I just spent a week in Mexico, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful blue waters. Before I left on vacation, I spent three days in Chicago at the 2010 Sweets and Snacks Expo and I had a blast. Imagine Willy Wonka’s Factory, and aside from the river and waterfall of chocolate, the scene was fairly similar. I managed to keep my head about me and didn’t overindulge, but I did learn a great deal about what’s hot in the sweets and snacks industry and what items would make a great addition to the Pecan Store lineup. Here is a brief rundown of the best items I saw at the show:
Sahale Snacks sell creative nut combinations that you don’t have to feel guilty about consuming. My favorite, Valdosta Pecans, include black peppered pecans, sweet cranberries and orange zest, are addicting. Also, the Barbequed Almonds and Tuscan Almonds are incredibly flavorful! And another things to be excited about is they have just recently introduced a new line of biscotti, with one variety being Cranberry Pecan!
Bora Bora has a great new line of organic snack bars that are certified organic by the USDA and are Kosher and gluten free. Their Pomegranate, Pecans and Cherries bars sustained me throughout my travels and airport delays.
Chocolate covered sunflower seeds; don’t they sound grand? Sunflower Food Company has a great line of these tasty snacks in different colors and flavors, plus their packaging is completely eye catching. Look for these soon at the Pecan Store.
Nutella! I know that Nutella contains hazelnuts and not pecans, but I think the pecan gods will forgive me for being in love with this amazingly delicious spread! Plus, if you smear whole wheat crackers with Nutella and top them with some pecan pieces, it makes a convenient, tasty snack.
I hope this quick insight gave you a clear picture of the wonders and delights of the Sweets & Snacks Expo. I had a great time and I’m looking forward to finding another golden ticket to the show next year!
So, did you go to the Sahuarita Pecan Festival last weekend? I did! And it was even better than I had expected!
I arrived just as the festivities started at about 10:00 a.m., and was amazed to find that they had placed pecan shells all across the parking lot. A very nice touch! After watching the opening ceremony, I shopped around the vendor booths, grabbed a bite to eat and took it all in.
The Pecan Store was packed and everywhere you looked, people were stocking up on handmade crafts and baked goods from the vendors. Kids were swarming the bounce house and inflatable playgrounds, and families were waiting in line to see Santa on the big green tractor. The entire day was filled with so much fun and the festivities were a perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
Sadly, I had to leave the festival a little early, but was happy to see that people were still steadily arriving, even later in the day. In fact, there was a line all the way from the highway to the festival. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the festivities and I even overheard a few attendees talking about coming back next year!
Here are some of the photos I took from the festival:
Ever since I went to New York last March, I’ve been obsessed with fancy cupcakes, all thanks to Magnolia Bakery. For those of you who haven’t heard of Magnolia, they’re an insanely popular bakery, and they sell the most decadent, delicious cupcakes you have ever seen or tasted. They’re almost too pretty to eat…almost, but not quite. While we were there, lines of people would wrap around the block just for one of their amazing creations.
While I was browsing YouTube.com the other day, I came across a video from the Good Food Channel in the UK. Watch this video for Frosted Pecan Cupcakes to get a taste of Magnolia Bakery from your own oven.
There’s nothing better to put on top of a homemade pecan pie, than some homemade whipped cream. It’s easier than you think to make, and tastes so much better than the store bought version that comes in an aerosol-filled can.
All you really need is heavy whipping cream. But, if you’d like to add a little sugar or flavoring, you can do that too. Check out the video below to see exactly how it’s done, and then go whip up a batch for yourself!
I absolutely love the show Good Eats on the Food Network. Each episode infuses two of my favorite things in life: cooking and humor. Host Alton Brown takes you through each episode while explaining the science and history behind each recipe. The show is a little quirky and definitely unlike any other show on the network.
I think I love this show so much because there was a point in time where I didn’t understand the difference between baking soda and baking powder, I didn’t get why over-mixing pancakes turned them into perfect little circular bricks, or why I should use cake flour versus all-purpose flour. This show helped me understand that there’s a science to cooking, and explained the reasons why ingredients are used.
This episode is fantastic, and well worth the 10 minute watch time. Baklava and the complexities of Phyllo dough are explained in this edition of Good Eats. Although this recipe calls for pistachios, walnuts and almonds, you can substitute one of the ingredients for pecans, or head over to PecanStore.com for some fresh Arizona-grown pistachios to use.
