I don’t know about you, but during the Arizona summer I try not to leave my house during the day if I can control it. It’s just too hot! We at the Pecan Store understand this, so until June 3oth PecanStore.com customers can receive half off standard shipping by using promotion code SUMMERHT. Now you can satisfy your praline or honey toasted pecan addiction all without leaving your house! So don’t delay; place your PecanStore.com order today!
Since it has been quite chilly these days, I have had a craving for a hot bowl of soup. I typically stick to the basics such as chicken noodle and tomato. I decided to step out of the box and try something new. I was researching different recipes when I came across a recipe from Gourmet for sweet potato soup with butter pecans. It was a delicious combination of soft sweet potatoes and crunchy pecans. Check out the recipe for yourself!
I’m a big fan of the Tips, Tools & Ingredients section of bonappetit.com. You can find information on pretty much everything you want to know regarding cooking and cooking-related items, whether it’s how to segment citrus or salt-roast a pork loin.
I found the page they did on pecans, and while I’ve talked about most of this on the blog before, it never hurts to have a refresher on how to buy, use and store pecans.
Check it out here and then browse around their other tips, tools and ingredients.
I can do nothing but think of sweet potatoes as the holiday season approaches. I have always enjoyed the sweet taste and soft texture of sweet potatoes and when they are mixed with brown sugar with a couple of marshmallows on top they are unbelievable. Another Thanksgiving favorite is mashed sweet potatoes which are always smooth and creamy with a little added sweetness. This holiday season I have been looking for a recipe that adds a little something extra to the mix. I came across this recipe that adds a tangy and toasted crunchy flavor which is amazing. These flavors come from cut up pineapple pieces and toasted pecans that are added when roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven. I cannot wait to see the responses I get from this dish, this holiday season.
For those of you who’ve read my blog posts before, you already know that I’m a huge fan of super simple, yet delicious recipes. And for me, nothing can get much better or easier than cooking with a slow cooker.
Now that the weather has finally cooled off a bit, I’ve been making a lot of slow cooker recipes like chili and beef stew - the perfect meals for a crisp fall day. But, I have to admit I’ve never cooked dessert in the slow cooker before. I’ve seen plenty of recipes, but none that I thought were worth trying, until now.
This recipe comes from Southern Living, and is perfect because it uses everyday ingredients, is cheap to make and captures all the flavors of fall in every bite.
All you need are:
5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
Place the apples in a lightly greased 6-quart slow cooker, drizzle with lemon juice, and then toss to coat.
Combine the flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle flour mixture over apples.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until apples are tender. Sprinkle with pecans and serve with warm ice cream.
I came across this video on YouTube.com the other day and it’s very interesting. It talks about the heart-healthy benefits of cooking with pecan oil. Available at ThePecanStore.com, Kinloch Plantation Pecan Oil can be used in place of your favorite cooking oil for just about every recipe you can think of. Some of the benefits include:
High smoke point
Virtually flavorless so it can be mixed in to almost any dish
Low saturated fat with 1/3 less than olive oil
Pecans have the highest amount of antioxidants compared to other nuts
Watch the video for an in-depth report on Kinloch Plantation Pecan Oil.
We’ve posted a lot of posts on this blog about pecans over the past year or so, but in order to understand why we have such a passion for them in the first place, I’d like to give you a closer look at exactly what we do. Here are a few fun facts about the Walden Family farm and The Green Valley Pecan Company!
that we have over 6,000 acres with over 101,000 Wichita and Western Schley pecan trees?
our harvest beings in mid to late November and usually carries on through January?
our farm has been family-owned and operated since 1948 with over three generations of the Walden family involved in The Green Valley Pecan Company?
southern Arizona has the perfect pecan growing conditions with lots of sunshine, quality water and rich, sandy soil?
we grow our own pecans, and process them on site?
each pecan processed on site has to pass strict quality control tests before being selected for packaging?
we love pecans so much, we’ve created a festival in honor of them and the Sahuarita community, which has supported us throughout the years?
So, there you have it. A quick glimpse into what makes our farm tick and a quick peek behind the curtain about what goes into producing the world’s freshest, tastiest, yummiest, crunchiest pecans.
Back in March I went to New York to visit some friends and explore the city. The one recommendation that all of my friends had while I was there was to eat at Max Brenner. The food was beyond fantastic, and I wish there was one where I lived.
Max Brenner is a famous chocolatier who has dedicated his life to making mouth-watering chocolate and chocolate-related food. I even got to sample some of his chocolate-covered pecans. The creamy chocolate melts in your mouth instantly, leaving you to finish the confectionery treat with the satisfying crunch of the nutty pecan.
I found this video on the food network, and although I’ve expressed my feelings about Paula Dean before, I have to admit that this Chocolate Pecan Pie she bakes with Max Brenner looks fantastic!
Check it out. And next time you’re in New York City, eat at Max Brenner! They have the best breakfast in the city.
When I go somewhere that lets you pick out your own ice cream toppings, I can’t help but notice that pecans are always ignored and completely overshadowed by peanuts and walnuts.
That is until I was at the mall a few weeks ago and suddenly realized that I was walking through a sea of people carrying brightly colored cups filled with all sorts of fantastic flavor combination. The source, I discovered, was a little shop called Mojo Yogurt.
The place was definitely different than anything I had seen before. Completely self-serve, Mojo Yogurt only carries fat-free frozen yogurt and features flavors that range from your classic chocolate and vanilla to exotic passion fruit and sugar free blueberry.
After you fill up your cup, you get to pick your own toppings and decide how much or how little you want. And the best part is that they have tasty chopped pecans. I’ve been there several times now, and while the yogurt flavors and the toppings are consistently rotated, the pecans have always been there.
My absolute favorite flavor combination is a little bit of chocolate yogurt, a little bit of vanilla yogurt and lots of chopped pecans. That little cup totally makes my day.
A little while back, The Green Valley Pecan Company made a commercial. It’s a little quirky and a lot of fun. Check out the funny video below to get an entirely different view of pecans from a squirrel’s perspective.
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