Yipppeee!  Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend!!  I am so excited I could just burst.  Congrats to the Patriots and Giants. (Okay, I had to look all of this information up.)

I don’t follow football.  And I don’t mean that I don’t watch it.  I watch it and just don’t follow what the heck is happening.

I have a lot of questions like wouldn’t “rock, paper, scissors” be more interesting than a coin toss?

And how do you “stiff arm” someone if you aren’t in a car, breaking quickly?

It is all very confusing to me but I do sit with my hubby when he does watch.  (And I ask him enough questions that he eventually gives up the remote and leaves the room.)

Things I do know that a first down isn’t when the first guy falls but has something to do with that line they try to cross.  (I also understand that there is not an actual line on the field and that is just for television reference.)

And there are very specific times when the players are allowed to kick the ball.  (This has taken years for me to understand but I finally get it!)

But the one thing I don’t need explained is that you can’t have Super Bowl Sunday without tons of awesome snacks in the house!  My menu has been under construction for weeks and I am trying to wean it down so we don’t spend all of next week eating snacks.  (Would that turn me into a “wide receiver.”)

My menu isn’t finalized yet but I do have one condiment that will be hitting the table…Cowboy Candy.

Simply speaking, Cowboy Candy is candied jalapeños.  I learned to make it this summer when I was on my canning benders.

They are the perfect Super Bowl condiment because you can put them on nachos, chili or even cream cheese on a cracker! The heat of the jalapeño is sacked by the sweetness in the pickling.  No matter what team your taste buds are on, it is a touchdown!

Cowboy Candy (Or Patriot Candy Or Giant Candy)

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds, fresh jalapeño peppers

1 red Thai chili pepper (optional)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

3 cups white sugar

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp celery seed

½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 pint or 4 ½ pint canning jars

Directions

WEAR GLOVES!!!!  I don’t care how experienced you are with hot peppers.  You will not regret wearing gloves when you cut this many jalapeño peppers.

Remove the stems and discard.

Slice peppers into rounds and set aside.  You want to keep the seeds in them!

In a large, non-reactive pot add vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed and cayenne.  Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add jalapeños and allow them to simmer another 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, evenly place the peppers in clean, sterile canning jars.  Leave a ¼ inch on the top.

Turn the heat up under the remaining syrup and brings to a boil.  You want it to become syrupy and not burn.  (Remember it is sugar.)  It took about 5 minutes.

Carefully, add syrup to jalapeño jars and use a chopstick to release the bubbles that may have formed.  Put on caps and place in fridge.  Make these at least 24 hours in advance.

These are NOT shelf stable unless you officially process them that is why I said put it in the fridge.  They should be good for a couple of weeks but they won’t make it past game day!

I am looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday for simple things like the silly commercials, the half time show and the witty banter of the announcers.  (Those guys just crack me up with the facts and figures.) I’ll let you know what I made next week.  Until then….are you ready for some Football???