Spiced Party Nuts

One of our favorite gifts to give.  These are extremely addicting and your house will smell like the spice mixture for days after!

Spiced Party Nuts

Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julie Russo and Sheila Lukins

Printable Recipe

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups shelled pecan halves

1 Tablespoon coarse (kosher) salt (optional)

Garlic salt (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Mix the cumin, chili powder, curry powder , garlic salt, cayenne, ginger, and
cinnamon in a bowl.  Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat.  

    Add the spice mixture and stir well.  

    Simmer to mellow the flavors, 3 or 4 minutes.

4. Place the nuts in a mixing bowl, add the spice mixture, and toss well.  

    Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet (I use a jelly roll pan).  

    Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.

5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using a rubber spatula, 

    toss the nuts with any spices and oil that have accumulated on the 

    bottom of the pan.  

    Sprinkle with the coarse salt, and a bit more garlic salt if desired.  

    Let rest for 2 hours in a cool place.  Store in airtight jars.

Yield:  2 cups

Parmesan Rice Squares

This is the tine of year when we make snacks for gifts  These were a favorite that my mom made when I was growing up.  I made them for my kids too.  Easy and tasty!  What's not to like?

Parmesan Rice Squares

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice Chex or rice squares cereal

3 Tbl. melted butter

¼  cup grated Parmesan Cheese (the kind in the can)

In a shallow pan, toss rice squares in butter until coated.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Toast in slow oven at 300 degrees about 15 minutes,

stirring occasionally.

Cool.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Pear Salsa

This has been one of our favorite holiday appetizers for 20 years.  I first had it when a friend brought it to work.  I like to serve it with sweet potato tortilla chips but really any kind of chip will do.  It's also good on turkey sandwiches!

Cranberry-Pear Salsa

Printable Recipe

Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, Dec 1996/Jan 1997

Delicious with tortilla chips, this salsa is even better on turkey

sandwiches.

Yields 4 1/2 cups.

12 oz. Fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pears (about 2 medium pears)

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 tsp. Minced orange zest

2 Tbs. Fresh orange juice

1 Tbs. Canola oil

Pinch salt

Chop the cranberries, or pulse them in a food processor until coarse.  

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently.  

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Red Pepper Relish

It's the beginning of September when the harvest is really coming in.  This is one of our family favorites.  I used to serve it over a block of cream cheese with Triscuits for a snack or as an appetizer at family gatherings.  One year, I gifted small jelly jars of this with homemade cheddar cheese crackers as teacher gifts.  Enjoy!

Red Pepper Relish

printable recipe

Ingredients:

7 cups finely chopped sweet red peppers (14 - 16 medium)

6 cups sugar

2 Tablespoons salt

1 quart vinegar

Combine peppers and salt; let stand 3 to 4 hours.  Add sugar

and vinegar; cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about

45 minutes.  Pour hot into hot half-pint jars leaving ¼ inch

head space. Adjust caps. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.  

Yield: about 6 half-pints

Helpful tips:

Processing:  Wash jars and place in canning pot while bringing

water to a boil.  Allow jars to boil about 5 minutes to sterilize them.

Remove jars, wipe rims dry and fill with hot relish.  Place disks on

jars and tighten lids. Place in rack in canning pot and time them

once water comes back to a boil.  Remove and set on a towel when processing is finished. Let cool overnight then check seals. Loosen

the rings on the jars for storage.

Preparation: Peppers can be chopped by hand, in food processor

or in a meat grinder.   If you would like a spicy version, you can add

some crushed red peppers flakes or mince some fresh red jalapeño

in with the bell pepper.