Sweet, Spicy, Salted Candied Pecans
Wednesday greetings, friends.
One week from today is THE DAY.
Meaning CHRISTMAS DAY.
Wow! Time marches on whether we’re ready or not.
Presenting Wednesday Reader, December 18, 2024.
BEGINNING WITH:
FEATURED CHRISTMAS GALLERY OF ARTWORK
Incredible talent one and all.
LESLIE ELMAN’S TRIVIA AND FASCINATING FACTS
I never tire of learning from Leslie.
QUICK QUESTION
3 words I love the sound of — took me a few minutes to pluck out only 3.
Here are mine:
GOOD
HI
I LOVE YOU
(yeah, I know, 3 words rolled together – still think it’s fair and square – ha)
How about you? What are your 3?
FIVE SONGS
Seriously, when I turn on the radio, it’s always the same old songs – over and over and over and over again
Both at Christmastime and all year long.
I think the title DJ doesn’t mean the same as it once did.
My take.
Anyway, found these 5 Christmas songs to share today you probably won’t be hearing on the radio.
Hope you can hit the pause button in your world and give them a listen.
Doubt you’ll be disappointed.
SWEET, SPICY, SALTED CANDIED PECANS
‘nough said.
Extra special. And super simple.
Me? I triple the recipe.
These sweet, spicy, salted candied pecans disappear fast!
TRACY’S “IT’S RAINING, IT’S POURING” COLUMN
Was a laugh blast.
Always!
STACY’S WORLD
Is back Friday.
Gotta tell ya — although my lips are kinda’ sorta’ zipped — Stacy has prepared a fabulous piece.
Slide in Friday to read for yourself!
GRATITUDE, ALL
For sharing a piece of your Wednesday, one week before Christmas, with us.
Ready?
Set.
Here we go!
Enjoy.
POP QUIZ
- THE NAME LEGO COMES FROM THE WORDS “LEG GODT,” WHICH MEANS “PLAY WELL” IN WHAT LANGUAGE?
a) Danish
b) Finnish
c) Japanese
d) Russian - ONE OF THE OLDEST LIVING TREES ON EARTH IS A 4,800-PLUS-YEAR-OLD BRISTLECONE PINE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA NAMED FOR WHAT BIBLICAL FIGURE?
a) Hagar
b) Methuselah
c) Noah
d) Sarah - THE QUAHOG (OR QUAHAUG) CLAM IS THE OFFICIAL STATE SHELL OF WHICH STATE?
a) Connecticut
b) Massachusetts
c) Rhode Island
d) Vemont
QUICK QUESTION
NAME 3 WORDS YOU
LOVE THE SOUND OF
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- Lego gets its name from the Danish words for “play well.”
- That very old bristlecone pine in Northern California is named for the very old biblical figure Methuselah.
- The quahog is the official state shell of Rhode Island.
~ COPYRIGHT LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
5 CHRISTMAS SONGS WE’RE NOT HEARING
ON THE RADIO – AND WONDER, “Why Not?”
SNOOPY’S CHRISTMAS
The Royal Guardsmen
** listen **
SILVER BELLS
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
** listen **
IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
Sixpence None the Richer
** listen **
ZAT YOU, SANTA CLAUS?
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
** listen **
THE WEXFORD CAROL
YO-YO MA AND ALISON KRAUSS
** listen **
A LOVELY THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS IS THAT IT’S CUMPULSORY
LIKE A THUNDERSTORM. WE ALL GO THROUGH IT TOGETHER.~ GARRISON KEILLOR ~
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED:
BE AN ADVENTURE
RIDDLE ME THIS
I AM A SHAPE. I AM A SEA ANIMAL.
I AM PART OF THE SKY. I AM ALWAYS
ON TOP OF A CHRISTMAS TREE.WHAT AM I?
Sweet, Spicy, Salted Candied Pecans
Enjoy these sweet, spicy, salted candied pecans with cocktails, on a salad, by the handful, or in a small hostess gift bag.
HERE’S HOW:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 cups pecan halves
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350*
LINE A BAKING SHEET
(think cookie sheet size) with aluminum foil.
IN A MEDIUM BOWL
Whisk together sugar, salt and cayenne pepper.
Add pecan halves to mixture with 1 TBSP water.
Gently stir until the sugar is completely dissolved into a sticky glaze and coats pecan halves.
TRANSFER TO
Prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer — trying to keep pecans from touching each other.
BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN
For 10 -12 minutes.
REMOVE FROM OVEN AND LET COOL COMPLETELY
Depending on your intentions:
- Serve sweet, spicy, salted candied pecans in little cocktail bowls on the table for guests
- Sprinkle on salads
- As a hostess gift in a small clear/festive bag tied to the neck of a bottle of wine for a gift a WOW!
- Let your imagination roll!
RIDDLE ANSWER
A STAR
LOST IN SUBURBIA
IT’S RAINING, IT’S POURING
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
“Is it still spitting out there?” I asked my husband as he walked in the door. It was dark and gray outside and the forecast to rain all day, but I couldn’t tell if it was actually raining at that moment or not.
He shook his umbrella and dropped it on the floor.
“I don’t like the word ‘spitting’,” he said.
I thought for a moment.
“How about misting?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Sprinkling?”
“Not so much.”
“Hydrating the ground lightly?” I said, pondering other alternatives.
“Why don’t you just say ‘rain’? he complained.
“Well the word ‘rain’ doesn’t really describe the intensity,” I explained.
“Is it pouring? Is it coming down in sheets, sideways, torrentially, like a monsoon? Or is it merely spritizing, lightly brushing your face like a morning mist?
“You need to be more specific. Is it a deluge or a drizzle? A spray or a steady stream? A drencher or a drip?”
He shook his head. I suspected he thought I was a lunatic.
But without the proper words, how could I really know the state of such things?
I was a writer, of course, so what did he expect?
That I would just call rain “rain”?
That would be like saying the dog smelled “bad.”
One generic word just can’t even begin to cover the infinite range of possibilities.
Typically, the amount of rain we’re having is actually linked to how bad the dog smells.
If it’s pouring, the dog gets soaked, releasing the full potency of his royal smelling.
If it’s just spritzing, I can usually get away with just toweling him off and spraying him with Febreze.
But that was not the issue today.
The issue today was that I needed to know the intensity of the rain so I could put on proper rain gear.
Did I need a raincoat or just an umbrella?
Could I wear sneakers or did I have to put on my rain boots?
More importantly, was it raining hard enough that all the worms were going to come out of the ground and cover the sidewalks so I’d have to dance around them, which is easier in my sneakers than my rain boots?
“Why does this matter?” he asked.
“I need to figure out all my options,” I said. “Don’t you think Noah needed to know if it was just going to sprinkle or if it was really going to pour before he started building his ark?”
“Are you building an ark?” he said.
“No, I need to go pick up something to make for dinner.”
“And how long will you be in the rain?”
“Five minutes.”
He sighed. “If you’re only going to be in the rain for five minutes, why do you care how hard it’s precipitating?”
“I just want to make sure I’m prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
“You mean like a typhoon?” he said.
“EXACTLY!” I shouted.
“I have a better idea,” he said. “Order in.”
~ Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble.”
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
Fascinating Stuff
+ Turning out 381 million wheels a year has earned Lego the title of the world’s largest tire manufacturer, according to Guinness World Records. Of course, that’s nothing compared with the number of Lego bricks manufactured each year — around 40 billion. The company estimates that it’s produced more than 80 bricks for every person on earth.
+ Call them tree-huggers; the Bishnois won’t mind. The nature-worshipping vegan religious sect came into being in the 15th century, and it’s very much alive. Based in the Rajasthan region of India, the Bishnois follow a strict vegan lifestyle and are so devoted to the sanctity of nature they’ve been known to latch on to trees in a fierce embrace to prevent people from chopping them down.
+ Quince, a tree fruit similar to pears and apples but classified in its own botanical genus, is the basis for dulce de membrillo, a thick jelly that complements both sweet and savory dishes. Usually made in the fall, when the quinces are harvested, dulce de membrillo is traditionally served in the winter, especially at Christmas.
+ George Washington’s only journey outside the United States was a three-month trip to Barbados in 1751-1752 with his half brother, Lawrence. Lawrence was gravely ill with tuberculosis, and George contracted smallpox during the visit. Nineteen-year-old George kept a detailed diary of the trip, describing everything from the weather conditions during their voyage to his newfound taste for pineapple.
+ The twinkly sound of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” in “The Nutcracker” comes from a a celesta (or celeste), a keyboard instrument named for its heavenly — celestial — bell like-sound. The story goes that composer Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky first heard the celesta in Paris in 1891 and immediately ordered one for himself, asking the instrument-makers to keep his purchase a secret from other composers, especially fellow Russian Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Tchaikovsky wanted the celesta’s distinctive sound to be linked forever to “The Nutcracker.”
~ COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
What fabulous artwork! So perfect for this joyous season!
Tracy had me chuckling – as usual.
Loved learning about the celesta – and its forever link with the Nutcracker. How wise was Tchaikovsky!
An abundance of pecan halves in my freezer beckons me to try the Sweet Spicy Candied Pecans recipe. I love spicy pecans in spinach salad, on ice cream, or by the handful 😉
Ho Ho Ho! Christmas is almost here!!!
“3 favorite words” asks Daymaker:
Well, that would be: “TIME TO EAT” I love good food (yet I show little interest in mediocre food.)
Here’s our Christmas menu with 12 at the table. Filet Mignon, scalloped potatoes, salad topped with Daymaker’s Sweet, Spicy, Salted Candied Pecans. Then comes my grandson’s homemade rolls. Now roll the drums, our dessert is Ina Garten’s coconut cake with raspberry sauce served with coffee.
I have a smile on my face as we make our way to December 25.
Merry Christmas to you, sweet friends.