Texas Pepper Jelly Blog

Craig Sharry: 2011 Grand BBQ Champion!

Craig Sharry | February 27, 2011

On Saturday night, after three days, over 221,000 barbecue lovers, over 400 cookin’ teams, and some of the most awesome aromas ever smelled anywhere on the planet, Houston’s Reliant Park Livestock Show and Rodeo World’s Championship BBQ contest came to a delicious end, with our own Texas Pepper Jelly’s CEO Craid Sharry as the Grand BBQ Champion!

We here at Texas Pepper Jelly aren’t a bit surprised that Craig won out over all the other BBQ experts; we know that Craig can out-cook any chef anywhere. In fact, we wish some of those fancy TV chefs would challenge him; we KNOW he could bring them to their knees with his fantastic pepper jellies and Rib Candies.

Speaking of Craig’s pepper jellies and Rib Candies, Easter is coming up a lot sooner than most of us might think, and if you’re planning to bake a ham for your Easter dinner, you’d better get your pepper jelly ordered pretty soon.

Once you’re baked a pepper jelly coated ham, you’ll never go back to the old ways.

Category: BBQ, Craig Sharry, Monday Munchies, News Flash!, Spicy main dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas grilling sauces, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Company dinners, TPJ Recipes, Twitter |

A Feast of Fridays: Spicy Cheese Ball. Or Log. Etc.

Craig Sharry | February 25, 2011

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feastoffridays I’ve posted about cheese balls before, but spring is coming soon, in spite of the snow some of us are still dealing with, and spring is the season of all kinds of pitch-ins and open houses – St. Patrick’s, Easter, graduation. . . . etc, and at pitch-ins, people look for cheese balls.

Now, this recipe might seem a bit different. That’s because it is! It’s different in that it’s a lot yummier than plain old cheeseballs people stop by the grocery store deli to run in and buy because they don’t know how to make a cheese ball from scratch.

That won’t be you this spring! Our spicy cheese ball is easy to throw together and will be easy to find on the pitch-in table. Just follow the crowd.

Ingredients:

5 ounces of blue cheese, room temperature

2 ounces of shredded Gouda cheese

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

10 ounces of sharp processed cheese food

1 Tbs. of Feta cheese

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

One 1.5-ounce jar of any flavor of Texas Pepper Jelly you have on hand

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all of the cheeses, the garlic salt, onion, and the Texas Pepper Jelly. Mix well. Cover bowl tightly with Saran Wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight.

When mixture is firm, shape it, with your well-washed hands, into a log or ball. Roll the log or ball in the chopped nuts.

Put the cheese log/ball on a pretty tray, and surround it with assorted crackers. Put the tray on the table and stand back. You might get trampled in the mad rush that will surely follow!

(You can shape this into any form you like, actually; you can even put it in a mold and turn it out onto the plate shaped like a clover or whatever, but I think it’s easier to scoop it up with crackers if it’s shaped like a log.)

Category: Feast of Fridays, Spicy side dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Appetizers, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Snacks | Tags: blue cheese, cheese, cheese ball, cheese log, cream cheese, Easter pitch-in, feta cheese, gouda cheese, graduation, grocery store deli, molded cheese ball, pepper jelly, pitch-in, sharp cheese, Texas Pepper Jelly

Presidents’ Day Munchies: Spicy Cherry Pie

Craig Sharry | February 21, 2011

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George Washington’s cutting down the cherry tree and owning up to it might be a legend, but the fact remains that we still associate delicious sweet cherries with Presidents’ Day! I can’t prove it, but I’d bet that most if not all of our presidents enjoyed a slice of awesome cherry pie, as well.

Texas Pepper Jelly’s cherry pie is a bit different from the norm, and that difference makes our cherry pie absolutely the best you’ll ever taste in all of your life. No exaggeration, either.

I’m giving you the super-easy version here, although if you want to wait until cherries are in season, find a tree, climb it, gather the cherries, pit them, and THEN make your pie, feel free. For those of you who want your cherry pie NOW, here’s how to get one.

Ingredients:

3 cans cherry pie filling (I use the kind with Splenda)
1 cup Cherry Jalapeno (or Cherry Habanero) pepper jelly
Pat of butter
2-piece pie crust (Life is short. Go to the grocery store and buy one.)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 450.

Put the bottom crust in the pie pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the cherry filling and the pepper jelly, and pour it over the bottom crust. Place the butter pat on top. Cover with top crust and crimp the edges firmly. I like to take a toothpick and dot-out a pine tree on my top crust, but as long as you make a vent, you can pierce any kind of design you want. Be creative, and make the same design for each cherry pie you make. Think of other designs for other kinds of pies. This way, your family will come to associate certain designs with certain pies. This isn’t a big deal; it’s just fun, and a way of personalizing your pies.

Sometimes I make a little hole in the middle of the top crust and put my “pie bird” there. Depends on my mood!

Place your pie in the middle of your oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, open the oven door and turn your pie around. Close the door and reduce the heat to 350. Set the timer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check your pie. If the crust appears nice and brownish, it’s done. Pies with canned filling take much less time than pies with fresh fruit.

Remove pie from oven and let it cool; if you try to slice it now it’ll run all over the place.

Serve with ice cream. Don’t count on any leftover.

The sweetness of the cherries and the sweet-tartness of the pepper jelly combine to create a flavor that’s so good, it’s almost indescribable. Mmmmmmm, spicy cherry pie. . . .

Category: Monday Munchies, Spicy desserts, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes | Tags: Presidents' Day food, spicy cherry pie, Texas Pepper Jelly

A New Year and A New Product!

Craig Sharry | February 16, 2011

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TPJ Logo Here’s a message straight from the big boss himself, our beloved Craig Sharry!

A New Year & A New Product

Dear Texas Pepper Jelly Fans,

It is now February and we are almost 2 full months into 2011. I hope everyone is having a great year.

Here at Texas Pepper Jelly we thought the best way to start off a new year would be with a new flavor. For many months we have had a request for one particular flavor. So after the holiday season we made it our goal to get this new product in production for you, our customers.

Please welcome our newest flavor: Apricot Habanero! This newest flavor is fantastic. I have tried it on bread, bagels, biscuts and chicken, and so far I have not been disappointed. I can not wait to try it out on a rack of ribs. I am sure it will be superb.

Like all of our new flavors, this one will be offered for a limited time only. If the response is good, we will keep it in the lineup longer, so do not delay. Order yours today and be one of the first to try this new wonderful flavor from Texas Pepper Jelly.

As you browse our web site, some of you may notice that a few flavors are not listed any longer. Due to availability of some fruit, we have decided to make some our jellies a seasonal item. Be sure to check back from time to time to see if your favorite jelly is back on our shelves.

If this is your first time ordering, I’d like to extend my sincerest thanks for trying our product. I must clue you in on something that the rest of us already know, though. Texas Pepper Jelly is some of the finest pepper jelly around. You will be surprised at how many uses that our product has. With over a dozen flavors to choose from you might want to consider our mixed case. Available in three jar sizes, it’s the best way to make sure you have plenty of flavors on hand.

Apricot Habanero Jelly & Roasted Chicken in Pasta

Ingredients:

1 package bow tie noodles
2 sliced chicken breasts
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2 tbsp margarine
1 1/2 cups of Half & Half
2 tbsp Apricot Habanero Jelly (I like 3 tbsp or more)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

What to do:

Cook noodles accordingly.
In a medium saucepan, simmer Half & Half for 4 minutes. Add margarine, onion, salt, pepper, chicken & Apricot Habanero Jelly. Stir well and continue simmering for 2 minutes. Pour over cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Remember

You can always find recipes and suggestions for our Rib Candy and Pepper Jellies on our blog.

Also, please feel free to drop us an email or call if you have any questions about any of our products.

Until Next Time,

Craig Sharry

Category: Craig Sharry, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, What's Cookin' Wednesday | Tags: apricot habanero, Craig Sharry, delicious pepper jelly, new flavors of pepper jelly

Spicy Texas Rock Candy for Valentine’s Day!

Craig Sharry | February 14, 2011

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heart Valentine’s Day is the day above all other days when it’s cool to be HOT. (Make of that whatever you will!)

Texas Pepper Jelly’s recipe for Spicy Texas Rock Candy is certainly hot. It’s also certainly delicious, and while it takes a little time to make, it’s more than worth the time!

Why not make some of our hot spicy Valentine candy to share with someone special?

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar (real sugar; don’t use Splenda or any other substitute)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Texas Pepper Jelly, any flavor heart3
1 tsp. butter

What to do:

Put the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.

Continue stirring, and cook the mixture to the soft ball stage. Add the pepper jelly, and continue cooking – on low- to hard-crack stage. Don’t let yourself get distracted; it’s important that you keep stirring. Once the mixture reaches hard-crack stage, remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir it in.

If the pepper jelly didn’t color your mixture “brightly” enough for your taste, add a few drops of food coloring.

heart2 Pour into a well-buttered pan, or into hard candy molds.

If you used a large pan, break the candy into pieces when cold.

Share with someone you love.

Category: Monday Munchies, perfect gift, Spicy desserts, Super Easy Party Recipes, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Rock Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Snacks | Tags: pepper jelly rock candy, rock candy, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Pepper Jelly candy, Texas Pepper Jelly dessert, Valentine's Day

Meatloaf Again? AWESOME, If Texas Rib Candy Is In It!

Craig Sharry | February 10, 2011

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Meatloaf gets a lot of bad rap, but if the meatloaf is made with Texas Rib Candy, your family will greet the dinner table with cries of joy, not complaints. Sure there are some pretty awful meat loaf recipes, but you won’t find any of those here. Our Texas Rib Candy meatloaf recipe is the best you’ll ever find.

On these snowy winter days, there’s just nothing finer than a hot oven meal. Comfort food at its best!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
2 eggs
3/4 cup crushed soda crackers
1/2 cup Texas Rib Candy
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash black pepper

What to do:

Set your oven for 350.

Get out a large bowl and put ALL of the ingredients in it. WITH YOUR HANDS, get it all thoroughly mixed together.

Put the mixture in a baking dish large enough so you can leave a space; this makes it easier to pour off the grease when the meatloaf is done. Squiggle some Texas Rib Candy and ketchup over the top of the loaf, and place the dish in your oven. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the edges of the meatloaf start to look “blackish.”

When it’s done, remove from the oven and let it “set” on the top of your stove for about 15 minutes; this will let you slice it more easily.

If there’s any Rib Candy left, put it on the table so people who want MORE can use it on their slice of meatloaf.

Advice: Don’t add any salt to your meatloaf mixture; the crushed crackers will supply all the salt you’ll need for flavoring.

More Advice: Some people prefer BBQ sauce to the ketchup. Your call.

P.S. Meatloaf is even better the next day, if you have any left over, which you probably won’t. It makes a great sandwich, too.

Category: Feast of Fridays, Spicy main dishes, Spicy sandwiches, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, What's Cookin' Wednesday |

Superbowl Leftovers? No Problem.

Craig Sharry | February 7, 2011

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mondaymunchies Did you make Texas Pepper Jelly’s Spicy Sloppy Joes for your Superbowl party last night? If you did, you’ll know how to use that same recipe for our awesomely delicious Spicy Lasagna!

If you have any left over, use that. If your family and friends ate it all last night, you’ll have to mix up some more. Click here for the meat mixture recipe.

Texas Pepper Jelly Superbowl Leftover Lasagna. It’s yummy good.

Ingredients:

leftover sloppy joe mixture from last night
box of lasagna noodles
package of shredded swiss cheese
Any leftover vegetables you might have on hand, shredded, cooked or raw
Can or jar of pasta/spaghetti sauce

What to do:

First of all, don’t cook the noodles. You heard me. With this recipe, you can use the lasagna in its stiff, uncooked form.

Line the bottom of the lasagna pan with uncooked pasta. Cover it with meat mixture, then a layer of sauce. Add a layer of swiss cheese. Repeat layers until you get to the top of the pan, making sure you cover the very top layer with sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and stick with a knife to see if the pasta is soft. If it’s still stiff, return to oven and bake for another fifteen minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

When lasagna is cool, stick with the knife again to check the pasta. It should be soft now.

Eat up.

Category: Monday Munchies, Spicy leftovers, Spicy main dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Company dinners |

Superbowl Special: Spicy Sloppy Joes

Craig Sharry | February 6, 2011

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While the game is at its peak (like right this minute!) take a little time to tiptoe to the kitchen and throw together some Spicy Sloppy Joes for your Superbowl Couch Guests! It’s so easy and only takes a few minutes, even if you’re starting with raw hamburger!

Ingredients:

2 pounds hamburger, and you need to cook it up if you haven’t already
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Texas Rib Candy
1/8 cup shredded onion
1/8 cup shredded green pepper
1 tbsp. chili powder
Dash salt, if you must
Dash pepper

What to do:

Drain the ground beef well, and then add all the other ingredients to the pan the stir. Let ingredients cook together for a few minutes, and then pile it onto buns.

If you put it on hamburger buns, you can call it Spanish Hamburger, and if you pile it on hot dog buns, on the hot dot, you can call it a Coney.

Now, back to the game!

Category: News Flash!, Spicy main dishes, Spicy sandwiches, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Ten Minute Meals, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Sauces and Salsas, TPJ Snacks | Tags: Superbowl Food, Superbowl special, Superbowl spicy sloppy joes, Texas Pepper Jelly

Superbowl Food: Black Bean Burger Dip

Craig Sharry | February 3, 2011

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Black bean burger dip
Check out the picture of the Black Bean Burger Dip I made tonight! My husband’s department often has pitch-in lunches, and since his cooking skills are, um, let us say. . . . well, let us not say, okay? He asks me to fix something for him to contribute, which is fine with me because I LOVE to cook.

Continuing Texas Pepper Jelly’s theme of Superbowl Food, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make for him what I’m recommending all of YOU make for the weekend: Black Bean Burger Dip.

It’s easy, nutritious, spicy, and yummy good. Remember now, that this particular recipe is for about 25 people, so it’s perfect for a departmental pitch-in as well as for your Superbowl crowd.

Ingredients:

2 pounds hamburger, cooked and crumbled
1 huge tomato, diced (can of diced tomatoes works, too, if you drain it well)
1 can black beans, well drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Texas Rib Candy
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 cup Mexican cheese, shredded
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 brick of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup diced green chilies

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix together the hamburger, tomatoes, chilies, sour cream, black beans, and Rib Candy. Set aside.

In the bowl in which you intend to serve the dip, cover the bottom with the sliced mushrooms. On top of that, add a layer of lettuce, then a layer of cheese, then a thick layer of meat mixture. Slice the cream cheese in half thin-wise and put the pieces on top of the meat. Repeat layers until all your ingredients have been used up, making sure your top layer is meat with a little cheese sprinkled on top.

Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

When your husband removes the bowl to take it to work, remind him to take along the taco chips, too. They make these long, thin chips now that are perfect for dipping!

Category: Spicy side dishes, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Rib Candy, Texas Tips, TPJ Appetizers, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Sauces and Salsas, TPJ Snacks, Uncategorized | Tags: Superbowl black bean burger dip, Superbowl Food, Superbowl special, Texas Pepper Jelly

Superbowl Food: Pineapple Pepperjack Dip

Craig Sharry | January 31, 2011

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Here’s another awesome Superbowl snack!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pepperjack cheese
1 cup of Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper
2 cups half-and-half (cream)
1 cup shredded pineapple
1 large tomato, diced (or 1 can diced tomato, drained)
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
3 cups raw spinach, finely chopped

What to do:

Remove the lid to your crockpot and throw everything on the ingredients list in! (Oh, this one is difficult, right?) Replace the lid, turn the dial to “low,” and go watch tv for a half hour.

After 30 minutes, give the contents a stir; the cheese should be mostly melted. Set your timer for another half hour.

Now the dip should be read to be, well, dipped into. Set out any variety of chips, veggie sticks, breads, crackers, etc, and stand back.

This dip lasts for several days unless your family finds where you hid it. (Refrigerate any leftovers, although it’s not likely there will be any.)

Enjoy.

Category: crockpot meals, Monday Munchies, Slow cooker delights, slow-cooker meals, Super Easy Party Recipes, Superbowl Food, Texas Cookin' Tips, Texas Pepper Jelly, Texas Tips, TPJ Recipes, TPJ Snacks |

« Older Entries Recent Entries »

Craig Sharry: 2011 Grand BBQ Champion!

A Feast of Fridays: Spicy Cheese Ball. Or Log. Etc.

Presidents’ Day Munchies: Spicy Cherry Pie

A New Year and A New Product!

Spicy Texas Rock Candy for Valentine’s Day!

Meatloaf Again? AWESOME, If Texas Rib Candy Is In It!

Superbowl Leftovers? No Problem.

Superbowl Special: Spicy Sloppy Joes

Superbowl Food: Black Bean Burger Dip

Superbowl Food: Pineapple Pepperjack Dip

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