It is Andy’s 79-4/12 birthday.  I was going to make him a pan of brownies for a cake, but I didn’t have the baking chocolate.  I changed to Pecan Praline Cookies.

Pecan Praline Cookies

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
• sifted confectioners’ sugar, optional

Cream butter and brown sugar; stir in vanilla.  Gradually work in flour.  Mixture may be crumbly.  Add chopped pecans and work into dough.  Pinch off dough and roll in hands to form balls about 1 inch in diameter.  I use a teaspoon (not a measuring spoon) to scoop it up and keep the balls uniform.

Bake pecan cookies at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and browned on bottoms.

Roll pecan cookies in confectioners’ sugar while still warm, but give them a few minutes to cool down a bit so they wont’ fall apart when handled.
Makes about 4 dozen pecan praline cookies.

Here they are laid out on my rolling cart that give me a little extra counter space in the motorhome.  As you can see behind them, the table is our den with our computers back to back.  We eat outside.

A few of the four dozen are missing in this picture. We bagged up most of the cookies to hand out to the neighbors.

As soon as I got the some space cleared, I started making a big pot of spaghetti sauce, Andy’s favorite meal. We took a walk to the waterfront while the sauce was simmering. This Little Blue Heron was standing on a rope on that floating barrier at the entrance to our canal.

Around sunset, we walked back to the water again so I could take some pictures of the lighthouse with Christmas lights on it.  On the way, I got a pretty nice moon picture. It would be better if I had a tripod, bit I was happy enough.

I probably took a hundred pictures of the lighthouse.  It was too early in some and the lights didn’t show up.  Then, after it got darker, the pictures were not in sharp focus.

So I didn’t get too much done on Big Creek.  I finished fixing the mistakes Andy found and that was it. But, it is probably good for me to take some time away from it. I am ready for a Christmas vacation.