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!!