Spiced Pecans Recipe

Whether you’re making these to snack on, add to salads, or gifting them as a Christmas hostess gift, these are my all time favorite spiced nut recipe. It’s my favorite winter holiday treat to make and the best part, it’s super quick and easy to make.

Ingredients (Makes 4 Cups):

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

• 1/2 (packed) golden brown sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

• 4 cups pecan halves (1x 1lb bag)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Using a silicone baking mat, spray with a little Pam.

3. In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat.

4. Add brown sugar, 1/4 cup of water, salt, and the five-spice powder; stir until sugar dissolves.

5. Add nuts to sugar mixture and cook until syrup thickly coats nuts, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

6. Transfer nuts to prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes:

As a Hostess Gift: If you are preparing these for a hostess gift, I got these vintage looking glass jars at my local grocery store (Wegmans). It elevates the gift and presentation just slightly.

Snack & Salad Option: I love these as a snack; but a great combo is on salads. My go-to is a spinach salad with these spiced pecans, cucumber, apple, crumbled goat cheese, cranberries, and croutons.

Alterations: Sub pecans for walnuts or almonds if you’d like!

Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe

There’s something about a fresh flaky buttery cranberry orange scone in the morning with a hot cup of coffee. Maybe because it reminds me most of my barista days in college at Starbucks when I was first introduced to this flavor combo.

Recently I’ve been trying to make recipes that are easy and quick to grab, now that I have a newborn. This recipe is both fast and hearty, mixed with a comforting feeling.

This recipe makes 8 scones and is great for when you’re strapped for time or looking for a cozy winter pastry to start your mornings.

Ingredients (Makes 8 Scones):

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

• 1 large egg

• Turbinado sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and work with your fingers onto pea sized crumbles, then toss in the dried cranberries and add the zest of 1 orange.

3. Add the heavy cream and eggs, then work into a dough. Transfer to a floured work surface and roll 1 inch thick. Smooth edges and slice into 8 wedges.

4. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan, then brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

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Mimosa Brunch Board

Are you a mimosa fan like I am? If so, you’ll love this super easy and colorful spread for your next brunch at home for your girl gang of boozy friends and family.

We’re all familiar with the Charcuterie & Cheese Boards trends but thought we could level up to a Mimosa Brunch Board because obviously a genius idea.

Being the event planner at heart, I love to plan for the food part of a get together. This spread would be perfect to let your guests create their own mimosa combinations and in general a beautiful centerpiece. Perfect for a Galentine’s Day / Valentine’s Day Brunch, Birthday Brunch, Bridal Shower Brunch or any brunch party or celebration at home.

Here’s how to make the spread… Cheers!

Mimosa Brunch Board Ingredients:

• Strawberries

• Raspberries

• Blueberries

• 1 Grapefruit

• 1-2 Lemons

• 1-2 Limes

• Mini Muffins or Mini Quiches

• 3-5 Mini Prosecco Bottles (or more depending on your group size)

• Juices: Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, or any type of juice

• Large Cheese Board

  • Pictured here - I got this round wooden serving platter from Target a few years ago. I don’t see it available any more but here’s a similar options on Amazon.

• 3 Ramekins

  • Here’s the one’s I have from Amazon.

• 2-3 Carafes

  • Got mine, pictured here, from the Container Store).

  • Other carafe options from Amazon.

• Flute Glassware

  • Here’s some cute flute options - here and here.

• Toothpicks

• Flowers

Loaded French Toast Brunch Burger with Fries - Fries Before Guys Burger

Hope you came hungry, because this brunch burger is not for the faint of hearts or stomachs.

This loaded brunch burger idea came just around one of my favorite holidays - Valentine’s Day. So officially, unofficially I’m also naming this burger the “Fries Before Guys” Brunch Burger.

Stacked mine with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The beauty of it is it’s sandwiched between two french toast slices, adding that sweet and savory element to the dish. Come hungry, eat it with friends or roommate while binging Netflix or make for a extra special date night at home, perfect for that brunch loving couple type.

Ingredients:

For the French Toast buns:

• Brioche Bread

• 2 Eggs

• 4 Tbsp - Milk

• 2 Tbsp Vanilla

• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

For the Burgers + Condiments:

• Burger patties or ground beef to form patties

• Cheese Slices (Optional Condiment)

• Lettuce ( Optional Condiment)

• Tomato (Optional Condiment)

• Fried Egg (Optional Condiment)

• Bacon (Optional Condiment)

• Avocado (Optional Condiment)

• Bag of Frozen Fries Fries/Tater Tots/Sweet Potato Fries - Your favorite potato.

Instructions:

Make the French Toast Buns:

• Slice the brioche buns into four slices

• In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon

• Heat a pan with some butter (or can use oil, or non-stick spray)

• Dunk the bread slices in the egg mixture and place in the pan, about 2 at a time to not crowd the pan.

• Cook until both sides are golden brown and little crispy (about 5 minutes each side), set aside

Make the burgers:

Season your meat with salt & pepper. On either the a grill or pan, cook your burger to your preferred temperature. Set aside.

Assemble:

Once the burgers are done. Time to assemble on the french toast buns. You can add as many condiments as you want to your burger. I went ALL out!

For the fries (in the photo) I did make these homemade. Honestly, it was a ton of work and I’d definitely recommend saving the hassle and time by just getting a frozen bag of your favorite potato and heating those up in the oven to go with the burger. Enjoy!