Pecan Pie Bars from slowroasteditalian.com

Posted on November 15, 2017 by admin

Crust
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light corn syrup
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 2-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the edge like you would a pie crust . It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine

the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars from Martha

Posted on October 23, 2017 by admin

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 package (11.5 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 stick room-temperature butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt until coarse crumbs form. Pour mixture into prepared pan; press firmly into bottom.

2. Bake until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool, 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in same large bowl, mix eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and melted butter until well combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans; spread over crust. Bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan before lifting out (using foil to lift). Cut into 32 bars (8 rows by 4 rows).

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad

Posted on October 14, 2017 by admin

5 ounces fresh spinach half a 10 ounce bag1 and 1/2 cups dry small pasta
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 can (15 ounces) can mandarin oranges
1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped*
Optional: Feta cheese

Dressing

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2-4 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 teaspoon each: paprika & onion powder
4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon poppyseeds

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a food processor or blender (I used my small Twister jar on the Blendtec) combine the apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, (adjust — more or less to personal preference, we like a less sweet dressing and use about 2 tablespoons) paprika, and onion powder. Pulse or blend for about 10 seconds. Slowly add in the oil and pulse until just combined. Stir in the poppyseeds. IF you don’t have a blender or food processor you can combine the ingredients in a bowl or mason jar and whisk (or shake jar) vigorously.
Drain the pasta once it’s cooked through and immediately toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the pasta. This helps the pasta soak in the dressing and the flavor.
Chill the dressed pasta in the fridge.
Meanwhile, combine the (washed and de-stemmed) spinach with the chopped celery in a large bowl. Add in the cranberries and a can of drained mandarine oranges.
If desired peel the apple (We like to leave on the peel!) and then slice into thin slices. Toss with lemon juice and then add to the salad.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss. Add in the completely cooled pasta and toss with the rest of the salad.
If you want to toast the pecans, place them in a single layer in a dry saucepan (don’t add anything) over medium heat. Stir constantly until the nuts are barely fragrant — just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully as the nuts are VERY easily scorched/burned.
Alternatively, you can candy the pecans if desired. Check the link in the last paragraph of the blog text for how to candy pecans. *UPDATE: we’ve found we like this salad even more with the pecans coarsely chopped- you’ll get more in each bite! 🙂
Top the salad with the pecans and (if desired) feta cheese.
Enjoy immediately.

Best Ever Strawberry Spinach Salad from theslowroasteditalian.com

Posted on April 10, 2017 by admin

Candied Pecan Ingredients
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan halves
pinch salt

Dressing Ingredients
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup extra light tasting olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Salad Ingredients
10 ounces fresh baby spinach – rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 small red onion sliced
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 avocado, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 (5 ounce) package blue cheese crumbles

Place a silpat mat or a sheet of parchment paper on the counter top to dry the pecans.

In a small skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add pecans, sugar and salt. Stir until pecans are well coated. Stir until the sugar caramelizes, about 3-5 minutes.

Spread onto silpat or parchment paper. Separate pecans. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile: in a pint size mason jar combine dressing ingredients. Seal and shake until well combined. Set aside on the counter.

In a large bowl combine the spinach, onions, strawberries and blueberries. Pour about 1/2 of dressing over salad, and toss. Top with avocado, cheese and candied nuts. Serve remaining dressing on the side.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving (or serve immediately).

Serve with the remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad Recipe with Creamy Lemon Dressing from natashaskitchen.com/

Posted on February 25, 2017 by admin

2 medium broccoli heads (stems included), chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large carrot, grated
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
¼ medium red onion (1/4 cup), thinly sliced
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted
½ cup raisins or craisins
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ Tbsp sugar, or add to taste
¼ tsp sea salt
Pinch of black pepper

Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces, grate carrot, chop apple and thinly slice onion and transfer into a salad bowl. Add toasted pecans and dried cranberries.
In a small bowl, whisk together all salad dressing ingredients then add dressing into the salad to taste and toss to combine.

Baked Brie with Pecans from Martha

Posted on February 1, 2017 by admin

1 small wheel of Brie or Camembert (about 9 ounces)
1/2 cup pecan pieces
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
crackers or sliced baguette, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cheese on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate; cool about 20 minutes.
While cheese cools, place nuts on a clean baking sheet; bake until toasted and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle nuts over cheese.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and maple syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; simmer until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle warm sauce over slightly cooled cheese and nuts; serve with crackers or baguette.

Better Tomorrow Vegan Chili from splendid table

Posted on January 25, 2016 by admin

The story of chili always ends with the statement that it’s better the second day. So why don’t we just make it ahead of time and consider that first day as part of the cooking process? I do. My “vegan-ified” version uses pecans, which have a distinct richness and “meaty” mouthfeel, and play very nicely with the brown spices. The dried mushrooms are a nifty addition that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Not only do the pulverized mushrooms thicken the chili, they also add that forest-floor bass note that we interpret as “hearty.” I keep some dried mushroom powder in my spice rack at all times—whatever’s cheapest—and you should too. A spoonful will add a layer of complexity to vegan dishes and omnivorous dishes alike.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and quartered
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups pecans (about 7 ounces), toasted, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick
Two 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups vegetable stock (or vegetable broth, and cut the salt by half)
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
One 1-ounce package dried mushrooms (whatever is cheapest), pulverized in a blender
1 tablespoon kosher salt

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring only once, until browned, about 6 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot and stir to incorporate. Simmer until the vegetables and nuts are soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate overnight.

HOLD IT? Keep the chili in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat the chili in a pot over low heat, stirring often.

PLATE IT! My ideal chili-serving vessel would be the dolsot, which is an individual Korean earthenware bowl that retains tons of heat. You can find them online. Warm them up slowly in the oven, and then ladle in the chili. Or you can scoop the chili into a bowl. Garnish with whatever you like (see below).

BREAK IT: Chili is kind of an open-source recipe. Now that you’ve made it, customize it to your liking. Change the beans, add some greens, or even wrap it in a tortilla and fry it up like the chimichangas.

Christmas Carol Cake from Patty Foust

Posted on December 3, 2015 by admin

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2 cups sugar
1 cup veg. oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup golden raisins
1 ½ cup peeled and chopped red delicious apples(about 1 ½ apples)

Mix in each ingredient at a time in order given above.

Makes a very stiff batter.
Pour mix into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
Cool before removing from pan.

Nekisia Davis’ Olive Oil and Maple Granola

Posted on November 14, 2015 by admin

NOTE I did not use anything raw except pumpkin seeds

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips or regular
1 1/4 cup raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped (use a variety of nuts)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup (use less)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use less)
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar(use less)
coarse salt
Add oat bran

Heat oven to 300° F.

Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.

Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Makes about 7 cups

Autumn crunch pasta salad from chelseasmessyapron.com

Posted on October 19, 2015 by admin

5 ounces fresh spinach (half a 10 ounce bag)
1 and 1/2 cups dry small pasta
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges
1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup pecans
Optional: Feta cheese