[1] In just 90 minutes, you can turn out two dozen Turtles (recipe and photo © Baker By Nature).

[2] John and Kira’s makes “Tortoises”: six maple pecan and six cinnamon cashew in a beautiful gift box. Get them here (photo © John and Kira’s).

[3] Milk Chocolate Turtles were made by Edward Marc Chocolatier (photo © Edward Marc Chocolatier).

[4] Enstrom Turtles have lots of caramel. Get them here (photo © Enstrom).

[5] Whole pecans and the nutmeats inside (photo © American Pecan Council).

April 14th is National Pecan Day.

In just 90 minutes, you can make these Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pecan Turtles, a candy that originated in 1916 (the history is below).

The recipe was submitted by Ashley Manila of Baker by Nature, and shared with us by the American Pecan Council.

Sign up for Ashley’s recipe mailings. Your mouth will water at the photos alone.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLES

Ingredients For 24 Turtles

 
Preparation

1. TOAST the pecans. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast them for 6 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

2. LINE two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Arrange the toasted pecans on the prepared sheets in star-shaped groups of 5 (one “head,” four “feet”. Set aside until needed.

3. MAKE the caramel. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 235°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and vigorously whisk the mixture for 30 seconds. Set aside for 5 minutes (it’s best to set a timer). After five minutes…

4. USING a medium cookie scoop, spoon level mounds of the caramel over each nut cluster, aiming to drop it in the center of the cluster. Set aside while you melt the chocolate.

5. CREATE a double boiler. Fill a medium pot 1/3 full with water and bring it to a low simmer over medium heat. Get a heatproof bowl that will fit snugly on top of the pan, but will not touch the simmering water.

6. REDUCE the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate into the heatproof bowl. Heat until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula. Once the chocolate is completely melted, stir the mixture smooth; then carefully remove the bowl from the heat.

7. SPOON about 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate over each caramel pecan cluster, again aiming to drop it into the center of the cluster. Set aside, at room temperature, until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
 

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLES

No doubt, there were combinations of chocolate, pecans and caramel before the invention of Turtles.

But it was in 1916 in Chicago that confectioner George DeMet created the Turtle.

Back then, peanuts were the nut of choice in most candies. So when DeMet made a round chocolate-caramel patty and used pecan halves to make the head and feet, it was a double innovation (turtle shape, pecan nuts).

The name Turtle was later copyrighted by the company.

While the original turtle prevailed for years, these days confectioners create more flavor varieties than DeMet could have imagined.

Today you can find almond, cashew, hazelnut, milk chocolate, white chocolate and sea salt caramel. If you can’t find what you want, use the recipe above as a template to create your own.

Today DeMets is owned by Yildiz Holding, which sells more than 81 million candy products each year. They use 7,000 tons of chocolate coating and 13,000 tons of nuts (source).
 

WHAT IS CREAMED HONEY?

Creamed honey is crystallized honey, that can be spread like jam. It is also called cream honey and honey creme.

Almost all honey crystallizes over time; the time frame depends on the particular type of nectar from which the bees gathered the pollen (photo #7).

The higher amount of sugar a particular nectar has, the sooner it will crystallize.

If your jar of regular honey has crystallized (photo #6), you can enjoy it that way or microwave it back to its amber form. There is nothing wrong with a jar that crystallizes. In fact:

 
There are two types of creamed honey:

 
Processed honeys are still 100% honey (read the ingredients list).

Both raw and processed creamed honeys are a perfect bread spread.
 
 
HOW TO USE CREAMED HONEY

Honey has a place at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. Here are 30 different ways we use honey.

Everyone has favorite uses for honey, from a cup of tea to a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

 
Honey For Gifting

Creamed honey also has a place in a gift box or as a stocking stuffer. Anyone with a sweet tooth will welcome it.
 
 
FLAVORED CREAMED HONEYS

There are plain creamed honeys, raw and processed. But an equally delicious category is flavored creamed honeys.

Bumbleberry Farms sells different types of honey; but the most special are the creamed honeys.

Processed into a silky spread or dip, the current flavors include:

 
Find them at BumbleberryFarms.com.

Sleeping Bear Farms sells lemon creamed honey.

Anthony’s Beehive has creamed honey in Original, Peanut Butter and Raspberry.

Apiterra has a raw honey gift set of Raw Honey, Raw Honey with Green Matcha and Raw Honey with Turmeric & Ginger.
 
Limited Edition has creamed honey in Apple Spice, Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate Pecan, Jalapeño, Peach Amaretto, Pecan, Praline and Raspberry Pecan. You can find them on Amazon.
 
 
HONEY FOR EVERY OCCASION

 
 
MORE ABOUT HONEY

[1] Raw creamed honey, unprocessed and natural (photo © Bee Raw Honey).

[2] Cinnamon creamed honey, processed to a silky consistency. Find it at Bumbleberry Farms (photos #2, #3, #4 and #5 © Bumbleberry Farms).

[3] Sea salt creamed honey with apple slices.

[4] Sweet maple creamed honey to use with just about anything.

[5] Dark chocolate and honey, for angel food cake and spoon candy.

[6] A jar of raw honey can spontaneously crystallize. You can enjoy it as is, or microwave the jar to revert the crystals (photo © Bee Raw Honey).

[7] A worker bee gathering pollen (photo © Sebastien Rosset | Unsplash).

[1] What goes into the fridge: the crisper drawer and on the shelves (photos 1 to 3 © Good Eggs).

[2] What goes into the pantry.

[3] What goes on the countertop.

[4] Radishes go into the high humidity crisper drawer (photo © Amber Engle | Unsplash).

[5] Cauliflower goes into the high humidity crisper drawer (photo © Jennifer Schmidt | Unsplash).

[6] Lemons and limes go into the low humidity crisper drawer (photo © Caroline Attwood | Unsplash).

[7] Store mushrooms on refrigerator shelves (photo of king trumpet mushrooms © Good Eggs).

Properly stored produce cuts down on food waste and wasted money. These tips from Good Eggs will keep your fruits and veggies fresher, longer.

Note that this is just a summary.

 
 
GENERAL TIPS TO STORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Don’ts

 
Do’s

 
 
WHERE TO STORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES

The choices are refrigerator, pantry and countertop.

Refrigerator

The crisper drawers at the bottom of the fridge are made to store fruits and vegetables. If your fridge has controls that let you open and close the crisper vents that help manage humidity and the effects of ethylene gas:

 
Here’s what goes in each part of the fridge.

Low Humidity Crisper Drawer

Low humidity slows ripening, while the open vent allows ethylene gas to escape before it spoils the produce you keep there.

 
High Humidity Crisper Drawer

 
Refrigerator Shelves

 
Countertop

 
Pantry

 
 
FRUITS & VEGETABLES STORAGE SUMMARY

Aluminum foil? Container with water? Covered container with holes? Damp paper towels? Loose plastic bags? Sealed plastic bag? Other storage?

Knowing how to wrap the produce is as important as knowing where to store it.

Looking for an activity for yourself or for kids?

Like goat cheese?

You’re in luck. Belle Chevre, award-winning cheesemakers and one of our favorites, has added DIY cheese kits to their line of fresh goat cheeses.

The kits have everything you need to make a log of goat cheese or a bowl of fromage blanc.

While not all cheese is easy to make—you need an aging room, for example—fresh cheeses can be made at home.

There are two kits: Original and Kids, each just $12.00.

It’s so easy (and fun!) to make your own goat cheese at home.

The cheesemaking kit has everything you need to make goat cheese in your own kitchen.

In just a few hours, and with only about ten minutes of active kitchen time, you will be rolling your own chevre logs or mixing a bowl of freshy-fresh fromage blanc.

Once you start making it, you may just want to expand your repertoire to other fresh cheeses. In fact, Here’s a recipe to make fromage blanc at home.
 
 
MORE ABOUT GOAT CHEESE

Belle Chevre Flavored Goat Cream Cheese Review

Decorated Goat Cheese Logs

Goat Cheese For Breakfast

Ways To Use Fresh Goat Cheese

Food & Wine Pairing With Goat Cheese

Why Goat Cheese Is Different
 
 
MORE ABOUT FROMAGE BLANC

Fromage Blanc As A Soup Garnish

Fromage Blanc Vs. Quark

Substituting Fromage Blanc For Fraîche

[1] Belle Chevre’s goat cheese-making kit (all photos © Belle Chevre).

[2] You can make one goat cheese log.

[3] Or, you can make a bowl of fromage blanc.

[1] A close-up on pasta nests. These were made with carbonara ingredients (both photos © DeLallo).

[2] Get out your muffin pan!

[3] Capellini (angel hair) pasta nests. You can get them online from DeLallo.

For Easter—or anytime you’re looking for some food fun—these pasta nests are a festive way to enjoy one of America’s favorite foods.

The nests are simply ribbon pasta like angel hair, rolled into a bird’s nest form while the pasta is still fresh.

The Italian word is sformatini*, but it’s easier to call them nests. Names can vary by region. For example:

 
While this recipe makes mini-nests in muffin cups, you can make plate-size nests as well. You can find pasta nests in larger widths, like fettuccine and spaghetti, etc. If you can’t find the nests, cook regular pasta and use the hack below.

Nests are not a traditional pasta dish. They only appear in recent cookbooks, made with any combination of ingredients.

 
The only limits are your palate and your creativity.
 
 
RECIPE: PASTA CARBONARA NESTS

This recipe, from DeLallo, turns Spaghetti Carbonara into a bird’s nest, with a few substitutions (like angel hair pasta/capellini for the spaghetti).

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

3. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. With a slotted spoon, gently lower the pasta nests into the boiling water. They will cook fairly quickly, about three minutes. Gently remove them, tapping off excess water on the rim of the pot, and place them in the muffin cups.

5. SCOOP the pasta from the hot water with a slotted spoon and place it directly into the cream mixture. Stir gently to coat. If the cream begins to clump, add a little of the hot pasta cooking water. Let sit for 5 minutes and place in the muffin cups.

6. CREATE a small indentation in the center of each nest and sprinkle in the remaining cheese among the nests. Sprinkle the remaining sauce over the top, and add the pancetta bits around the rim.

7. BAKE the nests until they become golden and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove the muffin pan from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

8. CRACK a quail egg into each nest and bake for another minute. Once cooked, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve garnished with the chopped olives.

If You Don’t Have Nests: A Hack

1. COOK the ribbon pasta—angel hair/capellini, fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti—according to package directions, to al dente.

2. USE tongs to transfer a small amount of the pasta mixture into each muffin cup, forming a spiral as you place it. Arrange to form a nest shape. Do the same if you are cooking regular pasta ribbons, and need to form a nest in a bowl or on a plate.

_______________

*Sformatini also refers to other foods. In Tuscany, for example, it refers to a savory flan.