Haley's Hospitality Corner

Well, hello there friends. With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I thought I'd let our favorite Bed and Breakfast hostess come talk to you about some of her favorite treats. 

She's eager to tell you all about her favorite nut, and being one herself, I think it's safe to say she might know what she's talking about. (ha-ha) 

Don't tell her I said that.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Madison Creek's favorite B&B owner...Haley!

Howdy Y'all! Haley Madison-Winters here to talk about why I think pecans are so great. 

First off, I have to ask... Do y'all say pecan the right way, or that other way? 
I mean, when you say pecan does it sound like you're saying Toucan?  If so I have to say that's wrong, wrong, wrong, though people will argue with me about that. 

Whatever.

The proper way to say pecan is PEE-cahn. 
Now that we set the record straight on that, let's get to talking about some yummy ways you can cook up these wonderful little nuts. 

I found out a few things about this favorite Texas nut. Want to hear them? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway, so just have a seat and some sweet tea and let's sit and talk a spell about this wonderful nut. 

The name “pecan” is a Native American word that was used to describe nuts requiring a stone to crack.
I have to say, they are kinda hard to crack open. Then you need to clean them up. And they can go bad quick, so I keep mine in a glass jar in the fridge when I need to store them. But the trouble is worth it, trust me. And when I can get my hands on them, they don't last long around here. 

Texas adopted the pecan tree as its state tree in 1919. In fact, Texas Governor James Hogg liked pecan trees so much that he asked if a pecan tree could be planted at his gravesite when he died.
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I'd like a pecan tree planted over my gravesite. That would be awesome. 

Pecan trees can live over 200 years. They're also native to Texas and other southern states.
We had several growing on the ranch I was working at down in south Texas. My sissy Lexie and I used to help collect them and get paid a few bucks for every bag we filled. Good times. Sore hands from breaking off the husk, but still good times. 

Best of all, pecans are healthy! The fats found in pecans are classified as monounsaturated and are recommended for the maintenance of a healthy heart. The nuts are also rich in Vitamin E and the mineral, zinc.

Healthy, delicious, and did I mention that they make some of the yummiest desserts?  Well, they do and I'm gonna share a few of my favorites with you. By the way, Butter Pecan ice cream is the best! If you've not tried it, you're missing out, let me tell you.

Here's two of my favorite pecan recipes that I'd like to share with you. Whip these recipes up for some Thankful for Thanksgiving delights!

Candied Pecans: Easy peasy
turn your oven on to 250 and grease a baking sheet. 
Make sure your pecans are cleaned and dried. 
In a bowl, mix together an egg white with a bit of water until frothy. 
In another bowl mix together about a cup of sugar, a spoonful of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Now this will depend on how many pecans you have, and how much cinnamon you like. Start small, you can always add a bit more cinnamon and salt. Give it a taste to make sure you like it. 

What you're gonna do is put those pecans in the egg mixture and stir them around till they're all covered. You know, like giving them a bath. Once they've been good and doused, dunk them in the sugar mixture. From there, lay them all out nice and neat on the baking sheet. 

You'll stick them in the oven for about a good hour. Be sure to flip them every 15 minutes or so, and they'll cook up nice and crunchy. 

Once they're cooled down, pop a handful in your mouth and enjoy! 
They sure don't last long around the Bed and Breakfast when I make some of these up. That handsome Yankee of mine will gobble them up like a chicken after fresh corn feed, let me tell you. 

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Sweet Breads are better with pecans and other goodies.

I make a lot of bread here at the B&B to serve for breakfast when we have guest. And even when we just have a lot of family and friends hanging around. Which is often. I make up big batches of sweet bread dough. You can use your favorite recipe. Sometimes I'll add some finely chopped nuts of various sorts to the bread, along with chopped apples, or berries that grow wild in the woods around the Victorian. 

But best of all is my honey pecan butter I'll add for folks to smother their bread with. This is another easy peasy thing to make.
Get a couple of sticks of real butter and let it soften.
Chop up about a half to a third cup of pecans. Cut them up really small. 
Drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of local honey and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over the top before you mix it all together. 

Refrigerate for about an hour then put the pecan butter in a pretty dish when you serve it. 
Deeelish!!

Now, my all time favorite pie is Pecan, but you'll have to come back here for my Christmas special Hospitality Corner. That's when I make a whopping amount of goodies for the family to enjoy. Especially that Handsome Yankee fella of mine. Maybe next time, I'll share my secret recipe for some Snickerdoodle Cookies for my Sweetie-pie. 
If you've read Snow Belle, then you'll know how much Ethan loves my cookies.  

Oh, and I might just invite a certain pink-haired candy maker to join me. She loves sharing her sweet treats with folks. Doesn't that sound delightful? I think so. 

See? There's a whole bushel of great things to look forward to. 
Thanks for sitting with me for a spell and I hope you enjoy the little treats I shared with you.
Until next time,
Haley Isabelle Madison-Winters