Sugared Pecans

I have a lot of requests for this recipe after Christmas, so here it is.

Sugary Spice Pecans

1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 t cinnamon
dash ground cloves
2 c pecan halves
1 t vanilla extract
cooking spray

Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring contstantly. Add pecans and vanilla, cook stirring constantly until all syrup is absorbed and pecans are coated. Spread mixture on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray and cool; separate pecans. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Note: it is important to keep stirring through the entire process, about 20 minutes. If you want to make a lot of pecans, keep it in small batches because otherwise your arm will get really tired!!

White Chili

Hi! I don't know most of you, but I'm a friend of Jen Barnes. Here's a recipe I got from a friend of mine (Jen Trulock) and made for the first time tonight. I usually throw some cheap chicken in the crock post with some water, a little soy sauce, salt and pepper and let it cook for 4-6 hours. Once it's done I pull it out and make 4-6 dinners with it, and this is one I made today:
White Chili

4-6 chicken breasts, shredded or cubed
2 15-oz cans Northern beans
2 15-oz cans chicken broth/stock
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix together and heat. Freezes great!

Swedish thumbprint cookies

So I woke up today freezing cold and got the itch to make cookies. I've been baking all morning and these are the BOMB.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup any flavor fruit jam


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour, and mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets. Imprint your thumb in the center to make a 1/2 inch indentation. Fill with your favorite preserves.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown at the edges.

Modifications - I added almost (but not quite) a teaspoon of almond extract to the mix. I used a 1-inch cookie scoop (tiny!) to get them the same size and then rolled them in my palms to keep them smooth. I don't have a 1/4th teaspoon scoop, so I used a 1/3rd teaspoon scoop to press the indent and then the same scoop to scoop the jam. I also used the leftover cranberry/rhubarb sauce from La Madeleine that came with our Thanksgiving dinner and that is heavenly!

I will have to email this to my sister-in-law because there are no eggs and no dairy in this cookie recipe!

I used my 1-inch diameter cookie scoop and got 74 cookies out of 1 batch of dough.

Kari's awesome green beans

My sister in law, Kari, made these at Thanksgiving and I want to make them again. This way I won't lose the recipe!

For the green beans:
2 pounds fresh french green beans
3 T olive oil
2 t coarse salt
2 t fresh ground black pepper

For the gremolata:
2 T fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1 small lemon
zest of 1/2 orange


Preheat oven to 375, put racks in upper and lower third of oven. Trim and wash the green beans. Dry them thoroughly. Toss beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on two rimmed sheet pans. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, remove the pans from the oven and shake to toss green beans. Replace in oven, switching racks, and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until beans are mildly browned but not burned on tips.

While the green beans are roasting, mince the parsley and garlic and add to the lemon and orange zest in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Immediately after removing beans from oven, shake again and then stprinkle with gremolata. Toss beans with gremolata using tongs. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Bread

This is from the Southern Living Christmas Book. They call it "orange bread" but I don't think it is very orangy, and sometimes I use lemon instead. I am killing two birds with one stone by posting here, because I am going to use this recipe while we're in Oklahoma.

3/4 c sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 T grated orange rind
2 11oz. cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 3oz. package cream cheese cut into 20 tiny little squares
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c powdered sugar
2 T orange juice

Combine first 3 ingredients and set aside. Separate each biscuit into 2 halves. Place a cream cheese square between halves, press edges to seal. Dip each biscuit in melted butter and dredge in the reserved sugar mixture. Stand each biscuit on end in a lightly greased bundt pan, spacing evenly. Drizzle with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden. Invert onto a wire rack. Whisk together powdered sugar and juice, drizzle over the warm bread. YUM.

Bush's Best 3 bean chili

Got this from a Bush beans cookbook, it's yummy. Makes about 4-6 servings. I overflowed my crock-pot when I made the recipe as written, so this edited to be half of the original quantities.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 t chili powder (or more, lots more if you are me)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small bell pepper, chopped and seeded
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 small can tomato paste
dash salt
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t ground cumin
dash cinnamon

Brown ground beef, pour off fat. Add to crock pot, add all other ingredients. (Note: I usually only add about 75% of the bean liquid, or it is too runny.) Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or high 2-3 hours. Garnish with sharp cheddar and eat with lots of Fritos!

Oatmeal Cake

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 3/4 cup oatmeal, let stand for 20 minutes.

Cream together:
1 stick butter
1 c brown sugar packed
1 c white sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 t vanilla

Sift together:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves

Mix it all together and pour into lightly greased and floured pan (8x10 usually). Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, cool for 10 minutes in pan, remove if desired. Sprinkle on powdered sugar if you like. Yum! Makes the house smell really good.