Fall In Love With Our Spreads
Our Liz & Linda's Spreads are one of my favorite product categories that we offer! We wanted to make a product that was savory and perfect to spread on everything from sandwiches to cheeses and veggies.
During the fall and holiday season, our focus is mainly on our Pepper Jellies but since the holidays have come and gone, I wanted to bring the focus onto the other products in the Liz & Linda's brand, our Spreads! We currently offer two varieties: Roasted Garlic & Onion and Tomato Basil. Each is wonderful in their own way and they both are bursting with flavor.
My favorite and easiest way to use either of the spreads is just to slather it on a sandwich instead of your usual sandwich spread. Pairing a ham sandwich with our Roasted Garlic & Onion Spread just gives it a little extra flavor.
Here is just a quick list for ideas on how to use the spreads
- Sandwich Spread - plain
- Sandwich Spread - mix with mayo
- Dip Egg Rolls instead of sweet and sour sauce
- Glaze on Vegetables (especially grilled vegetables)
- Use as a topping on Baked Brie
- Pair with Cheese - check out this Jam and Pairing Chart
- Garlic Ham & Cheese Sliders
- Tomato Basil Cheese Dip
- Baked Garlic & Onion Dip
Enjoy these products and let me know how you like to use them!
Jam and Cheese Pairings
Who doesn't love a good cheese platter? Add to that, savory jams, salty crackers and crusty bread and you have the makings for an entire meal! Or serve this up on a cheese board at your next gathering with family and friends and you will have a sophisticated platter that will impress all of your guests.
This is by no means an all-inclusive or the only pairings with these flavors, these are just some pairings that we really enjoy with our jellies.
Here is a great combination - our Liz & Linda's Apple Walnut Jalapeno Jelly paired with sharp cheddar and served on apple slices. This makes such a pretty presentation and is great for guests to grab and nibble on.
Our Liz & Linda's Roasted Garlic and Onion Spread is one of my favorite products that we make. I use it on sandwiches and have used it to make a fabulous Baked Garlic & Onion dip. Here I paired it with a blue cheese and served on crusty bread.
Our Liz & Linda's Golden Pecan Pepper Jelly is our best selling jelly and has been for years. It is a made with sweet yellow bell peppers and buttery pecans and the unique flavor is what makes this jelly so special. I have paired the Gold with a creamy brie and pita cracker - delicious! You can also bake the brie and pour the jelly over top to serve.
Camembert is very similar to brie, with its creamy goodness but it has a stronger flavor than brie and pairs so well with our Color Me Cranberry Pepper Jelly - the tart flavor of the cranberries mixed with the creamy cheese is wonderful. This would be the perfect dish to add to your holiday table.
You either love goat cheese or you hate it, it is one of those cheeses that has a very distinct flavor. I really enjoy goat cheese, especially when topping it with either our Pappy's Gourmet Sweet Red or Sweet Green Pepper Jelly.
I hope that you will try some of these pairings or try different pairings with our pepper jellies. This is such a great way to highlight different cheeses and your guests will thank you for it!
Our 5 Favorite Holiday Recipes
The holidays are a time when we gather with family and friends to enjoy each other's company, to laugh and share great food. I wanted to share our 5 favorite recipes that we use during the Holiday season. These are quick and easy so you can spend more time with the people you care about and less time in the kitchen.
1) Monte Cristo Crescent Rollups
These wonderful little rollups are so easy to make and are really delicious. They combine the flavors of our Liz & Linda's Color Me Cranberry Pepper Jelly with smoked turkey and creamy provolone cheese. They are perfect for any event where you want to serve finger foods, they are small but filling!
This recipe was provided by one of our retailers and we have been talking about it ever since! Cocktail meatballs are a staple at most holiday parties, but these are taken to a whole other level with using Liz & Linda's Red Hot Pepper Jelly to add just a bit of spice and sweetness and mixing with Chili Sauce. It is a match made in heaven and your guests will thank you for adding this to the menu!
We have been making this cheeseball for years and it is still one of my favorite recipes. It is such a flavorful mixture of our Pappy's Gourmet Peach Salsa, cream cheese, green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. No more boring holiday cheeseballs this year, try this recipe and see how great a cheeseball can be!
This is somewhat of a new recipe for us and I have to say, it is awesome! I brought this to a Halloween party and watched as everyone devoured it. It is an amazing combination of garlic and onion goodness. I served it with tortilla chips (because that was what I had in my pantry!) but it would be great also with either crackers or a nice crusty loaf of bread. This is a great way to use our Liz & Linda's Roasted Garlic & Onion Spread!
I LOVE SOUP! Anyone that knows me knows that I absolutely, without a doubt, love, love, love soup. My family probably gets a bit sick of eating soup day after day in the fall and winter, but to me, there is nothing more comforting when it is cold outside than a nice, hot bowl of soup. This chili is no exception. It is a hearty, flavor-packed chili recipe that uses our Pappy's Gourmet Corn Salsa that is so easy to make. It seriously takes about 5 minutes to throw together and then another 15-20 minutes to heat up and be ready to eat. This is also perfect for those unexpected (but always welcomed, of course) holiday guests. Just throw in a pot, heat and serve!
I hope that this list inspires you to try new recipes to share with your family and friends. Food is such an important part of the holiday season and it is always fun to create new dishes and share them with others. You can check out our other recipes as well. Thanks for stopping by!
Bacon Wrapped Peach Shrimp
Fall is officially here and that has me thinking about the upcoming holidays and all of the parties and get-togethers that come with the cooler weather. This weekend we have my middle son's 5th birthday party, our weekend is also filled with soccer games, so I have decided to keep our menu simple: chili, cheesy ham and potato soup, hot dogs and of course there will be appetizers. It's not a family function unless we have lots and lots of appetizers.
One appetizer will be this really quick and delicious Bacon Wrapped Peach Shrimp highlighting our Liz & Linda's Perfectly Peach Pepper Jelly. Peach and shrimp is a really great flavor combo and then when you add in the salty bacon, this is an appetizer that can't be beat. For being such an easy dish to make, it also makes an extremely beautiful presentation.
Now onto the recipe!
Bacon Wrapped Peach Shrimp
Ingredients
1lb Shrimp - Raw, Peeled and Deveined (I used smaller shrimp, I would suggest you use large if they are available to you)
1 Jar Liz & Linda's Perfectly Peach Pepper Jelly (additional to baste at end of grilling)
6-10 Strips Bacon
Skewers - soak them in water for 30 minutes before using them
Directions:
It is suggested to brine the shrimp first before grilling so that they retain their moisture and don't dry out when grilling them. For our brine, I used:
4 Cups Water
1/4 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup ice
Soak the shrimp in the brine for approximately 30 minutes. This will help insure that your shrimp are nice and juicy!
Once the shrimp are finished with the brine - pour brine out, take a medium bowl and heat in the microwave half the jar of Liz & Linda's Perfectly Peach Pepper Jelly (heat for approximately 25-30 seconds). Stir jelly to make sure all is slightly melted. Add shrimp to bowl and stir until covered with jelly.
On microwavable plate, place bacon and cover with paper towel - microwave for approximately 30-40 seconds or just until the fat on the bacon starts to render. You don't want to fully cook the bacon because it will crisp up and finish cooking on the grill.
Cut each strip of bacon into thirds and using one piece of shrimp, wrap the shrimp with the bacon and skewer it onto your bamboo skewers - do your best to make sure the bacon is secured well with the skewers. Put only 3-4 shrimp on each skewer. Continue until all shrimp and bacon are used.
On preheated grill (medium heat) place your shrimp and bacon skewers on and cook on each side for approximately 5 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and shrimp is cooked through. On each side, baste with additional pepper jelly that you heated slightly to make it easily spreadable.
There is nothing like crisp bacon that has been covered in pepper jelly! Yummy!!
When bacon and shrimp are finished, remove from grill and serve. I just serve these on the skewers but you could remove and plate them, it is up to you.
These tiny bundles of bacon and shrimp are so delicious and your guests will be totally impressed!
Enjoy!
Bacon Wrapped Peach Shrimp
Ingredients:
1lb Shrimp - Raw, Peeled and Deveined (I used smaller shrimp, I would suggest you use large if they are available to you)
1 Jar Liz & Linda's Perfectly Peach Pepper Jelly (additional to baste at end of grilling)
6-10 Strips Bacon – Cooked slightly in microwave before use – approximately 30 seconds.
Skewers - soak them in water for 30 minutes before using them
Directions:
It is suggested to brine the shrimp first before grilling so that they retain their moisture and don't dry out when grilling them.
Brine
4 Cups Water
1/4 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup ice
Soak the shrimp in the brine for approximately 30 minutes. This will help insure that your shrimp are nice and juicy!
Once the shrimp are finished with the brine - pour brine out, take a medium bowl and heat in the microwave half the jar of Liz & Linda's Perfectly Peach Pepper Jelly (heat for approximately 25-30 seconds). Stir jelly to make sure all is slightly melted. Add shrimp to bowl and stir until covered with jelly.
Cut each strip of bacon into thirds and using one piece of shrimp, wrap the shrimp with the bacon and skewer it onto your bamboo skewers - do your best to make sure the bacon is secured well with the skewers. Put only 3-4 shrimp on each skewer. Continue until all shrimp and bacon are used.
On preheated grill (medium heat) place your shrimp and bacon skewers on and cook on each side for approximately 5 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and shrimp is cooked through. On each side, baste with additional pepper jelly that you heated slightly to make it easily spreadable.
How The Company Began and Grew
Back in 2009, I was looking for a change. I enjoyed my job as a Product Manager with an IT Supply Distributor but I just needed something different. I had a 1 ½ year old son and between the hour drive to and from the office, I was only getting to see him about an hour a day by the time he was ready for bed. It was not the way that I had envisioned raising my children.
My husband was very supportive with my decision to leave my job and set out on my own. He knew that my hours were putting a lot of stress on me and ultimately on our family. So I took a leap of faith and quit my job, leaving behind a steady paycheck and set off to find out what I really wanted to do with my career.
My father, who had recently retired, was also looking for a new opportunity. He wasn’t quite ready to leave the workforce completely and wanted the challenge of growing a business from the ground up. Between his accounting and financial expertise and my marketing experience we were ready to get started…but get started doing what?
One day I was watching TV, one of those rags to riches shows about how a simple food product that this couple’s family used to make, was the start to their family business. It was in that moment that it “clicked” for me…my mother’s zucchini relish! There was nothing quite like it on the market and everyone that tried it absolutely raved about how wonderful it was. I called my Dad and asked what he thought and he said let’s go for it.
We were new to the food industry so before we began actually making anything, we did a lot of research, I mean a lot, a lot of research. The rules and regulations were overwhelming especially since we did not have a food background. Because of this, we made the decision to use what we in the food industry call a “co-packer”. We were able to find a small co-packer about a few hours away from us that didn’t require a minimum order of thousands of jars. We gave her our recipes for the zucchini relish and a few pepper jellies and we were off and running.
Our priority with our products was using fresh ingredients, free from any sort of artificial preservatives, flavorings or colorings. That was very important to us right from the beginning, if it wasn’t something I would feed my family then I wasn’t going to make it and try to sell it. The store’s shelves are already stocked full of food that is loaded with these things, I wanted to try and make some sort of a difference in the food industry and offer only foods made with great ingredients. Sure, we use sugar, I will never say that we produce a “health food” but we use real ingredients, nothing fake! Because we use fresh ingredients, we may not be making our food the fastest way possible but we are making it the best way possible and I am extremely proud of that.
Before we knew it we received our first order of Zucchini Relish, Sweet Green Pepper Jelly and Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly from our co-packer. We applied the labels by hand and got to selling. The support that we received from local stores was really encouraging and were in absolute disbelief when the first couple of stores placed orders immediately. We were in business!!
We used our co-packer for about a year and then decided that due to a few quality issues we began working on opening our own facility in Washington, MO. We found a building right on the riverfront in downtown and began piecing together what we needed for our kitchen.
Opening our own kitchen was a big and scary step, but this gave us control over our own products and allowed us to quickly create new products and grow our brand. Once our kitchen was open, in 2011, I did find time to have my second son! He was able to hang out with me at work for the first three months or so before my Mom started watching him. I was so lucky to be able to bring him with me to work, while he napped, I worked and we still were able to get our bonding time in! It is a special thing that my kids can come with me to the office and see what I do all day and what I am working so hard to grow for them.
In April of 2014 we purchased another small specialty food company, Liz & Linda’s from Harrison, AR. The products fit so well into our product lineup, it was such an easy addition to our company and we are so proud to continue the tradition of making these products. A few weeks after we purchased the company, my husband and I welcomed our sweet little girl into the world! Between the three kids, myself and my husband we stay a busy family but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We are currently working to establish a retail shop in our space that will be open at the end of May 2016. This will give us an opportunity to sell directly to the community from our kitchen and sell the products of our co-packing customers by giving them another retail presence.
If you find yourself in Washington, MO, be sure to stop by and see us, we will have lots of yummy foods for you to try!
UPDATE 8.9.16: Our shop is open!! We have been open for a couple of months and have been getting a really great response from the community. We offer samples of our products daily and also offer some home and kitchen decor items with plans to expand our offerings to kitchen gadgets and other fun items! Stop in and see us!
