Little Old Lady Recipes Book Review—Candied Nuts Recipe And a Giveaway

Have you ever giggled while reading a recipe book?  It’s hard not to if you have the “Little Old Lady Recipes-Comfort Food and Kitchen Table Wisdom” on your hands.  I had such a wonderful time reading through the recipes and "Kitchen Table Wisdom" over the weekend.

“When it comes to comfort food, little old ladies know what's up. They know what will taste good, how to fatten up a family, and what will leave their diners craving seconds (if not thirds and fourths). Collecting these gum-smacking, finger-licking-good recipes from the matriarchs of society is Little Old Lady Recipes by Meg Favreau.”

Book Cover Image from Quirk Books’ site

“Little Old Lady Recipes honors the extraordinary women who create pot luck dinners, church socials, wedding banquets, and the best desserts you've ever tasted. Every page features their simple, no-frills recipes for pot roast, meat loaf, dumplings, corn bread, fried chicken, bundt cake, and other mouth-watering favorites-along with gorgeous photography of the chefs at work and generous portions of their kitchen table wisdom ("Butter comes from a cow. Tell me where the heck margarine comes from, and then maybe I'll eat it!").”




I followed one of the little old ladies’ advise and recipe and made some of these scrumptious Candied Pecans. “A good hostess makes big show-stopping meals, but a great hostess pays attention to the details. Place a bowl of these nuts in every room guests occupy during the cocktail hour before a dinner party; it’ll give them something to munch on and help ensure people don’t get sauced too quickly.” I took the advise a step further and packaged some of these candied pecans for guests to take home after the party. They are great for holiday gift-giving as well!



Here are a couple Kitchen Table Wisdoms that I love….”A grandmother isn’t the same thing as a restaurant. Shut up and eat the eggs.”—Ruth, transcriptionist, 77. LOL…Does that sound familiar or what?
Here’s another one, “Club soda is a wonderful thing. You can use it to remove any stain, or mix it with gin and drink until you don’t care about the stain anymore.”—Chastity, deli clerk, 72. 



While I was searching which wonderful recipe to make from the Little Old Lady Recipes book, I came across this quote on the Pumpkin Butter Recipe.  “Like good-looking people, pretty pumpkins are often really stupid on the inside.  Find an ugly, knobby variety for this recipe, because it’s likely to be sweeter.  Also keep this point in mind when looking for a husband….”  Opps…..I guess it’s too late for me to follow this advise as I’m already married to my handsome hubby for 7 years now.  hahahaha….

The Little Old Lady Recipes book is definitely a fun book to read for all.  Guess what, the size of the book will make it the perfect stocking stuffer as well!  Pack it along with a bag of these Candied Pecans and you’ll be all set.  For sure your foodie friends and family would waive about them. 

Rules for the Giveaway:

With the courtesy of Quirk Books, one lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S. mailing address only) will have a chance to win a copy of The Little Old Lady Recipes Book.   You have until November 27th, 12 midnight PST to enter this giveaway.  Winner will be announced and contacted via email shortly after the deadline.

Mandatory Entry: 

Simply leave a comment and tell me what your favorite holiday treat is.  

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Good luck everyone!




Disclaimer: I was given a copy of The Little Old Lady Recipe Book free of charge for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are 100% my own and always will be.






Candied Nuts (adopted from Little Old Lady Recipes)
Printable Recipe
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups pecan halves or other nuts*
a dash of vanilla extract*

Whisk egg whites with a spoonful of water (*I substituted with a dash of vanilla extract instead).  Combine everything else but the nuts in another bowl.  Coat the nuts in egg whites.  Toss in sugar mixture.  Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake 45 minutes at 250F, stirring occasionally. 

*Note: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of nuts only.  I was able to cover all 4 cups of pecans halves with the same amount of egg whites and sugar mixture.


This post is shared with:

Foodie Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Simply Delish
Friday Food and Recipe
Friday Potluck
This Week's Craving

Homemade Dark Chocolate Marshmallows

Have you ever try making marshmallows at home?  Sounds like a crazy idea, right?  Well, not so much if you have tasted a home made marshmallow before.  Compared to the store bought packaged version, the home made ones are much lighter, more flavorful, silkier, fluffier, and less chewy.  Best of all, you can infuse them with your favorite ingredients.  What did I infuse these Marshmallows with?  Of course I can’t resist but to add some dark chocolate into these pillow-y treats.  Once you’ve tasted the home made version, you can never go back to the packaged ones.  Trust me, you don’t want to go back to the packaged ones.



They are the perfect treats as the way they are.  But boy oh boy, drop a few into a cup of hot chocolate and you’ll have a decadent treat.  Yes, I love my hot chocolate topped with some whipped cream, the real stuff.  Simply whip some heavy cream with a dash of real vanilla extract and a little powdered sugar and you’re all set.  I happened to have some in my fridge on stand-by.  Lucky me!  



Hm….see the air bubbles inside these marshmallows (see picture below)?  They are pillow-y and fluffy like clouds.  I can definitely sleep on some of these airy goodness.  Or at least dream about them in my naps.    For sure that would be one sweet dream.



These home made Dark Chocolate Marshmallows are perfectly gooey when half way melted into the hot chocolate.  I can definitely take a good nap after a cup of this luscious and decadent hot chocolate.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I still have so much to do around the house and definitely got no time for a nap.  But at least, I can take a moment to relax and day dream while enjoying my favorite drink in the afternoon before I start the work.    Thanks for stopping by today and wish you all a wonderful weekend. 








Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Printable Recipe

1/2 cup cocoa powder, divided
3/4 cup cold water, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 (1/4-ounce) packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 ounce dark chocolate, chopped
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee granulate

Line an 8 by 8-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder on the bottom and the sides of the parchment paper, set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, add chopped chocolate, salt and instant coffee, heat on high until chocolate is melted.  Stop and stir at 30 seconds intervals.  When chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 cup cocoa powder.  Set aside to let cool.

In a medium saucepan, add 1/3 cup of the water, the sugar and the corn syrup and heat over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, do not stir the mixture and continue to cook the syrup until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  Then heat the gelatin in a microwave for 25 to 30 seconds to liquefy it.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm.  As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat.  Transfer the syrup to a heat proof beaker with handle (I used my heat proof glass measuring cup.  It’s safer and easier to control using a beaker to pour the hot syrup into the running mixer than pouring the hot syrup directly from the saucepan.)

With the mixer on medium low speed, slowly add the syrup to the egg whites.  Pouring it between the spinning beater and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes.  When the ingredients are fully incorporated and slightly cooled, beat in the vanilla and chocolate mixture until well combined.

With a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mixture into the corners and smooth the surface.  Dust the top of the marshmallow with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. 
Leave it in a cool, dry place to set.  It takes about 2 to 3 hours.  Once the marshmallow is cooled and set, cut into small pieces with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife.  I cut some of mine with cookie cutters.  Lightly dust the cookie cutters with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.  Eat them as is or add them into hot chocolate for a decadent treat.  Enjoy.

This recipe is shared with:

Sweets for Saturday
Sweet Tooth Friday
I'm Lovin It
On the Menu Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Mingle Monday
Simply Delish Saturday
Tuesday Talent Show
Success U
Mouth Watering Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Friday Food & Recipe