is coming up faster than we realize – it’s March 31 this year. It’s traditional to give the gift of a filled basket on Easter, and Texas Pepper Jelly has several different kinds of baskets filled with an assortment of pepper jellies that would be the PERFECT Easter basket gift for a friend, neighbor, or grown-up family member. While the children in your home might prefer a basket filled with chocolate bunnies and peanut butter eggs, the older family members would be ecstatic to find a basket for them, and filled with their favorite pepper jellies. We have several different shapes and sizes of spicy-filled goodness to choose from, too!

Here’s something awesome that makes Texas Pepper Jelly assortments different – and BETTER – than the assortments you can order from almost every other company: YOU get to choose your flavors. When you order an assortment of any kind from most companies, you’re limited. The baskets are pre-made, and often you are stuck with one or two flavors that nobody likes, and they go to waste, and so did part of your money.

Texas Pepper Jelly doesn’t do that to its customers. When you order an assortment from us, YOU are in charge of telling us which flavors you want. Often, people order several assortment baskets or tins and each one is different.

Order all one flavor if you wish. Order one of each. Order two of one and two of another. It’s up to you.

You tell us what kind of pepper jelly you want in your star-shaped basket, or your round basket, or your tin, and we’ll make it up fresh for you and send it right out.

Texas Pepper Jelly is proud to say that our shipping is really fast, too.

P.S. On Easter morning, when people traditionally have eggs, be sure to set out some pepper jelly to mix with the scrambled eggs, dip the boiled eggs into, spread onto your toast or biscuit or bagel, or eat with a spoon. Hey, people do that all the time. It’s great on French toast, too. And nothing jazzes up a grilled cheese sandwich like our Loco Cheese Dip and pepper jelly on whole wheat!

It’s also awesome stirred into your cocoa or coffee. And your wine, but that’s for later in the day.

Next week: Spice up that traditional Easter baked ham!

Category: Easter ideas, Feast of Fridays, holiday gifts, Loco Cheese Dip, Spicy breakfasts, Texas breakfast recipes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Holiday Recipes, Texas Pepper Jelly, TPJ Recipes | Tags: assortments, baskets, cocoa, coffee, dipping eggs, Easter, easter baskets, eggs, French toast, Loco Cheese Dip, spicy assortments, Texas Easter baskets, Texas Pepper Jelly, tins, toast, wine

Jane Goodwin | March 8, 2013

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Texas Style Armadillo Eggs!

There are many ways to make “Armadillo Eggs,” but we think (and my kids agree) that Texas Pepper Jelly’s recipe is by far the blue ribbon WINNER!

Texas Style Armadillo Eggs are a perfect snack or party food. They’re easy to make, your whole house will smell wonderful, they’re nutritious, and your family will LOVE THEM!

Ingredients:

4 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese (I use Neufchatel)
1/4 cup Loco Cheese Dip (It’s on sale, too!)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon finely-chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste (I don’t use any salt because the spices are enough)
6 medium-size jalapenos
2 pounds bulk sausage
1 tablespoon Butcher BBQ marinade
Shake & Bake (if desired) (I use it on half the batch, as my husband loves it)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 375. Lightly grease a baking or cookie sheet

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, Loco Cheese Dip, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Blend well. Add a little salt if you think you need it.

Remove the stems from the jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out ALL of the seeds, and cut the sliced jalapenos in half, horizontally. (You’ll end up with jalapeno quarters.)

Put about a teaspoon of the cheesy filling in each jalapeno quarter.

Pat the sausage into as many 3-inch circles as you have jalapeno quarters.

Place a stuffed jalapeno in the center of each sausage circle.

Wrap the sausage around the jalapenos, completely, and form into an egg shape.

Brush the “eggs” with the Butcher BBQ marinade. Roll in Shake & Bake, if you desire.

Put the “eggs” on the baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes. Watch carefully; when the sausage is cooked, they’re done. If you want them to be a little browner, put the sheet under the broiler for a few minutes.

You can also cook Texas Pepper Jelly’s Armadillo Eggs on the grill.

Serve with various dressings and dips. My daughter uses Ranch dressing, my husband uses salsa, and my son dips them in everything. As for me, I like to dip mine in Loco Cheese Dip.

I mean, has anybody ever really had enough cheese?

Category: BBQ, Feast of Fridays, grilling, Loco Cheese Dip, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas BBQ rubs, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly grilling glazes, Texas Tips, TPJ Appetizers, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Rubs and Spices | Tags: armadillo eggs, Butcher BBQ marinade, dressings, Loco Cheese Dip, pepper jelly, Shake and Bake, spicy snacks, stuffed jalapenos, Texas Pepper Jelly, TV food

Jane Goodwin | February 2, 2013

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SuperBowl Food: Texas-Style Cheesy Chicken Dip! (Crockpot Style!)

You can’t have too many dips at your SuperBowl party, and that’s not even counting your in-laws!

Texas Pepper Jelly’s Texas-Style Cheesy Chicken Dip will become one of the hits of the evening, along with all those painful tackles you’ll all be watching on the big screen. . . .

Ingredients:

One 8-oz package of cream cheese (I use Neufchatel) – softened
1/2 cup of ranch dressing
1/4 cup of Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce
1/4 cup finely diced peaches
1/2 cup crumbled mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups finely shredded cooked chicken

What to do:

Sunday morning, get out your crockpot, and preheat it on low.

Stir the cream cheese in a medium bowl with the dressing, grilling sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Stir in the shredded chicken and mix well.

Put this mixture in your crockpot, cover with the shredded Cheddar cheese, and turn it on High. Let the mixture cook until bubbly. Once the mixture bubbles and the cheddar cheese browns, turn crockpot to low and let it wait for your guests to arrive – it’s ready to eat any time now. Stir, and serve with chips, veggies, breadsticks, or whatever you wish to DIP!

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Tips, TPJ Appetizers, TPJ Sauces and Salsas | Tags: crockpot dips, spicy peach grilling sauce, SuperBowl dips, Superbowl Food, SuperBowl snacks, Texas Pepper Jelly

Jane Goodwin | January 25, 2013

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Strawberry Habanero Cake! A Superbowl Specialty!

It’s still winter, of course, but it won’t be all that long until spring, and with the spring come the strawberries!

Our Strawberry Habanero cake will turn your simple dinner dessert into a real party! And did I mention that it’s unbelievably delicious?!

You can, of course, make the cake completely from scratch, but our version is a lot easier!

Ingredients:

1 strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
1/8 cup oil
1/4 cup Strawberry Habanero pepper jelly
1/4 cup water
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 can strawberry icing, or make your own.

What to do:

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the sliced strawberries and icing, and mix well. Pour into two buttered layer cake pans, and bake for approximately 32 minutes. When your toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.

Let the cakes cool. Turn one layer upside-down onto a plate and frost thickly. Turn the other layer right-side-up on top of the first layer, and frost completely. Cover frosting with sliced strawberries.

I usually let the cake chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two before I serve it. It’s great with ice cream! I also like to mix a tablespoon of Strawberry Habanero pepper jelly in the icing before I start frosting the cake. Your call.

Strawberry Habanero Cake is a perfect Superbowl Party food!

Category: Feast of Fridays, Spicy desserts, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes | Tags: Spicy desserts, strawberry habanero, Superbowl Food, superbowl recipes, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas strawberry cake

Jane Goodwin | January 18, 2013

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Spicy Peach Pie – Texas Style!

spicy desserts, spicy peach pie IF you read our newsletter – and you really should because it’s full of information, deals, codes, and recipes – you’ll know that we’ve got Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce right now! You can do so much with our grilling sauces; they’re very versatile and great for grilling (naturally) and a zillion other things, too!

Spicy Texas Style Peach Pie is one of my family’s favorites.

Ingredients:

five cups thinly sliced peaches (or two large cans drained peaches)
1 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
1/2 cup Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch (not both! Choose one.)
Uncooked pie crust – top and bottom

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix together the peaches, sugar, grilling sauce, cinnamon, and butter. Pour into uncooked pie shell.

Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the peach mixture, and put the butter in the middle. Cover with top crust in whatever style or pattern you wish. Crimp the edges wekk. Poke a few holes in the top crust.

Bake in 450 oven for 20 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 326 and bake for another half hour. When the crush looks nice and done, poke with a toothpick to see if the peaches are done. If you’re using fresh peaches, you’ll probably have to bake another 10 or so minutes.

Remove from oven and let it “set” for about an hour. If you slice it too soon, it’ll run all over the plate.

Got any ice cream? Good. Serve your pie with that.

Store the opened Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce in the refrigerator.

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Category: Feast of Fridays, Spicy desserts, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Newsletter, TPJ Recipes | Tags: ice cream, newsletter, Spicy desserts, Texas Style Spicy Peach Pie, TPJ desserts, TPJ Newsletter

Jane Goodwin | January 16, 2013

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Sweet and Spicy Apple Pecans

What’s good on ice cream? REPHRASE: What’s good for you and good on ice cream?

Texas Pepper Jelly’s Sweet and Spicy Apple Pecans, that’s what.

And, it’s a crockpot recipe, which means little or no effort on your part but still delicious, nutritious, and destined to become a family favorite!

Ingredients:

1 pound pecan halves
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or finely diced onion)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and very finely chopped
1/2 cup Apple Habanero pepper jelly

What to do:

Put all of the ingredients in your crockpot and stir well. Make sure all the pecans and apple pieces are coated.

Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Turn slow cooker to low, stir, and cook for another hour.

Transfer the mixture to a baking or pizza sheet, and let cool completely.

Get out the ice cream and pie.

P.S. Your house will smell WONDERFUL all day long.

Category: crockpot meals, Slow cooker delights, Spicy desserts, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Snacks, What's Cookin' Wednesday | Tags: crockpot, ice cream, slow cooker, sweet and spicy apple pecans, Texas Pepper Jelly

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

« Older Entries

Archive for Texas Cookin’ Tips

Memorial Day Suggestions and Recipes!

Happy Easter – Enjoy Your Pineapple Habanero Ham!

Easter Sunday is March 31st – Make Those Breakfast Eggs Texas-Style!

Texas Style Armadillo Eggs!

SuperBowl Food: Texas-Style Cheesy Chicken Dip! (Crockpot Style!)

Strawberry Habanero Cake! A Superbowl Specialty!

Sweet and Spicy Apple Pecans

SuperBowl Food: Hot Crockpot Spinach Dip

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

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