Bourbon Pecan Pralines

Recipe from Taste of Home

What you need: 1/4 cup unsalted butter (cubed) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 cup pecan halves (toasted) 1/2 cup chopped pecans (toasted) 1 TBsp bourbon How to make them: Grease two baking sheets, set aside. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the sugars, then cream, cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reads 236˚ (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the pecans halves, chopped pecans, and bourbon. Immediately drop by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Let stand until pralines are set up and no longer glossy. ENJOY!

Joyeux Mardi Gras!

     So Mardi Gras has been going on for awhile, but I usually just celebrate it with the kiddos on Fat Tuesday.  It's a day with beads, masks, purple, green and gold, yummy food, and festive treats!  I usually make the traditional Red Beans & Rice, Gumbo, Dirty Rice, Okra, yadda yadda.... but this year I wanted to do something a little different.  So, I went on Pinterest and found some yummy new recipes to try out on the family.  They are awesome and got the thumbs up!  These were definitely blog worthy!

Here's the Mardi Gras lunch I came up with for Liam 

Purple, green & yellow Gold Fish,

PB&J with sanding sugars,

Grapes & Apricots,

and a King Cake Bar (I made)

While Liam was in school, Kinley and I dressed up!

For dinner I made some finger lickin' Cajun BBQ Shrimp

and some Bacon Collard Greens!

For dessert we enjoyed some King Cake Bars

and Bourbon Pecan Pralines!

Hope you had a fun festive Mardi Gras....

now that we filled ourselves on Fat Tuesday, it's time to fast for Ash Wednesday for Lent!