Pepper jelly is not your everyday preserve. With its natural sweetness and heat, it’s guaranteed to leave you questioning what you thought you knew about jelly. From the first bite, dishes with pepper jelly have a noticeable spicey flavor that brightens up any meal.

Here are some simple and easy ways to use pepper jelly in everyday meals:

1. Pepper Jelly Quesadilla: Just spread some pepper jelly on the inside of the tortilla before filling with your favorite kind of cheese and ground beef.

2. PB&PJ: Spread peanut butter and pepper jelly evenly on both slices of bread to add a kick to your everyday PB&J.

3. Pepper Jelly BBQ Wing Sauce: Season your chicken wings with salt, pepper and onion powder and bake. While the wings are in the oven, mix your choice of BBQ sauce with pepper jelly. When wings are almost fully cooking, take them out and coat them with the mixture. Finally pop them back into the oven until wings are completely cooked. Never thought you would be putting jelly on wings now did you?

4. Pepper Jelly Cocktail Sauce: Liven up dinner parties by replacing your everyday cocktail sauce with pepper jelly. Your guests are guaranteed to enjoy this new zesty side.

5. Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese on Crackers: A quick and easy way to enjoy the taste of pepper jelly. After all when something tastes this good why complicate it.

Don’t just hold yourself to these five things though, pepper jelly is also a great in marinades or even on top of a burger. Now its your turn. What’s your favorite way to eat pepper jelly?

by: Michael Nunes