Friday, November 3, 2023

Holiday Treats

The holiday season will be here a lot quicker than most of us realize. I know it seems early to post holiday treats, but the agreement the king of all fishes and I made when I started making these recipe posts was that I would only do one each week. With that in mind, all I can say is Times-is-a-wasting, I seem to have already allowed Halloween slip by, and I need to get busy, or I will find myself past the time for posting New Year booze recipes.


 
Holiday Treats
A Photo Recipe post
brought to you by ZeroBear PolyBear
who reminds you, Tuesday is election day, 
and like they do in Chicago, 
you should:


Many of my favorite holiday eats are main course meal items, like turkey, ham, sweet taters (not the governor, the orange starchy tubers), and cornbread dressing like Mom made. Maybe I’ll get around to those things eventually, but I figured you guys need a swell recipe for Candied Pecans, and that is what we will cover this week.

Pecans (pronounced “Puh cons” where I come from) have always been a big time special treat at our house. My grandparents farm, West of Isola, MS had 9 mature trees in the yard and 10 more if the barn, cotton field turn rows, and the cow pasture between the house and barn were included, which they were. When a couple of frosts had come and gone, the nuts would begin falling, and all of the 7 daughters, two sons, spouses, and the 30 + cousins would all descend on the home place for a weekend of pecan gathering. Each daughter or son would bring several of the big brown paper grocery bags grocers don’t use anymore and we would fill them to overflowing with Stewart Pecans. My PaPa was a well-known pecan tree grafter in that part of the state (Midnight and Silver City to Indianola and Leland), and his grafted pecan trees were always prolific producers of nuts. At the end of the weekend, each family would carry 40 to 60 pounds of nuts and would leave 60-80 pounds at the homestead for grandma to make pies, cakes, cookies, and divinity out of over the next twelve months.

I promise I will do Divinity before Christmas, but today, I want to share my recipe for cinnamon sugared pecans, because the world needs this treat, and everyone who reads this can make this sweet candy treat, that will impress your entire family and the few friends who have attained a high enough friend status to qualify for the sharing of candied pecans.

 


I am not sure where this recipe came from. I would love to tell you it is original to me, but that would not be true. I can say I wish it was original to me and that it will soon be a favorite at your house if you try making them.

By the way, the Isola farm is long gone now. The house is gone and the lot overgrown. PaPa's fields are now cultivated by a pair of brothers who were very interested in the history of the farm when I stopped by their tractor lot one day to visit. The sad remnants of a few of the pecan trees we played under back in the 1950s are still there, but most of them are broken down and rotting away. Just mentioning it makes me pause for extended periods of reflection as I recall excellent memories of good people, sadness for the many relatives who are no longer with us, and simpler, happier times out in the delta.

I am the first boy from the left in the second row. I was a cute little scutter.

Proof there were lots of pecan trees at PaPa and MaMa's Isola house. Waist high cotton, too.

These days, we buy our pecans from the Attaché Show Choir kids at Clinton High School during their annual fund-raising event to support the heavy expense of running a competition choir. They sell high quality, whole nuts, for a great CHS program, at a somewhat high price. There are not so fancy, but definitely cheaper pecans to be found at Sam’s, and I bet Costco has them too. If you have relatives who have 200 acre groves, who will not shoot at you if you drop by to gather some of their crop for your holiday baking, you are a very lucky person.


Here is my recipe for Candied Pecans:

Ingredients:

2 cups pecan halves, shelled, and cleaned.
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Spray oil (pam), or butter
Baking pan 


Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees F. Hotter than that and extending the cooking time for too long will burn the pecans, so be careful.

Separate egg yolk from egg white and set the yolk aside. You will only use the egg white in this recipe.


Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt and set aside. 




Add water and vanilla to the egg white in a bowl and whip by hand or with a mixer until frothy. Add pecans to the frothy egg white and stir until the pecans are well coated.



Add the pecans and mix until all are well coated.


Add the wet pecans to the sugar mixture and stir until coated.



Lightly spray a baking pan with butter flavored Pam, or lightly coat with butter and spread the sugar-coated pecans in a single layer.



Bake on the center rack of the pre-heated oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes – until the sugared pecans are dry and slightly browned/cooked. Your oven may take a little less or more time. Do not burn the pecans. They only need to be dry and slightly browned.



Remove from oven and cool.


Make a serious attempt to not eat all of them in the next 20 minutes. 


Thanks for looking.
God Bless You


  *****************


Added Wednesday night (11/01/23)

 I hope you guys will forgive me posting this with a happy, "Me too!" in honor of my friend Robert St John:




 

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the black and white photos. Nothing better than looking back at those.

These look fantastic. Always loved them but never knew how to do them. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Anyone ever add Rum to this?

Anonymous said...

Humphreys county girl here. I going to try this for Christmas.
Is that a Francoma plate you're eating from? I have some of the blue. It's a treasure.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this recipe, cannot wait to try it this Christmas season!

A Regular Here said...

I just happen to have developed the world's best, most complete, most boring fried turkey instruction that predates by several decades the modern 'stove pipe cylinder' apparatus for frying a single turkey. And there's an addendum for frying a whole chicken at the same time which requires a different time and weight formula.

Concurrently fried chicken livers along with garage bourbon and Thanksgiving-garage-bar photos are added for free.

Anonymous said...

I love all things made with pecans. This looks like a great recipe.

Our pecan trees produced a good crop this year, for the first time in about 4 years. Every time I go looking for hubby, he's under a tree picking up nuts or sitting in his recliner in front of the TV shelling them. I'll make several pecan pies for the holidays.

When I was growing up in the 1960s, my brothers and I picked up pecans, and our parents drove us to the coop to sell them. That's how we kids earned money to buy Christmas presents.

Thanks, Mr. Bear!

Anonymous said...

I’m hoping for a good sausage balls recipe, ZBPB.
I’ve been buying the frozen ones but they don’t taste like my mawmaw’s.
Please share your as I’m willing to bet it’s going to be the closest I will find.
Every recipe I find online looks like inedible yankee garbage!

Anonymous said...

When I die my coffin will be full of Candied Pecans.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

11:38 it is a southern living plate? Purchased at a party maybe 15 years back. I might be able to tell you more with some research. We have had them a long time along with soup bowls and serving dishes.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

Continued answer to 11:38. If not the green sculpted one most of our other stuff is Sherwater pottery. FromWalter Anderson,s family on the coast.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to find plain lady in a long dress to buy some peanut brittle from.


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.