You’ve
got to be confident about what you’re bringing to the table when you carry
little strips of paper with the recipe, because you know people will want it.
Martha
Troxell spied me going back to sample her Presto Pralines at a holiday table.
The crispy, pecan brown candy was baked into graham crackers. So good. So
portable. Guess I wasn’t sneaky enough.
She
and her husband, Bob, shared the story of how their daughter, Donna Oberle, was
just a young little thing when this recipe won her an air conditioner in the
Port Arthur News Cooking contest.
The
family has been making it ever since, and they said I could share it with
readers. When you see the Troxells, thank them.
Presto
Pralines
20
to 24 graham crackers
1
cup (two sticks) butter
1
cup light brown sugar, packed
1
cup pecan pieces
Line
a 15 by 10 inch by 1 inch jelly roll pan with whole graham crackers. Bring the
butter and sugar to a rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat;
when bubbling has stopped, add the chopped pecans. Spoon evenly over the graham
crackers. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool slightly
and cut into squares.
Solid
salads
I’m
grateful I work beside a health nut. Bonus: Callie Summerlin is as into trying
new, international flavors as she is eating clean and healthy on a regular
basis.
We
were both invited to a covered dish and I put down that I was making a garbanzo
bean salad.
She
said she’d bring a quinoa salad.
Neither
of us mentioned that corn, black beans and lime dressing would be featured
players in both our creations.
So
both salads looked pretty much alike next to each other on the table. It was
like we each showed up wearing the same dress. I think I know who would win in
a “who wore it best” vote between us.
But
other guests seemed genuinely interested in both our salads. Hers was
resplendent in quinoa, the South American super grain that, we pronounce KEEN
wa, and cilantro.
Mine
also featured cranberries, feta cheese and black olives.
I
don’t know if she had an original recipe, but mine kept evolving because I
wanted to carry it in my clear glass bowl with a cover. When everything I had
imagined was in the bowl, it still looked a bit empty, so I kept adding more.
Don’t
you love a good potluck party?
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