How to Complete Your Holiday Gift List in 5 Minutes

89_73_popupShopping for everyone on your gift list can cost you a lot of time if you are driving around town hunting for a possible gift. Or maybe time is not an issue for you. Maybe you just need a little something extra for each person to show just how much he or she means to you.

Cane River Pecans are a perfect way to give the gift of a lasting impression. You can make your shopping quick and easy at Cane River Pecan by choosing to “Shop by Products”, “Shop by Occasions”, “Shop by Price”, or “Customize Gifts.” Each item contains a picture of the product and the packaging, so there is no mystery about what you are getting. Continue reading How to Complete Your Holiday Gift List in 5 Minutes

How to Make Healthy Halloween Treats for Your Party

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Happy Halloween 1! by Bubamara is licensed under CC by-SA 2.0.

Halloween doesn’t have to be a time of stomach aches and sugar highs. There are plenty of fun, healthy alternatives to creating tasty Halloween treats without getting tricked. Here are a few creative and healthy options for a festive snack, dessert, or salad idea:

Banana Ghosts and Tangerine Pumpkins

This is a great idea for snacking on while handing out candy during Trick-Or-Treat. For Banana Ghosts, simply peal bananas completely, cut in half, and use mini-chocolate chips for eyes and regular size chocolate chips for the mouth. For Tangerine Pumpkins, peal tangerines completely and place a small bit of celery in the center to look like a stem.

Apple Bites

All the little goblins and monsters will love this snack. Simply cut rounded, thin slices of any apple variety. Put a thin coat of peanut butter on each slice. Place small marshmallows between the slices, and abracadabra! You have scary plate of mouths on your table. Continue reading How to Make Healthy Halloween Treats for Your Party

From Appetizers to Desserts – How to Cook with Pecans

29Pecans are delectable additions to your cooking at any time of the year. But during the holidays, pecan dishes seem to add to the festivities with their aromas and versatility. From appetizers to desserts, incorporating pecans in your holiday menu is a wonderful way to celebrate traditions.

Appetizers

Sometimes we forget simply adding a handful of toasted pecans to a dip or spread can add sophistication, flavor, and texture. Next time you are serving cheese with a preserve as an appetizer, consider this Cherry-Pecan Brie recipe. Pecans in the cherry preserve add crunch, protein, and extra nutrition.

Cream cheese spreads are another appetizer favorite, especially during the holidays. Try this Cream Cheese-and-Olive Pecan Bites recipe. The toasted pecans and cream cheese are a great creamy/ crunchy combination, and the pecans can be served open-faced or in a sandwich style. You can also add variety by using flavored pecans, modifying the olive flavor, or by using goat cheese instead of cream cheese. Continue reading From Appetizers to Desserts – How to Cook with Pecans

Don’t Do These Five Things When Grilling

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Barbecue DSCF0013 by Hedwig Storch is licensed under CC by-SA 3.0.

The aroma of a barbeque pit in action brings to mind carefree cooking jam-packed with flavor. However, mouthwatering smells can easily turn into burnt dreams in a flash if you do these five things when grilling:

Mistake #1: “I’ll throw the meat on when I light the pit.”

Big mistake. If you are using charcoal and start grilling meat while the pit is still heating, then chemicals in the charcoal will flavor your food. You want to allow approximately 15 minutes for your grill to heat – lid down is best. Your grill should sear the food on contact. This will decrease cook time and prevent sticking.

Mistake #2: “Oops! I forgot to prep!”

Prepping is an essential process before cooking any dish. You don’t want to risk overcooking (or worse, burning) what’s on the grill because you have to dash in the kitchen to chop onions or to grab your secret seasoning mix. Continue reading Don’t Do These Five Things When Grilling

Three Anniversary Mistakes That Make You Look Like the Worst Spouse EVER

3_65_popupAnniversaries are thought to be a time of reminiscing and romance. But when you make one of these mistakes, whispering sweet nothings over a fancy dinner may turn into folded arms, staring out the window, and a long silent ride back to the homestead.

“Babe, I thought it was tomorrow.”

Set a reminder on your phone. Put it on a sticky note and a stick it in your office. Stick it on your debit card. Stick it in your shoes. Do not forget this date. You forget the date, you may suffer spousal acts of passive aggression which can lead to no food in the house, dirty dishes piled for days, or grass growing tall enough you could bale hay in your front yard. Continue reading Three Anniversary Mistakes That Make You Look Like the Worst Spouse EVER

How to Know When to Harvest Your Pecans

109If you are interested in harvesting your pecans, late September through November is the time when pecans begin falling. Keep in mind if your pecan tree experienced insect infestation or went through a late freeze, the nut’s quality and amount of nuts falling to the ground might be adversely affected. For this reason, scouting which trees appear healthier and contain larger husks is an important step in preparing for harvest.

Observation and Preparation

When pecans are ready, the husks will begin to split. Once you observe this on the tree, start cleaning underneath the tree to make harvesting easier. Cut the grass underneath the canopy and make the harvest area free from as much debris as possible. Continue reading How to Know When to Harvest Your Pecans

Do You Make These 3 Mistakes When Cooking With Nuts?

Warm Pecan Spinach Salad by Chef Justin Girourd. Chef and Owner of The French Press in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Warm Pecan Spinach Salad by Chef Justin Girourd. Chef and Owner of The French Press in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Incorporating nuts in cooking adds dimensions of flavor and texture to whatever your taste buds are directing you to craft in the kitchen. Whether you are making a pecan-crusted salmon or a prosciutto salad with oven-toasted pine nuts, there is room for error when cooking with these shelled delights. Here are a few mistakes in a nutshell:

1. Breading Battle

A delicious, crispy crust jazzes up a fish fillet or chicken breast. If the meat is coated with a greater breading than nuts ratio, you will sacrifice the nut’s flavor and create a saltier alternative.

2. To toast, or not to toast? That is the question.

Not toasting nuts is a mistake. Yes, toasting does add prep time, but if you choose to not spend a few extra minutes shaking them in a pan, you eliminate potential flavor that could be the extra “mmmmm” to your dish. Continue reading Do You Make These 3 Mistakes When Cooking With Nuts?

Why Pecan Oil Belongs in Your Kitchen

pecan-oilMany considerations take place when deciding which cooking oil to use for food preparation: saturated fat content, flavor potency, versatility, and overall delectability. If a cook is mindful of fat content, both “good” and “bad” fat, the observant epicurean will notice pecan oil has one-third less saturated fat than olive oil. When compared to butter, it has two-thirds less saturated fat. From a fat standpoint, pecan oil looks pretty skinny. Continue reading Why Pecan Oil Belongs in Your Kitchen

How to Make Healthy Snacks for Kids (Even If You Don’t Have Time)

After a long, active day at school, it’s no surprise that your little one comes home looking for a snack. When you’ve worked all day yourself, finding the time to prepare something delicious and nutritious can seem impossible. Never fear — there’s a world of options out there that are miles ahead of packaged cheesy crisps or preservative-laden cookies. Check out a few of these quick, easy ways to put a healthier spin on snacktime:

– Homemade popsicles: A chilly way to beat the heat during the summer months, homemade popsicles are a hit with kids of all ages. You can avoid the sugar of prepackaged popsicles by pouring 100% organic juice into fun molds and freezing until solid. Get a little fancier by blending juices together, or pureeing fresh fruit to give the final product more body and fiber. Some great combinations are peach-cherry, cranberry-apple, or even mashed banana mixed with peanut butter.

Continue reading How to Make Healthy Snacks for Kids (Even If You Don’t Have Time)

Four Shortcuts for Planning a Star-Spangled 4th of July in Record Time

Pismo Fireworks 4th of July 2009 by Anita Ritenour is licensed under CC by 2.0.

The sun is shining, the ribs are marinating, the flags are fluttering, and, across the country, families are readying their backyards for the cookout of the year.Of course, with just a few short days to prepare, you may be wondering how to best pull off a 4th of July party that’s befitting for the big day. Never fear: a quick, easy (and most importantly, glamorous!) party to celebrate our nation’s founding is just a few steps away.

Choose Your Cookout With Care

Quick-cooking barbecue fare is the heart and soul of a crowd-pleasing backyard bash. Who likes sitting around as the afternoon wanes, waiting for the huge rack of ribs or three-inch ribeyes to come off the grill? Never fear–instead, choose quick-cooking cuts such as thin pork chops or pounded chicken breasts, to keep the queue moving with piping-hot entrees for everyone. Since these cuts are a little less forgiving than their weightier counterparts, make sure to keep an extra-careful eye out for doneness, and consider a dunk in juice-preserving brine beforehand. Many summer vegetables, such as eggplant slices, cobs of corn, or zucchini planks also cook up in a snap. If you’re going the traditional burger route, shape the patties in petite 3- to 4-ounce portions as opposed to thick half-pounders. Not only will you get extra mileage out of your ground beef, but hungrier guests can stack them as high as they like — who doesn’t love a classic American double cheeseburger?

Continue reading Four Shortcuts for Planning a Star-Spangled 4th of July in Record Time