The holiday season is a time to celebrate. It's the time of year that my family and friends drop by my house a lot. I always like to have a few quick fix dishes to make when the doorbell rings.
An easy appetizer to put out in a flash to feed a crowd is a brick of cream cheese topped with my Spicy Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jam and a bunch of crackers. It's a perfect appetizer to enjoy with a cocktail or holiday punch.
This jam is also very easy to spoon into a lot of different recipes as well. I love to add it as a glaze for little smokie sausages to put out with a some toothpicks or even as a glaze for meatloaf, grilled chicken or fish.
The pepper jam can be made in advance and just sit in your fridge until you need to use it. It also works as a fantastic condiment for a burger, turkey or ham sandwich. I also like to take this as a hostess gift to parties so my host can put it out for the party or keep it in their fridge and enjoy it later with their meals.
One of the main ingredients in pepper jelly/jams is sugar, a lot of sugar. I try very hard not to eat too much sugar and I am constantly swapping out sugar with SPLENDA®. My husband and I always use SPLENDA® packets in our coffee or tea. I also use it a lot when I make desserts. So, the idea of replacing the sugar with SPLENDA® in this jam was very easy to do.
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Swapping sugar out for SPLENDA® can also help with all the extra holiday eating we do from Halloween through New Year's Day.
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Spicy Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jam
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer
Ingredients:
10-12 medium size jalapenos seeded
1 large red bell pepper seeded
1 yellow bell pepper seeded**
1 orange bell pepper seeded**
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp grated fresh garlic
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups granulated SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener (not the individual packets)
1 tsp red chili powder (or cayenne)
1 tsp salt
1 packet pectin powder used to make jam and jellies
** You can use 3 red bell peppers instead of the yellow and orange if you prefer
Directions:
Step 1: In a large pot, add the ginger, garlic, red chili powder/cayenne, salt, vinegar and SPLENDA®. Bring to a simmer on low heat until everything melts into a liquid. This will take about 5 minutes. 
Step 2: Wash all jalapeno peppers and bell peppers. Then seed them and take the ribs out. Place in a food processor and plus until they are finely chopped. Place all chopped peppers into a large pot. 
Step 3: Turn the heat up on the vinegar/SPLENDA® mixture to ensure it's well dissolved then strain into the pot with the peppers. This will remove all the pieces of ginger and garlic and give you a better consistency for the jam. Stir the peppers and the vinegar/SPLENDA® and then increase the heat to a medium high heat. 
Simmer the pepper mixture at a rolling boil for 10-12 minutes. Tip: a rolling boil is defined as a boil that does not stop bubbling even when you stir. Remove any foam from the top of the pan with a metal spoon and discard. Then add the powdered pectin and stir well Simmer at a rolling boil for another 2-3 minutes. Turn stove off and immediately put jam into sterilized jars. Allow ingredients to cool off then put lids on the jars and place in fridge. Jam is good in fridge for 2-3 weeks. Makes about 6-7 cups of jam.
What recipe would you like to swap out the sugar with SPLENDA®? The recipes are endless so enjoy the season with smarter choices thanks to SPLENDA®.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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