Thursday, October 25, 2012

A newbie and a Classic

Hello Sweets,

I don't know about where all of you are, but here in Texas there is a cold front coming and it is chilly, stay inside kind of weather.  The winds are so strong here, that the outdoor fans look like they're on high speed!  Before coming down to Texas, I made sure to pack some new and old recipes to make for my favorite men :), and I completely forgot about the rare and unique recipe that I had stumbled upon.....pecan pie muffins!  I love pecan pie, and just this last summer, Nathan took me to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a day trip/date, and while we were there we went to Riscky's Steakhouse.  We had some delicious steak, the waiter tried to trick us into ordering cow testicles, lol yuck, and for dessert we had the most amazing piece of pecan pie either of us have ever had!

Now I know with that setup, you'd be thinking I'm going to do a pecan pie recipe, but nope not a pie, but muffins!  When I came across the recipe, I thought it was an interesting concept and decided right then and there that I should make this the next time I'm in Texas.  Now Texans love their pecans, any which way they can have them too, so I knew that I had to make sure I brought my A game, and rock out some amazing muffins.  So let's get this recipe in the oven.  It's super simple and very quick to make ;)

Pecan Pie Muffins
Ingredients
1C pecans, chopped
1C brown sugar
1/2C flour
2 eggs
1/2C butter, melted
I'll be writing "keeper" on this recipe card ;)

Directions:
1)  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in the center of the mixture.
I only had whole pecans, so chop chop chop for me 
so simple it's crazy 
looks almost like instant oatmeal, but much more aromatic

2)  Beat eggs until foamy.  Stir together eggs and butter; add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.
foamy eggs 
now with butter 
smells just like pecan pie, mmmmm!

3)  Place baking cups into muffin pans, or spray with cooking spray if you're out of muffin cups.  Spoon batter into cups, filling them 2/3's full.
Makes a small batch, only 12 :( should have doubled the recipe.

4)  Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from pans immediately.
Makes your kitchen smell just like pecan pie!

Don't be alarmed when they don't rise, they are short but hearty muffins.  The top will be nice a crispy where the sugar caramelized, and the bottom is soft and sweet.  It passed the Texas men test, not to mention I absolutely love them too, so they are officially part of Canuckette's recipe box!  Hmmm maybe when I get home I'll take a picture of my recipe box and the story about how it all started :)

Well obviously that was the new recipe (I only said it like three times lol), and this oldie but goodie recipe is very simple but always delicious.  Now I have been craving these for almost five months now, lol and I know what you're thinking; "just make them!".  But you need a certain cooking method in order for them to be perfect and living in the city sort of limits you from having a....fire to roast marshmallows!  I have been wanting smores for so long, and since Nathan's family has a fire pit I asked him if we could have some :)  Of course he said yes, he actually thought I was cute when he saw how excited I got over them lol, and the best part of smores is that you can make them anyway you'd like.  It's much different now then when I grew up, they have all different kinds of marshmallows and even multiple types of graham crackers!  You can use different types of chocolate, so use your favorite chocolate bar.  There are unlimited options for them so have fun and get creative.  I have opted to go with the classic plain marshmallows, a Hershey's chocolate bar, and the twist is with the "cinnamon" graham crackers, courtesy of Honey Maid ;)

Super Easy and Delicious Smores
Ingredients
Kraft Jet Puffed marshmallows, as many as you'll need
Hershey's milk chocolate bars
Honey Maid graham crackers (we're using cinnamon)

Directions:
1)  Start a fire, making sure it's contained.  If you're a child, make sure that you have adult supervision.  If you're not lucky enough to have a marshmallow roaster, you can make one out of a coat hanger (just unwind and straighten as much as possible), and burn for a moment to sanitize.  You can also use a stick (just make sure it's not too thick and again burn it for a moment to sanitize).
I'm a child at heart, so Nathan supervised and started the fire

all the fixin's 

2)  Place the marshmallow on the end of the stick and roast it just above the flames.   I personally like mine REALLY cooked, but most people like them a light brown.
waiting is the hardest part

3)  Once you have reached your roasting preference, place a piece of the chocolate on a graham cracker and squish the marshmallow between that and another graham cracker.
haven't had one in years!!!!!

4)  Wait just a second or two as to not burn your mouth, and enjoy!
Lol I look sort of evil, my smore!!

Honestly this was the perfect little mini stay-in date on a chilly night :)  How do you like your smores?  Do you have any secrets or tips?  I would love to hear all about your childhood memories of summer.  And I encourage all of you to go back to your childhood once in awhile, and if you have an indoor fireplace I encourage you to have smores once every couple of months lol!!  Until next time....

Stay sweet,


Jennifer xoxoxo






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