+ a pet photo shoot
Happy Thursday! You guys get lucky today because I’m going to chat as little as possible. Instead, I’m going to bombard you with photos — some photos of these snackies!, but lots and lots of photos of my children.
I made this Cranberry Sauce Cream Cheese Dip a few days ago and topped it with simple, 5-minute candied pecans. And that got me thinking. Pecans deserve their own place on the appetizer table and thus, their own blog post. What’s a holiday season without nuts? Why is that? Are nuts seasonal? Or did Christopher Columbus discover them when he came to America? (Kidding…!) But really, there must be a reason and I’m going to do some research and figure it all out… on another night.
Tonight, I’m just playing with the pecans. Both of these are sweet and sugared, but in different ways and with different flavors. The lighter ones are traditional Cinnamon Sugar Pecans, but the darker ones are Smoked Paprika & Brown Sugar Pecans. Remember when I made this Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn. It was a winner… and so are these nuts. And so is pretty much anything that you sprinkle smoked paprika on. Just sayin’.
Anyway. These are super easy and, beware, super addicting! I pretty much just had handfuls of pecans for supper this evening. (Followed by a skim latte, thank you Starbox. If it weren’t for coffee shops, I probably would not get any work done. I’m super-easily distractable when I’m at home… case in point with this blog post which is going in 100 tangential directions.)
Aside from eating handfuls for supper, you can also:
- Give a handful to the kiddos as an after-school snackie. Perfect with an apple.
- Serve them on cocktail napkins with an Old Fashioned, anyone?
- Add some to your bran flakes or oatmeal in the morning.
- Top your Cranberry Sauce Cream Cheese Dip.
- Toss into your salad for a sweet little surprise in every bite.
And now, the recipe, which has only four ingredients, friends! Hurrah!
(And scroll down for photos that will make you smile.)
Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
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In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until frothy. Add pecans and toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture to the pecans and toss gently until evenly coated.
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Spread pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.
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The pecans might be slightly sticky, but they will harden once they cool.
Smoked Paprika & Brown Sugar Pecans
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Smoked Paprika
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine sugar and paprika.
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In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until frothy. Add pecans and toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture to the pecans and toss gently until evenly coated.
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Spread pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.
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The pecans will be sticky, but they will harden once they cool.
You can buy McCormick Smoked Paprika by clicking the link below. I recommend the 2-pack. Once you taste it, you will put it on everything!
Now, what you’ve all been waiting for! Warning: The following photos will melt your heart.
I got Miller a sweater, so I took a hundred photos. Of course.
She LOVES her sweater and I’m not making that up. I’m just worried that she’s going to be gender-confused. She has a boy’s name and now she has a blue sweater…
What pet post would be complete without photos of my KitKat? She’s my original baby girl. Got to show her some love, always!
KitKat sleeps anywhere. I will tonight too… exhausted! Goodnight & sweet pet-filled dreams! 🙂
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