As we close in on the holiday season, its tjime to think about food and drink gifts. My Cocktail Pecans are fast and easy and will keep for a few weeks in a tightly sealed jar or tin. And pecans are good for you!

Cocktail Pecans from the Steel's

4 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup butter (melted)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Jane,s Crazy Salt
11/2 teaspoons worcestshire sauce

Combine all and coat the pecans. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool and pack in airtight containers..

This is from my friend, Judith Choate, award-winning cookbook author and chef. It comes from her cookbook, HOMEMADE. I have substituted agave syrup for the sugar, making it diabetic friendly and lower in calories.

Coffee Liqueur;

Utensils needed: medium saucepan, heat proof bowl: half gallon non-reactive container Cooking time, ten minutes, infusing time: three weeks

Quantity: 2 quarts

Coffee Liqueur
3 cups agave nectar
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
3/12 cups vodka

1 large vanilla bean split open and cut crosswise into small pieces

Combine espresso powder with one cup of boiling water, stirring to disolve. Add agave nectar,vodka and vanilla bean and pour into non-reative container and set aside to infuse for therr weeks Pour into two 1 quart bottles ,cap and store in a cool,dark spot.

And this is for the cook!

Classic Margarita- from DELICIOUS MEETS NUTRITIOUS , By Stephen Richards of Better Body Foods and Nutrition LLC, ( This is a great cookbook using Xagave agave nectar for sweetening.)

Ingredients:

3 oz. tequila
1 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 Tbsp Agave nectar
3 oz. fresh lime juice
sea salt or lime wedges for garnish

Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients and shake vigorously. Serve in chilled glasses with or without salted rims and garnish with lime slices. Makes two drinks.

Next time I am sending three Pulled Pork recipes. I discovered that pork roasts are very economical- At my supermarket, $1.39 a pound . They are lean and nutritious. and very good in slow cooking recipes.

With the holidays fast approaching, we need to plan for some sugar-free baking. We all know that the high-intensity sweeteners just do not provide the function of sugar, so its time to order Nature Sweet Crystals, Brown Crystals and Powder. They substitute perfectly for sugars in all recipes and since they are PURE maltitol, they have minimal side effects.

I experimented with stevia all summer to develop a baking sweetener, but to date I have found that Nature Sweet behaves like sugar, tastes like sugar and that stevia just isn't there yet- for baking.

I got some excellent Saigon cinnamon at Costco's and have discovered I can make up a sugar free cinnamon/sugar using 1/2 cup of Nature Sweet to 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. I tried it on whole grain toast and it was so good that I added it to mini shredded wheats and came up with a high fiber/ sugar free breakfast cereal- similar to the sugared Kashi version.

Tonight, I am sauteeing apples and adding the cinnamon/Nature Sweet to them. I will use a combo of butter and olive oil for flavor and health. If you have Butter Buds, you can add them to olive oil for flavor.

We are also having fun with agave nectar. It is so good over fruit as it seems to bring out the best in the fruit flavors. I use it over cereal, in margaritas, mojitos and other sweet drinks and in marinades that have lime, but have a little too much "pucker". I cooked up a delicious blueberry topping last week using frozen, unsweetened blueberries , agave nectar and a bit of vanilla. Frozen fruit is a good way to get one of those recommended servings of fruits and veggies, with all those anti-oxidants and with agave- they taste so good. Just remember that agave is one and a half to two times sweeter than sugar so less is good.

We are using Steel's sugar free Maple Syrup for several appllications. It goes into sweet potatos, squash, (microwaved) and over ham slices or pork chops.. jIt is also excellent for a salmon marinade.

Its time for sugar free Pecan Pie. Our recipe uses Nature Sweet syrup, but the Maple works just as well. The pecans are considered a health food, and if your are on a low-carb program, you can make the crust out of almond flour,

Speaking of nuts, I have a great recipe for marinated cocktail pecans, which I will send along next time.

All the best,

Betty Jo