Pepper Jelly

Before you read further or click away because pepper jelly sounds gross, let me explain…For years I have turned my nose up at pepper jelly.  All I could think of was black pepper mixed with grape jelly.  YUCK.  The words pepper and jelly just don’t belong together and I did not understand the concept. Well, I was at a Fall Festival a few weeks ago and finally decided to try some (spread over cream cheese on a cracker)  It was amazingly delicious and not at all what I had imagined.  So I was inspired to make some for Christmas gifts so I could help convert other people who may also be scared away by the name “pepper jelly”.

OK…so I have never canned in my life and had no idea where to start.  I was NERVOUS!  I made 2 different jellies using helpful recipes from HERE & HERE.  And I got answers to all my canning questions from THIS wonderful site.  I also bought the Wal Mart brand canning jars because they were half the price as the name brand ($5 for a dozen).  CRAZY!  The only thing I didn’t like was the gold lids, but I got over it.  Can I just say that I am addicted to canning now!?  I want to can apple butter, salsa, spaghetti sauce…everything.

I made these personalized labels on Picnik, printed them out on white paper and used double sided tape to stick them on.

When I was getting my jars at Wal Mart, I noticed these cute wire jar caddy’s.  They are in the same section as the jars and come in different sizes depending on what jar you are using.  They are so cute and cheap…on clearance right now for $3!  How adorable for Christmas gifts or hostess gifts for Christmas parties.

Are you like me and still wondering what you do with pepper jelly?

Pour it over cream cheese and serve with crackers…looks questionable, but really does taste YUMMO!

Make Baked Brie With Pepper Jelly - Our Best Bites

A glaze for Chicken and Pork Chops or a dip for chicken nuggets.

Spread it on your leftover turkey sandwich – Mango & Tomato

some notes in case you give this a try:

1.  Next time I will use 1/2 pint jars instead of 1 pint.  My jars are a little large for jelly.

2.  Even though the Raspberry recipe says you don’t need to give it a water bath…I did anyway.  I was just so nervous with my jars and wanted to make  sure they were sealed and sterile.

3.  I sterilized my jars and lids by running them through the dishwasher instead of boiling them.  Much easier and just as effective.

4.  When giving as a gift, you might want to attach a card that lists uses for pepper jelly.  For people like me who did not quite understand it until recently, this would be helpful.