We Are More Than a Spice Company…

Thanksgiving Ideas & Pumpkin Pie Spice

Thanksgiving

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? I have a favorite butternut squash dish I save for Thanksgiving – mainly for the calories, even though it is a bit labor intensive.  Are you a veggies lover or all the meats in the dressing, bird and green beans kind of person?

How do you do the Thanksgiving bird? Do you fry your turkey? Brine it? (That’s a mixture of water and spice and then you marinate the turkey for about 24 hours.) Some people use a rub – may we suggest the Thanksgiving Rib ‘n Turkey , Cajun Seasoning or the Beef/Poultry rub – and rub their turkey before roasting it in the oven. If you do the basting method, add some of the rub to the melted butter so that the spice is continually massaging the turkey through the whole cooking process. If you have scaled down your turkey to just a turkey breast, I highly recommend using a rub so it doesn’t dry out and keep basting away!

What’s Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes, mashed turnips,  mashed sweet potatoes, mashed butternut squash….you see why we include a mallet with our Thanksgiving Gift Sets? (These make great hostess gifts!) Mallets are so multi-functional! The biggest complaint about the mashed veggies is that there is no taste. People forget to season their veggies in the cooking process. I highly recommend the J.O. Garlic Pepper!  Just add it while the potatoes/veggies are boiling. What about J.O. #1? Add a little brown sugar to your mashed squashes, too and #1 would add a nice spicy twist.

What’s Thanksgiving dinner without stuffing or dressing? If you are making your stuffing, season your bread cubes with chicken broth, J.O. Thyme, J.O. Rosemary, J.O. Sage or J.O. Italian Seasoning and J.O. Garlic Pepper…then add your oysters (we have engraved oysters knives to help shuck!) or your sausage and throw in some craisins, walnuts or bacon or everything I just mentioned. It’s Thanksgiving. Do it up right!

The best part about the cranberry sauce is the star of anise, a fresh orange, three cloves and a cinnamon stick! The great thing about Thanksgiving is the smells that the kitchen sprinkles throughout the house. Not cooking? Put some cinnamon, anise, orange and cloves in water, let simmer on the stove and voila, you’ve got the smells and you are fooling the whole family into thinking you are slaving away!

Keep in mind that Thanksgiving is an all-day eating spree so dessert is a necessity. Sprinkle some J.O. Pumpkin Pie spice on top of your coffee or hot chocolate and enjoy a nice big slice of pie. You can sprinkle some J.O. Pumpkin Pie spice onto your brownies, your ice cream, your pound cake, your cream cheese frosted pumpkin cupcakes…mmmm….what’s your favorite recipe using J.O. Pumpkin Pie spice? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter -if we select your idea, you could win a prize!

Stock up on all your favorite spices. It’s that wonderful time of year and spice is nice!

Keep it spicy ~

🙂 Pamela

Specializing in custom blends – BBQ anyone?

Here at J.O. we specialize in custom blends. We love what we do and love to spice up the atmosphere. We are expanding into the BBQ market and so far we have made quite a few specialized BBQ blends. Each one is unique in their own taste and distinction and that is what makes BBQ so much fun to eat! Who knew that smoking a brisket or a turkey or chicken for hours could taste so good? Some just add a rub. Others do a spice after the first smoke. Others add spice to the BBQ sauce. Then there are those who do it all (we really like those kinds of guys. Ahem, I digress.)

Specialty Seasonings

When you add a rub to the meat, the best time to do it is in the prep. It’s like a workout for the meat tendons. They are getting ready to dance in the fire and get all tender and juicy. Have you tried the Beef/Poultry Rub on our website? It’s awesome. Works great on pork shoulder. What about the J.O. Garlic Pepper? I use that on my beef roasts and my chicken – that is the perfect rub to try when you are unsure of what a rub would do to your meat (mainly because you should already have J.O. Garlic Pepper in your spice collection and it’s the perfect blend of garlic and pepper that makes the meat just heavenly!)

For a spice blend, use the J.O. Rib ‘n Chicken or the Lumberjack – these are the two that have the smokier flavor that would be the most like an outdoor BBQ meal. These are great on chicken drumsticks, pork chops, ribs, shoulders, and butts. Personally, I use the Rotisserie when I roast a whole chicken after I have let it cook underneath the J.O. Garlic Pepper for about 1/2 an hour. I like to use the Rotisserie because I use the leftovers to make chicken salad for my lunches so while I’m cooking dinner, I also have lunch for the week – easy, time saving solutions!

If you want to add a spice blend to the BBQ sauce, there is the Cajun for spicy, there is J.O. Garlic Pepper for deliciousness, there is the Rib ‘n Chicken for added smoky flavor, and of course, you know there is J.O. Spice #1! We’ve been told by customers that J.O. is “the bomb.com!” It just makes your BBQ sauce that much saucier!

Mmmmm, aren’t you hungry for a great BBQ spice blend? Check out all our specialty seasonings! If you make a great BBQ spice (I’m happy to taste and let you know my honest opinion), why not partner with us as we specialize in custom blends?

Please note: We do not do refrigeration and we do not do liquid. We do not steal ideas as we sign confidentiality agreements.

WHAT WE DO Co-pack, blend and customize your spice. This is our specialty! We can make your label using artwork you provide, or our great imagination too! We get it done very well, if I may say so, (and I do!) to send some accolades to my team!

Where is your favorite BBQ place? Ask them if they partner with J.O.! I know a great BBQ caterer if you need one and I know who else we partner with in the area who are awesome, too!

Happy Spicy BBQ’ing,

🙂 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

Engraved Oyster Knives

“R” you ready for the news? “R” you ready for Oysters? “R” you ready to shuck with your personalized, customized, or pre-printed Engraved Oyster Knife?

That’s the news! J.O. Spice’s expansion is in prog”R”ess!! We know that oysters “R” in season in all months that end in “R” so there are many months where you will need a personalized, customized, or pre-printed Engraved oyster knife.

Oysters      You can choose one of the pre-printed oyster knives on our website or if you have a creative, unique saying when you shuck, get your knife customized for just a little bit more. Put your initials, your name, your favorite kid’s name (just making sure you are paying attention).

Just like the Personalized Crab Mallets (www.personalizedcrabmallets.com)- if you dream it, we can engrave it on your engraved oyster knife.

We are excited about our new addition to the personalized products line. We have many more ideas and we can’t wait to share!

Thanks for being a part of the prog”R”ess. Get Shucked today! Don’t forget about the Oyster & Fish Breader that you will need or the J.O. Cracker meal or try the spicier version and use the Seasoned Southern Fish Fry in your famous fried Oysters recipes.

Let us know how you prepare your freshly shucked oysters!

Happy shuckin’,

:)Pamela

BIG Progress at the new J.O. Store!

More progress_new store floor

The J.O. Spice’s NEW STORE!!!! The paint is on the walls, the floor is almost in – it’s so very exciting.

We have so much to offer. The ideas that have been simmering for a few years are coming to a full blown “Seafood Boil!”

Not only are we working on producing new seasoning blends (BBQ anyone? How about Venison, Dips for chips, a Heart Healthy line?? Got a need or an idea – let us know!), but we are working on new products like ENGRAVED oyster knives, wedding favor possibilities, engraved wood signage AND then there are the new products like Cookie Cutters, Gift Wrap, Re-usable Tote Bags, and OBX mallets (just to name a few – check out the new online store!).

We are all about living up to our motto: MORE THAN SPICE. The changes that are happening are allowing for great growth and excellent expansion capabilities. Our small, family-owned business has been making life spicy for Watermen, Hunters, Outdoorsmen but with this expansion, we are able to look at the BIGGER picture and WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR WHAT MAY COME!

Thank you for being a BIG part and stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter, and jospice.com for all the info on our Grand Opening! As it’s November, the month to be Thankful, we extend a BIG, Thank You to ALL our great customers! What are you thankful for? Thanks for keeping life spicy…

:)Pamela

Best Chicken Wings Ever!

chicken wings together

For the BEST chicken wings EVER use J.O. Garlic Pepper!

The ingredients list:

1 or 2 LB chicken wings

Hot sauce

J.O. Garlic Pepper

Pats of Butter

This is the easiest, BEST chicken wings EVER recipe! You will never order chicken wings again once you start making these!

In a 9×13 pan, coat the bottom of the pan with hot sauce. Sprinkle with J.O. Garlic Pepper. As you put the chicken wings in the pan, roll them in the hot sauce. After all the chicken wings are coated and sitting in the pan, do another sprinkle of J.O. Garlic Pepper. Put a pat of butter in the middle. Cover and let sit overnight (best) or for at least 2 or more hours in the refrigerator.

Place in cold oven. Preheat the oven to 450 and let the wings cook at 450 for about 40 minutes. Then drop the oven temp down to about 350 and continue cooking until wings are tender (roughly about another 40 minutes). Take the cover off and let the wings brown or place under broiler for about 15 minutes to get the top part of the wings nice and crispy.

Awesome served with celery and bleu cheese or homemade ranch dressing!

Devour as your favorite football team crushes the opponent!!

What do you use J.O. Garlic Pepper on? Let me know! If you’ve never tried, you definitely need to!! I eat it on just about everything because once you try it, the possibilities are endless….potatoes, roasts, fish, chicken, pork, eggs, onions, mushrooms, roasted cauliflower cheese soup, mashed potato soup, man I’m hungry…

Happy Eatin’,

:)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

J.O. is expanding!

J.O. Spice is EXPANDING!!!! Our retail store is going to be twice the size very, very soon! What was once a teeny-tiny store filled with crab necessities is becoming a Wonderfully bright, Huge-Tastic store filled with all the spice you need for crabs, crock-pots, and everyday cooking to all sorts of crab décor, jewelry, apparel, and MORE!

The new store is living and breathing life into our motto: MORE THAN SPICE!

New store

Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter to stay in the know for the new store’s Grand Opening Event or just because you have discovered J.O. is the best way to spice up your life. Or as a customer recently said, “J.O. is the Bomb.com“!!!!! Love that! Thank you!

:)Pamela

Welcome!

 

This is Ginger and Pamela, welcoming you to the J.O. Spice blog, a place to go to think Outside the Box, Keep Life Spicy, and where Good Things Just Happen! We are so excited to share our crabby knowledge, our new product news, exciting new happenings related to J.O. Spice, pictures and all kinds of fun crabby info!! We will share recipes using some of our favorite J.O. Spices, and we will highlight a restaurant, a new item, a product we feel you should all be using, and keep you in the know of all things J.O.

What would you like to see? Let us know!

Anytime you see the J.O. truck out and about and you’d like to snap a pic, send it. We love knowing our trucks are out working for you!

See a J.O. shirt out and about? Snap a pic! Where’s that shirt been, where’s it going, where has J.O. traveled and how far is J.O.’s reach? You can reach us on Facebook, Twitter or here!

Anytime you make a great or heck, just make dinner, and you used J.O. Spice, let us know! We love seeing how the products are used and the variety of ways our products grace your dinner tables. This gives others the opportunity to see how they can add variety to their life cuz y’know, variety is the Spice of life!

Like us on Facebook – Follow us on Twitter – we randomly do “What’s for Dinner” and “Where’s the J.O. Truck?” and “Where’s the Shirt going?” contests that award you cool apparel and fun prizes. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Stay in the know with J.O. and like Ginger always says, “Keep Life Spicy!”

 

:)Pamela

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to the J.O. Spices blog.  Please check back for more news, offers and announcements.