Pat’s orange pecans:
3 cups pecan halves
1 orange (fine-grate or "zest" the orange part of the peel off and save, then squeeze the juice into a cup and save)
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 dashes of each:
Cinnamon, Cloves, and Nutmeg
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan combine the orange peel, orange juice, brown sugar, butter, and spices. Heat to a boil and immediately add nuts. Stir and sauté until pecans absorb the liquid. Remove from heat. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the hot pecans onto the tray. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes. Keep checking that they are not getting too brown! Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The nuts will take on a crunchy rather than chewy consistency.
These are good as a snack, crumbled up in a salad or oatmeal, or on a dessert, like a topping for ice cream.
