Trenholm Venom Pumpkin Pluff

1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

2-3 TB Palmetto Pepper Potions Trenholm Venom hot sauce

2 TB pure maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Stir together and serve with pita chips, ginger snaps or crackers as an appetizer for crisp fall evenings and holiday gatherings. Stir in some sour cream or fresh whipped cream for a savory pumpkin mousse. Great for tailgating and holiday parties.

©Palmetto Pepper Potions • www.pepperpotions.com

Daily Red Spicy Cheese Wontons (Shown with Molten Golden Brie with Peaches)

Here’s an easy take-along appetizer that is a hit at parties and perfect for tailgating. We’ve prepared it with Palmetto Pepper Potions Daily Red, but it also works with Larynx Lava, Molten Golden or Trenholm Venom hot sauce.

Ingredients:

1 8oz bar cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated

1/2 cup sweet red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/3 to 1/2 bottle Daily Red hot sauce

1 package wonton wrappers

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

Stir cream cheese and cheddar together. Add red bell pepper and hot sauce and mix thoroughly. Drop one teaspoon of cheese spread onto the middle of a wonton wrapper and fold over to form a triangle. Place the wonton on a baking sheet. Fill and fold the remaining wonton wrappers until you have used all of the cheese mixture. Brush wontons lightly with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Makes approximately 4 dozen wontons.

Also, check out our Spicy Honey Glazed Shrimp Skewers and Carmelized Carolina Chicken recipes that appeared in The State newspaper on Sept. 2:

http://www.thestate.com/food/story/924993.html

Palmetto Pepper Potions has been rocking the tastebuds of friends, family and a growing number of fiery foods fans since our first flavor, Molten Golden, was launched in September 2004.

Our 5th anniversary celebration is set for Saturday, September 26 with a concert featuring the artists whose music inspired two of our flavors – Mark Kano and Mike Garrigan.

Mark Kano (Larynx Lava) will perform songs from his long awaited debut solo record, “Walking On Broadway” – the first available collection of new songs written by Mark since Athenaeum’s self-titled release on Atlantic Records. Athenaeum’s “Radiance” CD produced the Top 10 Modern Rock Hit “What I Didn’t Know” and sold more than 100,000 copies. www.markkano.com.

Mike Garrigan (Molten Golden) formed the modern rock band Collapsis. Joining forces with Scott Carle (formerly of Dillon Fence), Ryan Pickett, and Chris Holloway (formerly of Queen Sarah Saturday) the band exploded onto the national music scene with the No. 28 Billboard Modern Rock Hit “Automatic.” In 2001, Mike joined Athenaeum. Currently, singer/songwriter and producer Mike Garrigan is touring as a solo acoustic artist. www.mikegarrigan.com.

Mark and Mike are two of our favorite singers on the planet and we are thrilled that they will be here next month! This is an acoustic show with a limited number of tickets available on a first-paid, first-reserved basis. It’s a rare opportunity to see them in “Famously Hot” Columbia, SC.

We’ll be serving up an array of sizzling appetizers made with Daily Red, Larynx Lava, Molten Golden and Trenholm Venom along with some other treats at this saucy soiree.

Email riffwood (at) mindspring for more details.

Wild Carolina Shrimp and Grits with Greens and Daily Red

1 lb. wild-caught South Carolina shrimp

4-6 strips thick sliced bacon

1 cup stone-ground yellow grits

1 onion, diced

½ sweet red pepper, diced

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced and divided in half

3 TB. extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 TB. bacon drippings

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup milk

1 bunch Swiss chard or other seasonal greens, cleaned and coarsely chopped

Fresh basil or parsley, minced

1 tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Palmetto Pepper Potions Daily Red Hot sauce, to taste

Preparation:

Peel and devein shrimp and set aside. Prep vegetable ingredients, by chopping the onion, sweet red pepper, garlic and the seasonal greens. Set aside. Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 TB of the bacon drippings. Set skillet aside.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 1 tsp. of sea salt to boiling water. Slowly stir in one cup of grits, using a whisk to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring grits frequently until they thicken – about 25-30 minutes. Add milk, grated cheddar and freshly ground black pepper. Add additional seasonings or hot sauce, if desired. Stir grits and set aside to rest.

Add 2 TB olive oil to the bacon drippings and saute the onion in this mixture until translucent. Add white wine, garlic and sweet red pepper and saute until pepper is tender. Add shrimp and cook until pink, approximately 3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 1 TB olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add greens, stirring frequently with a spatula until wilted. Add garlic and and continue cooking, covered until greens are tender, about 3 minutes.

Divide greens onto 4 plates. Ladle grits over greens and then spoon shrimp over the grits. Garnish with crumbled bacon and minced fresh basil or parsley.

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Peach and Fig Salsa

1 large ripe peach, diced

1/2 Vidalia onion, diced

8 fresh figs, sliced, with skins left on

1 small sweet red pepper, diced

assorted chile peppers to taste, minced

juice of a fresh lime

sea salt and black pepper

minced fresh tarragon

******

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

After stirring salsa ingredients together, drizzle a TB of olive oil on a large sheet of heavy duty foil, place three or four large boneless skinless chicken breasts on top and sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper. Then, spoon the salsa over the chicken and fold the foil over this to make a sealed packet for the grill. The Hot Honcho grilled the chicken over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. The salsa slightly caramelized and the chicken was moist and tender. Grilled green beans from our garden and quinoa with toasted pecans made this a quick and healthy meal with enough leftovers for the Hot Honcho’s lunch.

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Peach and Fig Salsa

Need a five-minute appetizer that you can make right before you leave for a party or minutes before you have your friends over for tangerine mojitos by the pond?

Molten Golden Brie with Fresh Fruit

1 one-pound wheel of brie cheese

1 bottle Palmetto Pepper Potions Molten Golden hot sauce

Thinly sliced fresh South Carolina peaches, apples, pears or figs

2 TB brown sugar (optional)

1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

1 fresh lemon

Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the sliced fruit and set aside. Place brie on a microwave safe plate. Drizzle generously with Molten Golden and then sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange the sliced fruit on top. Heat brie in microwave at 30-second intervals until slightly melted. Serve with whole grain crackers.