Fresh Pralines - Southern Style

~~So, I live in Louisiana...a place known for crawfish boils, shrimp etoufee, po-boys, seafood gumbo, and the infamous concoction of sugar and pecans...pralines.

Figured I'd give it a shot and try to make some fresh pralines. Can't be that hard, right?

A co-worker gave me a recipe for making pralines in the microwave. Sounds easy. And, you don't have to stand over a hot stove top stirring boiling sugar.

~~The steps were easy: mix the evaporated milk, sugars (brown and white) and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 12 minutes. Stir. Microwave on high for an additional 12 minutes. Stir in a stick of butter, some vanilla extract and the pecan pieces.

Well, I never got to the end of the second 12-minute round. I was shelling pecans...looked up at the microwave to see the stuff boiling all over the place. WOW. What a mess!

~~Decided it was best NOT to take photos. It wasn't pretty.

~~I took a break and went Christmas shopping for my hubby since he was at the hunting camp all weekend. Then I decided to go out to dinner with an Aunt and friend.

~~Well, I'm not gonna let this beat me. Everyone who knows me knows I'm a cook....I'm awesome in the kitchen....mostly sweets though :)

Did some laundry, vacuumed the floors, changed the bed linens. Ok. Gonna try this again, but the old fashioned way; on the stove top!

~~SUCCESSFUL the second go-round! Yes, you have to constantly stir the sugary and gooey concoction till it reaches 236 degrees (soft ball stage for you cooks out there). Then you add a couple of tablespoons of butter (don't stir) and let it stand till the temperature drops to 150 degrees. It will look like this:
Once the temperature has fallen to 150 degrees, stir in vanilla and pecan pieces. Stir until the mixture thickens and has lost its gloss, or until your arm is aching so badly that you just can't bare to stir anymore.

Drop by the teaspoon onto wax paper and let harden.

I topped some with a whole-half pecan, some I didn't. Oh, and they're as good as they look :)