Home Condiments This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly & 20+ Uses for Pepper Jelly

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly & 20+ Uses for Pepper Jelly

by Ann
10 comments

Adapted from Cooking with Mary & Friends

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly - hot sweet pepper jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat


Fiery hot pepper wine jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat. The sweet peppers, serranos and jalapenos hit your tongue first, and then, just when you’re not quite expecting it, there’s a little tingle of heat at the end. That’s the carrot peppers sneaking up behind you. That orange pepper on top of the jar there–that’s a carrot pepper. I use them a lot in salsas along with other peppers to round out the heat profile and I always get tons of compliments on my salsa, so I figured the same principle should work with hot pepper jelly. It totally did!

But aside from the hot pepper jelly, there’s something else I want to talk to you about today. I am not sure if you know, but I’ve been between jobs for a little while now. (For me, blogging is a side gig, a hobby, not a profession.) I was laid off from my last position after working there for almost 6 years. I’ve had some interviews and one company really loved me and told me they definitely wanted to bring me on board, but they were just in the initial stages of a merger and needed some time to figure out their strategy before bringing on someone new. So I waited. And waited. And applied for more jobs, but my heart was stuck in waiting mode. Finally, a couple weeks ago, I decided I needed to quit waiting and DO something. I felt stuck. Asleep. Like a huge ball of energy was just hibernating inside of me, waiting to be released. I did some busy work around the house, avoiding the yucky feeling swelling up inside of me. Petted the cats. Played my stupid word game. And then this voice inside me started chiding me, saying “Ann, you need to stop this. You need to get un-stuck.”

Because I’d kind of exhausted the options in my own city, I’d been applying for jobs in nearby cities but my heart wasn’t in it. They all felt like just another online application that I was filling out, like a zombie. Tweaking a cover letter here, attaching my resume, filling out the forms. Bleah bleah bleah. I was going through the motions, but I knew in my heart that if I really wanted something to happen, I needed to be open to it, truly dedicated to the opportunities that might come my way. And that might mean moving. But if that’s what it takes, I need to really commit my heart and soul to it and just trust that the right things will happen.

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly - hot sweet pepper jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat

So I closed my eyes and meditated on this for a few minutes and I felt the energy shift and open and start flowing. It felt like my heart and soul were opening up and this rush of energy came flowing into me and out into the universe. I felt so open and alive and ready.

I started working on job applications, but now I was alive and really picturing myself in the positions. I decided to apply for a second position at a company in a nearby city that I had already applied for a month ago. Almost immediately after I’d submitted that application, I got a call from the HR person at that company, asking if I was looking to relocate. I said for the right position, yes, I would relocate. This was on Wednesday. They asked if I could come in for an interview on Friday morning. Whoa! Yes, I said I could. I had to teach yoga on Saturday morning so I’d have to get up really early and drive all the way there and back in one day (7 – 8 hours total of driving), but it wasn’t anything I haven’t done before and it was definitely worth it for the right job.

Not long after that (the same day), I received a call from one of the local companies I’d interviewed with. He wanted to let me know he hadn’t forgotten about me and he would get back to me with next steps by the end of the week. Then, a little later, the first company called back and wanted to move the interview to Friday afternoon. Sure, that was even better for me … gave me more time to get there! Oh and then I got a text saying that the person I was interviewing with wasn’t in the office on Friday, so could I do a phone interview instead? Um, yeah, no driving! Totally.

Mid-day on Thursday the local guy texted and asked if I could do an interview that day. My kids had appointments, I really couldn’t. Could we do it Friday morning? No response for several hours. It was after 5:00 when he texted and asked if I could do an interview in the evening? What? An evening job interview? Well, okay. So I had a phone interview after 6 pm with one of their employees in CA. Not so bad. And then he wanted me to do two more phone interviews in the morning. Which meant four interviews in less than 24 hours. Holy crap! Talk about unstuck energy. It was amazing.

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly - hot sweet pepper jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat

So after all of that, I took some time to finally do something with all the peppers from my mom and dad’s garden. I saw this recipe for hot pepper jelly from Mary and I decided some hot pepper jelly seemed really fitting. The song “This Girl is on Fire” was playing through my head as I seeded the peppers and blended them up, then put them in a pot to cook with the wine vinegar and the sugar. The whole process felt very freeing and wonderful.

I have since received news from both of those employers. The local one decided to go with the other candidate, which I was a little bummed about initially, but when I thought about it, my heart really wanted the other position. I went back into waiting mode for a bit … and then one afternoon I reminded myself I needed to send out some energy to remind the universe that it’s time to give me a job. I started applying for jobs like crazy and even talked to a recruiter responding to one of my applications. After 6 job applications and the phone call, my son was hungry and was wondering if I would take him to the sub shop so he could buy himself a sandwich. So I took a break from applying to drive him there, fully intending to come home and apply for more jobs. But just as I was trying to figure out where to turn with all the construction on the road, I got a phone call. I missed the turn. It was the out of town company calling with some exciting news for me. I freaking got the job! I pulled into a parking lot to finish the conversation. I was so excited I wanted to scream, but maintained my composure until I got off the phone. (And then my son and I found the turn and made our way to the sub shop, but our conversation definitely took a different turn.)

Things are still a bit in the air because we’re waiting for the background check to come back and I’m not really sure whether I’ll have to relocate or not, but I’m open and trusting that the right thing for me and my kids will happen.

How do you can the jelly?

So that was a lot about me and not much about the jelly. I know, I should tell you more about how to make and can jelly. It’s really quite easy. You just need some glass jars, lids, a jar grabber, a large pot for boiling water. I found a canning kit on Amazon that has (more than) everything you need. I used the little 4-oz. jelly jars like these ones on Amazon and a couple of the 8-oz. jars when I ran out of the little ones. Here are some helpful images and tips for canning your pepper jelly. My mom and I sometimes skip the hot water bath and just set the jars upside down once you’ve sealed them. When you flip the jars later, the jam should go down to the bottom of the jar and create the seal. I did that with a few of the jars of this hot pepper jelly, but when I flipped them, the jelly never fell down to the bottom of the jar like it should, so I think the hot water bath is the right approach here.

Wondering how to use pepper jelly? (aside from on crackers with cream cheese which is amazing, but one can only eat so many crackers) … here’s a great resource: 22 great ideas for using pepper jelly. I also love to spread it on toast and enjoy with a cup of chai tea in the morning. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best. Also, scroll down for over 20 recipes and even more collections for using your hot pepper jelly.

If you have apples and hot peppers, here’s my recipe for Five Alarm Apple Hot Pepper Jam (low sugar) where I used the upside down method instead of the hot water bath.

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This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly - hot sweet pepper jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: About 16 mini (4-oz.) jelly jars or 8 larger (8-oz.) jelly jars 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups finely chopped peppers (about half sweet peppers and half mixed hot peppers)
  • 1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar (or white vinegar or apple vinegar)
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 package of pectin (or 6 Tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon butter (to prevent foaming)

Instructions

  1. Using gloves, remove the seeds, core and stems from the peppers. For a milder jam, use more bell peppers or for a hotter jam, use more hot peppers. I used a mix of mini sweet peppers, bell pepper, jalapeno, carrot pepper and serranos. (Don’t worry if you miss a couple seeds … it adds heat to the jelly!)
  2. Use a mini food processor to chop the peppers into fine bits. If needed, add a little of the vinegar to help “blend” the peppers.
  3. Sterilize the jars, lids and rings by putting them in boiling water or use the hot cycle on the dishwasher.
  4. Put the peppers, vinegar, sugar and pectin into a soup pot or large saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the butter and boil for 3 minutes. Skim off the foam and bring to a hard boil for 1 minute.
  5. Using a jar funnel to keep from spilling jelly all over the jars, ladle the jelly into the sterilized jars, making sure to put some of the peppers into each of the jars first, then fill to 1/4 inch of the top.
  6. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist, clean towel, then put the lids on and screw on the rings tightly. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Use a jar grabber to fish the jars out of the hot water. Let sit for 24 hours, then check the seals, label the jars and remove the rings on all the sealed jars. Use any unsealed jars first.

Notes

Mary recommends 2 cups bell peppers, 1 cup hot peppers, but said her jelly wasn’t very hot so I upped the amount of hot peppers in my recipe so they were about 1 1/2 cups sweet peppers, 1 1/2 cups mixed hot peppers.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2018, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This Girl is on Fire Hot Pepper Jelly - hot sweet pepper jelly made with a mix of peppers to add depth of flavor and heat

Wondering how to use hot pepper jelly?

I’ve found a lot of recipes to use pepper jelly online and can’t wait to try these recipes! Hot pepper jelly is great for glazes for meats, chicken or veggies, melted over ice cream, salad dressing, with cheeses … you can even use it in cocktails!

And here’s a bunch more inspiration to put your hot pepper jelly to good use:

This post was shared at Full Plate Thursday.

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10 comments

Mary Marshall October 12, 2018 - 8:26 pm

Thanks for the mention. So happy you made pepper jelly and congratulations on the new job.

Reply
Ann October 14, 2018 - 4:50 pm

Mary, I am so glad you’re my friend. You totally inspired me to do this recipe … and it just fit so well with what was going on in my life. You’re the best!

Reply
Liz October 13, 2018 - 8:17 am

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to have you as an employee!!

Reply
Ann October 14, 2018 - 4:49 pm

Thanks so much, Liz! I’m super excited to start my new job. 🙂

Reply
Miz Helen October 15, 2018 - 9:36 pm

This Hot Pepper Jelly looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Miz Helen

Reply
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[…] preserving it. I canned fire-roasted tomatoes, made harissa, muhammara, froze peppers, made salsa, hot pepper jelly, moussaka and eggplant parmesan … I made eggplant tomato soup too and and lots and lots of […]

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[…] but things get so freaking crazy this time of year. I’m thanking my former self for making hot pepper jelly at harvest time because it sure came in handy when my friend was hosting a museum fund raising […]

Reply
Carolyn McCollough May 26, 2020 - 7:40 am

Will this heve the texture of gel jelly or will it be a texture of being running…..thanks

Reply
Ann May 26, 2020 - 8:02 am

Hi Carolyn,

The recipe uses pectin, so it should “gel” up, just like normal jelly. It’s not runny.

Thanks for asking,

Ann

Reply
Gaston August 19, 2020 - 12:49 pm

I was just looking for some Pepper Jelly ideas, but stumbled up on your blog/post and really loved your story. I’m glad that you were able to realize that you needed to get unstuck! Thank you for sharing.

Reply

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