It’s Football Season, which means it’s that time when I get to make tailgating snacks.

See, I could care less about who is playing.  I’m a “Carolina Girl” living in Saints Country, so I’m really just here to make the food.  And tablescape.

I found some really cute yard-line print table cloths at Kroger on an extreme markdown (were talking 99% markdown) when I lived in Mississippi and I knew it was meant to be.

So I’m just here to cook the food and go with my party theme.  I’m a simple woman. 😉

I received this Sriracha CHA! by Texas Pete® to review and my Carolina Girl, heart was sooo happy!

For those that don’t know, Texas Pete is a North Carolina Company.  If we know anything in North Carolina, we know our sports and we know our food!  Winston Salem is the home of hot sauce and Krispy Kreme Donuts… I could go on and on about how much I miss Carolina Style Barbecue, Hush Puppies, and Robert’s Famous Chicken Salad, but I’ll get to the point of this post– THE RECIPE!  

I used this item to add some kick to one of my favorite tailgating snacks: “Fran’s Famous Meatballs.”

Fran’s Famous Meatballs: 

Ingredients:

• Frozen Meatballs (You can make these fresh if you have the time, we keep meatballs in the freezer since I make these on demand). I usually allow them to thaw before cooking.
  • This recipe makes 1, 16 oz bag of meatballs
• 1/2 Cup of Grape Jelly (YES– JELLY!)
• 1/4 Cup of CHA! by Texas Pete®
• 1 Cup of Barbecue Sauce (I normally use Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce, but I tend to go with whatever brand is on sale or what we have available in our pantry)
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic (Can you tell that we like Garlic? 😀 If you’re not a fan, just leave this out)

Directions:

(If you are making your meatballs from scratch, you will need to brown them first, before beginning these steps. You can do that in the oven or using the stovetop)

1. Warm the jelly over medium-high heat (until it is dissolved). Be careful to stir continuously so that the gelatin does not burn.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients and the meatballs, stirring until the meatballs are coated on all sides.
3. Allow meatballs to simmer in sauce for 5 minutes while covered.
4. Then transfer meatballs to a crock pot or serving dish where they can remain warmed for serving.
5. Stir occasionally to prevent meatballs from scorching.

This is really a simple recipe, and can spice it up by adding in a new item like I’ve done with the CHA! by Texas Pete® or changing the barbecue sauce that you use. Sometimes I even change the jelly– I’ve used apricot jelly, grape jelly, and blackberry jelly in the past. You can mix it up, but don’t leave it out.  The JELLY is key!