Yuletide treats and a wild bird update

Shopping and decorating are in full swing now, and time in the kitchen must be shared with the wonderful activities of Christmastime. Today’s column offers a newly (re)discovered pecan bar recipe (pictured), a couple of quick-and-easy “nibblies” and some nature notes from my base-of-Schweitzer home.

First, the bars: Enjoy!

Butter Pecan Bars

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups firm-packed light brown sugar, divided

1 cup butter, divided

1 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

In large bowl with hand-mixer at medium speed, beat flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup butter, 2-3 minutes or until particles are fine. Pat firmly onto lightly oiled or buttered 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with pecans and press lightly. Set oven to 350F.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup of the butter until mixture boils. Stirring constantly, boil 1 minute, then drizzle evenly over the pecans. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes or till caramel layer is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate morsels; let stand 2 minutes, then with a spatula, lightly swirl melted morsels evenly over and into caramel/nut topping. Cool, cut into bars.

This one’s perfect for the “helping hands” of youngsters.

Chocolate-Dipped Walnuts

1 ounce (1 square) semi-sweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 cup walnut halves

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. In small saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate. Set pan in a larger container of hot water to keep consistency. Dip one half of each nut (or entire nut) in melted chocolate, placing on prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate until set. Cover, store in refrigerator.

Candied Walnuts/Cashews

1 cup firm-packed brown sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

4 cups walnut halves or whole cashews

Heat oven to 350 degrees: Butter 15x10x1-inch baking pan; butter sheet of foil or waxed paper, set aside. In medium bowl, combine brown sugar and orange juice; blend well. Add nuts, tossing to coat. Spread on buttered pan, bake for 10-13 minutes or until bubbly and dark golden brown, stirring occasionally. Immediately spread on buttered foil. Cool completely, break apart if necessary. Store in cool place in airtight container.

The never-ending rain/snow/rain system — replete with freezes/thaws/re-freezes offers nothing of winter’s usual delights — and the bird population at my bottom-of-Schweitzer location is practically nil. The hardy, happy Chickadees, usually so numerous, have deserted these lower areas for the more treed forests halfway up the mountain. I’ve only seen one or two Chickadee couples recently — and not even a Junco remains in these bleak surroundings.

I still have a healthy crowd of various woodpeckers who — with the Chickadees - do justice to the three varied suet blocks I have hanging from the front deck eaves: a Piliated couple (residents in a huge old Cottonwood behind my house since I came in 1988), several Hairy and Downy woodpeckers, a couple of Ladderbacks and several very-welcome Flickers who visit frequently. The best part about all of these is that with the suet located so closely, I can sit by the window and enjoy them.

Of course, I still have “my” enormous flock(s) of turkeys — huge toms, good-size hens — and dozens of half-grown and young adults — who show up every day just after the sky lightens, rain, sleet or shine — just like the mailman! When snow is on the ground, they’re hard-pressed, so I oblige them with approximately three 50-pound bags of black-oil sunflower seeds per week — rather a strain on the Social Security check — but with COVID keeping us all pretty-much house-bound, there’s certainly no sacrifice involved. I do miss dining out, though.

By the way, for those “regular” readers — “Lonely Heart” — the outcast hen turkey, is still at hand. I believe she roosts up high in one of the cottonwoods, and she stands off a good distance away when the “gang” shows up. Some of them make it a point to chase her off if she gets too close to the throng. But she always watches from a distance and after everyone’s gone, humbly gleans the leftovers. I wish I knew why the flock won’t accept her. It’s been about three years now, I think, that she came out of the woods while the “regulars” were eating — and as one they chased her off with squawks and gobbles and shrieks (Oh my!) — and have never accepted her to this day. Weird.

As you read this, I will have put my Christmas tree on the front deck again — protected under the porch roof — and decorated it with lights and little baskets of bird seeds, suet rings and outdoor-hardy ornaments. The songbird population takes shelter in it during adverse weather.

I am so grateful that I’ve been given the strength and wit (such as it is) to continue caring for the creatures (western red squirrels still at hand, too!) that benefit from my small efforts. Too, I am so blessed to have the occasional reader call and chat, or ask a question, or just thank me for something I wrote. Remember, folks, I am NOT the gal in the photo anymore — I’m 91 (just like Clint Eastwood!) — but as the old saying goes — “I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in!” God Bless. V.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.