We Are More Than a Spice Company…

Foodie knowledge

February 29th – leap day! Celebrate with a little Foodie knowledge and lots of crabby fun! The “extra” day brings proposals, once-every-four-year-leaplings birthdays and some special celebrations for those who married specifically on February 29th! Here at J.O. we “leaped” for joy when we learned that our spice was being used on Food Network’s web show Foodie Call with Justin Warner and Mo Rocca!

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A few months ago we had gotten an order from Justin ordering a bucket of #2 and some crab mallets. We are all lovers of great food at J.O. – spicing up our Foodie knowledge everyday – we recognized his name from the order, sent a hello and he said he was ordering because he was featuring the products on his web show: Foodie Call! The excitement was felt throughout all of Facebook and social media!

We wanted to thank him for the “word-of-mouth” advertising so we custom designed a cutting board, mallets and a spoon/spork set; and we sent along some customized spice packets, too! He used some of the items for his set decoration that you can see on the show (and no, the broken mallet is not ours! Ours were double-sided -engraved special just for Justin! Just sayin’!)

He and Mo Rocca have a blast talking about crabs, and spice and we love that he featured J.O. Spice products! Our Foodie knowledge just got better as we watched Justin make smoked salt crab seasoning! Definitely something interesting to try! We love when people use our products in a different, creative, and unique way.

To catch the web show, and to grab yourself some interesting foodie knowledge, watch this link!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/food-network-original-videos/foodie-call/foodie-call-justin-warner.vid-0242232.html?soc=socialsharingfb

A special “Thank you!” to Justin Warner, Mo Rocca for spreading their foodie knowledge of J.O. to the world! We love J.O. fans!

Happy smoked salt crab seasoning,

🙂 Pamela

Chicken Parm healthy!

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Ready for a super easy recipe that requires little prep and little planning? Make your chicken parm healthy! Baked spaghetti squash is a great, healthy veggie that tastes and looks like comfort food!! This recipe cuts the cheese in half, allows a low-fat ricotta to take center stage so you don’t miss the layers and layers of cheese but you gain ALL the flavor, if not more! Ricotta is the great kind of cheese that you can mix your seasoning into and the flavors are so intense that you don’t need a huge pile of cheese to make you believe you are eating comfort food!

For a healthy chicken parm, all you need is a spaghetti squash, leftover rotisserie chicken, low-fat ricotta, your choice of seasonings, tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese for sprinkling. Got a bottle of J.O. Garlic Pepper yet? (it’s so delish you really should!) It just makes the spaghetti squash that much more enjoyable!

Cooking the spaghetti squash is super easy….Cut in half. Scoop out the seeds in the middle. Sprinkle with J.O. Garlic Pepper and drizzle olive oil. Roast in 375 oven for about 45-75 minutes, until tender, depending on size. This is one of those perfect recipes that you can do in stages if you feel that an hour is too long – but on school nights, putting the squash in the oven while you monitor homework makes you feel so accomplished!

Let it cool. Take a fork and “shred” out the inside and it really looks like spaghetti noodles, hence the name.

~If you don’t have leftover rotisserie chicken (I have a dog who adores chicken in every capacity so I rarely have leftovers), bake some chicken in J.O. Rotisserie Seasoning or J.O. Rib ‘n Chicken Seasoning until chicken is nice and tender. You can do this at the same time you are roasting your squash.

~Mix the ricotta cheese with J.O. Italian seasoning, J.O. Basil or J.O. Oregano – or all 3!

Layer some spaghetti squash on your plate or in a baking pan, ricotta mix, top with a spoonful of tomato sauce, sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and either cut up the chicken or shred it depending on how long you baked/how tender it is, and add some more sauce and cheese to your liking. If it’s just on your plate – microwave until the cheese/sauce is hot/melted to your liking. If in a baking pan, bake until the cheese is melted and sauce is hot.

It has a lot of flavor and you’d be very, VERY surprised how hearty and filling the squash really is – and yummy. It’s a delicious way to lower calories, and as long as you are conscious of your salt content regarding the sauce and how much cheese you are putting in/on, you are having a fairly decent meal that is healthy compared to the fried chicken patty and the pasta that usually accompanies a chicken Parmesan!

Don’t be afraid to try something new,

🙂 Pamela

 

Best gifts happen right here!

life is better at beach  square ornament  crab blue glass  Stemless Crab Wine glasses

There’s a lot More Than Spice happening at J.O. !  The best gifts happen right here because we do all the engraving in house! We do not send out jobs. We can actually do it right here, sometimes right now. In a nutshell, you walk into the retail store, get an idea for a gift, if the machines are free you get it within 5-10 minutes* and since you are browsing anyway, it’s a win-win.

All engraving is done right here at the J.O. plant! We don’t have to send out the mallet, cutting board, picture frames, or glass jobs because they are all engraved here -we have two graphic designers ready to work on your unique ideas or brainstorm until a great idea hatches. All of us contribute to a great idea because small family business is what we know, what we do and who we are ~ and that makes the unique, the extra-ordinary and the best gifts happen!

Whether you need pint glasses, jars or stemless wine glasses engraved, oyster or paring knives, medium – to -large cutting boards, ornaments (New for the holidays!) or a mallet, we do it all and we create new and exciting products everyday.

If you have a great idea, we make it happen.

If you have no idea but just a few thoughts, we make it happen.

If all you have is cash and come in with absolutely no thoughts whatsoever… **smile** …we can still make the best gifts right here!

*Depending on the complexity of the request, might take up to 24 hours to make it happen but the best gifts still happen right here at J.O.!

What do you need engraved?

Let us take the stress out of gift giving,

🙂 Pamela

 

 

Great Ideas for too much Garden Zucchini!

Zucchini boats  zucchini sandwich

Too much garden zucchini? J.O. has great recipe ideas! They take no time at all and very few ingredients that most likely you have in the pantry! Pasta sauce, J.O. Italian seasoning, ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, onions, fresh tomatoes are just a few of the ingredients that you might need…it’s all up to what you want to create!

The biggest complaint I hear about zucchini is that there is always too much! (“I just planted one plant, why do I have so much!?!”)  Zucchini is a great, meaty-type vegetable that can take the place of ground beef. I have used it in lasagna, sandwiches and as a main dish and tricked a few people who claimed they don’t eat green ~yes, zucchini is THAT good! Grill it, saute or bake it and always add spice; the great thing about zucchini is that it does not have an overpowering flavor so you can add a variety of spices and always change it up! J.O. Italian Seasoning, J.O. Garlic Pepper, J.O. Rotisserie, J.O. Lemon Pepper, J.O. Oregano, J.O. Basil and if you want it spicy, do J.O. Cajun, or J.O. XHot #1. If you want to, fry it up using J.O. Golden Batter or J.O. Seasoned Southern Fish Fry. (It’s not just for fish! It’s the spicy batter that makes anything delicious!)

Too much zucchini is a great thing! Clean and cut the zucchini in half and then in half again (kind of like making zucchini boats). Then add whatever you would like…make it a Zucchini Parmesan (Think Eggplant or Chicken Parmesan and substitute with zucchini, then add the sauce, the cheese and bake.) There are pizza ideas where you add onion, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, basil, tomatoes, J.O. Italian seasoning, J.O. Oregano. Substitute it in your lasagna recipes or use it as an additional layer to reduce calories, and add veggies to your diet.

There are a zillion sandwich ideas where you can fry it up in some J.O. Golden Batter or J.O. Seasoned Southern Fish Fry and add to a bun with lettuce, tomato and horseradish mayonnaise; broil the zucchini in a little olive oil and garlic to get it tender to a fork-touch and put in your veggie panini sandwich (this is mine, picture on the right above); or grill up zucchini, portabella mushrooms (keep ’em whole!), onions (thick sliced for the grill) and either add on top of a turkey burger, grilled mahi-mahi burger or hamburger, or stack all the veggies up, add a slice of mozzarella, fresh basil, drizzle with pesto and voila, dinner is served.

This is from Ginger: stuffed with fresh tomatoes, ground beef, fresh basil, fresh garlic, and J.O.’s Italian seasoning topped with Parmesan cheese (the picture above on the left).

Don’t forget – stuffed with an artichoke-spinach dip or shrimp – sprinkled with J.O. #1 – very delightful! The zucchini ideas are endless. Don’t knock it because it’s a green veggie – once you try it, you will want to eat the entire dish! Trust us!

Happy Zucchini Dinner Days of July,

🙂 Pamela

 

Is it J.O. or…Tell us your SPICE PASSION!

Is it J.O. or…tell us your spice passion? Are you from MD? Do you know your CRAB SPICE? Really know? Do you have a preference between J.O. or the other guys? The SPICE PASSION is incredible! We love it!

This wasn’t even a passionate spice discussion we started but we are sure to blog it! Weigh in and let us know your Spice Passion!

This was from a Facebook Post on January 27, 2014…..

Here we go again. Please go over to de Lazy Lizard Bar & Grille, Ocean City and weigh in on this great debate.

First, we bad mouth no company at all. All we do is bring facts to life. We make no false accusations and we don’t take credit where credit isn’t due. Here at J.O. we believe there is a place for everyone in the market place. All we ask is that you educate yourself and give the proper seasoning the recognition it has EARNED since 1945. FACT #1- J.O. Spice was founded in 1945 and has been the original CRAB SEASONING of choice. There are many different blends. You have your J.O. #1 that is good on everything from popcorn, veggies, meat, seafood, crab cakes, and the list goes on. There is J.O. #2 that is formulated for STEAMING CRABS due to the special salt in the formula that adheres to the crab during the crab steaming process. It is the readymade formula. MANY use the other and add all the ingredients to make the all purpose spice a CRAB SEASONING. Not only is this expensive but it isn’t necessary when you can have that same great crab house flavor in your back yard steamers. Please note when you are at a crab establishment ~ does the seasoning look evenly spread over the crabs for a fantastic appearance? When using seasonings that aren’t meant for the steaming process, you will notice your crabs will look as if you put mud on them. EVER notice that?

FACT #2 – In addition to our famous blends we make custom blends for MANY establishments. Many have their own secret family recipes and that is what makes each crab establishment unique. We sign confidentiality statements and that blend becomes their own and can only be purchased through that establishment. MANY have their famous seasoning bottled and private labeled by J.O. Spice.

FACT #3- Many are cost conscious due to the economy. We offer economy blends that some establishments choose. What we won’t do is jeopardize our families’ recipes by using anything other than the finest ingredients when making our house blends. This is why we offer options.

FACT #4- Not only do we supply the finest establishments with their seasonings and spices, we also have everything that goes along with the crab eating experience. Custom laser engraved mallets are VERY FAMOUS. We employ several companies in the USA to make this process happen and we own our own state of the art engravers. Our graphic designers can bring your ideas to life on a mallet making your crab event personal and fun. In addition to mallets we have crab paper, crab pots, crab paper towel holders, crab knives- plastic, stainless, and wood handled that can be personalized, crab bags, crab boxes, crab jewelry, crab decor…… this names only a few of our crabby items. What we don’t have….. a crabby staff! You will get personalized friendly service from start to finish no matter how small or big your order is. You will get the honesty you deserve! Many customers have become friends. We are grateful for each of you!

What is J.O. Spice…seems to be the common question for those who think what they are eating is the “other spice” when they go to a seafood establishment or crab carryout. They swear the Maryland way is OB. They couldn’t imagine anything other. THEN….. you ask them the question after they go on and on and on with their OB loyalty ( this I question?) ” Where is your favorite place to eat crabs when you eat them outside of your own home?” They name off several establishments which always brings a smile to my face BECAUSE they have named all the establishments that we have been serving for years. That is the AHA moment many have!!! I love to hear how Maryland is the only place that does crabs right because of OB and then the Maryland Magazine addition of best crab establishments is published and almost all who make the top ten are J.O. users and the few who aren’t use a generic mock up that still isn’t OB!

J.O. is made and manufactured in Baltimore, Maryland. YES…..right here in Baltimore! It is currently being operated by the third generation with the fourth in college getting their degrees so they can decide if the spicy life is for them. They work at J.O. during their breaks but they will earn the right to go into management. It won’t be given to them because of their last name. We are a working class family who loves what J.O. established. It is a great honor to expand on his dreams bringing our own unique touches to the business. I love to sit back and read the FACTS of the current leading seasonings that are on the market! All I ask is that before any of you make accusations you find out the facts. False rumors are spread with here say. I would be happy to educate you the way I was twenty five years ago. YES, twenty five years ago if you would have asked me OB or J.O., I would have said OB. Can you believe that? Well, it is true and this is how it happened. I met a man who liked my name, Ginger, and he told me I was destined to be his because his family was in the spice business and my name is a spice. He proceeded to ask if I ate crabs. DO I EAT CRABS??? That seemed like a stupid question. I am from Maryland, not only did I eat crabs but I swore they were steamed with OB!!! I asked him if his family owned OB….it was currently owned by Baltimore Spice at the time. It was later sold to the current company. He laughed and told me it was J.O. I told him he was crazy. I was that loyal to a brand when I too didn’t have all the facts. I would have nothing to do with him and his made up seasoning. I called the marina, where I learned to pick a crab all those years ago on my grandparents boat, and asked them, “What seasoning do you use when steaming crabs ( I couldn’t ask my grandparents because they were no longer with me but I held the memory of crab picking near and dear to my heart)?”  To my surprise….. the answer was a FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS IN BALTIMORE and the name was and is J.O. SPICE!

That’s my story…… when, where, and who educated you on how crabs are steamed the MARYLAND WAY?

Keeping it spicy while I educate one at a time ~Ginger

New Year Healthy Eating Resolutions

Garlic pepper

So it’s a New Year and healthy eating is a huge resolution for people. What people forget when they say they are going to “eat healthy” is to incorporate flavor into their food. That is what is so enticing and awesome about eating out – Flavor – and in some instances that flavor that you taste is – wait for it – FAT! I know that AND it still doesn’t stop me from eating out so what I always make sure to do as I’m cooking is taste, then SPICE as needed.

Healthy Eating takes more than a mind set. It takes planning and that’s hard because it’s always easier just to go thru the drive-thru or call for Take-Out! But, remember that piece of Rotisserie-spiced marinated grilled chicken you did with some broccoli and a baked potato? That was really the most delicious meal. Don’t forget the freshly-caught Rockfish spiced up Blackened style with the fresh mango-lime salsa and the green beans you had that time. What about your homemade “fried” chicken where you covered it in J.O. Cracker Meal spiced up with J.O. #1 that you baked instead of fried? Healthy is actually easier once you start. You just have to start. AND don’t forget to SPICE!

When you put in a baked potato for dinner, put in another one for lunch. When you are grilling a piece of chicken, grill two. When you are making a salad, cutting up the veggies, cut up a few more and use in a stir-fry or for the next day. Sometimes declaring Mondays the day of veggie prep and placing them in Ziploc bags gets your through ’til Friday and challenges you to make a dinner the rest of the week. I don’t feel like “working” on Sundays so I save my prep work until Monday and make sure that I have a leftover meal for the dreaded Monday lunch!

Go to the store with a list of what you enjoy eating if you want to stick to healthy resolutions. If you hate broccoli, forcing yourself to eat it because its “healthy” isn’t quite the best resolution that will stick. Do you like green beans? Salad? Carrots? Corn? (don’t underestimate the power of J.O. Lemon Pepper on all your veggies, especially green beans, zucchini, squash, asparagus, broccoli, etc!)  Do you choose to eat French fries over a sweet potato when you are dining out? Why not take a baby step and choose a sweet potato? Sometimes making that one baby step propels you to make other changes.

What’s the best way to stick to your resolutions for healthy eating? Trying it, just once, to see if you like it. If you happen to realize that you LOVE marinating chicken in homemade Italian dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and J.O. Italian Seasoning) ~ you can put that marinated chicken on top of pasta, in a salad, in a wrap sandwich, on a plate with rice or stir fried veggies ~ Voila, you have created a healthy eating resolution solution about 4 days a week!

No one is asking you to change your eating habits 7 days a week. C’mon, we’re all human. We need a cheat day, even a cheat weekend. But healthy eating isn’t hard. BUT you have to SPICE! Even if it’s just the simple J.O. Garlic Pepper. You need FLAVOR!!!! That’s how your resolution will last. Eating just to eat is not something I know how to do. Eating to enjoy is what I know and spicing it up with garlic, pepper, ground mustard, rotisserie, rosemary, sage, thyme, blackened, cajun is just FUN!

What is your favorite spice to use? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the J.O. Garlic Pepper! You?

Have fun experimenting with your food,

🙂 Pamela

 

Crafty Ideas

Pinterest

Look on Pinterest and you get lost in all the great crafty ideas…so just read here for a great craft idea (or check out the J.O. Pinterest page, we’ve marked great ideas for you!) We have these cool crab placemats and if you sew them onto a pillowcase, you can make it a pillow sham. Great for decorating your bed or your couch, patio or deck.

J.O. sells cinnamon sticks in 2 sizes and there are some great crafty things made out of Cinnamon Sticks – you can dip them in chocolate and use them as a stir stick in your hot cocoa, your tea or chai or your coffee. You can spray paint them and make them into a snowman with some black ribbon or licorice or chocolate icing. You can glue multiple sticks together to make a votive or tie with ribbon and fill with potpourri or greenery. You can make a centerpiece or your own potpourri with a mixture of cinnamon sticks, orange rinds and dried apples.

There are so many crafty ideas you can do with spice. What about a spice wreath? Anise stars make great ornaments and smell awesome too. You can make stars out of anise stars or snowman or any shape that you can imagine. Melt some white chocolate and put the anise star on top of a cinnamon stick to attach, add more white chocolate, make a cute snowman face out of chocolate icing and put a few in a Ziploc bag and gift them as a Snowman stick that works with your favorite hot chocolate.

Another craft idea is to use mini marshmallows with a Cinnamon stick and white or dark chocolate. You can use one marshmallow or three if you want a “jolly, happy fellow” and there’s also wreaths to make and stars…playing with your food is the best!

Just have fun creating and don’t forget to send us pictures! We love to add crafty ideas to the JO Pinterest page!

Have fun playing with food,

Pamela 🙂

 

Crab Centerpieces

crab centerpiece_white

Have you ever needed a focus point in your room? How about for the table? How about a great crab centerpiece for your wedding table, patio, dinner, or end table and then don’t forget the bridal shower table, the wedding card table or inside the basket of customized spice packet favors or decorated bushel box or even on top of the cupcake tier?

These crab centerpieces are located under the wedding tab on our online store only because I lost the debate – they aren’t just for weddings.

Do you have a table? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a store front? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a patio? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a restaurant? Then use this centerpiece.

Are you getting the idea?

blue crab centerpiece

Sure, use it as the centerpiece on your wedding table, cookie table, card table, bridal shower gift table but then use it for decorative purposes or for hanging jewelry or for making an eye-catching, draw your focus over here, type of magnet.

There is one available in a white-wash and the other is a blue wood crab. They stand about 12 1/2 inches tall and they are certified hand crafted. They are striking and photos really don’t do them justice as everyone who walks into the store goes, “Oh, I like that!” and then they buy one to use at their wedding or restaurant or home.

Where will you use this striking crab centerpiece? Let us know!

More than spice,

🙂 Pamela

 

 

Product Highlight ~Fish Netting!

Thinking Outside the box again….because Fish Netting isn’t just for fish! Calling all decorators, wedding planners, party planners, anyone who likes to make things look fresh, new, different, awesome, cool, great, super – all adjectives used to describe the Fish Net we sell (really, not just by me – our customers who have come into the store and raved about the product!).

It’s a great decorating accent where you can hang shells, starfish, jewelry, crab lights, ornaments and shrimp wall décor, use as a valance above your window, as an accent in a basket or crab bushel basket – really anything.

Ornaments for blogHanging net for blog

Lights for blogNet collage for blog

This net hangs easily and it holds up very well, withstanding quite a few metal shrimp, metal crabs, bags of wooden seashells and wooden mallets.

Available in two sizes, the fish net drapes beautifully, so you can decorate a wall, your outdoor patio, your fence, your table or anything within your imagination! It makes a great backdrop for frames, beach themed-parties, luau’s, tiki parties, weddings and any event with a nautical, beach, sea, any kinda theme!

J.O. Spice is the price to beat and with our extensive assortment of mallets, customized mallets, ENGRAVED oyster knives, signage, frames, seashells, metal crabs and shrimp, we are also your One Stop Shop for favors, gifts, and yourself, of course!

J.O. Spice is so much More Than Spice!

Creativity is the spice of life – show us your creative spirit!

:)Pamela

Product Highlight ~Gardening “Crab” Gloves

Orange gloves    Let’s think outside the box for a moment….yes, these Orange Crab Gloves are the best things for crabs however, they are by far, tested by me, Pamela, the best gardening gloves ever invented for rose bushes, barberry bushes and thistle, too.

Are you tired of getting pricked and donating blood to the leaves of the out of control rose bush or barberry bush in your front, side, backyard? I was! I didn’t know when I bought the rose bushes they would require a helmet, gloves and body protection!

These gloves are a lifesaver. My neighbor thinks I work for the airlines as he has never seen the likes of the orange color but I wasn’t going for style. I was going into a rose bush and hoping to make it out alive!

I cut, I trimmed and I reshaped the roses, the barberry bushes and grabbed the thistle with my orange gloves! I can say that I only got pricked by a rose bush thorn once. It was glorious and wonderful! My one criticism is that the orange gloves are made for men – aren’t there Water “Women” who like to get up at the crack of night and freeze their ta-ta’s off catching crabs, oysters, all kinds of yummy seafood from the bay- so these gloves are bigger in the hands than I am accustomed to and somewhat clunky in the thumbs. It did take me a few minutes to find my comfort zone but once I started pulling and picking up the thorny branches with no effort, NO OUCH & NO PAIN, I had no trouble getting the chore done so I could go watch football!

Ginger just gave me a tip: she said she puts her smaller garden gloves on first and that gives the orange gloves something to adhere to and this also guarantees that she doesn’t get pricked at all!

At the low price of $8.50, they are a steal. They are bright orange, 100% cotton lined PVC glove, sold in a pair. They have the ultimate grip that some customers prefer over tongs. So for the bargain shopper, you get crab gloves AND gardening gloves. It’s like J.O. is your One Stop Shop for everything you need to get the chores done so you have more time for fun!

What do you use our crabby items for “Outside the Box” – we’d love to hear your stories!

J.O. is so much more than spice,

:)Pamela