Game Day Spread

Even though I’m not a sports fanatic, I’ll take any big game day as an excuse to get together with friends and share some amazing food. Since Omied and I and most of our friends are pretty big foodies, we like to make something yummy to share rather than picking up a cheese plate and calling it good.

Omied has recently gotten really into pickling and the next recipe he wanted to try was a jelly recipe. I’m of course 100% supportive of his endeavors because I get to try all the yummy, tangy treats he makes. When our friends had us over recently Omied made pepper jelly to go with our friend’s homemade olive bread (that I’m completely obsessed with). The recipe is below—just be warned you may want to slather it on everything.

Our friends have a beautiful deck that has an amazing view of San Francisco, and it’s always a good time when we get together with them and enjoy delicious food together, soak in the view, and watch the big game.

For this weekend’s game day we also brought over Black Box Merlot wine to go with our yummy snacks. With four bottles of wine in a box and its inherent portability, Black Box wines are great to share with friends on game day. It also doesn’t hurt that Black Box Wines have won over 50 Gold Medals for its quality, and yet their wines are available for 40% less than comparable bottled wines. I really enjoyed this Merlot and it paired nicely with a slice of olive loaf with a slab of brie cheese and a healthy smattering of pepper jelly on top. After watching the game at our friends’ place we all shared the leftovers and went home with a little bit of everything—including some Black Box Wine, which will stay fresh for up to 6 weeks.

Pepper Jelly Recipe

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups finely chopped green bell pepper (about 4 large)

½ cup finely chopped jalapeño pepper (about 4 small)

1 ¼ cups cider vinegar

3 Tbsp Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin

2 cups sugar

1 cup honey

6 (8 oz) jelly jars (with lids and bands)

Directions:

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

Combine green bell peppers, jalapeño peppers and vinegar in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar and honey. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼ headspace. Wipe rim and center lid on jar. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

A friendly note: It’s always a good idea to wear rubber gloves while you’re prepping peppers so you don’t have to deal with burning hands—or worse, eyes when you forget and touch your eye!)