Man D'oeuvres

*Here's another "atrocity" from HF. Except it's not an atrocity! It's incredibly delicious. I have a recipe for a homemade version here if you don't have a good brand of pepper jelly in your area. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got it. HF does a variety of things like this with cream cheese and different spreads. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not good. This one is his absolute favorite. It was actually his idea to do this with the cream cheese. I didn't have the recipe at the time so I'm doubly impressed with him. He didn't know that this was something people did.

I bring you: Man D'oeuvres. This is one of those snacks that if you're not careful you'll end up eating the entire entree yourself and then you'll feel like a loser. So make sure you have at least one other person around to share this with. This is incredibly easy to make. Here's what you need:

Crackers: I used Ritz this go around but I also use Triscuits and Wheat thins.

Cream Cheese: Any brand will do

Rose City Pepperheads Jelly: Any flavor will do. I used Apricot with Attitude

1. Set a block of cream cheese out on a plate and let it get a little soft. Or if you're in a hurry, you can stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it.
2. Next you spoon your favorite flavor of Rose City Pepperheads Jelly on top of the cream cheese.

Now you're done and can start dipping crackers into the spread.

The jelly is what really makes this great. My sister in law introduced me to the Rose City Pepperhead Jelly company a few years ago and I've been hooked ever since. Whenever she visits from Oregon she brings me a few jars and I love her for it. We've even had a box shipped before. It is only sold in Oregon as far as we know. The peppers give this a sweet and picante bite that is immediately cooled a bit by the cream cheese. So those of you who are inexperienced in the way of the pepper won't suffer.

This snack can pull double duty for you. It's great for watching the game and it's equally good for impressing your wife when she's preparing a more formal dinner party. Enjoy!