This is a delicious side dish that takes only minutes to prepare!  It’s wonderful served with almost anything, but my family especially likes it with Ten Minute Spicy Ham Steak.

Ingredients:

1 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2/3 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt, or salt substitute
1 cup Mandarin Orange Pepper Jelly
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

What to do:

Put the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  then reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, covered.

While your potatoes are simmering, get out another saucepan and put the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in it.  Gradually, and stirring constantly, stir in the Mandarin Habanero Pepper Jelly and bring to a boil.  When it thickens – about 2 minutes – add the butter and stir until butter is melted.

Drain the sweet potatoes and put them in a serving dish.  Pour Mandarin Orange Pepper Jelly mixture over the potatoes and gently stir to coat.

Serves 4-6 people, depending on their appetites.  You won’t have any left over; take my word for it.  I never have any leftovers when I use Texas Pepper Jelly.

Looking for a simple but elegant company meal?  Mandarin Orange Cornish Hens are easy to prepare, and while they’re baking, you’ll have time to fix your sides and set the table!

Ingredients:

4 Cornish hens
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)
1/4 cup Mandarin Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly
12 cup Madeira wine, sherry, or chicken broth (I use sherry.)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (squeeze it yourself; don’t use bottled lemon juice)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Prepare the hens by tying their legs together and turning the wing tips under the backs. Place them on a greased cookie pan, brush with butter, and sprinkle with salt. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour.

After you set the oven timer, take the next 45 minutes to get your side dishes together, etc.

When the hens have about 15 minutes left in the oven, combine all the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat way down, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Spoon it all over the hens, and let them bake fifteen more minutes, or until your meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.

If everyone has a hen apiece, you can serve 4 with this recipe. If you’ve got four hearty eaters, you might want to double everything!

FINALLY!  Texas Pepper Jelly has its own T-SHIRT!  I love it!

Everybody kept asking for a Texas Pepper Jelly t-shirt – including me! – and here it is.

Our t-shirt is charcoal gray, and made of 100% preshrunk Ultra cotton by Gildan.  Our Texas Pepper Jelly logo is in full color on the back.

Texas Pepper Jelly t-shirts are only $14.95, so why not get one for everybody in the family?  Y’all can wear them to the next barbecue or family reunion!

Our t-shirt comes in sizes L through XXXL.

This fantastic Cranberry Relish will only take 15 minutes or so to fix, and its delightful spicy “difference” will make everyone raise their hands for MORE.

Ingredients:

1  16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
1  5-ounce jar of Pineapple Habanero Pepper Jelly
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Just a pinch of ground cloves

What to do:

Dump everything in a large bowl and mix it all up with a big spoon. Serve right away.

You should end up with about 2 cups of relish, which will feed four people. The next time you make this, however, you might want to double the recipe because your family will LOVE IT, and they’ll want seconds.

You just got home from work and everybody’s STARVING? In ten minutes, you can put a savory supper on the table for your hungry family!

Spicy Ham Steak

Ingredients:

1 bone-in fully cooked ham steak (approximately one pound)
1/4 cup Mandarin Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

What to do:

Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and cook the ham for 4 minutes on each side. While the ham is browning, combine everything else in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Spoon this mixture over the ham. Cover the skillet and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, or until thoroughly hot.

This will serve approximately 4 people.

Toss a salad, put some potatoes in baggies and microwave them for a few minutes, and call everyone to supper.

Spicy Strawberry Bread is delicious, good for you, and will help wake you up in the morning!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar (I use Splenda.)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

1 1/2 cups oil (I use applesauce instead of oil.)

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. Strawberry Habanero (or Strawberry Jalapeno) Pepper Jelly

Do this:

Dump everything into a large bowl and mix well.  Use your hands if necessary; batter will be very thick.  pour into two greased and floured bread pans, and bake at 350 for one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool thoroughly before slicing.  Spicy Strawberry Bread freezes well.  Makes two loaves.

If you use the Messermeister Four Seasons Scalloped 8″ Bread Knife to slice your cooled Spicy Strawberry Bread, you’ll get lovely clean slices.

You can make this wonderful stew on your stovetop, or in your crockpot!

Spicy Pork and Apple Stew

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound lean pork stew meat (trim off as much fat as you can) (Any kind of pork will work; just cut it into stew-size pieces.  I’ve used pork chops, pork roast, and rib meat before.)

1 large onion, cut into thick slices

2 cloves garlic, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (Do not drain them.)

1 small can of tomato paste

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup Apple Jalapeno or Apple Habanero pepper jelly (your call)

2 large red or white potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about three cups) (I leave the peeling on, but you do as you wish with it!)

1 cup baby carrots, or carrot coins

1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into cubes (I leave the peeling on)

Parsley (If you like parsley)

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet, depending on whether you’re going to use your stovetop or your crockpot.  If you’re going to dump everything in your crockpot, just use a skillet here.

Brown the meat, and add the onion and garlic or garlic powder.  Cover and cook for about five minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes,  tomato paste, broth, and pepper jelly.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.  (Skip the “simmering” step if you’re going to be putting the stew in your crockpot.)

Add the potatoes, carrots, and apples.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat.  If you’re going to finish off the stew on your stovetop, cover the Dutch oven and simmer for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, or until meat and vegetables are tender.  If you’re going to use your crockpot, dump everything in there, turn it on “low,” and go on to work.  Your dinner will be ready when you get back home.

Serve in soup bowls.  Garlic bread is good with this stew.  Sprinkle with the parsley, if you want parsley.  My kids like to sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

This is a wonderful rainy-night supper!  The Apple Habanero or Apple Jalapeno pepper jelly absolutely MAKES this stew!!!!

I am a great admirer of the Texas Pepper Jelly grand master, Craig Sharry.  Craig is a man who really knows his stuff when it comes to good Texas cooking, particularly with barbecue.

Craig is a member of TGCBCA (Texas Gulf Coast Barbecue Cooker’s Association), a past officer for the organization, and is the current webmaster for the TGCBCA website.

In 2006-2007, Craig was TGCBCA’s Cook of the Year, and this year he’s ranked #5 – with only four more events till the season ends.

BBQ cookers were Craig’s first customers, and the Texas Pepper Jelly website and blog both encourage serious barbecue lovers to use his products in cookers everywhere.  Craig is developing a bbq sauce himself, and it will be ready to sell before long.  If his BBQ sauce is anywhere as delicious as his pepper jellies, I know in ADVANCE that it will be a huge hit!

Craig’s Texas Pepper Jelly site and blog have a longstanding connection with Texas BBQ Rub; it is their rub that’s sold on our Pepper Jelly website.  I’ve tried it, and boy, is it ever YUMMY!

Back in January, Craig was Grand Champion at the San Antonio Rodeo BBQ Cookoff, which is the third largest “sanctioned” event in the USA.  He beat 225 teams for that honor!

Just this weekend, in fact, Craig was competing in yet another BBQ competition, and if I were a gambling woman, I’d bet big that he’ll come back home another winner!

As for me, well, I can’t WAIT until Craig starts selling his barbecue sauce!  Everything else on the Texas Pepper Jelly site is so awesomely, exceptionally, wonderfully delicious, that I know before I even taste it that his BBQ sauce will be the best in the universe.

Yes, Craig Sharry is a remarkable man and an awesome cook, and I have nothing but the utmost respect and liking for him.  Like Tony the Tiger, Craig is GRRRRRRRRREATTT!

This recipe is sooooo delicious!  There’s something about Springtime that makes people long for orange-flavored things! This recipe for individual mandarin orange souffles looks fancy, but it really doesn’t take very long, and it’s easy to whip together!  The Mandarin Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly gives them a unique zip that ordinary souffles don’t have.

Individual Mandarin Orange Souffles

3 oranges

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons Mandarin Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly

6 egg whites  (put the yolks in individual baggies and put them in the freezer for later.)

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons granulated sugar  (Splenda works!)

1 1/2 tablespoons sliced almonds

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Spray 6 individual 8-10 ounce souffle dishes with cooking spray (not the buttery flavor) and place the dishes on a cookie pan.

Grate the orange peel and set aside 1 1/2 teaspoons of it.  Peel the oranges and cut off ALL of the membrane.  Section the oranges and dice them in a medium-sized saucepan; there should be approximately 1 1/2 cups of juice and pulp.  Stir in the cornstarch until smooth, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the mandarin orange pepper jelly and reserved orange peel.

Beat the egg whites with the salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Beat in granulated sugar or Splenda, a tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form and all of the sugar (or Splenda) is dissolved.  Fold the egg white mixture into the orange mixture, using a wire whisk.  Spoon into the prepared souffle dishes and sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven; watch carefully but do not open and close the oven door.  If you do that anyway, be sure not to slam the oven door shut!  When the souffles are puffed and browned, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.  If you let them sit, they’ll collapse.  If you let them collapse, you can still eat them, and they’ll still be good, but they won’t be “company” material.

These mandarin orange souffles are soooo good.  I’m sure you wouldn’t cook up a batch of them and let them collapse on purpose so you’d have to eat them all yourself.  I know I don’t know anyone who has done that.  Ahem.

It would be a shame to let them go to waste though, wouldn’t it?

Texas Pepper Jelly’s yummy Apple Cinnamon Grilling and Finishing Sauce makes these pork chops taste so good, your taste buds will have a party!

Ingredients:

4 6-oz pork chops, marinated overnight in Apple Cinnamon Grilling Sauce

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into strips

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons Apple Cinnamon Finishing Sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

Preheat oven to 357 degrees.

Brown pork chops in large skillet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. (NOT the butter-flavored kind!!!)  Put the browned chops in a shallow baking pan and bake in oven for about ten minutes, or until the center is no longer cool and pink. Different ovens might require longer baking time.

While the chops are baking,  add peppers, apple, and onion to the same skillet and cook, stirring constantly, over high heat for about 3 minutes.  Add honey and Apple Cinnamon Sauce, and stir for another minute.  Add the COOKED rice and stir another two or three minutes, or until heated through.

Spoon this mixture onto four plates, and put a pork chop on the mixture.  Most people like to pour the remaining juice from the baking pan over the chops, but that would depend on YOU.

Enjoy!  This meal is very easy and VERY delicious!