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| My own jars of Amelia's Spicing Pecans |
Are you just plain tired of using the same old "tried and true" recipes? I recently found a product that will set your tastebuds on fire with happiness. (Well, not on fire unless you use the "hot and spicy" blend.) So, what is this magical creation that will spice up your kitchen creations? Amelia's Spicing Pecans
! Yes,
pecans! To quote the now defunct website, "
Amelia's Spicing Pecans are made from
select roasted chopped pecans, specially seasoned, then used as spicing ingredients to add rich flavors to your favorite dishes." You can now find information about these wonderful pecans on Facebook by clicking Amelias-Spicing-Pecans.
I took Amelia's "Be Creative" challenge and did indeed find that Amelia's kicked up my old boring recipes to a higher notch.
Why should one use these delectable spiced pecans in recipes instead of just plain pecans? Because Amelia's is made with only the finest all natural ingredients, specifically chosen by Amelia's creator. He oversees the roasting and the flavoring of this Alabama-made product. There were four entirely different flavors to choose from: Herb, Hot & Spicy, Cinnamon and Coffee.
Remember, these Spicing Pecans are not just nuts that a cook might use to add texture to a recipe, they are finely chopped, seasoned and roasted Southern pecans that add character and depth to the food you eat.
The first recipe I decided to "renew" was one that really needed spicing up. My original "Pecan Rice" recipe came from a vintage church cookbook. I had planned on making this traditional rice side dish for a family holiday dinner and I wanted it to be very special. I chose to use the herb flavored pecans because that just seemed to "fit" with the menu.
First, I cooked 2 "boil-in-bag" rice pouches in chicken broth. I sautéed some celery (onion could be used, too) in olive oil and added that to the drained cooked rice. After stirring in one cup of the
Amelia's Herb Flavored Spicing Pecans, I had my finished side-dish. No, wait, I chopped up some fresh parsley to sprinkle on the top of the bowl. It looked pretty--should have sprinkled more spicing pecans on the top, too! It was that easy to come up with an improved recipe! (Note: I did not add enough spicing pecans--it was my first try at "being creative" and I chose to be conservative with my measuring cup! Mr. Reardon, the creator of this fab product, almost always recommends using at least 1 1/2 cups --or more-- in recipes.)
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| "Pecan Rice" recipe kicked up with Herb Amelia's Spicing Pecans |
So excited by the raves from my family about the pecan rice, I began to think of even more ways to use
Amelia's Spicing Pecans. The obvious choice is to use the herb flavored nuts in a salad. Yes, I will tell you that the pecans worked very well in mine. It is so much fun to spice up one's culinary life. It occurred to me that the "Hot and Spicy"
Amelia's would be good on a salad, too. I went to my local Whole Foods, bought that flavor to add to my growing collection of
Amelia's. I was not disappointed in the results of the addition of the subtle hotness of those exquisitely seasoned, roasted pecans to a salad. I even spiced up a simple appetizer of pimento cheese on a cracker by sprinkling the
Hot & Spicy Spicing Pecans on top. The
Coffee flavor was amazing with the pimento cheese, too, believe it or not.
Then, I had another light bulb moment! These hot and spicy pecans would be great on a pork tenderloin roast. Adapting a recipe for
Pecan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin, I used the
Amelia's hot and spicy blend with perfect results. My only regret is that I did not crush the pecans into even smaller pieces. They might have not fallen off the tenderloin as easily as they did. Live, cook and learn, I say!
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| Hot and Spicy Pecan Crusted Pork Tenderloin |
Now I am really cooking
and being creative! What can I use these spicing pecans on next? Why not take
Cooking Light Magazine's Texas Sheet Cake to a higher level? Yes, that is what I will do. Anyway, I need a spectacular dessert to take to a party and this is the perfect chance to show off my baking creativity.
First I made the cake just like the recipe on the Recipe.com website and poured the cake batter into my new
KitchenAid 10"x15"x1" Jelly Roll Pan . Yes, a jelly roll pan is a must for a Texas sheet cake!
Next I sprinkled 2 cups of
Amelia's coffee blend pecans on the batter and gently pressed them down with a fork. This will keep the pecans pieces from burning--they are already roasted, you see.
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| Amelia's Coffee Spicing Pecans on top of the uncooked cake batter. |
After the cake baked for 22 minutes, a toothpick inserted in the center came out clean signaling that the cake was done. Now for the best part: pouring the boiled icing over the warm cake and gently covering the top with more of the coffee flavored roasted pecans.
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| Iced Texas Sheet Cake topped with Amelia's Coffee Spicing Pecans |
The aroma of the coffee and chocolate was irresistible. The end result was a delightfully good and moist Texas Sheet Cake. I took it to the party and not a crumb of it remained at the end of the night.
How else can one use Spicing Pecans? Use your imagination and feel free to try anything! I created a Sautéed Zucchini and Squash Pasta dish for dinner one evening with amazing results. A friend suggested that I could have added a cheese like a parmesan to this dish, too. The pecan pieces you see in the photo below are the Herb Spicing Pecans. The addition dressed this dish up and add a satisfying crunch. It was incredible how the sweet flavor of the roasted pecan pieces turned this dish into a culinary event inside my mouth!
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| Sautéed vegetables and Herb Flavored Amelia's over pasta. |
You can also put these nuts on leftovers!
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| Zoe's Chicken Salad and roasted veggies dressed up with pecans by Amelia! |
I am sure you are wondering where you can get your own jar of these inspiring spicing pecans. Just click Amelia's-Spicing-Pecans- and call the phone # listed. When Birmingham Alabama's Pepper Place Saturday Market begins in the springtime, you might find that Amelia's in a booth with samples to try.
If you are just plain impatient (or are not in Alabama or near a southeastern Whole Foods), you can contact the creator of this unique and versatile product that you MUST have in your kitchen, by emailing spicingpecans@gmail.com. Tell Mike that Mickie sent you.
Disclaimer: I do not receive any compensation for sales of Amelia's Spicing Pecans. I purchased the Herb and Hot and Spicy Spicing Pecans you see int he photos on this page at Whole Foods and Organic Harvest Market in Birmingham, Alabama. The creator of Amelia's did graciously give me the Coffee Flavored Spicing Pecans to try in the Texas Sheet Cake recipe.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
