Pecan Sticky Buns

Pecan Sticky Buns

Growing up we had a huge holly bush in our front yard. When I say huge it was well over 50 years old and had never been trimmed. Every year at Christmas our neighbors would come over and ask if they could have holly for the holidays. My mother loved sharing the holly and it was a nice way to catch up with neighbors. For me the holly was one of the sure signs that Christmas was coming. We would cut a huge basket full of branches and decorate the table in our living room. My mother would add tall candles and candle holders and on Christmas Eve it was beautiful.

Christmas Eve was always the bigger holiday in our house. While I loved opening presents Christmas morning, Christmas Eve was special. My mother would host a party every year and our entire family would come over. We had a tiny 2 bedroom cottage house and it would be busting at the seams. My mother would cook for days and the house smelled wonderful and looked beautiful with candles and lights everywhere. There would be small plates of pickles, olives, smoked oysters and crackers. 7 layer bars, brownies, cookies, veggies, and cheese trays would be all over the house. It was an evening to enjoy the season and most of all family. There are many things that I miss about my mother, but I think the biggest part for both my father and I are those Christmas Eve parties. Neither of us have felt the same about Christmas Eve since she passed. Christmas is still wonderful, but Christmas Eve will always be my mothers.

I often times try multiple recipes for the same dish. There are so many small changes that can be made to a dish that drastically change the outcome. A few weeks back I tried a new recipe for Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns. They were great, but my husband wanted me to try a recipe that was more brown sugar based. This week I tried a new recipe for Pecan Sticky Buns from the Number 160 issue of Saveur magazine.

Lake Vesuvius

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 2 hours 30 minutes (plus fridge time) and makes 12 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First I mixed the dough by hand. While I have a great kitchen aid mixer, oftentimes I prefer to make my dough by hand. The original recipe was heavy on butter. While I love butter as much as the next person since my kids were eating the majority of this recipe I reduced some of the butter. I cut the butter down by more than half to a total of 1 1/2 sticks. 3 1/2 sticks for 12 buns was just a little too butter heavy for my tastes. The reduction in butter worked out well and the dough still rose beautifully. Plus my kids and husband didn't notice the fat reduction so a win-win all around.

Lake Vesuvius Spillway

My husband preferred this recipe to the last one I tried. The combination of 3 types of sugar made for a great molasses taste on top and sweet swirled bun in the center. Cutting down on the butter was a nice way to make the recipe more family friendly. If you are taking this to a party I would keep the recipe with the full amount of butter, but for home baking the modification worked out well.

For the recipe go to Pecan Sticky Buns.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

I love my youngest son. We went to the mall a couple of weeks back and my in-laws bought my sons new teddy bears. My oldest named his stuffed animal Mr. Fluffy (it is a cat), my youngest named his teddy bear Steve. That's right Steve. There is a story that makes it a little more logical. My two kids are currently obsessed with Minecraft and one of the characters name is Steve. However, Steve the teddy bear also has a definite back story and personality. My youngest has created a whole story about where Steve came from, what he's afraid of and he even draws pictures for Steve so he doesn't get lonely. When I asked him if Steve got lonely he told me "of course not, he's a teddy bear". A teddy bear named Steve with a back story. I wish that I had half the imagination and simple hilarity of a 4-year-old, I think all adults could use a little more of it.

Today's recipe came about from the groans of my oldest having to eat gluten free bread. While I have to eat gluten free, my kids luckily have not inherited any of my problems. Most of the time they are great about eating gluten free foods, but every once in a while they rebel. This was one of those weeks. So I promised that I would bake my kids something sweet for breakfast made with wheat flour (I wear gloves and use separate bowls etc - I'm lucky that inhaling the flour does not bother me as long as I'm careful). I decided on a recipe for Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns from the Taste of Home website.

Ritter Park Rose Garden Fountain

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 3 hours of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I was out of pecans so I made half the batch with walnuts and half without. Second, I had caramels leftover from a sponsored party so instead of making the caramel sauce I melted 14 caramels and 1/4 cup of 2 percent milk and poured it into the pan. Since the caramels harden a little more than cream and brown sugar I heated the buns in the microwave for 10 seconds before serving the next day. The dough rose beautifully and it was very easy to work with.

Mushroom at Rotary Park Huntington, WV

These sticky buns were very popular with my two boys. My mother-in-law tried one when they were a couple of days old and she said that they were still very good reheated in the microwave. The dough was very easy to work with and rose even though my kitchen was on the cooler side. They had risen far above the top of the pan after an hour rise and made perfect large buns. Definitely a recipe I would use again with pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts.

For the recipe go to Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Summary:

A delicious pecan sticky bun recipe using wrapped caramels. The dough is easy to work with and rises easily.

Preparation Time: 2h, 30m

Cooking Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 3h, 0m

Yield: Serves 12

Pumpkin Spiced Pecans from Southern Living

Pumpkin Spiced Pecans

Before I had kids I never lost anything. Now it seems that every time I turn around something disappears in my house. This evening it was a 30 dollar library book. I have looked everywhere and can't find it. While in most people's houses it could be hiding behind a bookcase etc. Not in my house. I thrive on organization and could tell you exactly where everything is, everything except the library book. During the book search my husband did find an old iPhone under the seat of our car. We bought it last January used. It had 15,000 miles on it and was a rental car. I have cleaned that car top to bottom every week, but apparently the phone was stuck right up next to the under part of the seat. So my husband got to make a man's day by finding his email on the phone and telling him that his long lost phone was found. I still can't find the library book, but I'm hoping by my husband helping someone else find something lost that the universe can see fit for me to find the lost book. If not at least the day ended up with a good deed, even if it does remind me that I can't seem to find anything even if I have cleaned the same spot for almost a year. I also end the day knowing that I married a man that is sweet enough to spend two hours tracking down someone to return their lost phone. All in all the day is ending on a good note. My food posts have been a little sparse the last couple of weeks due to offline life. I'm hoping to get back into the blogging grove soon. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Pecans from the September 2013 issue of Southern Living.

Harris Riverfront Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes 55 minutes of total time, 5 minutes of which is active and makes 1 1/2 cups of nuts. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First instead of apple pie spice I used pumpkin pie spice. I didn't want to have to buy a spice that I don't use, so I substituted the pumpkin pie spice that I already had. I did not add the ground red pepper since my two boys aren't big fans. Make sure to stir the pecans frequently or they will burn. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes after they are done cooking to let them get fully crunchy.

View from Harris Riverfront Park, Huntington, WV

These pecans turned out great. My whole family enjoyed them and they were the perfect blend of crunchy and spiced. I would suggest at least doubling the recipe, the 1 1/2 cups didn't last long at all. These would be a nice party snack or just a fall treat.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Spiced Pecans.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I spent 4 hours last night wrapping presents. Luckily I got everything wrapped and my two kids are now asleep so I can finish up with stockings and then go to sleep. I would love to say that I find the thrill of the pre-holiday prep exciting, but I don't. I'm a perfectionist so I tend to spread myself way too thin. For example last night while wrapping presents I was dying my hair since it was the only time I had. I decided to tip-dye my hair turquoise, which looks great (I know everyone is now dying to know what I look like-blue hair and all :). My house is now quite and this is my favorite time of the holidays, when my kids are in bed and I can relax since everything is done until I cook tomorrow. Everything is quite and perfect. And I'm eating pancakes, no joke, I love them. Last week I tried a new recipe for Carrot Cake Pancakes from the December issue of Southern Living magazine, which looked like a great recipe to make gluten-free.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 40 minutes of which is active and makes 24 pancakes. Since the original recipe isn't gluten-free I made a number of changes. First I switched out the regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour. I used low-fat buttermilk instead of full fat since that is the type I normally use in recipes. The recipe states that 1 pound of carrots equals 2 cups. I found that it took me far less than 1 pound of carrots to make 2 cups of shredded. Finally, I chose to top my pancakes with butter and maple syrup instead of the mascarpone cream suggested by the recipe. The cream looked way too rich for a breakfast food. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These were really fun pancakes. My kids liked that they tasted like carrot cake, but were pancakes. I liked that they were delicious with just butter as a topping and could be eaten as a breakfast or a dessert. I found the nuts a little rich, I think if I made the recipe again I would chop them smaller or reduce the amount.

For the recipe go to Carrot Cake Pancakes.

Gluten Free Pecan Apple Pancakes

My husband thinks that there is something wrong with me because I love mornings. I pop out of bed and am ready to start my day. While most people take a while to wake-up, as soon as I open my eyes I am awake. My oldest son is just like me. He wakes up early and reads books until the rest of the house starts their day. My youngest son on the other hand is just like my husband. He takes hours to fully be awake and is grumpy most of the morning. Since our mornings are so vastly different I try to make breakfast foods that everyone will love. The one food that everyone in my house can agree on is pancakes. My boys love them and so do I. Since going gluten free it has been hit or miss with finding suitable gluten free pancake recipes. Some have turned out great, while others have been flat and lacking any flavor. This week I tried a new recipe for Pecan Apple Pancakes from the December issue of Taste of Home magazine, which looked like a great breakfast recipe to make gluten free.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 10 minutes of cooking per batch, 15 minutes of prep and makes 18 pancakes. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I did make a few changes. First off since I don't use mace often and don't like buying spices that I will not use I left it out of this recipe. I fully intended to make these pancakes with apples and even bought them at the grocery store. However, by the time I made the recipe my two boys had eaten all the apples so I left them out. Finally, since I eat gluten free I used gluten free all-purpose flour. I found that since I made these gluten free and left out the apples I had to increase the amount of flour by 1/2 cup. The pancakes were still runny, but worked well when made on the griddle. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My youngest son and I loved these pancakes. They turned out sweet and almost crisp. With maple syrup and toasted pecans as a topping they were delicious. I was happy that they were easy to convert to gluten free and my kids didn't even notice that I had changed anything. I would definitely make these again.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Pecan Apple Pancakes.

Food and Wine Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocado

 

 I absolutely love Brussels sprouts. Unlike most kids growing up I would make a beeline for the Brussels sprouts during the holidays. They are delicious! When I first got married to my husband his idea of a vegetable was the topping on his pizza at the student center. Over the years I have slowly reformed him to thinking that vegetables are a normal side at dinner time. My two boys have taken after me and love most any vegetable I put in front of them. Brussels sprouts have become a family favorite and I was interested when the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine had a recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocados, which looked delicious and different than other recipes I have tried. 

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes approximately 40 total minutes, with 20 minutes being active, and makes 8 servings. All the ingredients were easy to find at my local grocery store and I made no substitutions. Instead of toasting my pecans in the oven, I used the stove-top. I find it easier to use this method when making small amounts of roasted nuts and it saves my oven for the main dish I am preparing. Additionally, I only prepared a pound of Brussels sprouts since that is the size package that I am able to find locally (I would love to be able to find them bulk). Since I had a smaller amount of sprouts I only used one baking sheet, instead of the two suggested by the recipe. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written. 

Roasted Brussels sprouts are always popular in my house and this recipe was no exception. The pecans created a nice texture to the Brussels sprouts and the avocado a delicious flavor combination. This recipe makes a large number of servings and re-heated well for an additional meal the next day. My husband loved the taste from the fresh thyme and balsamic vinegar, which gave the sprouts a nice sweet taste. Overall, a great and unusual roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. 

For the link go to Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocado.

Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts

I am very lucky that I inherited my father's metabolism and love of all things active. If I am sitting still on my computer, I am also tapping my foot or moving my ankle, I can't just sit still. After having kids I realized that my eating habits might not transcend to my kids and I needed to try to provide high energy snacks that would help my kids grow up, not out. Sugar is the one area that my kids and I have the largest arguments over. I stopped serving juice approximately 6 months ago and switched over to water at meals. I was worried that my kids would rebel, but I was pleased that they quickly started asking for water and drink it happily now. Sugary snacks have been another story, they love them. I also have a tendency towards all things sweet, so I have been experimenting with using honey, applesauce, prunes, etc in my cooking to keep the taste, but lower the sugar. I ran across a recipe for Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts using Truvia that cuts the sugar down to 1 gram per serving and the calories down to 160 and decided that it looked like the perfect recipe to try for my family.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to prepare and cook and makes 18 servings. All the ingredients are very basic and I already had all of them in my cupboard. The recipe uses Truvia, but other brands of Stevia or store brands would work just as well. Make sure to toss the nuts every 10-15 minutes or they will stick together and not be evenly roasted. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

With a reduction of sugar from 10 grams per serving to 1 gram and calories from 200 to 160 this recipe would be great for people watching their sugar intake. I thought that the taste was just as sweet as traditional sugar and the nuts were crunchy and nicely roasted. Of course I still will always prefer real sugared nuts and sweets, but this recipe creates a nice alternative to added sugar, especially during the over indulgent holiday season.

For the recipe go to Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts.

Food Network Magazine Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts

I am not one of those people that can limit themselves on nuts. The whole idea of eating 10 almonds for a serving doesn't fit with my snacking personality. I'm lucky that I am constantly moving and burning calories, so I look for high protein snacks that will tide me over until my next meal. As I've stated before I tend to eat 6 smaller meals throughout the day, instead of three large ones. I am drawn towards sugar, so I try to find protein snacks that will satisfy my sweet tooth while providing energy. As I was looking through the December issue of the Food Network Magazine I came across a recipe for Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts, which looked like a great sweet and savory protein snack.

This recipe 11 ingredients. It takes a total of 35 minutes, 10 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 to 10 servings. I thought that I had chipotle powder in my cupboard, but when I got ready to make the recipe I discovered that I did not. Instead I substituted Ancho chili powder, which I do relatively frequently in recipes. I chose to combine all my ingredients in a bowl and then pour onto a baking sheet. This way all the nuts were evenly coated. Make sure to watch the nuts while they are in the oven. I probably turned the nuts about every 8 minutes in order to prevent burning. I would not suggest turning down the heat though, the temp needs to be high enough to caramelize the brown sugar. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The sweet flavor from the brown sugar combines nicely with the savory flavors from the rosemary and chili powder. This recipe makes a lot of nuts, so it would be great as a party snack. If you are making it for your family I would suggest cutting the recipe in half unless you have two growing boys like I do. I served this as an after school snack to my oldest and he loved it. Overall, an easy sweet and savory snack.

For the recipe go to Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts.

Martha Stewart Living Sweet-and-Salty Pecans

I'm a huge snack person. When I was younger I was always active in swimming, dancing, running; you name the physical activity and I probably had tried it. In the evenings after school I would run in and eat half the fridge before dashing off for hours of swimming lessons or dance classes. I was lucky that I had inherited my dad's very tall and lean bone structure and a very high metabolism. When my parents first got married my dad apparently ate 5 bologna sandwiches for lunch and was still a six foot three inch bean pole. As I've gotten older and had two c-sections I now try to watch the snacks that I put into my body and find a balance between protein and taste. Don't get me wrong, I am still the most likely person in my house to eat cake for breakfast, but I am also the one snacking on almonds and soy nuts. Recently, Martha Stewart Living had a recipe for Sweet and Salty Pecans, which looked simple, delicious and perfect for snacking.

This recipe has 4 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of prep and cooking time, 5 minutes of which is active, and makes 4 cups of nuts. Since this recipe has so few ingredients, I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I chose to use pecans, but cashew or walnuts would work just as well. Make sure to stir your nuts every 5 minutes and keep the nuts flat in order for them to be crisp, not soggy. Salt the nuts while still warm for the best flavor. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

With four ingredients, this is a very easy recipe. These nuts were great to grab as a snack during the rush of Thanksgiving cooking and my two kids thought they tasted like candy. I used these nuts as a snack, but they would make a perfect gift. With a great package and a bow these nuts would make a great homemade Christmas gift. Overall, a very easy and delicious snack or gift idea.

For the recipe go to Sweet and Salty Pecans.

Bon Appetit Wild Rice, Fruit, and Pecan Stuffing

Growing up Thanksgiving was always a major event. My mother was one of twelve kids, so large family functions were always the norm. Thanksgiving was always exciting. My mother would make lists weeks ahead of everything that needed to be cleaned, cooked, etc. and eventually her bigger lists would span smaller lists and so on and so forth. The menu would normally stay pretty consistent with turkey, stuffing, and lots of sides. For me everything centered around the stuffing. I absolutely love stuffing and every variation that can be made. A couple of years back I made a rice stuffing, which was delicious and different than traditional stuffing recipes. As I was looking through the November issue of Bon Appetit magazine I noticed a recipe for Wild Rice, Fruit, and Pecan Stuffing, which looked low in fat and full of flavor.

This recipe has 16 ingredients. It makes 8 to 10 servings and takes approximately an hour and a half to prepare and cook. The ingredients in this recipe caused me a few problems. I was only able to find 4 ounce packages of wild rice after looking at multiple stores. Apparently wild rice isn't a common ingredient in my area. Luckily they had the small packages of generic wild rice, which is what I bought. I prepared my own chicken broth. The taste of homemade is much better, and it allows me to make it without all the added salt of the store bought variety. I found that the wild rice took even longer than the forty minutes suggested by the recipe. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The wild rice in this recipe had a great slightly nutty flavor, which worked well with the dried fruit and pecans. This recipe is a great alternative to traditional high fat stuffing. Additionally, the minimal amount of fat comes from olive oil, not butter. My two boys particularly enjoyed this dish. Granted they picked out the dried fruit and nuts, but for them that's progress. Overall, a great non-traditional stuffing recipe, that would work well with a variety of main courses.

For the recipe go to Wild Rice, Fruit, and Pecan Stuffing.

Better Homes and Gardens Pecan-Crusted Pork with Orange-Maple Glaze

My household loves pork. Not just a little bit, but I think both of my boys and my husband could live without meat, with one exception, pork. They could probably eat pork three times a day and be completely happy. When my husband and I first met I only knew how to cook a couple of pork dishes and never really ate a lot of pork. I quickly learned that that was not going to work in my marriage and since that time I have learned to cook pork about once a week. My husband has spread his pork obsession to my oldest son, who can point out multiple cuts of pork at the grocery store. He has even gone so far to tell me how I should be making bacon properly. The September issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine had a recipe for Pecan-Crusted Pork with Orange-Maple Glaze, with looked like a great combination of sweet and savory, and utilized my family's favorite meat.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes approximately 30 minutes of prep and cooking time and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I already had most of them in my pantry. I did run into one problem with the recipe. I found that the pecan pieces did not stick to the pork well after being flipped. Most of the nuts ended up in the pan, which I then used as a topping. The nuts did not stay encrusted on any of the tenderloin slices, save one. Therefore, I saved the nuts from the pan and poured them over with the sauce on the plate. Finally, I found that the sauce was not enough for all four servings, I suggested doubling the sauce ingredients, especially if you like a decent amount of sauce on your pork. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The sauce on this pork is delicious. My husband and I both agreed that there needed to be more sauce, since it was the best part of the dish. The pork turned out tender, and perfectly cooked. I wish that the pecans had stuck better to the pork slices, but I actually liked using the nuts as a topping with the sauce, so it worked out. Overall, a very simple pork recipe that only takes 30 minutes to prepare, making it a great weeknight meal option.

For the recipe go to Pecan-Crusted Pork with Orange-Maple Glaze.

Chili-Toasted Pecans with Dried Cherries

I have never been a big fan of nuts. I can tolerate hazelnuts and almonds, but just about every other nut I could leave well enough alone. However, I they are a great source of protein and a perfect snack for my two growing boys so I have been trying to find recipes to incorporate more nuts into my family's diet. I came across a recipe for Chili-Toasted Pecans with Dried Cherries, which looked like a perfect way to encourage my family to eat more nuts. The recipe is as follows:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups pecans (the recipe called for halves, but I used pieces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 cup dried cherries (or a combo of raisins and dried raisins)

Combine oil and hot pepper sauce, add pecans, toss. In another bowl combine chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Add mixture to pecans. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Stir in cherries. Store in an air tight container.

My husband and I loved this recipe. I normally am not a fan of pecans, but when combined with the spices and cherries, the combination is delicious. My two boys were unsure of these nuts until they tried them, and then ate multiple servings. A great, easy nut recipe.

Adapted from a special insert of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Saveur Lane Cake

Every week I try to test out one dessert recipe from a cookbook or magazine that I haven't made previously. Instead of making the simple cookie recipes I always make, I have been attempting to broaden my baking horizons and try new techniques and baking methods. Recently, I have also been trying to include a larger variety of magazines in my reviews, instead of sticking to the two or three that I always read. With this in mind I set about to find a dessert to bake and was pleased with the prospect of the Lane Cake from Saveur magazine.

Since this is a layer cake, there are a number of ingredients. In total for the cake, filling, and icing there are 21 ingredients. All the ingredients are basic baking ingredients and were easily found at my local grocery store (with the exception of the bourbon which I purchased a the liquor store). This recipe takes some pre-planning since there is cooling time and the process of preparing all the components. In total the entire recipe took me approximately 3 hours. I should state that I haven't made a layer cake since last Christmas and my oldest son was helping me in the kitchen, hence why my layers aren't sliced perfectly. I made not modifications to the recipe and prepared everything as directed.

This cake has a very light texture similar to an angel food cake. I loved the bourbon filling and my whole family was surprised by how delicious the cake turned out. The recipe did take a decent amount of prep, but it was easy enough that my five year old was able to help me with the majority of it. Slice the pieces thin, since this is a very rich cake and can serve a crowd. This would be a great recipe to take to a gathering or for a dinner party, and makes an impressive presentation sliced.

For the recipe go to Saveur Lane Cake.