Our relish is very versatile, it has been used on just about everything from pizza to egg salad. Below are some of the recipes we have come up with and some that our customers have invented. NOT JUST ANOTHER BURGER Four beef patties Four buns One cup crumbled bleu cheese Eight strips bacon, cooked and crumbled Four tablespoons Sparky and Spike's (We recommend the hot one here) We'll not insult your intelligence here. You know what to do! AN UNPRECEDENTED PORK LOIN One carefully selected pork loin One can of corn (drained) One can of black beans (drained) One jar Sparky and Spike's One cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Mix the corn, beans, S&S and the BBQ sauce in a bowl. Add some salt and pepper to the pork loin. Now you need to decide how you're going to cook it. Whatever you do, cook it s-l-o-w-l-y. If you use a high heat, expect the meat to be tough and the sugar in a couple of the ingredients to make your main course look ugly. Your cooking options are in the oven, in your slow cooker or on the grill. When we make it we use an aluminum smoker bag and place it on the grill for about ninety minutes. If you're going to use your oven, we suggest cooking at 325 degrees until the meat begins to fall apart. In a slow cooker use the "low" setting. Remember- pork is "the other white meat". Translated, that means that there is very little fat in it and that if you want it to be tender…cook it slowly. Serve it with mashed potatoes and a nice salad and your guests will experience "Comfort Food" as never before. NOW THAT'S A SPICY MEATBALL ¾ of a crock pot (now referred as a slow cooker) filled with meatballs. Meatball acquisition can follow two paths. Path number one involves complicated olde world recipes and lots of time in the kitchen feeling like a kid in a sandbox rolling up things to throw. This method gives you a lot to brag about, but sure takes a lot of effort. The other way to get meatballs is to buy good old grocery store frozen ones. Guess which option we choose. Two jars of Sparky and Spike's Tangy Pepper Relish. One cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. We use Sweet Baby Rays because it's very good and very cheap. And now for the culinary artistry. Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook it slowly. Keep things stirred up by an occasional gentle stirring. By now you're probably wondering how much Sparky and Spike's to use. Here's the deal. It takes the contents of one jar to give this recipe justice. If you use just the spicy version, once it's heated up it looses a bit of its zip. Your guests might say, "Spicy? These ain't spicy!" You don't want that. If you use only the hot and spicy product, some of the feint-of-heart guests might just drink up all of the cold beverages you've supplied. To answer this dilemma we've found that 2/3 of a jar of the spicy and 1/3 of a jar of the hot and spicy create a blend that will please nearly everyone. Hey, I just thought of something. If you follow my advice, you'll need to but two jars. There you have it. Two spicy party recipes designed to dazzle your friends. One requires a series of steps and takes a bit of time and the other is so easy even a male dweller of an underground chamber can do it. SPICY GRILLED SUMMER CORN (WE CALL IT MAIZE) If you don't have an hour or so for this one, don't read any further. If you do have a little cooking time on your hands, we think you'll find this recipe will change the way you cook Ohio sweet corn forever. A dozen or so ears of fresh sweet corn. If you can't wait until August, that stuff they haul in from Florida works OK, but you can't beat the fresh stuff we grow here. I guess you could even open up a couple of cans if it's the dead of winter. Olive oil Three or four ounces of grated cheese. You pick the kind you like. We've found that Parmesan or Asiago work very well. If you're a little frisky, try bleu cheese or Gorgonzola. One cup mayonnaise. (What?! Corn and Mayo? Trust us, it really works.) 1/3 cup of Sparky and Spike's Tangy Pepper Relish (We use the hot one, but the other is OK too.) Light your gas grill or fire up your charcoal grill. Coat each ear of corn with olive oil. Place the corn on the grill at medium heat. Turn each ear every couple of minutes until the kernels have taken on a toasty brown color. You'll know things are cooking when you hear a little bit of snap, crackle and pop. If you're called to the phone or otherwise have your attention turned away from the corn, expect trouble. There's a fine line between toasty brown and a black, charred mess. Using a knife or one of those fancy corn strippers, cut the kernels from the cob and place them in a large bowl. Stir them together with the cheese, mayo and Sparky and Spikes and set the bowl aside until just before your ready to eat the other stuff you've been working on. Just before serving, nuke it until it's piping hot and give it another stir. Give it a shot of salt and pepper and just wait for those at the table to refer to you as a culinary wizard. Killer Roll-Ups 1 jar Sparky and Spikes Tangy Pepper Relish (Spicy or Hot) 1 package softened cream cheese 1 package soft taco shells or wraps. Spinach wraps are green and tomato basil wraps are red. Hey, wait a minute, you could use both and be really festive around the holidays! Julienne vegetables or deli meat (optional) Spread a moderately thin layer of cream cheese on the entire wrap, and then spread a generous amount of Sparky and Spike's on 2/3 of the wrap. The next step is your call. We add thinly sliced strips of red, yellow or green peppers to the wrap. Other culinary geniuses have suggested onion, celery, mushroom, and shaved deli meats like smoked turkey breast or ham. Go ahead, put anything that makes sense to you on there…they're your wraps. Whatever you do, though, slice your extras very thin. That's because of the next step. Carefully roll the wraps as tightly and evenly as you can. If you used a whole tomato or a pork chop as an additive, expect big trouble. As you finish the rolling process you'll see why we suggest only covering 2/3 of the wrap with most of the ingredients. The cream cheese acts as a sealant, and, if you didn't use too much of the other stuff, your wrap should be nice and round and your kitchen floor won't be covered with steamrolled extra ingredients. Wrap each wrap (what?) in waxed paper or cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour. After the cream cheese stiffens a bit, they're ready for slicing, or better yet, sawing. Using a serrated edged knife, cut the wraps into pinwheels. Suit yourself on the thickness. I normally shoot for about 3/8 inch thickness which give me about a dozen per wrap. My brother, being a bit tight-of-the-fist usually gets 45-50. As you do the slicing, you'll notice that the end-cuts are not as esthetically pleasing as the others. You can either turn them flat side up or do what we do…we eat them. Lay them out on a plate or tray in an attractive fashion and watch them disappear. If you feel real creative, use two colors, make plenty and spell out MERRY CHRISTMAS on your dining room table. Your guests will be amazed. Sparky, Spike and Paula's Tangy Cracker Salad Small package cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 bell peppers, chopped approx ¼ in. (Two of the four colors required- red, yellow, green, orange) 1 cup mayonnaise 4 ounces crumbled sharp cheese (Cheddar, bleu, Gorgonzola) 4 ounces Sparky and Spike's Tangy Pepper Relish (Choose from Spicy or Hot) 1 sleeve Keebler Cornbread Bistro Crackers (Crush with the hand and reserve until just before serving) In a large bowl, mix above ingredients (except the crackers). You can serve immediately or refrigerate until just before serving. At the very last minute, just before serving, thoroughly mix the crackers with the other ingredients and serve. A handful of the crushed crackers on top improves the presentation. Leftovers? If there is some of the salad remaining after the meal- and there usually isn't- don't be afraid to refrigerate it and have some later. There's something about the cornbread crackers that makes them palatable even though they're moist. Crazy uncle Max's Rotissere ham 1 3-5lb bone in non spiraled sliced ham 1 cup cooking oil 3 cloves of garlic juice of 3 lemons or 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup worchestire 1 small can of tomato paste 1/2 tsp onion salt 1/2 tsp celery salt 1 stick butter 2 ounces of vinegar 1 cup of hot water 1 tbsp red pepper 2 tbsp black pepper, and........... 1/2 cup of Sparky and Spikes Tangy Pepper Relish Baste frequently Med-Hi 1 hour per pound Sparky and Spikes Deviled Eggs Items Needed: (for 12 Deviled Eggs) 6 hard boiled Eggs (large) 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon mustard 1/2 teaspoon vinegar 2 teaspoons Sparky and Spikes salt & pepper to taste paprika (optional)