Are you looking for an easy, delicious new dinner? You have found it here at J.O. Spice! This chicken meatball recipe is AWESOME and it’s equal parts because of the spices you add to the meatballs and the strawberry jalapeno bbq sauce you simmer the meatballs in at the end of the cooking process. 🙂

You will need 1 jar of McCutcheon’s Strawberry Jalapeno BBQ sauce ~ can be bought online – jospices.com

1lb ground chicken

1 tsp. J.O. Ground Mustard

1 tsp. J.O. Cracked Pepper

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

2 tbsp. J.O. Cracker Meal

1 egg

Spritz of Worcestershire Sauce

Mix the ground chicken with the spices, cracker meal, egg and Worcestershire sauce. Form into meatballs. Make them as big or as small as you like – I did about 30 so mine was more in the medium range then too big or too small.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (I bake them because my Crock-Pot doesn’t have that ability and I like to have some color and crunch to my meatballs and if I were to just set inside the crock pot, they wouldn’t cook right.) When I tested my meatballs with a thermometer, they were reading 145 so not completely done so don’t eat right out of the pan unless you cook them for another 15-30 minutes or until you get a reading of at least 170.

Then add to a crock-pot or a pot where you can simmer them in the Strawberry Jalapeno BBQ sauce for an additional 30-45 minutes until heated and cooked all the way through.

It’s the right spice, the right heat and the right sweetness that makes dinner so delightful. Serve on a nice piece of sourdough or pasta. Add a salad and the meal is sure to satisfy!

How might you use the Strawberry Jalapeno BBQ sauce? Let us know on our Facebook page or leave us a comment here with your fun SPICY ideas!

Happy Dining with Spice,

🙂 Pamela

Spring is coming in 22 days (we can only hope as it is snowing yet again!) Spring is a great time to redecorate! J.O. has just the products to help you do just that. How do you like to decorate? Do you like to use fun decor with a beachy theme or weathered by the sea wood look? Maybe you like to mix and match, some old with some new and you like the idea of supporting small business?

How about redecorating a wall using authentic fish netting that you can buy at a great price? We also have great wall decor, weathered wood containers, wrought iron stands that will hold the frames or the special plates or platters you want to display and/or get out of your cluttered kitchen cabinets. We have crabby garden stakes, crabby wall decor, pillows, tablecloths, place mats, table runners and beaded crabs, turtles and flip flops that are perfect sitting at your desk, on an end table or decorating a mantle.

We have plates, cutting boards and coasters that will redecorate any table in seconds. That is always a cheery pick-you-up when you can set your dinner table or make dinner with something that makes you smile and think of the beach or the sun or a fun, summer memory. A fun cutting board takes the same old, same old feeling away from dinner prep and custom engraving a paring knife that makes you giggle also helps!

This winter has been long and redecorating is a fun, spirit lifter that gets everyone out of the winter blah’s. What will you use to redecorate? The great thing about J.O. Spice is that we have many items for the cost-conscious customer so you are sure to come in, browse, get ideas and find something within your budget.

Splurge on a $1.95 key chain or magnet to get you thinking about your spring garden redecorating plans, your vacation ideas or what you will drink at happy hour tonight!

Happy Shopping & Redecorating!

🙂 Pamela

Is it J.O. or…tell us your spice passion? Are you from MD? Do you know your CRAB SPICE? Really know? Do you have a preference between J.O. or the other guys? The SPICE PASSION is incredible! We love it!

This wasn’t even a passionate spice discussion we started but we are sure to blog it! Weigh in and let us know your Spice Passion!

This was from a Facebook Post on January 27, 2014…..

“Here we go again. Please go over to de Lazy Lizard Bar & Grille, Ocean City and weigh in on this great debate.

First, we bad mouth no company at all. All we do is bring facts to life. We make no false accusations and we don’t take credit where credit isn’t due. Here at J.O. we believe there is a place for everyone in the market place. All we ask is that you educate yourself and give the proper seasoning the recognition it has EARNED since 1945. FACT #1- J.O. Spice was founded in 1945 and has been the original CRAB SEASONING of choice. There are many different blends. You have your J.O. #1 that is good on everything from popcorn, veggies, meat, seafood, crab cakes, and the list goes on. There is J.O. #2 that is formulated for STEAMING CRABS due to the special salt in the formula that adheres to the crab during the crab steaming process. It is the readymade formula. MANY use the other and add all the ingredients to make the all purpose spice a CRAB SEASONING. Not only is this expensive but it isn’t necessary when you can have that same great crab house flavor in your back yard steamers. Please note when you are at a crab establishment ~ does the seasoning look evenly spread over the crabs for a fantastic appearance? When using seasonings that aren’t meant for the steaming process, you will notice your crabs will look as if you put mud on them. EVER notice that?

FACT #2 – In addition to our famous blends we make custom blends for MANY establishments. Many have their own secret family recipes and that is what makes each crab establishment unique. We sign confidentiality statements and that blend becomes their own and can only be purchased through that establishment. MANY have their famous seasoning bottled and private labeled by J.O. Spice.

FACT #3- Many are cost conscious due to the economy. We offer economy blends that some establishments choose. What we won’t do is jeopardize our families’ recipes by using anything other than the finest ingredients when making our house blends. This is why we offer options.

FACT #4- Not only do we supply the finest establishments with their seasonings and spices, we also have everything that goes along with the crab eating experience. Custom laser engraved mallets are VERY FAMOUS. We employ several companies in the USA to make this process happen and we own our own state of the art engravers. Our graphic designers can bring your ideas to life on a mallet making your crab event personal and fun. In addition to mallets we have crab paper, crab pots, crab paper towel holders, crab knives- plastic, stainless, and wood handled that can be personalized, crab bags, crab boxes, crab jewelry, crab decor…… this names only a few of our crabby items. What we don’t have….. a crabby staff! You will get personalized friendly service from start to finish no matter how small or big your order is. You will get the honesty you deserve! Many customers have become friends. We are grateful for each of you!

What is J.O. Spice…seems to be the common question for those who think what they are eating is the “other spice” when they go to a seafood establishment or crab carryout. They swear the Maryland way is OB. They couldn’t imagine anything other. THEN….. you ask them the question after they go on and on and on with their OB loyalty ( this I question?) ” Where is your favorite place to eat crabs when you eat them outside of your own home?” They name off several establishments which always brings a smile to my face BECAUSE they have named all the establishments that we have been serving for years. That is the AHA moment many have!!! I love to hear how Maryland is the only place that does crabs right because of OB and then the Maryland Magazine addition of best crab establishments is published and almost all who make the top ten are J.O. users and the few who aren’t use a generic mock up that still isn’t OB!

J.O. is made and manufactured in Baltimore, Maryland. YES…..right here in Baltimore! It is currently being operated by the third generation with the fourth in college getting their degrees so they can decide if the spicy life is for them. They work at J.O. during their breaks but they will earn the right to go into management. It won’t be given to them because of their last name. We are a working class family who loves what J.O. established. It is a great honor to expand on his dreams bringing our own unique touches to the business. I love to sit back and read the FACTS of the current leading seasonings that are on the market! All I ask is that before any of you make accusations you find out the facts. False rumors are spread with here say. I would be happy to educate you the way I was twenty five years ago. YES, twenty five years ago if you would have asked me OB or J.O., I would have said OB. Can you believe that? Well, it is true and this is how it happened. I met a man who liked my name, Ginger, and he told me I was destined to be his because his family was in the spice business and my name is a spice. He proceeded to ask if I ate crabs. DO I EAT CRABS??? That seemed like a stupid question. I am from Maryland, not only did I eat crabs but I swore they were steamed with OB!!! I asked him if his family owned OB….it was currently owned by Baltimore Spice at the time. It was later sold to the current company. He laughed and told me it was J.O. I told him he was crazy. I was that loyal to a brand when I too didn’t have all the facts. I would have nothing to do with him and his made up seasoning. I called the marina, where I learned to pick a crab all those years ago on my grandparents boat, and asked them, “What seasoning do you use when steaming crabs ( I couldn’t ask my grandparents because they were no longer with me but I held the memory of crab picking near and dear to my heart)?”  To my surprise….. the answer was a FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS IN BALTIMORE and the name was and is J.O. SPICE!

That’s my story…… when, where, and who educated you on how crabs are steamed the MARYLAND WAY?

Keeping it spicy while I educate one at a time ~Ginger

We won the knot best of weddings favors for 2014 (and 2013!). We want to sincerely thank you all for that most prized honor. We love what we do and it’s because of you that we can continue to do that! We LOVE LOVE LOVE taking the stress out of your wedding favors. We love to create and personalize great gifts for your wedding and event favors. Now, we have so much more to offer ~ especially since we’ve expanded! Do you have a wedding in the future? How about a special crab or BBQ feast? We are available – we can customize spice packets, mallets, cutting boards, glasses, oyster knives, paring knives….my goodness, this list could go on and on! What do you need on your personalized wedding and event favor?

                       FROM GINGER ~ “THANK YOU ALL for allowing us to be a part of your special day. The Best of the Knot for 2013 & 2014. It is an honor. We LOVE what we do…… personalized favors with personalized service.  

~Who is looking for a great personalized gift? Mallets, Crab knives, Oyster Knives, Cutting Boards, Glassware, Picture Frames, & More….

~Contact jospiceginger@yahoo.com for your personal consultation. Tell me what you are looking for and I will bring your ideas to life with my talented team of designers.

~Thanks again for another great year!

                        Keeping it personalized & spicy~Ginger”

• Having a spicy backyard BBQ party event? We have SPICE, awesome plates on sale in our store, Sportula’s for the grill, tablecloths, Koozies to keep the beer, soda and bottled water cold, potholders, glasses that you can ENGRAVE, cutting boards that you can PERSONALIZE, and more!

• Got a crab feast event coming up? Got spice, tongs, steamer pots, knives, bibs, bushel baskets and gloves? WE DO! How about decorations like authentic fish netting, fun, crabby wall decor, shirts, mallets that we can ENGRAVE, PERSONALIZE, CUSTOMIZE to your specs! You just have to give us a call or send us a request on our personalizedcrabmallets.com website.
• Planning a wedding? Need a fun, unique, awesome, great, (you supply the adjective) Personalized Favor? You have come to the right spicy website! If you dream it, we can engrave it*! We LOVE to personalize the spice bottle of your choice – Seafood, Blackened, Steak – with a customized label that has your wedding colors, your favorite saying or recipe, your picture, your theme, YOUR ideas…it makes it special for your guests because it’s all YOUR IDEAS! *Some restrictions apply!

Whether it’s a special birthday party, a themed baby shower, from the 1st to your 95th wedding anniversary, whatever event you are celebrating, a personalized favor is the way to go.

Take the stress out of your favors ~ let J.O. ENGRAVE CUSTOMIZE PERSONALIZE for you,

🙂 Pamela

J.O. Spice is More than Spice! It’s evolving, EXPANDING, and ever-changing which is a great thing when you have an unstable environmental factor. We will always have the BEST Seafood Seasoning and the GREATEST Crab Seasoning that spices up more than crabs and seafood. Have you tried it on your fried chicken? How about your potato salad? There’s a delicious shrimp salad recipe on the website! J.O. #1 and J.O. #2 works on EVERYTHING and that will never change! But the J.O. Family wants to stay around for another 68 years (and counting) so great, new and fun changes are happening!

The *NEW* retail store is the epitome of More than Spice! Hand-painted artistic AMERICAN-made signage, mugs, T-shirts, great gift ideas: pre-printed oyster and paring knives, cutting boards and of course, mallets are readily available. You can also customize those great gift ideas with your favorite quote, restaurant logo, picture, saying or whatever your imagination comes up with ~ just give us a call 410.247.5205! There are new items arriving everyday – have you stopped in or shopped the new online store?

More than Spice means that everyone’s budget gets met. From high end chic baby clothes to keychains, koozies and cute melamine dishes that can be used everyday or in a picnic, tailgate or beach setting, everyone who stops in can find something that they need! J.O. is the one stop shop where you can pick up your crab spice, all your crab necessities like crab knives, gloves, bushel boxes, baskets, bibs, picks, tongs and steamer pots and while you are waiting, you can browse the great selection of shirts, sweatshirts, specialty gourmet food items, potholders, sportulas, garden stakes, jewelry and much, much more. Did you need your gift wrapped? We can do that too! Just keep browsing, we’ll do it on the spot!

The combination of great spice, great customer service, great products is what J.O. started over 68 years ago. His vision remains to this day and with the *NEW* retail store, that vision is continually Expanding with the 3rd and 4th generation. When our crab establishments and watermen hurt, so do we so adding unique crab and coastal themes from small, family-owned Made In America businesses keeps us all busy filling orders and keeps America going!

J.O.’s vision is smiling all over ~ Spicy Dreams are becoming reality  ~ Inspirations keep the dreams alive ~ Personalized Gifts are thoughtful, meaningful and ever-growing to the J.O. product line! More than Spice is more than great customer service, more than excellent seasonings, more than reasonable prices, more than great American-made products, more than crabs – J.O. is an inspiration that whatever you dream…You Can Achieve. Ginger is living proof. Stop in and see her at the *NEW* retail store or “Catch” her at a crab establishment enjoying a wonderful seafood dinner or buy a tshirt and spread the word that SPICE IS NICE!

~Spicy living is fun. 

Enjoy,

🙂 Pamela

So it’s a New Year and healthy eating is a huge resolution for people. What people forget when they say they are going to “eat healthy” is to incorporate flavor into their food. That is what is so enticing and awesome about eating out – Flavor – and in some instances that flavor that you taste is – wait for it – FAT! I know that AND it still doesn’t stop me from eating out so what I always make sure to do as I’m cooking is taste, then SPICE as needed.

Healthy Eating takes more than a mind set. It takes planning and that’s hard because it’s always easier just to go thru the drive-thru or call for Take-Out! But, remember that piece of Rotisserie-spiced marinated grilled chicken you did with some broccoli and a baked potato? That was really the most delicious meal. Don’t forget the freshly-caught Rockfish spiced up Blackened style with the fresh mango-lime salsa and the green beans you had that time. What about your homemade “fried” chicken where you covered it in J.O. Cracker Meal spiced up with J.O. #1 that you baked instead of fried? Healthy is actually easier once you start. You just have to start. AND don’t forget to SPICE!

When you put in a baked potato for dinner, put in another one for lunch. When you are grilling a piece of chicken, grill two. When you are making a salad, cutting up the veggies, cut up a few more and use in a stir-fry or for the next day. Sometimes declaring Mondays the day of veggie prep and placing them in Ziploc bags gets your through ’til Friday and challenges you to make a dinner the rest of the week. I don’t feel like “working” on Sundays so I save my prep work until Monday and make sure that I have a leftover meal for the dreaded Monday lunch!

Go to the store with a list of what you enjoy eating if you want to stick to healthy resolutions. If you hate broccoli, forcing yourself to eat it because its “healthy” isn’t quite the best resolution that will stick. Do you like green beans? Salad? Carrots? Corn? (don’t underestimate the power of J.O. Lemon Pepper on all your veggies, especially green beans, zucchini, squash, asparagus, broccoli, etc!)  Do you choose to eat French fries over a sweet potato when you are dining out? Why not take a baby step and choose a sweet potato? Sometimes making that one baby step propels you to make other changes.

What’s the best way to stick to your resolutions for healthy eating? Trying it, just once, to see if you like it. If you happen to realize that you LOVE marinating chicken in homemade Italian dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and J.O. Italian Seasoning) ~ you can put that marinated chicken on top of pasta, in a salad, in a wrap sandwich, on a plate with rice or stir fried veggies ~ Voila, you have created a healthy eating resolution solution about 4 days a week!

No one is asking you to change your eating habits 7 days a week. C’mon, we’re all human. We need a cheat day, even a cheat weekend. But healthy eating isn’t hard. BUT you have to SPICE! Even if it’s just the simple J.O. Garlic Pepper. You need FLAVOR!!!! That’s how your resolution will last. Eating just to eat is not something I know how to do. Eating to enjoy is what I know and spicing it up with garlic, pepper, ground mustard, rotisserie, rosemary, sage, thyme, blackened, cajun is just FUN!

What is your favorite spice to use? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the J.O. Garlic Pepper! You?

Have fun experimenting with your food,

🙂 Pamela

J.O. Garlic Crab spice is delicious on chicken wings, shish kebabs and shrimp. Garlic Crab is the right salt, the right balance of crab spice to garlic so that it’s not overpowering, too strong or overwhelming; it’s just a very good, very flavorful spice that adds life to chicken, steak, shrimp, pork and meaty fish like rockfish, swordfish, and mahi mahi.

Garlic Crab is easy and convenient to work with as well. Since it has the salt and the spice, it’s all you need to rub on your meat to get your meat ready for grilling, broiling or roasting.

When you are not sure what to do for dinner, having Garlic Crab spice on hand will just make a dinner appear like magic!

~ Sprinkle on chicken breasts, some frozen fish that needs a little more oomph, or some shrimp.

~ Spread some shrimp on a baking pan, cut up some pats of butter and sprinkle the spice. Bake until shrimp is that nice pink opaque. Voila! Dinner in a flash!

~ Don’t ever forget to add Garlic Crab to potatoes, popcorn or tomatoes!

~ I’ve not tried this – YET – but I was told by a customer that he puts it on his lobster tails and it’s like heaven…He was pretty convincing so that’s why I bought a bottle!!

Let us know what you like to add Garlic Crab Spice to and how you use it in your kitchen! Share with us on Facebook, or Tweet it! If you are a Facebook Fan (and why are you not?), we regularly do “What’s for Dinner?” Contests so make sure to snap a picture of your dinner before you eat it so you can share and win a prize!

Keep it spicy in the kitchen,

🙂 Pamela

Look on Pinterest and you get lost in all the great crafty ideas…so just read here for a great craft idea (or check out the J.O. Pinterest page, we’ve marked great ideas for you!) We have these cool crab placemats and if you sew them onto a pillowcase, you can make it a pillow sham. Great for decorating your bed or your couch, patio or deck.

J.O. sells cinnamon sticks in 2 sizes and there are some great crafty things made out of Cinnamon Sticks – you can dip them in chocolate and use them as a stir stick in your hot cocoa, your tea or chai or your coffee. You can spray paint them and make them into a snowman with some black ribbon or licorice or chocolate icing. You can glue multiple sticks together to make a votive or tie with ribbon and fill with potpourri or greenery. You can make a centerpiece or your own potpourri with a mixture of cinnamon sticks, orange rinds and dried apples.

There are so many crafty ideas you can do with spice. What about a spice wreath? Anise stars make great ornaments and smell awesome too. You can make stars out of anise stars or snowman or any shape that you can imagine. Melt some white chocolate and put the anise star on top of a cinnamon stick to attach, add more white chocolate, make a cute snowman face out of chocolate icing and put a few in a Ziploc bag and gift them as a Snowman stick that works with your favorite hot chocolate.

Another craft idea is to use mini marshmallows with a Cinnamon stick and white or dark chocolate. You can use one marshmallow or three if you want a “jolly, happy fellow” and there’s also wreaths to make and stars…playing with your food is the best!

Just have fun creating and don’t forget to send us pictures! We love to add crafty ideas to the JO Pinterest page!

Have fun playing with food,

Pamela 🙂

Have you ever needed a focus point in your room? How about for the table? How about a great crab centerpiece for your wedding table, patio, dinner, or end table and then don’t forget the bridal shower table, the wedding card table or inside the basket of customized spice packet favors or decorated bushel box or even on top of the cupcake tier?

These crab centerpieces are located under the wedding tab on our online store only because I lost the debate – they aren’t just for weddings.

Do you have a table? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a store front? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a patio? Then use this centerpiece.

Do you have a restaurant? Then use this centerpiece.

Are you getting the idea?

Sure, use it as the centerpiece on your wedding table, cookie table, card table, bridal shower gift table but then use it for decorative purposes or for hanging jewelry or for making an eye-catching, draw your focus over here, type of magnet.

There is one available in a white-wash and the other is a blue wood crab. They stand about 12 1/2 inches tall and they are certified hand crafted. They are striking and photos really don’t do them justice as everyone who walks into the store goes, “Oh, I like that!” and then they buy one to use at their wedding or restaurant or home.

Where will you use this striking crab centerpiece? Let us know!

More than spice,

🙂 Pamela

J.O. has the custom, personalized wedding favor ideas for you! I think wedding cookie tables are wonderfully delicious! Who doesn’t love to see a wide spread of cookies while they are dancing the night away, toasting the Happy Couple? We have the perfect wedding favor idea~ Crab, lighthouse or starfish cookie cutters attached to a custom, or personalized mallet, or cutting board! The cookie cutters come in two sizes and paired with a favorite recipe, a cute bow or tie and they are the perfect wedding favor or bridal party gift!

Adding a customized mallet with your name and wedding date and having the cookie cutter attached with string or wraffia (the J.O. spelling since we sell that, too!) and a personalized note that might include a recipe for cookies or a recipe for what the day means to you or a recipe for happiness gives that special touch to your special event. Personalize your favor to fit your fancy.

What about a bottle of J.O. Cinnamon sugar or J.O. Pumpkin Pie Spice with a J.O. customized label attached to the “best pumpkin bread ever” or “absolutely wonderful snickerdoodles” recipes and a Cookie Cutter?

What about putting a cookie cutter with an engraved cutting board? Rolling out the dough on a cutting board gives you an even surface – use parchment paper underneath for easy clean up!

Wedding favors that are personalized, and customized add that special meaning to your special event. Giving as a gift to your bridesmaids or maid of honor keeps the memories alive for years to come ~ especially when it is something they will actually USE!

What was your favorite favor at a wedding?

Have a great (and spicy!) event!!

🙂 Pamela