A Delicious Holiday Treat: Spiced Nuts

Let me start out by saying that I take absolutely NO credit for this recipe. It comes from one of my favorite authors, Deborah Harkness. Deborah is not only a great author, but a kind and generous person who interacts with her readers and shares her many inspirations, like music and food and art and so much more. Check her out HERE . She's also a woman after my own heart as she loves to cook and is a wine blogger! If you haven't read her All Souls Trilogy you are missing a real treat -- it's like Harry Potter for grown ups with a scholarly dose of history thrown into the mix.

So, here's what I've been making -- Spiced Nuts or "Em's Vampire Nuts" as they are referenced in the books. This is the 3rd year I've made them, and they are delicious. They make a great gift, aren't too labor intensive and have the distinction of having several good ways to serve them. You can, of course, eat them on their own as a snack, but I LOVE them on top of a salad. Get a fancy blend of lettuce that includes arugula (or rocket as they call it across the pond). Top it with some goat cheese, and either pomegranate seeds or craisins, drizzle with a balsamic vinaigrette and place a few of these nuts, pride of place, right on top. I bet they'd be great on top of a shortbread cookie as well, like pecan sandies for grownups.  Heaven! Fancy without being fussy, special without being pretentious! Give this a try, you'll thank me (and Deborah Harkness)!

Spiced Nuts

1 lb halved nuts ( I like walnuts or pecans or a mixture of the two, You can also use almonds but don't use cashews -- they burn too quickly.)
2 1/2 vegetable or canola oil (don't use olive oil)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cardamon
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, boil 3 inches of water and add the nuts. Blanch them for 1 minute and drain well. When they are drained, put them while still hot into a bowl with the vanilla and oil. Sprinkle with the sugar. Stir well to coat the nuts and then let them sit for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees while you are waiting. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet with a rim. Bake the nuts for about 30 minutes, stirring and turning them every 7 - 10 minutes. Watch them carefully -- they can go from brown to burned quickly! In between stirring, mix the salt, cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a cup. When the nuts  are finished baking, put them into a big bowl and sprinkle with the spices. Stir, stir and stir them until all the spices are evenly distributed. Cool them in a single layer on some parchment or waxed paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool dry place (not the refrigerator). Enjoy!

Drunken Weenies -- A "Spirited" Appetizer!

Whenever we have more than a few folks over, my husband always asks that I make "Drunken Wienies". What the heck are those you may ask? You've definitely had them, or something really similar: They are simply cocktail franks (or wieners) -- or  little hot dogs -- or mini-sausages -- in a savory sauce. There are a couple of things that might be a little different about the way I do it. One  is that I add bourbon to the sauce mixture. Hence the name, Drunken Wienies.  I also add some hot sauce and, at the insistence of my husband, cayenne pepper. If you don't like things real spicy, omit the cayenne pepper. The hot sauce adds good flavor and just a touch of heat.

Since the festive season is almost upon us and tailgate season is in full swing, I thought I'd share this super simple, tasty appetizer. This also has the advantage of being fairly budget friendly. They also reheat perfectly, so absolutely make them ahead and save some time the day of the gathering.

Hey, don't turn your nose up, I know it's not "foodie chic", but I guarantee, it will be a favorite at your next gathering, especially if you've got a bunch of hungry men in the group!

Drunken Wienies
For 20 -25 people -- Appetizer Serving

2 pkg Hillshire Farms "Lil' Smokies" or Cocktail Wieners (about 70 pieces)
1/2 c. grape jelly

1/2 c. Heinz chili sauce    
1/4 c. Bourbon     
1 T. KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce        
2 T. Texas Pete Hot Sauce
1/8 - 1/4  tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

First, make the sauce: In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the grape jelly with the chili sauce, bourbon, barbecue sauce and hot sauce. Make sure the grape jelly has completely melted before you add the wieners. 
Next, add the cayenne pepper, if using, and the mini-wienies. Cook for 20 minutes or until the wieners are hot.  

Serve it immediately. Or you can put it into a small dish to reheat later. Or you can place it into a small sized crock pot over low heat. 

This is easily doubled or tripled for a large crowd. 

Plan to have about 3 wienies per person, more if there are a lot of men in the group.

Sing the "Men" song now. That's what my guys do. 

Adventures in Baking and a Chocolate Emergency: Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got bored today and I wanted something chocolate. I started rummaging around on the top shelf of the pantry where I keep my baking supplies. I don't bake nearly as much as I used to, since most of the time it's just me and my hub. Our younger son is home for the summer from college, so that justifies just a little bit of baking, right? Plus, there was that chocolate craving thing happening.

After a minute of shifting around some bags and boxes, OUT JUMPED a half of a bag of Nestle's White Chocolate Chips....Hhmmm I thought, I saw some cookies with white chocolate chips on the Food Network on Saturday.....OH Happy Coincidence!!! And Bless You, Ree Drummond!!

I only made 1/2 of her recipe because I only had 1 cup of those Nestle's Morsels....but I did have everything else!! I quickly retrieved the bag of Nestle's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips I keep hidden in the very bottom back of the bread drawer for those chocolate emergencies (that's normal, right?) and I was off in a flash, gathering eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla etc. I love it when I can make a smaller batch of some homemade goodies. That way I don't feel nearly so guilty about putting  temptation in our path to healthy living. Here's her recipe but in the meantime you can enjoy my pictures. Can't you almost taste the ice cold milk I washed them down with??

Here they are cooling off:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookes

And here they are right before I started wolfing them down with some milk:

And another good thing, I even had enough parchment paper to line the cookie sheets, so the clean up was minimal. They were yummy! Next time, I am going to add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, probably either hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. They needed just a little crunch! Next time you are bored, start rummaging and see what you can come up with! Adventures in baking!