Tis the Season for Spiced pecans

This is a tradition I have inherited from my mother-in-law. Every December I find myself up to my elbows in deliciously gooey pecans. I love the sound they make when I turn them in the oven and the way they make my house smell; they are as much a part of Christmas as trimming the tree. They also make wonderful gifts and we give pounds and pounds away each year. Enjoy.


Joann's Spiced Pecans

1 lb shelled pecans
2 egg whites
2 tsp cold water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp all spice

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheet. Beat egg whites and water in a large bowl until frothy and toss with pecans. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon, clove, and allspice. Stir until well-coated. Spread pecans onto cookie sheet and bake for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.

My Five Favorite Local Christmas Events

These are ranked in no particular order. All are activities that we have enjoyed over the past several years.

1. Christkindlmarkt - Bethlehem, PA

2. Kozier's Christmas Village - Bernville, PA

3. A Longwood Gardens Christmas - Kennett Square, PA

4. A Dickens of a Christmas - Manheim, PA

5. Christmas Light Show (used to be the Wanamaker's Light Show) - Philadelphia, PA

Happy holidays everyone!

The Hunt for a Good Baguette

The best baguette I can find in Chester County is from Talula's Table in Kennett Square. As everything they do is spectacular, this isn't exactly surprising. But what about when I don't want to drive all the way to Kennett for a loaf of bread? My next best option is Wegmans in Downingtown. Their baguettes are lovely, chewy, and fresh but just not as authentic in texture and taste as those at Talula's. If the 15 minutes to Wegmans also proves too much I am stuck with the normal supermarkets (or Panera, which I do not like to support). Of the two near me, Acme's baguette is far superior to Genuardi's, which is a wimpy, sad excuse of a bread. Every once in a while I will attempt to make my own but, while my attempts are tasty, the crust is never dense enough.

I did once have a baguette from Food Source in The Shoppes at Brinton Lake but as I don't recall it at all I assume it was neither good nor bad.

So does anyone out there have any other options? It's really a travesty that good bread is such a rare commodity in this country. Bad water and over processing are de rigueur.

A Steady Rain

I was in New York last night and was privileged to see one of the last performances of A Steady Rain starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Both men are absolutely incredible actors to see live. Here is the description of the play, taken from its website:

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman star in the most anticipated theatrical event of the season: A Steady Rain. This new American play by Keith Huff tells the story of two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends and whose differing accounts of a few harrowing days change their lives forever. Directing is John Crowley.

A Steady Rain is produced on Broadway by Frederick Zollo, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Raymond L. Gaspard, Frank Gero, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jeffrey Sine, Michael Rose Ltd, The Shubert Organization, Inc. and Robert Cole. Set and costume design are by two-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask, with lighting design by two-time Tony Award nominee Hugh Vanstone and original music and sound design by Mark Bennett.

It is not a happy work. In fact, I haven't been so disturbed by a piece of theater since I saw Angels in America: Perestroika performed in the late nineties. Of course, the fact that it made me feel physically ill is a testament to the power of the play. Fortunately, once it ended, an auction of the undershirts both men were wearing in order to raise money for Broadway Cares did much to lighten my mood. Each shirt went for $10,000 and a third bidder was promised a pair of pants in consolation. I was highly amused.

It's unfortunate the play is at the end of its 12 week run. Surely it will be staged across the country by a variety of theatrical groups and I urge everyone who loves theater to see it, though it is not for the faint hearted.

Quick Thanksgiving Follow Up

I have been too busy to sit down and review our holiday meal and now it seems a distant memory. I'll so my best, however. Everything came out wonderfully except the ice cream (still tasted good, just never solidified, probably due to too many Cranberry Mistos). Jamie really had something special going on with the crunchy mashed potatoes, a new idea of his. These are for those who like a rustic mashed potato, not those super whipped, smooth concoctions. We left the skin on most of the potatoes but took long scrapping of it off several. Jamie then fried the skins and some large chunks of garlic, all of which she stirred into the potatoes. I have long loved garlic mashed potatoes but never was able to make them garlicky enough. Frying the garlic before hand left every bite of the potatoes full of flavor. I was very pleased and, as always, impressed by my husband's creativity in the kitchen.

Jamie made a turkey stock that night which he turned into a turkey and rice soup the next day. Way more satisfying, to my way of thinking, than the ubiquitous turkey sandwich. I think we created some new and worthwhile traditions this year.