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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 | April 27, 2013

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Spicy Peach Ice Cream – In A Baggie!

Grilling season is OFFICIALLY here now, and even if you’ve still got a little snow on the ground, it’s time to uncover the grill and start using it.

Grilling out is best when you’ve got a crowd, and family reunions are the best kind of crowd because they’re so often a mixture of generations – older people, children, and everything in between.

After all that excellent food is eaten, it’s time for dessert, and what dessert can rival Spicy Peach Ice Cream in a Baggie for delicious fun! Nobody is ever too old to play with their food!

Bear in mind that this recipe is for ONE BAGGIE of ice cream. Therefore, each individual will have to follow these directions with his/her own individual baggie of ice cream!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (any kind of milk will be fine, so depending on your dietary needs and what you’ve got on hand, feel free to use skim, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream, almond, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of sugar (real or Splenda)
2 tablespoons finely diced peaches (canned, fresh, or frozen)
1 tablespoon of Texas Pepper Jelly’s Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce

4 cups of crushed ice
4 tablespoons salt
2 quart-size Zip-loc bag
1 gallon size Zip-loc freezer bag

What to do:

Mix the milk, vanilla, sugar, peaches, and grilling sauce in the quart size bag. Before sealing, try to force out as much air as possible, and then seal the bag. Double-check the seal – you don’t want ANY leakage. Put the filled bag inside the second bag and double-check that seal, too. (The two bags are JUST IN CASE you get a leak. . . .)

Place the two quart bag inside the gallon bag. Fill the gallon bag with ice and sprinkle all of the salt on the ice. Let as much air as possible escape, and seal the bag. Double check the seal!

Play with the bags. Toss them back and forth. Knead them. Play catch with them. Check the seals occasionally; if you get an inside leak, your ice cream is ruined.

After about 7 minutes, check the contents of your inner bag. You’ve probably got ice cream! If you don’t, play with the bags a few more minutes.

Imagine the fun of a pleasant crowd of adults and children making Spicy Peach Ice Cream in a Baggie, in your backyard!

Once your mixture has turned to ice cream, remove the inner bag, rinse off the salt, open the bag, and dig in with a spoon!

Spicy Peach Ice Cream in a Baggie is awesome fun for reunions, parties (kids and adults!) and any kind of outdoor gathering. It’s more fun than a regular dessert, the peaches are good for you, and the Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce adds a little zing to your plain ice cream.

Order your Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce now!

P.S. Here’s still another way to make ice cream, from science guy Steve Spangler!

P.P.S. You can use any of Texas Pepper Jelly’s pepper jellies or Rib Candies in your ice cream, with or without the fruit. If you do use fruit, try to match it with the flavor of pepper jelly or rib candy.

P.P.P.S. You can throw some chopped nuts in the bag, too!

Category: grilling, New Texas Pepper Jelly product, Spicy desserts, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes | Tags: baggie, children's dessert, dessert, diced peaches, family dessert, gallon freezer bag, ice cream, ice cream in a baggie, milk, quart baggie, Spangler Science, spicy peach grilling sauce, Steve Spangler, Texas Pepper Jelly, vanilla, zip-loc bags

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 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 | March 1, 2013

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Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad

Whatever the weather outside, there's nothing like some good potato salad inside. Inside the house, and inside the stomach!

Texas Pepper Jelly has posted several awesome potato salad recipes, but this one, which uses Pineapple Sweet Fire Pickles, is my favorite so far. Potato salad is supposed to have a little kick to it; well, ours has a BIG kick to it! Big kick - bit hit!

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed, boiled
4 large potatoes skin-on and cubed, boiled
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup pimento
1/2 cup diced onion
2 boiled eggs, diced
1/2 cup Pineapple Sweet Fire pickles, diced
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (I use Miracle Whip)
dash salt
dash pepper
dash paprika

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients except the paprika thoroughly. Be careful that you don’t mash the boiled potatoes. The skin on the unpeeled potatoes will probably slip off; this is okay. Just mix it in along with everything else.

Put the thoroughly mixed ingredients in a nice serving bowl, if you’re eating soon, or in a Tupperware-type bowl with a sealing lid, if you’re making your potato salad well ahead of time. Sprinkle the paprika over the top of the salad, cover, and refrigerate. Try to get the salad good and cold before you serve it; I usually make it a day ahead so the flavors and textures have time and opportunity to blend well.

Our Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad is the perfect accompaniment to some good BBQ or grilled chicken or pork, and of course the best grilled meat will be covered with Texas Pepper Jelly’s Rib Candy or rubs.

Add to these some baked beans and maybe some corn (on the cob, in season) and you’ve got my all-time favorite meal of all time.

Category: Feast of Fridays, grilling, Pineapple Sweet Fire, Spicy main dishes, Spicy salads, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly on Pinterest, Texas Pepper Jelly on Twitter, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Rubs and Spices, TPJ Sauces and Salsas, Uncategorized | Tags: baked beans, corn on the cob, goes out like a lion, in season, March comes in like a lamb, perfect meal, perfect potato salad, snow, spicy salad, Texas Pepper Jelly bbq, Texas Pepper Jelly rubs, Texas Pineapple Sweet Fire Pickles, Texas Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad

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 | December 27, 2012

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Texas Jalapeno Passion Dip

Merry Christmas from Texas Pepper Jelly!

Many people are snowed in right now, thanks to the 2012 Christmas blizzards covering the midwest with snow. This is a good time for families to put a holiday movie in the DVD player, put some Texas Jalapeno Passion Dip and some crackers on the coffee table, and snuggle up together on the couch! Our jalapeno dip will warm everyone through and through!

Ingredients:

Dip:

6 strips of crispy, diced bacon
2 8-oz packages of softened cream cheese (Neufchatel works, too.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Miracle Whip, but there is a slight difference. Try both and see which you like better.)
1/2 cup Texas Passion Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green onion

Topping:

1 cup finely crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 stick melted butter or margarine (not whipped)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350, and get out a large casserole dish.

Combine all of the dip ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well.

Transfer these ingredients to your casserole dish. If you want a thick (tall) dip, use a deeper, smaller dish.

Combine all the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the dip.

Bake in that 350 oven for about 25 minutes. After 15 minutes, check regularly, for when the topping starts to bubble, it’s ready to remove from the oven.

Let the dip “set” for about a half hour before diving into it with the assorted crackers. Remember, it’s really hot at first, so keep an eye on the smaller children.

Texas Jalapeno Passion Dip will become one of your family’s favorite snacks after tonight. Seriously.

Oh, it’s great with breadsticks and cut vegetables, too. Just remember, it’s jalapeno, and that means hot, with more than just the oven heat!

Category: Christmas in Texas, Feast of Fridays, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Christmas, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Holiday Recipes, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Snacks | Tags: breadsticks, Christmas in Texas, crackers, cut vegetables, dips, family on couch, holiday DVD, jalapeno dip, passion pepper jelly, snow, spicy football snacks, Texas Christmas, Texas Pepper Jelly, winter snacks

« Older Entries

Archive for Texas Tips

Memorial Day Suggestions and Recipes!

Spicy Peach Ice Cream – In A Baggie!

Happy Easter – Enjoy Your Pineapple Habanero Ham!

Texas Style Armadillo Eggs!

Pineapple Sweet Fire Potato Salad

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

Strawberry Habanero Cake! A Superbowl Specialty!

Sweet and Spicy Apple Pecans

Texas Jalapeno Passion Dip

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