I realized lately that I go through the Starbucks drive-thru far too often. And as soon as I find a drink that I really love, they discontinue it. Thankfully, I’ve discovered Torani syrups.
For just $7.95 for a 750 ml bottle, I can now have Starbucks-like coffee without having to wait in line. My personal favorite is the English Toffee, but they also have a fantastic Butter Pecan flavor and pretty much any flavor you could think of, including sugar-free varieties.
I’ve seen them in stores like Cost Plus World Market and at smaller coffee shops, but you can also order them online. I highly recommend having it on hand for those days you need a little extra something to get going in the morning.
It’s the first post of a new year and after much internal debate, I’ve finally made my New Year’s Resolution: Meatless Monday.
What is Meatless Monday, exactly? I’m sure you’ve already guessed, but it’s an effort to go meat-free every Monday. There’s even an entire website dedicated to the cause and they feature some pretty tasty pecan dishes.
I happened upon the site because I have heard a couple of times now that pecans are a good substitute for meat and was searching for a recipe that could demonstrate how it’s done. Although I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, I’m glad I have a new resolution for the year.
And interestingly enough, Meatless Monday is not a new phenomenon. It all started in World War I when the government asked citizens to observe “Meatless Monday” and “Wheatless Wednesday” in an effort to reduce consumption and aid the war effort.
Word spread and according to MeatlessMonday.com, “The effect was overwhelming…In November 1917, New York City hotels saved some 116 tons of meat over the course of just one week.” That’s pretty powerful stuff.
In addition to saving resources, going meat-free for just one day can have highly-beneficial effects on your overall health. The site features plenty of recipes that don’t feature meat, and I think I might have to start with the Sweet Potato Pecan Pancakes Check it out and let me know if you’re going meatless every Monday.
Hope you’re having a great holiday season. As you know I love cooking with pecans and have recently posted recipes that I tried and really enjoyed. Today, I am posting some great ideas of recipes from fellow bloggers who have made all different dishes with Green Valley Pecans.
Dessert is my favorite, and I found two great dessert recipes! The first recipe is from Meet Me in the Kitchen blogger Mary Ann and is a pumpkin cake with whipped cream. The pictures of the cake look wonderful.
Another dessert recipe that I cannot wait to try is pecan squares posted by Barbara on Baking with Barbara. The way she describes the pecan squares makes me feel like I can taste there sweet, rich caramel-covered pecans and truly makes my mouth water. It looks like a great recipe to use for holiday baking.
During the holidays, snacking is my weakness and I am always looking for a new snack to try. I found this recipe for granola on Baking and Boys by Katrina. The mixture of pecans, nectar, applesauce and honey looks like a great mixture of flavors. It would be a great snack whether you mix it with yogurt or just grab a few handfuls at a time.
Who could resist a warm muffin and a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning? I know I couldn’t! The blueberry crumb cake from Shari on the Whisk blog is the next recipe I am going to make since it has been quite chilly in the morning.
The last recipe I would like to call attention to today is a mandarin orange and pecan spinach salad. It is a great recipe if you are looking to get away from all of the heavy holiday meals or just to use as a great starter salad for dinner. Either way it sounds delicious.
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A friend of mine forwarded a link from Delish.com about how to “Host an Elegant Appetizer Party.” I absolutely love this idea, especially for the holidays. With so much going on, it’s sometimes incredibly difficult to even get dinner on the table, let alone serve an entire party. These simple, yet scrumptious appetizers are sure to hit the spot and fill up guests without sacrificing the happy in your holiday party.
Some of my favorite recipes from the slideshow include:
1. Chili Pecans (slide 10 of 11) - Sweet heat chili-covered pecans spice up the holidays
2. Fig-and-Stilton Squares (slide 1 of 11) - I love pairing sweet with savory, and you can never go wrong with cheese
I’m a big fan of the Tips, Tools & Ingredients section of bonappetit.com. You can find information on pretty much everything you want to know regarding cooking and cooking-related items, whether it’s how to segment citrus or salt-roast a pork loin.
I found the page they did on pecans, and while I’ve talked about most of this on the blog before, it never hurts to have a refresher on how to buy, use and store pecans.
Check it out here and then browse around their other tips, tools and ingredients.
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You know, I’m so used to cooking and baking with Green Valley Pecans that sometimes I really take them for granted.
I was making these Mexican Wedding Cookies this weekend and realized I was out of Green Valley Pecans. Since I had already started preparing them, I just ran out to the store and picked up a generic bag of pecans. I should have just waited…
It’s not that the recipe was bad; it’s just that I realized there is a real difference between Green Valley pecans and pecans that have been sitting on a shelf in a grocery store for who knows how long. The flavor was so different and not nearly as rich as I was used to.
If you still haven’t tried a Green Valley Pecan, you are really missing out. Trust me, I can tell you that from my own personal experience that they are definitely better than anything in the store!
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.
I am absolutely, 100% addicted to a new recipe I found. Thanks to Gina’s WW Recipes blog, I am officially in love with her Baked Bananas. It’s so simple, yet so amazingly delicious. I ate this for dessert one night, and loved it so much I modified it slightly by adding pecans for breakfast with a side of oatmeal for a complete start to my morning.
All you need are:
1 medium ripe banana, cut in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons honey or agave
Cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400°. Peel and cut the bananas in half. Place cut side down in an oven safe dish, drizzle with honey and sprinkle on the cinnamon. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Thanks Gina for such an amazing, effortlessly delicous and healthy recipe!
I have recently posted recipes for Thanksgiving focusing on side dishes and desserts, but who could forget the most important dish - the turkey! Every year I prepare the turkey differently and I have decided to deep fry it this year. I have never deep fried a turkey before, but I could not resist the recipe I found which includes a honey pecan glaze! My side dishes will compliment this turkey well and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
