Cinnamon and Sugar Coated Pecans

I have been looking for a recipe like this for years!  Last year I made one and the pecans were sticky and soggy...yuck!  This year I searched the web and looked at several recipes, and then kind of took the parts I like from different ones and made these!  They were EXACTLY what I was looking for!  :)  They were delicious warm and room temperature!  And these will make great gifts in little gift bags or jars.

Of course, pecans are expensive.  I buy mine at Costco.  You can always try a different kind of nut!!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

4 cups pecans (about 1 pound)
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spray two baking sheets (with sides!) generously with cooking spray.  Put the egg white and water in a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, whip the egg and water until it is foamy.  Pour the nuts into the bowl and toss to coat.  Place half the sugar/cinnamon mixture in a shallow bowl.  Grab a handful of coated nuts and toss them in the mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  When you run out of sugar/cinnamon mixture, add the rest to your bowl. (The reason I don't add it all at once is it ends up getting all gooey, and the last nuts don't get a great coating.)  Make sure pecans are in a single layer on the sheets, place both in oven on two different racks (make sure there is space between racks).  Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring nuts every 10 minutes and swapping the pans between racks. (35 minutes were perfect for mine!)

Hope  you love these as much as we all did!

Double Dipped Oreos

Please don't tell Nabisco, but you can make chocolate covered Oreos at home that are tastier AND cheaper!  These are easy to make, but a little time consuming.  However, the reward (eating them) is waaaay worth it.  And they are another great gift to give, which are sturdy and great for shipping! 

The best melting chocolate to use is Ghirardelli brand "Candy Making and Dipping Bar" Double Chocolate flavor.  The best place to get them is Sam's Club.  They come in 2 1/2 pound blocks and are around $7.50.  Click here to see what they look like.

I use the Wilton Choclate Pro melting pot to make this project easier. I don't use it to melt the choclate, but I do use it to keep the chocolate warm while I am dipping the cookies.  If you don't have this, I suggest doing the cookies in smaller batches because your chocolate will start to harden as it cools. You can get the melting pot at any craft type store that carries Wilton products (and of course, use a 40% off coupon for it!!)

Double Dipped Oreos

5 dozen Oreo cookies
2 1/2 pounds melting chocolate
Assorted Christmas Sprinkles
Wax paper

Melt 1 1/2 pounds of the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute at half power.  Stir.  Continue microwaving and stirring at half power at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate into melting pot (if using).  Place one Oreo at a time into the chocolate using a fork to flip it to coat both sides.  Carefully lift with the fork and gently tap on the edge to  let excess chocolate drop off.  Scrape bottom of fork along edge while removing to stop pooling of chocolate on around bottom edge of cookie.  Place on wax paper.  Repeat with all cookies.  Let these harden for a couple hours before melting the other pound of chocolate and dipping all the cookies again (using the same procedure) and topping with sprinkles.  This time let harden for several hours, and then store in airtight container, using wax paper between the layers.  Store in a cool place, but not the refrigerator or freezer!  I keep mine in the garage....well, now that I am living in Michigan again!  :)

My family LOVES these, so I have to make some for us to keep.  But I mostly make them to give away.  I like to use those holiday printed cellophane bags with the twisty ties and just put 4 - 6 in a bag and tie them up and put a tag on them.  A cute little gift for someone you want to say "thanks" to. 

Happy dipping!  :)

Christmas Confetti

My mom has been making this Christmas treat for many, many years and it has become a staple in our house at Christmas as well.  Not only do we like to eat it, but lots of people love it, and it's a great treat to give away because it's easy to make and package.  And, if you have family and friends far away that you like to ship goodies to, this ships very well!

I have made this using several different brands of white "chocolate" coating.  The best brand is the Ghirardelli "Candy Making & Dipping Bar".  You can get them in 2 1/2 pound blocks at Sam's Club for a great price...around $7.50!!  They come in milk chocolate as well.  Click here to see them on the Sam's Club website. 

Christmas Confetti

6 cups Kellogg's Crispix Cereal
3 cups Cheerio's
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken in half
1 cup plain M & M's (the Christmas red/green kind)
1 pound white melting chocolate

Mix the cereal, nuts, pretzels and M&M's in a large bowl.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute at half power.  Stir.  Continue melting and stirring at half power for 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Drizzle melted chocolate over cereal mixture, stirring constantly.  Spread on wax paper to dry.  Break up pieces when dry and store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!!!

Hearty Oven Baked Chili

I have not made this chili in years.  Seriously.  I think the last time I made it before this time was when we lived in Michigan more than 7 years ago.  I am not really sure why, but I got it in my head that I didn't like it.  Well, was I wrong.  My husband kept asking me to make it, so I finally did last week, and I LOVE it.  And my kids thought it was great, too! 

It makes a ton, so it's great if you have a large family, are going to have company, or just want to have leftovers.  It does require a little prep (like anything!), but then you just put it in the oven and let it bake.

I have adapted this recipe from a Pampered Chef recipe that I got years ago.

Hearty Oven Baked Chili

2 1/2 pounds boneless meat stew meat, excess fat trimmed and cut into bite size pieces (1/2 inch cubes)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I use dried garlic)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups onions, coarsley chopped
2 cups green pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained1
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (15 1/2 oz) kidney beans (or your favorite beans), drained and rinsed
Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place meat cubes into a large, oven proof dutch oven, (or I use the Pampered Chef Stoneware Baking Bowl).  Sprinkle garlic and all seasonings over meat.  Stir to coat the meat well.  Add chopped onions, green pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans.  Mix well.  Cover and bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.  (2 1/2 hours has always worked for me).  Carefully remove from oven and lift lid away from you to avoid the hot steam that will come out!!  Serve topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese, if desired.


We ate this for a few days, and it was so good every time.  I baked some cornbread to go with it and it was a great meal for a cold day! 

I will definitely be making it again soon!!

Banana Bread

Banana bread is another favorite quick bread in our house!  I had some bananas on the counter yesterday that needed to be used up, so of course this is what I made.  No chocolate chips though.  :)  Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate chips in a lot of things.  Just not in my breads!

Banana Bread - Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I like canola)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.  Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a loaf pan. 
2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Make a well in the center of the ingredients.
3,  In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork until relatively smooth.  Add the egg, sugar and oil.  Mix well.
4.  Add all the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. 
5.  Fold in walnuts.
6.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

I cannot wait to have a piece of this with my coffee this morning!!  My kids had some with their breakfast before school and loved it! 

I have been making this recipe for years.  I have tried several others and always gone back to this one!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Browned Butter-Pecan Shortbread

I have had this recipe flagged for 4 years and I am finally trying it today!  Every year I like to add a new cookie that I have never made before to my plates that I give away as gifts.  Once in awhile, one of them becomes a yearly staple.  :)


Browned Butter-Pecan Shortbread - adapted from Southern Living (click here for original recipe)

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

1.  Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown.  Stir constantly!!  It will get foamy, then bubbly, then start to turn golden as foam dissapates.  Remove from heat immediately when this happens, and pour butter into a small bowl. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for an hour or until it starts to solidify. 
2.  Place chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until lightly toasted.
3.  Once butter is chilled enough to use, place in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until cream.  Add the brown sugar and powdered sugar gradually, and beat until smooth.  Add the flour a little at a time beating at low speed.  Mix in pecans.
4.  Split the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Form each piece into an 8 inch log and wrap in wax paper.  Chill the logs for at least 4 hours or until firm.
5.  Slice the logs into 1/4" thick rounds and place on lightly greased cookie sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper.
6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.


These were very simple to make.  The most difficult part is slicing them before baking.  I recommend a small knife.  First I used a medium size knife, and was having problems with the dough crumbling because it is kind of dry.  Next, I went to a huge knife, and that was worse.  So I went to a tiny, sharp, thin bladed knife...it was perfect!  I only took out one log of dough at a time.  As I sliced it, I would rotate the log about an eighth of a turn to help the dough keep its rounded shape.  These spread just a tiny bit, so you can put several of them on a sheet at one time.

They are VERY tasty.  Melt in your mouth, buttery, and the toasted pecans are fab.  Will I add them to my list this year?  Not sure...have a couple others to try first.  Would I make them again?  Absolutely.  The fam loves them! 

I may try dipping them halfway in chocolate....I'll let you know if I try that!

:)

Pumpkin Bread

I am addicted to Pumpkin Bread.  Seriously.  I could eat it all the time.  I have made a few loaves of it this fall, and then a new neighbor brough us over a loaf earlier this week.  When that was gone, I knew I needed to make more.  My family requested I put chocolate chips in it this time.  I did, but I honestly didn't like it nearly as much.  It kind of lost the pumpkin taste that I love so much.  It wasn't bad, but  it wasn't the same pumpkin bread that I had gotten addicted to. 

So you will have to decide if you want to add chocolate chips to yours.  :)  I vote no.

Pumpkin Bread - adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus spice blend
-OR-
1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ginger or cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1.  Grease the bottom and part way up the sides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Mix well.
3.  Add pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening.  Beat with an electric speed on low until blended.  Then beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4.  Add the other cup of flour and beat until blended.
5.  Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
6.  Spread batter in prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.  Wrap in foil and store overnight before slicing.  It's MUCH tastier the next day!!!


Hope you all love this as much as we do...and let me know if you try it with the chocolate chips or without!

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

I first made this recipe early this past year when Frank and I were following the 17 Day Diet eating plan.  Both Frank and I realized we loved eating less carbs, and we felt better while we were doing it.  So, several of the recipes have become ones I make often.

This recipe is a modification of a few recipes I came across.  I like to make the turkey burger patties in advance and freeze them so I can pull them out easily when I want to make this recipe.

Greek Style Turkey Burgers

Burgers:
small diced onion or dried onion
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
20 package ground turkey
Baby Spinach leave
3 tomato slices

Sauce:
1/2 cup plain, non-fat greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced

In a mixing bowl, mix the burger ingredients (except for the spinach and tomato) together and shape into 4 patties.  Grill on outdoor grill or countertop grill until burgers are cooked to 165 -170 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, place the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Serve each burger by placing a tomato slice on the plate, top with a burger patty, then a handful of baby spinach, another tomato slice, then spoon sauce over top. 

These are great if you are looking for a no/low carb meal.  Yes, you have to eat it with a fork and knife, but they are still pretty delicious!

Cheeseburger/French Fry Casserole

This is a recipe I have made for my kids for years.  It is not low-fat.  It is not low-sodium.  It is full of processed food items.  So, if you are looking for something healthy.  This isn't it.

However, it is easy, and pretty tasty.  My kids enjoy it, and it makes enough to get some leftovers from. 

I believe I got this recipe from a magazine years ago, and it's just kind of become a comfort food staple at our house.

Cheeseburger French Fry Casserole

2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 can Golden Mushroom soup (*see note)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 bag your favorite frozen french fries

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Mix browned beef and soups.
3.  Spread in a 9x13 dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
4.  Top with french fries to cover.
5.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until fries are lightly browned.

Serve topped with salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard and pickles. 

*Note:  Ok, this is TOP SECRET...but a few years back, one of my kids found a mushroom in the casserole.  Well, they swore it was a mushroom, and I told them it wasn't.  After that, I started running the Golden Mushroom soup through my mini-food processor to pulverize any evidence of the actual mushrooms!  :) 

I usually make this ahead by browning the beef and mixing it with the soups and placing it in the pan and then putting it in the fridge until I am ready to bake.  At that point, I top it with the fries and put it in the oven.

Tonight I served it with a Caesar salad!  Big hit and everyone was happy!  :)

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Feta

I have been searching for healthy vegetable dishes to serve as side dishes. I love all these flavors and decided to try this recipe I found at myrecipes.com with a couple small changes. You can view the original recipe here.

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Feta

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic or 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

I served this along side meatloaf and we really liked it.  The kids did not eat it, but that was fine because there was more for us. The one part of the recipe I was confused about was cooking the asparagus. I was unsure whether to bring the water to a boil, then add the asparagus, or put the asparagus in the pot with the water, bring to a boil, and then cook for 2 minutes. Well, I ended up putting the asparagus in before bringing the water to a boil, but I was happy with the result.  I like my asparagus a little more tender than crisp, but I don't like it soggy.  So it's up to you to decide how you want to try it.  If you make it the other way, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I saw this recipe and immediately thought of my kids. I am always buying granola bars at the store and they are expensive and full of ingredients I can't pronounce.  I thought maybe these would be a good alternative, and even though they still have a fair amount of sugar, I am in control of the ingredients. 

This recipe came to me from an e-mail from Taste of Home. Click here to go to the original recipe.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

1/2 cup your favorite peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the peanut butter, honey, egg, oil and vanilla together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar and salt. Add half of dry mixture to wet mixture and mix well. Repeat with the other half.  Stir in chips.

Spray a 9x13 baking pan/dish with non-stick spray.  Spread mixture into the pan and pack it down well with the back of a spoon. It is normal for the batter to seem sticky. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until set.  Place dish on a wire rack until cool. Cut into bars. 

My kids are absolutely crazy for these. And they are so easy to make. I have already made a couple batches and have been wrapping some of them in wax paper and placing in a freezer bag and freezing them so when the crazy baseball/softball season starts in March, I will have a head start on some quick snacks.

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs

As many of you may know, we have been trying to eat healthier at our house, so I have been making some changes to things we like to eat. I was looking for a good meatball recipe to make with ground turkey, and after looking at several, I put together one of my own. Sorry there is no picture....we were hurrying to eat dinner to make it to basketball on time!

Turkey Meatballs

20 oz. package ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 cup Hodgson Mill Oat Bran cereal

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1.    Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

2.    Mix all ingredients in large bowl until well combined.

3.    Roll into balls using 1 tbsp. of meat for each. (I use a 1 tbsp. cookie dough scoop to measure and then formed with my hand)

4.    Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with non-stick foil or sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 8 minutes, turn over.  Bake 8 more minutes, turn over.  Bake 8 more minutes, and remove from oven. Total bake time is 24 minutes.

5.    At this point you have meatballs to use in any recipe you want!  Either eat or freeze for later use.

Makes about 45 meatballs.

These were so good, I'm thinking I won't need to make them with beef ever again. My son was gobbling them up right out of the oven. And my husband even commented on their tasty flavor.  So, this is definitely a keeper recipe for us!!!

Hope you like them, too!!