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One of our favorite things is meeting other small businesses in our community of Temecula. Last month, Kelly and Alex of Kellex Farms in Murrieta won a giveaway we did with Grazing Theory. When we found out they had a small backyard family farm, we asked if we could come and take a “peak” when we delivered their Sampler Gift Box. 🙂 They invited me and Mr. G – and our granddaughter, Addie – to meet the animals, plus we were blessed to take home some luscious homegrown figs. They were such gracious hosts to us and so sweet to offer an “animal encounter” for Addie!
Addie was so brave to touch the prickly back of this little hedgehog. It wasn’t as soft and fluffy as she thought, but he was very patient and gentle with her.
I think this is Kelly’s favorite part of the farm. She loves to “help” the babies out of their shells if needed and she greeted us with one in her hands. Addie got to touch the soft feathers on its back and hear its sweet little sounds.
Next, we met Arlo, the bald-necked silkie chicken, that looked rather like a baby ostrich than a chicken, and Addie didn’t know quite what to make of her. She was quite the unique member of the farm family, and very sociable!
Follow them on Instagram and give them some love! Kellex Farms
One day, 6 years ago, I literally burned my hands right through my gloves making pepper jellies in mason jars for friends and family with habaneros from my vegetable garden in the heart of Temecula, CA. (Sour cream works to stop the pain, incidentally). Today, June 7, 2019, our little pepper jelly business is being recognized as one of 12 honorees by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Orange County/Inland Empire District at the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom.
We are so very grateful for friends and family supporting us from the beginning, and for excellent advisors from the SBDC OCIE District (Read their Press Release here), SCORE San Diego and support from our local Temecula Chamber of Commerce. We are especially thankful for our loyal customers and our retailers that carry our pepper jellies; our local vendors for production and marketing; and of course, our CEO. We consider our business a gift from God, and we are stewards of what we’ve been given, acknowledging where the recognition really belongs. We are grateful for the opportunities and guidance we have received and look forward to what’s ahead!
MRS.G’S began with a small vision to be a quality local Temecula product, selling at the Temecula Farmers’ Market and local retail. We knew little about the food industry or launching an artisan food product, but with the help of good advisors, we kept moving ahead, saying “yes” to baby steps along the way and our vision grew. What looked overwhelming in the beginning is now normal and we are excited to take the next steps that we never would have envisioned from the beginning!
We are humbled and honored to represent our community of Temecula and the artisan food community, which is comprised of some of the most passionate and hard-working people I’ve ever met.
The stories of the award winners were inspirational and motivating, particularly the mother/daughter team of Techniglove who forged ahead after the death of their husband/father, to fulfill his dream of success; and the CA Small Business Person of the Year, who admitted he had been afraid his business would outgrow his ability to lead it, but then found the resources and support in the organizations represented to get behind him and help him succeed.
We were amazed at the over 550 business owners, legislators and administrators present at the luncheon, representing resources for small businesses in our area. We left with an appreciation that we are not limited by our individual abilities, but have a rich supply of resources available for our Micro Business of the Year!
Football season is finally here! Whether you’re tailgating or gathered around a TV, that means it’s time to get your game on! But you don’t want to spend your time in the kitchen, so we’ve got 5 quick and simple recipes for you. Let our sweet and spicy pepper jellies add just the right amount of flavor to your game day favorites. Peaches and habaneros pair with pork ribs, jalapeno, garlic and lime with grilled shrimp, smoky beef with jalapeno, habanero and red peppers….and even grilled peaches and goat cheese with peach habanero glaze for dessert! Get your grill turned on because these take NO time!
My friend Celeste, of Hot But Sweet Jalapeno Relish, used to come by my booth nearly every Saturday at Little Italy Mercato and tell me that she had grilled shrimp that weekend with a glaze of Jalapeno Garlic Lime, her favorite jelly and favorite pairing. It was a while before I tried it. I confess my favorite is Mango Ginger Habanero with grilled salmon, but I admit the shrimp rivals my salmon. There is something perfect about the combination of jalapenos, lime, garlic and shrimp…try it! It is the mildest of our jellies, so even your kids will love it!
This simple recipe will take your Teriyaki chicken wings to the next level with your favorite flavor of Mrs. G’s hot pepper jelly. Perfect to prepare quickly for game day at the TV or to pack up for a tasty tailgate outing. At our house, we have to add some freshly made lumpia or spring rolls, too! Move over industrial sweet and sour sauce, make way for our fresh pepper jellies! Just dip or drizzle with your favorite.
Photo: Caleb Chancey
Don’t forget the dessert! Want to impress your friends with a gourmet dessert that couldn’t get any easier? Grilled peaches with goat cheese and pecans, adapted from a recipe by Chef Rob McDaniel at Spring House Restaurant is our choice. Grilling the peaches brings out a luscious caramelization that pairs so well with the earthy creaminess of the goat cheese and crunchy pecans. Brush some of our Peach Habanero jelly on them for the last moments of cooking. Drooling yet?
Mrs. G’s sweet and spicy Ja-Ha jelly combines perfectly with one of my go-to rubs from my friend Nydia at The Spanish Tin. Her Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub is just the right amount of earthy, smoky rich flavor added to our spicy sweet jalapeno-habanero-red bell pepper jelly in this delicious glaze for tender steak skewers. The perfect combination! These smoky-sweet skewers are quick and easy enough to get on the weeknight dinner table, “fancy-pants” enough to serve to company. And they will think you spent much more time on it! Your welcome!
Mary at Deep South Dish paired our Peach Habanero pepper jelly with some country style ribs OH MY! Those southern chefs love their peaches and pork — try it and transport yourself to a warm summer evening on a wraparound porch in Georgia, sipping sweet tea with a plate full of these mouth-watering ribs! Mary’s cooking reminds me of my southern mama and the dishes I was raised on! Check out her cookbooks and all of her recipes! She is the real deal southern cook.
Need some crowd-pleasing finger food? Game Day Spiced Nuts is an easy way to keep them happy while you grill. Hot smoked paprika pairs with our most savory, three pepper jelly, Ja-Ha jelly (or any flavor you like best) to glaze these mixed roasted nuts that only take a few minutes to bake in the oven. Every time we sample these at an event, we are asked if we would package and sell them. That easy, and that good! Try them – they’re addicting…just a little gooey, smoky, sweet and spicy! Be sure to make a boatload…
Labor Day is here, which means it’s time to hit the grill! Whether you’re short on time or simply want to spend more time with friends and family than preparing the perfect Labor Day spread, we have some stress-free recommendations. Save time but don’t compromise the flavor with our favorite Labor Day recipes featuring our sweet and spicy hot pepper jellies!
First things first, you’ve got to have something to snack on while you wait for the grilling to get going. This baked brie with our Jalapeno Garlic Lime pepper jelly is ridiculously simple and incredibly tasty! It will keep your guests occupied while you grill! Photography: keystothecucina.com
Next up…the main attraction: Smoky Spicy Skewers with a Jalapeno Habanero pepper jelly glaze. The layers of red bells, jalapenos and habaneros in this jelly combined with a few simple spices will taste like you’ve slaved away making a gourmet glaze, but… shhhh, it’ll only take you 1 minute!
Add some greenery to your plate with your favorite salad and give it an extra kick with our Ja-Ha Vinaigrette dressing. This healthy dressing is not only incredibly simple to make, it’ll also have the pickiest of eaters asking for more!
Lastly, enjoy a delicately spicy version of a favorite summer fruit for dessert. These sweet and savory grilled peaches topped with goat cheese, toasted pecans, and Peach Habanero pepper jelly, offer a dramatic ending for your simple gourmet meal! …and an easy prep and cleanup since you’ll already have the grill warmed up! You’ll even have time to gloat. 🙂
Photography: Caleb Chancey Recipe of Chef Rob McDaniel, SpringHouse Restaurant, Lake Martin, AL
Do you have another dish or drink to add to this menu? Let us know in the comments below! And if you try any of these dishes make sure to let us know how it came out by rating the recipe on our recipe page.
Want a flavorful alternative to fig jam? Mrs. G’s sweet and spicy jellies are a perfect complement to your charcuterie board. Offer your guests all 4 flavors with your favorite artisan cheeses, cured meats and grilled veggies (we love carrots and eggplant), and let them spread, dip and drizzle to their heart’s content, mixing and matching their perfect bite.
Need some suggestions? Here are our favorite pairings:
Gouda and Peach HabaneroSaid to be one of the most nutritious cheeses, Gouda is rich in Vitamins K2, A and D, and is one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Typically made from cow’s milk, some artisan varieties use sheep or goat’s milk. Gouda is a semi-hard cheese, rich in flavor and smooth in texture. As it ages, it gets firmer and richer in flavor, allowing it to stand up well to the spicier of our jellies – our favorite match is Peach Habanero.
Manchego and Ja-HaMrs. G’s favorite cheese, Manchego, is probably Spain’s most well-known cheese. Made from the whole (full-fat) milk of Manchega sheep, it is a hard cheese, its flavor intense with a nutty sweetness; rich in butterfat with a finish of saltiness. Our most straightforward pepper jelly, Ja-Ha, is our pick for this cheese. The tartness of the red bell pepper, along with the bite of the jalapeño and habanero peppers contrasts with the dense richness and saltiness of the Manchego. A perfect bite in our opinion.
Bleu Cheese and Mango Ginger HabaneroAll bleus are not the same! Nearly all blues are produced by the addition of blue mold powder to milk during the cheesemaking process. Most are pierced so air can work its way inside the cheese, but some develop this interior veining naturally from ambient mold from ripening in caves where spores are able to colonize the cheese. Expect flavors ranging from sweet/salt to black peppery to mouth puckering. If you want a milder, sweeter blue, look for cheeses with fewer pockets of blue mold and those with softer, creamier textures. The spiciest of our jellies, Mango Ginger Habanero, with its distinct layers of flavor and heat, is our pick for standing up to this deliciously intense cheese. Try it!
Aged Cheddar and Jalapeño Garlic LimeOld World meets New World in this pairing! Originally, all cheddar cheese was made in England. Now, it is the most widely purchased and consumed cheese in the world. It is always made from cow’s milk and is a hard cheese that has a slightly crumbly texture if properly cured. As the cheese matures, it generally gets sharper in flavor; and crunchy calcium lactate crystals in the body of the cheese, a typical feature of aged cheddars, only start to appear after long periods of maturation. We frankly don’t know all of the reasons we love the Jalapeño Garlic Lime jelly with aged cheddar cheese. It is a fusion of cultures (pardon the pun), and it just works.
Brie (Double Cream) and Peach Habanero or Mango Ginger HabaneroIt’s unlikely you have not tasted brie, but very likely you have tasted a bad brie. Choose wisely! Brie’s distinctive characteristic is a rind made of mold that blooms on the exterior of the ripening cheese. Over time, a cohesive skin, or rind, is formed on the cheese’s surface. This edible rind breaks down the fats and proteins of the cheese, causing an increasingly creamy to runny texture over time. There is a considerable spectrum of flavor and intensity among bries, however they should generally be creamy in color and texture; buttery and with a hint of mushroom in taste. All of the jellies pair nicely with brie, but we prefer the fruity habaneros: Peach Habanero and Mango Ginger Habanero. Baked Brie with the Peach Habanero is our absolute favorite!
If you are in Temecula, our retail partner Grazing Theory in Vail Headquarters will help you pair their delicious cheeses with our pepper jelly on a “lavish charcuterie” board or just a few selections for an afternoon picnic in Temecula Wine Country. See the links below for all of our retail partners in your area who will be happy to help you pair their artisan cheeses with Mrs. G’s Jellies. Be sure to tell us your favorites!
What do these recipes have in common? They all can be drastically (and deliciously!) changed with just one ingredient…hot pepper jelly. There are literally hundreds of recipes you can add hot pepper jelly to, but we’ve just added a few below. Take a look at this list of easy, traditional, and gourmet recipes that can all use different flavors of hot pepper jelly. If you’ve got an idea for a recipe that would be perfect with some hot pepper jelly, comment below and we’ll give it a try and add it to this list!
Add instant flavor to your crock pot beef barbacoa tacos. The only thing you have to decide is whether to add a simple jalapeno-habanero flavor, or something that’s sweet on heat, like peach habanero jelly.
One of our favorites, salmon with mango habanero glaze!
Baked brie, almonds, and a hot pepper jelly is a sure crowd favorite to bring as a side dish to any social event. While it looks and tastes elegant, it’s incredibly easy to make!
If you’re a grilling master this is definitely a recipe you’ll want to try. With the perfect combination of your favorite spices you can add hot pepper jellies to nearly any grilling rub/marinade for either a a subtle added flavor or a big POW!
Sweet and spicy scones? YES! My goodness, if you’ve never tried the joy that is a hot pepper jelly scone, drop what you’re doing and whip up a batch. They’re not only delicious, they are incredibly easy to make.
Next to a PB&J, is there anything easier to make than a tuna sandwich? Take your favorite recipe and either add a few tiny dollops (depending on how spicy you like) to your tuna mix or simply spread the hot pepper jelly on the bread slices before adding the tuna. This will definitely add a kick to your traditional melt!
Everyone has their favorite way to eat brussels sprouts. Top them off with some jalapeno jelly glaze though, and they’ll be your new favorite side dish.
Adding hot pepper jelly to spiced nuts give them a little surprise kick, perfect for any occasion or a simply a midday snack.
We mentioned a fancier baked brie with almonds earlier, but you can make a delicious cheese and crackers snack even easier than that. Just select your favorite cheese with your favorite crackers and top them off with a bit of hot pepper jelly.
Give your salad a little extra flavor or marinade grilled meats. Just by adding hot pepper jelly, you’ll completely enhance your traditional vinaigrette!
Perfect for the Summer grilling season. Succulent, tender shrimp glazed with our spicy-sweet Jalapeno Garlic Lime pepper jelly – you’ll think you’re in the Caribbean! Get the hot pepper jelly recipe.
And there you have it! There are many, many more simple and gourmet recipes that can be enhanced with hot pepper jelly. What of your favorite dishes do you think would be great to try with a hot pepper jelly? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add them to this list!
Why should you buy from a local farmer or food maker? That’s a very good question.
Everyone knows that buying fresh produce and artisan foods at your local farmers’ market is not the least expensive option, nor is it always the most convenient. So, other than the benefit of getting some exercise in Southern California sunshine on a Saturday, what are the benefits of shopping from local farmers and vendors?
Here is a great article from Barnraiser that offers up some answers:
I love football season…not because I love the game (although we are diehard Steeler fans) as much as because it gives me an excuse every Sunday for a few hours to sit on the couch and watch TV without guilt. Either way, on Game Day, I do not want to be in the kitchen. I want to be watching the game. If you are anything like me, you want some fast, easy recipes to feed your “crowd” (whether that’s two or twenty).
Here are some of my favorites you can prepare in no time and get back to the couch.
Jalapeno Garlic Lime Pulled Pork
You’re welcome.
GAME ON!
What a great time we had in January making new friends and sharing our pairings of hot pepper jellies with new customers at Williams-Sonoma in the Temecula Promenade Mall. On the menu that day:
We had so much fun, we are going to do it again on Saturday, March 7! Mark your calendars! We will be there from 12-4PM.
Come and sample the jellies in recipes that are easy enough for every day, creative and elegant enough for company!
We look forward to seeing you!
As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and friends, please visit our Recipes page for creative (and easy) ways to use hot pepper jellies in your Thanksgiving dinner.
We hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving and we hope to see you this week at one of our tastings! We will have special dishes for sampling to celebrate the holidays…
Old Town Temecula Farmers’ Market (every Saturday)
Major Market, Escondido: Sunday, November 23, 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Major Market, Fallbrook: Monday, November 24, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
See the “Contact Us” page for directions.
Hope to see you soon!
Mrs. G
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