Crock Pot Sugared Pecans!

So I posted this on my Facebook yesterday, but forgot to put it here.

I made sugared pecans yesterday. Hey, I'm a girl from GA, using pecans for stuff is kinda required. More than one person asked for the recipe, so I'm going to share it with all of you.

It’s easy peasy. For the most basic crock pot version that doesn’t get all spice rack intensive:

• 1 lb pecans (or walnuts, cashews, any nut)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (I totally melt it in a cup in the microwave & dump it into the crock pot.)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (let’s be real, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar is like…not enough. This is pretty much the ‘minimum’ amount to make this work)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use more, but I kinda love cinnamon.)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (because I show up in a lot of recipes. All of you are welcome.)

Preheat your crock pot for about 15 minutes or so (on high).

Once you’re pre-heated throw in your pecans along with your butter. (Yeah, stirring the butter/pecans would probably be a good idea, since the sugar needs something to cling to.)

Add your powdered sugar, & mix the crap out of it so there is sugar on ALL the things. Cover your crock pot & let it cook on high for around 15-20 minutes.

Reduce your heat to low & keep the lid off your crock pot. Let your pecans get all crispy & junk. (Usually between 2-3 hours.) Stir this some along the way, otherwise you’re going to get some funky pecans stuck to the bottom of your crock pot. That would be a tragedy, so stir! (I usually do every 20-30 minutes or so.)

Take the nuts out & put them in a bowl. *nomnomnom*

Oh wait…I normally start nomming then, but technically you’re supposed to add in the other spices & make sure they coat evenly & let them cool before eating. I don’t wait for those bad boys to cool, I’m an adult, so I nom before I’m ‘supposed to’.

Here's what mine looked like once they were all done yesterday:

New listing in my Etsy shop!

Hand painted and distressed light grey/pale blue by missgingerlee

Autumn Bunting...

Since I have acquired so much twine, & so much burlap type material, making some 'fall' or 'autumn' bunting seemed like a no brainer. 

I even made it without injuring myself! Woohoo, you go Ginger!

Now I just need to hang this up...but I think I'm going to wait & not try to climb anything with a giant cast on. It seems like a recipe for tumbling onto the floor in a very ungraceful way. 

A toolbox in the kitchen

See, this old wooden toolbox has been hiding in my garage since the middle of August. It came from the bottom of a super old, falling apart outbuilding on a farm outside Murfreesboro, TN. It was very, very, very dirty. So dirty that it's just been sitting in my garage taking up space & continuing to look like I should just throw the dern thing away.

While I was 'doing' things this morning, I figured I may as well clean the poor thing up some. I spent 40 minutes just trying to get surface grunge off this thing, but now it is (mostly) funk free....

Yeah...it's very sunny today. There was no spot in my garage that was 'sun free', so enjoy some free sunbeams. 

The toolbox doesn't know it yet, but it's going to become a cool centerpiece type thing for my kitchen table this week. Yes, an old toolbox filled with pine cones (from my baking pine cones post) & other 'autumn' type things totally 'works' in my kitchen. 

Shortly after cleaning this I cut myself on another piece...so all work has ceased for today, because nobody wants blood messing up their dirty old toolbox. 

Ding! My house smells like a Christmas tree...

Alright, all of my pinecones (save for a couple tiny ones that hid from me) have been through their little baking trip.

I lined a cookie sheet with tin foil, because really, you don't want sap all over your cookie sheet, do you? No, you don't.

I left some space in between them because I'm weird like that.

I preheated the over to 300 degrees & popped these little guys in there for 20 minutes.

And then....ding! All done! They've all opened all the way up, even the tiny ones.

Let them cool a while, ok? Having an 'I got burnt by a pinecone after I baked it story' probably won't impress most of your friends. You just saved a few bucks by not having to go to the store and buy these. Easy peasy. 

Your house smelling like a giant Christmas tree is a nice bonus, at least it was for me.

Pine cones, assemble! Prepare to be put in the oven!

I've got a box of pine cones that have come into my life...and I need to make sure there are no creepy crawly things on them, & that the sap is less....sappy.

To the oven I go. I shall report back once I am done baking these little buggers.

Woo hoo!!

One of my BFF's has decided to corral me, crutches & all, to a local estate auction for at least a little while today. (Hey, I haven't left the house in weeks, this is 'woo hoo' worthy!)

Now...what shall I be on the lookout for today?

I wasn't going to make a third Halloween sign thing...but I couldn't help myself.

I just kinda happened, ok? 

The cowbell strikes back...version 2.0

Just listed in my Etsy shop, a larger, louder, shinier cowbell than the one I put up a couple weeks ago. If nothing else it'll drown out your competitors at football games.

Check out this item, as well as my Etsy store here:

Medium genuine vintage hand forged cowbell with by missgingerlee

Awww, these are cute!

While surfing the black hole known as Pinterest the past few weeks, these cute tree cones have kept popping up. I am *so* making these for the holiday/winter season this year. I have a literal ton of fabric to play with from my magical Craigslist fabric bonanza at the beginning of the summer.

And yes, I will be selling these in various sizes/colors/etc.





Fabric Covered Poster Board Christmas Tree Cones…
Example photos from the Creativity Exchange





You know you want one. Yes you do.

Oh this is just cool looking...

While doing one of my favorite things as of late-pining for gorgeous things on Craigslist-this awesome table showed up. Y'all...it's gorgeous. Look at the feet!!!

Antique table