Spiced Pecans: Mom's recipe

Great recipe for your nut loving family and friends.

Hint:  Thanksgiving and Christmas.


I wasn't going to do a thing today in the kitchen but I just couldn't resist making some wonderful toasty pecans that everyone loves!   Mom made these every year and she couldn't make them fast enough. You can't eat just one! if you know what I mean.  Everyone loves them!  They are also wonderful to make for the holidays AND  they STORE WELL IN COOKIE TINS.  I doubled the recipe and made 2 lbs..

I love to give containers mixed with these pecans and trail mix that I make especially during the holidays.  You can find cute little containers at the Dollar Store.

Happy Baking from my kitchen to yours,

1 egg white slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 lb. pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves (optional)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. allspice

All toasted and just out of the oven..Yummy!

Stir after 20 minutes and put back in oven for 10 minutes more..

Mix together sugar, salt and all spices..

In a Medium bowl whisk egg white and water, stir in pecans until all surfaces are moistened. Sprinkle above sugar/ spice mixture to coat all pecans.  Mix well until all pecans are covered with sugar mixture...

Spread pecans on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a pre heated oven 300 degrees for 30 minutes..stirring once after 20 minutes then put back in oven and bake remaining 10 minutes. Cool and store.

11/18/12 original

11/23/13

Gifts, Gifts and more Gifts

How about some easy snacks for gift giving or some reasonable and affordable kitchen friendly items or for the person who loves plants here are several selections.

 Click on the highlighted link for a few as well as several other ideas in the post.

Hoping to help with your gift selections.

A great hostess gift that will be appreciated.

Hostess Gift  

Dollar store container filled with goodies.  Pennies to make.

Aprons for the kitchen king or queen

Cool Gifts  

A plant or herb they would enjoy.  Christmas Cactus or a pothos plant are beautiful and easy to maintain.  The cactus produces flowers this time of year the the Pothos plant comes in a variety of variagted or green leaves which is great for a low light areas.

Christmas Cactus

Pothos

 

Jade Plant

A colorful plant container(Rosemary plants) are available this time of year.  They are easily kept indoors for all year round herb use. This is my Rosemary that I took outside in summer after spending the winter inside my home.

Why not make a basket with some kitchen or garden tools?  I love mine!  Go to your local garden center or discount department stores and buy a inexpensive basket or garden container and fill with useful garden tools and supplies.  There are so many to choose from and as a person who loves anything garden friendly I would love anything from there.  Tools, plant spikes, gloves, etc.  They'll love it to name a few!



 For the baker or cook a new cookbook would be appreciated.

 
One more gift idea is a Gift card to their favorite grocery store.  Who wouldn't like that?  Practical and definitely would be appreciated.

I'm hoping some of these gift suggestions have been helpful and they won't break your gift budget either.

Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas to all! xo

Hostess Gifts~~ Munchies! Sweet and Salty

 Easy munchies for the snack lovers...Here are a few suggestions for your holiday entertaining! These also make cute hostess or teacher gifts.

Caramel Puffs, Spiced Pecans and Salty and Sweet Trail Mix

1. Toss together dried cranberries and an equal amount of  pecans, cashews and even adding some mini chocolate chips and Reese's pieces.(Buy $1.00 boxes or pretty decorative plastic containers at Dollar Store). Add a tie and you have the cutest hostess gift that is budget friendly.

2. Toss equal parts of chocolate covered raisins and roasted salted almonds and small pretzels

3.  Mixed nuts and dried cherries or blueberries..

You can make these yourself and buy in bulk and save money..   Try Costco and Sam's..

Happy Entertaining!  Adding corn chex, pretzels and anything dry will make it your way!

From my kitchen to yours,

12/19/12

Cool Gifts for any occasion!

Here is a little history of the Apron.  Enjoy!!

Remember making an apron in Home Economics? Read below: The History of 'APRONS' I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and some times half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And, when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. Send this to those who would know and love the story about Grandma's apron. Remember: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pie on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. (Boy, if that ain't the truth!!!) Today people would go crazy trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron! I don't think that I ever caught anything from an apron -- but LOVE!

 As I was getting ready to prepare dinner and grabbed my apron as not to take a chance and mess up my clean blouse I thought I must pass this idea to my loyal fans. 

I love my aprons (different colors, bib or no bib), I prefer bib aprons though.  They cover me from top to bottom and things can get pretty messy in the kitchen some days. 

  So:  Make a cook happy and buy or better yet make them a great apron.  Lots of my friends sew and my Mom was quite good at it and made me the one I have on in the photo below.  They'll remember your gift for a very long time!

I have on the apron my Mom made for me twenty or so years ago..

I love it but I love APRONS!!!

This a small selection of aprons.  You can check TJ Maxx and Marshalls and Tuesday Morning for others.  Also Kitchen stores have them.



11/27/11