When you think of Gumbo Jambalaya do you just think tomatoes, shrimp and Andouille sausage? I didn’t know the difference until I read that Gumbo is the soup/stew that is served alongside rice while Jambalaya is a casserole with the rice cooked inside. Either way you make it, do you know how you can make the best Gumbo Jambalaya party? Spice it up with a little variety!

Have you ever made Gumbo Jambalaya with J.O. Spice #1 All Purpose Seafood Seasoning? It’s a soup with shrimp so why not?

Add a dash of J.O. Garlic Crab to your Gumbo Jambalaya party along with some J.O. Cayenne and J.O. Cajun! Tried making the sausage for your Gumbo Jambalaya with any of the J.O. Sausage seasonings we’ve got to add a different twist to your recipe? The Gumbo Jambalaya party is not complete unless you really spice things up.

Have you ever bought the J.O. Maryland Crab Soup Mix and instead of using the crab, made it with shrimp and Adouille sausage? Always make sure to have some more J.O. #1 All Purpose Seafood Seasoning on hand as you never know if you need to spice it up with your taste!

With a simple twist, gumbo or jambalaya can be a favorite go-to, easy meal to make. It’s tomato based and in the summer, fresh tomatoes are in such demand…and you can only make so much spaghetti, salsa and tomato jam! Stewing tomatoes with J.O. #1 is another twist that will add so much to your chicken cacciatore, beef stew, chili, etc!

Happy Gumbo Jambalaya partying,

🙂 Pamela

Got crabs? We definitely do. They might not be as ready to be spiced up as it’s only February…but they are definitely available as decorations, as apparel, as napkin holders, as coasters, and so much more. Do you know a crab collector? I am not a crab collector myself but I have quite the collection of crabby decor because I love the blue dishes with the crabs, the crab salt and pepper set, the blue crab bottle topper and of course, the blue crab tray because you never know when you might need that!

Instead of asking Got crabs? what about asking got anchors? got flip flops? got American flag koozies for that special 4th of July celebration? Because if you don’t, we do!

Have you been visiting Maryland for awhile and want a token that will bring back happy memories of your stay here in Maryland or the beach? Because we have many Maryland themed items like hats, shirts, tumblers, stickers and flags. Plus, J.O. supports many small, family-owned businesses and sells their Maryland-made items like chocolates, cookies, and nuts. Then there are quite a few small, family business items that are MADE IN USA like cookie cutters, ties, belts, flip flops, bags and more!

Got crabs? is something to be said after shopping at J.O. Spice because no matter your decor, you are sure to find a special something you just have to have! Don’t believe that you will find something you just have to have? Then stop in and we’ll prove it to you!

Got gifts?,

🙂 Pamela

One of my favorite nephews loves to Dip Dip Dip his food. And that is precisely the way he says it as he’s eating, “Dip.” “Dip.” “Dip.” It’s truly the cutest thing. J.O. is branching out into dip blends in 2015. Our first dip to debut was at Christmas when we introduced the Dill Seasoning & Dip Blend. It’s a delightful combination of lemony spice with just the right kick to it the longer it sits. Combined with mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt and sour cream or a combination however you choose, it’s a wonderful accompaniment to crudites, potato chips, pretzels, chicken nuggets and more.

A regular customer bought one at the Facebook Christmas party and put the Dip Dip Dip blend into her hamburger meat and called the next day to say that it was the best meatloaf she’d ever made! See what a little spice can do? I’m sure it would do wonders to hamburgers or turkey burgers as well! What about spicing up chicken or pork – don’t leave out the “other” meats in your life!

The Dill Seasoning Blend is actually somewhat of a misnomer as I despise dill as much as tarragon and lima beans – all should be wiped from the planet. The Dill is not the front runner of this dip in my opinion. Actually, I know someone who was disappointed that the dill wasn’t the most prevalent taste but I’m actually quite happy that it’s just enough! The other spices deliver such a fantastic complement to yogurt & sour cream that it’s got the right heat, the right “YUM!” that makes any young kid Dip Dip Dip their veggies in earnest! Trust me! I’ve seen it. My young nephew didn’t know what a radish was and he ate it heartily…I don’t think it was because I told him it was a pretty red ball..it was all the dip he ate with it!

Wait until you see all the other fun products we come up with in 2015! The Dill Seasoning & Dip Blend is just the beginning!

Enjoy Dip Dip Dipping your veggies,

🙂 Pamela

So when people walk into the retail store, they ask about shrimp ~ “What is the best spice?” “I want something spicy for my shrimp tacos/quesadilla but I don’t know what I want?” or “I want to be able to taste my shrimp in my pasta, what should I use to dress my shrimp?” ~ We always suggest J.O. #1 All Purpose Seafood Seasoning as that is the absolute best. However, there are a few other spices that put a different twist on shrimp, and depending on the accoutrements you will dress your shrimp around (Mexican veggies, pepper/onion sauteed mixture, noodles, rice or couscous, etc), J.O. Blackened, J.O. Cajun or even J.O. 50% Less will give you that extra “bada-bing” that you want.

Dressing your shrimp in a different spice other than the traditional seafood seasoning sometimes scares people. They aren’t sure if they will like it or what else they could do with the spice. Popular restaurants are using the same spices we sell and the trick is to get it to your taste/liking and not to be afraid to experiment. J.O. Blackened can also be used on chicken, fish, eggs, tuna fish or chicken salad for a different take. J.O. Cajun is also great on pasta, rice, in cream sauces, deviled eggs and on catfish. Just like both seasonings do for shrimp, a spicy flavor enhances the specific food and brings out its distinct best!

Here’s a fine example of how dressing your shrimp using J.O. Blackened can bring out the best taste! Ginger made a Blackened steamed shrimp w/Mexican rice and veggies meal and she commented on Facebook:

“What we put in our recipe could be completely different from you and that’s the best part: make it to your taste and to your liking! We steamed shrimp in J.O.’s Blackened Seasoning. It’s DELICIOUS and spicy if you use too much so be careful while sprinkling it on. We then steamed some rice and then we made a Mexican salsa dicing up avocados, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, tri-colored peppers, scallions, fresh lime juice, cucumbers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt! DELICIOUS and healthy.”

Stepping outside your comfort zone of tried and true recipes is new and exciting. The best part about not working with a recipe is that it’s to your taste, to your liking and the more you do it, the better you become at perfecting just the right recipe…and then you write it down!

Blackened steamed shrimp is just the beginning. Why not try steaming shrimp in lemony seafood? J.O. #1 50% Less Salt? Just modifying one spice can make all the difference to your taste buds.

Try something new tonight! Y’know, it’s just dinner.

Enjoy more of Ginger’s recipe posts on Facebook…Like Us today and don’t forget to share pictures of using J.O. Spice in your meals! We love pictures and we love our fans! Thank you!

🙂 Pamela

The smell of cinnamon evokes the scent of fall…apple pie or cobbler baking in the oven, hot toddies, hot cider simmering on the stove with lots of cinnamon sticks and cinnamon inside your slow-cooker chili! Don’t forget there’s also snickerdoodles baking, gingerbread and cinnamon spiced cake straight from the oven! Got whipped cream?

Here at J.O. we have the wonderful Apple Pie Spice and Pumpkin Pie Spice. These spice blends have the right combination of cinnamon and other spices that you can use for so many recipes, not just pie! Cookies, pound cake, ice cream, cider and coffee drinks, add some to whipped cream, sprinkle some on top of your chili, your butternut squash soup, your hearty lamb stew or any stew that has the flavors of curry or cumin, coriander, chili or fall!

Even if you just have a pork or chicken to roast in the slow cooker, adding onion, peppers, 1 can of diced tomatoes, J.O. Garlic Pepper, J.O. Cumin/J.O. Cinnamon and/or Cinnamon Sticks to the mix, and cook on low for about 6 hours ~ the smell of cinnamon in the air makes coming home on that first fall day feel like a cozy hug! It’s the first day when you are attacked by the cold after just wearing shorts and you’re like, “Whoa. Where did fall come from?” You just need a hug of cinnamony warm goodness after that!

Then when you are ready, make some snickerdoodles -have you ever tried it with the J.O. Apple Pie Spice or the J.O. Pumpkin Pie Spice? That adds a nice and different zing to the cookies and makes the hot apple cider, and/or hot toddies a welcome treat!  Don’t forget to sprinkle the whipped cream with some added spice!

How do you enjoy a cold, fall day? What does the smell of cinnamon in the air evoke in your memories?

Happy Spicy Memories,

🙂 Pamela

With Fall on the weather map and the holidays not too far away, spice baskets and bundles are becoming a hot item again! And fall always brings great slow cooker spiced recipes!

I have to try this new recipe in the slow cooker. It’s a 5 spice powder meatball concoction! I don’t have any 5 spice powder but I looked it up and thought it wouldn’t be too hard to try to concoct –

I do have 1 tsp. J.O. Spice Cinnamon, 1 tsp. J.O. Spice ground cloves, 1 tsp. J.O. Spice Fennel Seed*, 1 tsp. J.O. Spice star anise*, and 1 tsp. ground Szechwan pepper which are the ingredients for Chinese 5 spice powder. I have read that when you don’t have Szechwan pepper, just use regular black pepper or the 5 peppercorns blends…J.O. does sell both green and pink peppercorns, too, FYI. Some people also substitute allspice for the anise…I think it’s all in what you have, what you want to taste and your tastebuds. Either way, give your tastebuds a party!

*You will need to toast and then grind both of these.  Place some seeds on a baking sheet or saute pan, let heat until you can smell the seeds, then either grind in a mortar and pestle or in your blender. Star Anise is hard to grind down manually but it can be done. It’s worth all the hard work for the flavor!

After you have prepared the J.O. Fennel Seed and the J.O. Star Anise, combine them with the other 3 spices -blend them together in the blender or mortar and pestle.

(Store the remaining spice in an air tight container.  Some  more 5 spice powder recipe ideas:

• Sprinkle over fish fillets, add brown sugar and soy sauce
• Use on top of chicken, bake with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar
• Sprinkle over vegetables in your stir fry

I think you’ll find that a little bit of work amounts to huge TASTE payoffs!)

5 Spice Powder Meatball Concoction a’ la J.O. Style!

Make your meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds  ground meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal)
• 1 cup  panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 scallions, sliced, plus more for garnish
• 2 tsp. J.O. Spice ginger
• 1 teaspoon  J.O. onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (just a side note, this can be bought in the store but they say it’s fresher to do yourself.)
• 1 tablespoon  reduced-sodium soy sauce

Make these meatballs big -about a 1/3 cup each.

Combine these ingredients:

• 1 cup  beef broth
• 1/2 cup  ketchup
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons  rice vinegar

Pour into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 (make sure to check the meatball temp before eating~160 degrees).

It’s just a small way to fall back in love with slow cooker recipes. This recipe might seem like a lot of work…but you can cheat by buying the pre-made 5 spice powder or you can experiment as there are so many spices that can make a great meal.

What are you cooking this weekend in your slow cooker?

🙂 Pamela

Fall is back! Fall back in love with your slow cooker and the great SPICED recipes that come from slow cooking! It’s amazing what you can do with spice,  y’know?  Have you tried?  What are your most amazing recipes that you would never have done if it were not for a specific spice?

I would not have fallen back in love with chicken salad had I never tried the Rotisserie Chicken Spice Seasoning from J.O.  It really adds a great flavor to chicken and even potatoes if you love to bake up a potato! Easy experiments like adding chicken/beef broth/beer/sherry or white wine to your meat and spicing it up with Caribbean Jerk Seasoning, Cajun, Venison/Steak Seasoning, or J.O. Garlic Pepper and J.O. Chili Powder and just letting the meat slow cook for hours…it’s amazing the meals you can come up with!

On one of my many experiments, all I did was cook 5 chicken breasts inside my slow cooker, adding a 32 oz. can of chicken broth and 2 cans of beer (don’t forget, this adds gluten), sprinkled with J.O. Garlic Pepper…let that cook for 8 hours. Then I split the breasts up and made quite a few meals:

1. BBQ pulled chicken using J.O. BBQ spice and a prepared can of BBQ sauce

2. Chili using 3 cans of tomatoes with the chili’s and J.O. XHot chili powder, J.O. Cumin and white beans

3. Chicken Cacciatore  adding J.O. Chopped Onions, J.O. Italian Seasoning, J.O. Minced Garlic, with 3 cans of stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and utilizing the chicken broth from the pan

4. Chicken tacos using taco seasoning, 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes and frozen corn

I took a Sunday, let the slow cooker do the work and had easy meals for the week! I freeze what we don’t eat and save it for the next week or so. EASY!

Fall back in love with slow cooking! What are you going to spice your food up with?

🙂 Pamela

All photos courtesy of Astro Pigs BBQ – BBQ that’s outta this world! Check them out! They have great spice blends too! 🙂   www.astropigs.com

Do you love restaurant-style ribs – y’know, the lip-smackin’, finger-lickin’ soooo good they fall off the bone kind? You can make ribs like that at home ~ the secret’s in the spice rub! J.O. has so many varieties of specialty spices that any of them could be used as spice rubs. Whether you are using chicken thighs or breasts, pork or beef spareribs, you can choose to go sweet, savory, spicy or a combination of all ~ it just depends on the SPICE.

Spice rubs give more intense flavor than a sauce. A BBQ sauce is great added at the end of the cooking process or as a dipping side. All you do is choose your meat, then put some spices together and literally, rub on your meat and let it sit overnight (preferably) or at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Most rubs include salt which helps to break down the tendons and get the meat ready to become the most tender, most juicy, succulent, lip smackin’, finger-lickin’ goodness you’ve come to expect from a great rib dinner!

A great spice rub to try is the J.O. Rib ‘n Chicken or the J.O. Lumberjack. The J.O. Rib ‘n Chicken is more popular because of its versatility in that it works on chicken, pork, beef, ribs, potatoes and more but the J.O. Lumberjack is still a fun rub to use on meat! It has a great smoky flavor.  Another popular favorite, especially with all the employees here at J.O. Spice, is the J.O. Beef & Poultry Rub! That has a great combination of salt & sweet that works on just about any meat. It was first developed as an addition to the Venison product line but once you try it on pork chops, chicken wings and ribs, you won’t be going back to anything else.

Do you like a little sweet with your meat? Adding granulated sugar to your spice rub gives you that caramelized finger-lickin’, lip-smackin’ taste that you get at all the BBQ establishments. If you are more the spicy aficionado, try coating your wings, ribs or beef in a dose of hot sauce then spice rub your meat and let marinate for a few hours or overnight. The hot sauce gives your spices something to adhere to but just coat it enough to let it soak into the meat (maybe pat down with a towel) making sure it’s not dripping or soaking the meat.  Let the spices do their work to the meat not drip off!

Experiment on your own. J.O. has great seasoning blends that make spice rubs so easy but J.O. also has a wide range of spices that you can buy and combine to get your own taste. J.O. Rosemary is a great spice to combine with J.O. Sea Salt and J.O. Cracked Black Pepper. Sometimes simple is the best way to go! J.O. Garlic Pepper, J.O. Sage and J.O. Cayenne Pepper works together beautifully and then there is the “Peruvian-style” where you combine J.O. Cumin, J.O. Oregano, J.O. Paprika, J.O. Black Pepper, J.O. Sea Salt and 2 tsp of sugar…heaven!

Never underestimate the power of Garlic Crab or Black Crab…that will have the amount of salt you need for the rub and give you a flavor that is the absolute best on chicken wings! Keep in mind that there is a lot of salt in those products because they are designed to be used in steaming crabs but if you love the taste, & have some leftover from your summer crab feasts, don’t be afraid to experiment on your football chicken wing tailgates (I mean you’re drinking beer…like you do when you eat crabs…just saying!)

Who ever thought rubbing meat would become so popular? Grillmasters like those at Astro Pigs already know the secret – it’s time you got in the know as well! It’s all about the spice rub for lip smackin’,  finger lickin’ restaurant style ribs!

Have fun rubbing meat,

🙂 Pamela

Henry James wrote that the two greatest words in the English language were “summer afternoon” and it got me to thinking~ what makes up a great summer afternoon? Is it languishing at a pool party with hamburgers spiced up in Venison Steak Seasoning grilling on the grill? Is it sitting by the Bay while the breeze runs its salty, sweet kiss through your hair, enjoying steamed shrimp and corn on the cob sprinkled with J.O. #1? Maybe its spending the early mornings on a boat catching a great haul and then, later in the afternoon, steaming those crabs with vinegar and J.O. #2?

Maybe a great summer afternoon means you sit on your back porch swing, read the great American novel and munch on some Blue Crab Bay Co. Sea Salt Nuts and CrunchDaddy Popcorn Chesapeake Peanut Crunch!

Does gardening make up a great summer afternoon for you? Love spending hours weeding, mulching and planting? While you are enjoying the fruits of your gardening labor, don’t forget to add the crab lights to your fence, gazebo, or tiki hut to really put you in the summer fun mood!

When you are entertaining, think of J.O. Spice for the perfect dishes and kitchen accessories to decorate a picnic or patio table. We have the melamine dishes that are dishwasher safe along with the dip chillers, cutting boards and blue crab round trivets that just add fun to the table. There’s also the Mud Pie crab and rope spreader, crab salt and pepper shakers, crab bottle opener and crab tongs that go so well with the shell server and condiment bowl! Not to mention the crudite dish, pasta bowl and really adorable crab dip set that comes with starfish tongs!

What is your idea of a great summer afternoon? Retail therapy in the J.O. store? If you want to personalize a gift, you can! Picture frames, cutting boards and glassware can all be engraved with a special name, nickname or dated so that the memories can make you smile and laugh every time you see it! Let us know and we’ll make your special memories even better!

Enjoy the great summer afternoons and always, always keep them spicy!

Spice is the flavor of life,

🙂 Pamela

Crab Bushel Baskets aren’t just for crabs! Use them for wedding favor decor, corn on the cob, beach towels, snack bags, spice packets and so much more! Get into the beach theme and authenticate your bushel by draping the fish netting around the basket, and then add your wedding favors, your spice packets or whatever decoration you wish.

Crab Bushel Baskets are available in our retail store. They are not so good for shipping but we can put them on a pallet if you are a customer who would order in bulk  – call for more details! Our retail store is open one Saturday a month in the summer and if you are on Facebook,  LIKE US and you will always be in the know of our updated schedule!

Crab Bushel Baskets make a great addition to crab feasts, rehearsal dinners, wedding tables and parties. The engraved mallets showcase beautifully inside the baskets and they are fun, functional and make an awesome eye-catching statement!

The J.O. Pinterest page has a great selection of pictures that showcases the fun ways brides have used their Crab Bushel Baskets! Share your pictures with us as we love to showcase how J.O. mallets, spice packets, and all wedding favors make your special day even better!

If you need a Crab Bushel Basket – just think J.O. Spice! We have all your favor needs in one stop shop! We are here M-F 8-4 and one Saturday a month in the summer – call us to inquire and tell us what you need. If it’s a Thursday, chances are we will still be here answering the phones!

At the great price of just $9.95 for a Crab Bushel Basket – why would you shop anywhere else? Get your favor decorations here – we also have great gift ideas, bridal party gift packages and ideas available and we customize labels, engrave mallets, picture frames, cutting boards and glassware! We can take your unique idea and make it a reality!

Come visit us off 3729 Old Georgetown Rd, Baltimore (Halethorpe) MD, 21227! We love visitors!

Hope to see you soon,

🙂 Pamela