Sweet But Not Too Spicy Candied Pecans

A friend gave me this idea for a homemade gift so I thought I'd cook up a batch and put some in Mason jars with a ribbon. The recipe is easy. The egg white helps the sugar and spices stick to the pecans while the sugars caramelize and harden. You get all of the salty, sweet, and spicy tastes when munching on these delicious pecans.

3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300. Whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. 

In a larger bowl, whisk the egg white gently then add the pecans. Stir to coat the pecans well with the egg white. Add the sugar mixture to the pecans and stir well. 

Add the pecans to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten them out. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and stir them up a bit, and continue to cook for 20 more minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooking rack until pecans are cooled down.

Roasted Bell Pepper & Feta Salad

This cold salad is full of flavor and goes well with grilled food. Whether you roast the peppers on the grill or in your broiler, the lovely, smoky, roasted flavor really comes through. Roasting peppers is fun, too. They caramelize, turn soft, and are yummy. It takes about 15 minutes to roast peppers on all sides depending on your broiler and size of the peppers. Use a decent feta cheese and fresh herbs for this one.

2 bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, & chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, cubed

To taste:

Fresh thyme

Extra virgin olive oil

Apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill before serving.

    

                                                         

Fresh Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is comforting on a cold day and it warms the soul. Today was the second time I've made risotto. It's a shorter grain rice known for its creaminess. I found this recipe in a food group on social media and saw it was easily made in the crockpot, so thought I'd give it a try. It was easy, quick, and made a crockpot full of creamy, savory, risotto. The cheese really makes the dish. Italy!

1/2 cup vegetable oil

24 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 1/2 cups arborio rice

48 oz chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
6 oz Parmesano-reggiano cheese, grated, for top

Dried sage leaves

Salt/pepper

Spray oil in a large pot. Pour oil into the pot and saute the mushrooms for about 10 minutes. Pour rice, chicken broth, wine, and mushrooms into the crockpot, stir well, and cook on high for 3 hours and 15 minutes. I checked on the risotto and stirred it a couple of times during the cooking time. But isn't there something about not opening the lid to the crockpot during cooking? 70s flashback. 

Roasted Veggies with Balsamic Glaze

I love to make this recipe. Get ready to chop. When you roast vegetables their natural sugars come out, so if you don't want to eat your veggies like your mother told you, try this recipe. It's delicious, easy, and healthy. This recipe makes enough for 4-6 people.

3 small red potatoes

1 1/2 cups broccoli 
2 carrots
1 sweet onion

3 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black tellicherry pepper
Italian balsamic glaze

Preheat the oven to 425. Chop the potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and onion into bite-size pieces. Chop the garlic into small pieces. In a large bowl, toss the veggies well with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the vegetables evenly on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Plate the veggies and drizzle with balsamic syrup. This could be a main dish or a side dish.

Blood Orange Screwdriver

It's a fall cocktail. Until yesterday, I'd never purchased a blood orange. I bought three and squeezed the fresh juice from all of them to make this cocktail. The juice seemed a bit sweeter than a regular orange. Then I added a bit of citrus vodka, as well as a cinnamon stick, star anise, a slice of blood orange, and you can't see them but there are little chunks of sugared ginger on the bottom. Cheers!

Coyote Cashews

This recipe is from a holiday appetizers cooking class I took in the early 90s. These cashews are so good with the sweet and salty and spicy thing going on.

Fresh Herb & Gruyere Quiche

Quiche--sort of like an omelet in a pie crust. Quiche tastes good hot or cold for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's also a great way to use up your eggs. You can add ingredients like broccoli, roasted red peppers, onions, bacon, or ham. This recipe makes a simple quiche with a lot of flavor, and the fresh herb taste really comes through with each bite. The herbs are a great combo with the stronger tasting gruyere cheese. Added bonus: quiche freezes well. 

1 deep dish pie crust, frozen

6 eggs
1 cup buttermilk 
Fresh oregano & thyme (~1 teaspoon of each)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Garlic powder to taste

2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350. Take the deep dish pie crust out of the freezer and sit it in a deep dish pie plate. When it thaws a bit, you can spread it out and press into the pie plate and mend any broken pieces.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Add the oregano, thyme, salt, dry mustard, and garlic powder. Whisk well. Add the cheese and whisk again.

Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is firmly set. 

Let the quiche sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with fresh fruit. 

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham

The rainy season began today and the weather has cooled a bit. A perfect day for soup. Hearty soup. Carrot and celery are often added to split pea soup, but I was out of both and feeling lazy, so I went with onion and garlic. This recipe is inexpensive to make and will warm you up on a cold, rainy day.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 bay leaf
1 lb package dried yellow split peas
1 large smoked ham hock
10 cups water
Tabasco to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let it heat up for a minute and then add the onions. Stir for a few minutes then add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and stir again. Add the split peas and ham hock. Pour in the water and simmer the soup for 2 hours, stirring often. Remove the ham from the bone and add back to the soup and stir in. Serve hot with homemade bread. Makes 6-8 servings.

Garlic Roasted Broccoli

This broccoli is garlicky and delicious. When broccoli is roasted the heat concentrates the flavors and caramelizes the natural sugars. That sweetness, mixed with the garlic and crushed red pepper in the recipe makes this a flavorful broccoli dish with a kick. 

4 cups broccoli florets

8 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Crushed red pepper to taste
Ground tellicherry black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss broccoli in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, red pepper, and pepper. 

Place on a medium baking sheet covered with parchment paper and roast until the broccoli is tender and a bit darkened on the bottom, 12 or so minutes. The broccoli should have a nice crunch.

A Word on Working in Restaurants

Tip well! My past jobs included being a waitress and a bartender. It is hard work although it may not look like it. After I stopped waitressing I had dreams for months that I had too many tables and couldn't handle it. One time I spilled pork tenderloin and fried shrimp on a pregnant woman. It is stressful. People aren't always nice and they don't all tip well. Working in restaurants is the reason I am a great tipper to this day. Make sure you don't ignore the wait staff when they are talking, be nice, and treat them like a fellow human being. And for God's sake, if you have any decency, do not ask for separate checks! 

Enjoy your food.