Finals are over guys!! And Christmas…wow. Where does the time go? I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday as much as I did. Let me catch you up on a few things from the past month. The end of the school semester was pretty intense and I was a nervous wreck as I prepped for the hardest finals I have taken to date. I kind of felt like this right before I took each final exam…

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But after all was said and done, I was like…

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And then I’m like…

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Ha! Kidding…mostly. There may have been a one, two, a few celebratory drinks consumed to celebrate another semester accomplished.

Right after I completed my exams, I finally had time to begin my Christmas shopping. Don’t say anything, I know…I had about 5 days to get everything ready. Crazy. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% jazzed about the holiday season at first. About a month ago, I went through a major life changing event as Cave Man and I decided to go our separate ways. Despite the unexpected turn of events, everything has worked out for the better and it turned out to be one of the best Christmas’ I’ve had in a long time. I was blessed to be a part of 3 different family celebrations and felt so much love and happiness that I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Plus, watching these little munchkins unwrap gifts is all a girl needs.

My nieces Harmony, Destiny and MiAmore were happy with their new boots!

My nephew Jarod opening his train set. Look at all that blonde hair!

Cousins sharing the wrapping paper garbage duty.

My little sister Monica and big sister Tara showing off their new bling.

I wish the pictures came out better, but it was hard to keep snapping them amongst the craziness. All in all, it was a happy, happy day!

Now on to my favorite subject, food. I’ve been teasing my Instagram followers with promises of a sweet pecan butter recipe, so here it is! I wanted to have this up before Christmas but I was up to my ears in toys, wrapping paper and bows. The good news is, it’s well worth the wait. I tried keeping a few jars of this around the house as little Christmas gifts, but I couldn’t stand the pressure of not eating it and had to offload it pretty quick. I can’t even pick my favorite way to eat it because it’s crazy good all ways. On a spoon, drizzed over an apple, spread over a paleo cookie, plopped on your pancakes….whatever floats your boat. Breaking news, I think I may love it more than I love almond butter. Shocking, I know. But you may understand it once you try it…

Sweet Pecan Butter

(Makes approx. 8 ounces)

Ingredients:

• (2) cups organic, raw pecans
• (1) cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• (1)1 pinch salt

Other Tools Needed:

• Food processor
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Spatula
• 8 oz. jar

Method:

Add the pecans to the food processor and begin blending on high. Stop every 2-3 minutes to scrape the sides down with a spatula. As the pecans begin to break down, a butter will start to form. This should take about 15 minutes of processing. Continue to blend until you have reached the desired creaminess. I like a very creamy butter, so it took me about 20 minutes of processing to get to that point.

Add the coconut sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt and blend for another 3-5 minutes until you’re back at the desired consistency. Store the pecan butter in an airtight container and store in the fridge. It should last up to a month….ha…who am I kidding? If you love it as much as I do, that jar will be gone in a week, tops.

Additional Tips:

My roommates often make fun of me because I save every jar that crosses my path. Finished with a store bought jar of almond butter? Clean out the jar, and then fill it with hot water. Find a container that is tall enough to cover the jar and place the jar inside the container. Add a little dish soap to the container and fill the container with hot water so that the jar is fully submerged in the water. Let it soak for at least 1-2 days, and you should be able to peel the label off very easily. I use my reused jars to store homemade nut butters, nuts, seeds, flours, dried fruit, coconut sugar, etc. It saves room in the pantry AND looks super cute. That’s what I call killing two birds with one stone, you know?

Now that I’m on winter break the CGC kitchen will be super busy with new recipes, so look for more goodies headed your way. Enjoy the rest of the week!

Related articles

• Pumpkin Pecan Butter (thecookingbug.wordpress.com)
• Christmas Project Number 3 – The Pecans (institches2012.wordpress.com)