Spanish Spiced Almonds

Tis the time of year for holiday parties and festivities. The most wonderful time of the year in my book. What could be better than eating good food and drinking a few festive drinks with family and friends? What goes better with a festive cocktail then a little spicy crunch? These Spanish spiced almonds are the perfect accompaniment. They also make great hostess gifts, and who doesn't need at least a couple hostess gifts over the holidays? You might want to make an extra batch of these...they are extremely addictive!

Spanish Spiced Almonds (adapted from Eating Well)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 pound (about 3 cups) Marcona or raw whole almonds

Preheat oven to 275°F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

Whisk brown sugar, cumin, paprika, rosemary, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Whisk egg white and water in a medium bowl until foamy. Add almonds and stir to coat; pour through a sieve to drain off excess egg white. Transfer the almonds to the bowl of spices; stir well to coat. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the almonds for 30 minutes. Stir, reduce the oven temperature to 200° and bake until the almonds are dry and golden, about 30 minutes more. Let cool before serving, about 20 minutes.

Comments

Letters to Bunny

Wow. I didn't think I would ever be writing these letters, but I am so happy I am! When I was pregnant with your big brother, we called him Pumpkin when he was in my belly and now I have started calling you Bunny, so that is why I call these, Letters to Bunny. I didn't think I'd be writing these letters because it took almost 5 very long years to have you! Now that you are here, I'm still in disbelief, but so happy I get to be a mom all over again! Thank God! Being a mom is something I wanted to be my whole life. When we had your big brother, Nate, it was the happiest time! I knew right away that I wanted to have another baby. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy for me to get pregnant. I didn't understand why. We did lots of things to try to have a baby. I went to many doctors, took many tests and x-rays, and after awhile of doing all these things, I kind of lost hope that I would ever be able to have another baby...

Horseradish Encrusted Salmon

I know I've been touting easy, fast meals lately, but this one really takes the cake in simplicity and taste. Joe took one bite and said, "this tastes like something I would get at a restaurant." As I've mentioned, the only other adjective I've ever gotten from him on a meal before was "good." This was a revelation. Besides being all of the above, this is a healthy, low fat meal. Definitely something you should be making soon! Horseradish Encrusted Salmon (based on Real Simple recipe) 4 6-ounce pieces skinless salmon fillet kosher salt and black pepper 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs) 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1 tablespoon olive oil Heat oven to 400º F. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with tin foil for easy clean up. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, horseradish and oil. Top the salmon wit...

Italian Cream Soda

It's too darn hot to cook. That doesn't mean though that you can't make something great from your kitchen. This isn't really much of a recipe but I'm addicted to these right now. I had one at a great Italian restaurant recently and I couldn't see why I wouldn't be able to make this at home. Italian cream sodas can be made with any flavored syrup. My favorite is raspberry. The cream with the raspberry flavor is an unbeatable combination. If you wanted to make this a little lighter, you can make an Italian Soda by simply omitting the cream. This is a perfect summer drink. Refreshing, uncomplicated and simple to whip up - no cooking required! Fill a glass with ice. Pour about a half an inch of syrup into the bottom of the dish. Use any flavor of Torani syrup you wish. (These can be found at most markets by coffees or teas.) Fill the glass with club soda and add a splash of cream (or half and hal...

Aisle Twelve

Search This Blog