Aw, nuts!

As in aw, nuts. As in I’m nutty. As in I’m nuts for you guys. As in… let’s just make these nuts already, eh?

Spicy, sweet, salty, and totally addictive, these nuts will become an instant necessity in your holiday food arsenal. You will dream about these. Years ago (and we won’t say how many because I might be having an aging crisis), a friend brought these to an event that I organized at the office*. Let’s just say that these didn’t make it past my desk to the buffet table. They stayed with me. And my friend wasn’t allowed to pass the desk until he jotted down the recipe for me. Because I’m just that kind of person.

*The aforementioned event -my brainchild- was “PigFest” wherein we spent each Friday in November bringing in dishes to pass with the express aim of expanding our stomachs to better hold the bounty that would be lain before us at upcoming holiday events. Who ever said advertising people were impractical?

Let’s talk about these nuts for a moment. You can serve them warm (kept that way in a little slow-cooker) or room temperature; either way has its advantages. You can change out the seasonings used to spice them up. You can ratchet up or scale back on the heat. You can swap out walnuts, cashews, peanuts, Brazil nuts or whatever floats your boat for the almonds. You can pour a bunch of the cooled nuts into a clean canning jar, wrap some ribbon or rafia around it and give it as a fabulous hostess gift. But what you can’t do is skip making these.

Now, we cook.

Aw, nuts.

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning)

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

• 2- 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Yield: about 2/3 cup

Print

Spicy Cocktail Nuts and a Giveaway! (Updated)

Addictive. That's the only word to describe these spicy, sweet, crunchy, roasty-toasty cocktail nuts. Make with almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts... You choose!

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 4 cups raw almonds ...or raw walnuts, pecans, or peanuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons Emeril's Essence or whichever spice blend you prefer..., recipe follows in notes
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg white and water until frothy. Add the nuts and toss to coat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, Essence, cayenne, and salt. Add to the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Spread the nuts on the prepared pan and bake until dry, about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to separate. Let cool on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning) Recipe by Emeril Lagasse * 2- 1/2 tablespoons paprika * 2 tablespoons salt * 2 tablespoons garlic powder * 1 tablespoon black pepper * 1 tablespoon onion powder * 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper * 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano * 1 tablespoon dried thyme Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Yield: about 2/3 cup

Tighten up those apron strings and join in because this recipe is a must have for football or hockey viewing. Maybe you should make it just because you can. I’ve been known to do that…

A sausage in the hand is worth two on the fork. Or so I’ve heard it said.

That everyone loves finger food is one of the immutable laws of the universe.* Portable and filling, hand-held foods are a real kid,  husband and crowd pleaser.

*The law -as written by me- states that any food that may be transferred from plate to mouth by way of hand or stick is exponentially more appealing and tasty than one which requires utensils or cutlery. I have yet to meet anyone who contests the law.

Soft pretzels and cocktail sized smoked sausages are in the upper echelon of snackery.* Soft pretzels at their best are a chewy, salty, satisfying contribution from the bread world. Cocktail sized smoked sausages offer a low-effort delectable umami punch in a cute little package.

*Their superiority is also an immutable law. I offer proof. What disappears first on a party buffet? If they are present, the answer is unquestionably soft pretzels and cocktail sausages. On another note, is snackery a proper word? If not, I claim this newly coined word in the name of Foodie With Family. I have a flag and everything.

These morsels? These are the cream of the crop. Pretzel Wrapped Smoked Sausages (with or without the divine Cranberry Mustard) combine the best of everything from the grab-and-go food world into two savory, chewy, dunkable, adorable-to-behold bites. And oh, what bites they are! This is far and away the most requested birthday, special occasion, just-because-I’m-craving-it recipe in my arsenal.

A word of caution… Make the whole batch. Don’t be tempted to halve or quarter this because you will eat more than you thought you would and so will anyone standing around you. That tray of pretzel sausages above was cleaned in 5 minutes flat. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about leftovers. But, leftovers -if, by some miracle, you have them- freeze beautifully when wrapped in foil and a resealable bag.

Don’t think for a moment, though, that in the presence of such glorious snack food that this Cranberry Mustard is a throw-away recipe. You have never had a mustard quite like this one before. Ruby-hued, tart, thick, and sweet with that mustard pop, it compliments everything from smoked sausages to venison to roast turkey. More unique than its lovely color is the fact that, unlike most homemade mustards that have to age for weeks, this one is ready to eat straight from the pan. May I make a suggestion that will have you naming your next-born children after me? Have Cranberry Mustard at your next Thanksgiving table. I have six words to say  that will convince you: Leftover turkey sandwiches with Cranberry Mustard. I believe that says it all, no?

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Sausage Pretzel Dogs

Yield: About 76 pieces.

Ingredients for the pretzel dough (Ingredients and bread machine method from the Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook):

• 4 cups (1 pound and 1 ounce by weight) bread flour (High-gluten flour)
• 1 tablespoon malt powder or sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

Ingredients for the pretzel bath:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda

Additional Ingredients:

• 2 (14 ounce) packages cocktail-sized smoked sausages
• 1 egg white whisked together with 1 tablespoon of cool water until frothy
• coarse salt

Optional:

• melted butter for brushing the finished pretzels

To prepare pretzel dough with a bread machine:

Add all pretzel dough ingredients into the pan of the bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Program the bread machine for the dough cycle and press ‘start’. Allow the machine to complete the cycle.

This is how the dough looks when it is completed. If you are using one of the alternate dough preparations listed below, your dough should still be smooth and elastic like this.

To prepare pretzel dough with a stand-mixer:

Fit your stand mixer with a dough hook. Add all of the pretzel dough ingredients to the work bowl. Turn the stand mixer on using the lowest setting. Keep the mixer on ‘low’ for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, remove the dough hook from the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy and doubled in bulk; about 35 minutes.

To prepare pretzel dough by hand:

Add dry pretzel dough ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix lightly with a whisk. Add the milk and water to the bowl and stir well with a sturdy spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead until a smooth and elastic dough forms. Place in a clean bowl covered with a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy and doubled in bulk; about 35 minutes.

To assemble the pretzel wrapped sausages:

Empty the sausages into a bowl for easiest access. Line 3 half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Turn the risen dough out onto a clean counter top. (Do not flour the counter top!)  Use a bench knife or spatula to pinch or cut off a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball. Cover the bulk of the dough with a clean towel to keep it from drying.

Squash the piece of dough flat. Using the pads of your fingers and the palms of your hands, roll the piece of dough back and forth, gently moving hands away from each other. If you call on your play-dough snake making experience to get the right feel for the movement you’re on the right track.

Continue rolling the dough until it forms a long cord with a diameter of about 1/4-1/2 of an inch. Hold the end of the dough cord to the end of the cocktail sausage with one hand. Use the other hand to coil the pretzel dough around the sausage down to the other end.

Use a bench knife or spatula to cut the excess dough cord.

Wind the last bit of dough cord tightly at the end and pinch the loose ends  into the dough coil. Don’t worry about perfection. You’re working with sausages and pretzel dough. Whether it ends up a perfect finished coil or not it will still taste like a dream!

Place, pinched sides down, on the prepared parchment lined pans. Let rise, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

To boil and bake the pretzel wrapped sausages:

While the pretzel dough is rising, preheat oven to 400°F and bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the baking soda to the boiling water. Carefully lower up to 8 pretzel dough wrapped sausages into the boiling water with your hands. Take care not to drop them from on high as that will cause the boiling water to splash. Allow them to simmer for about 45 seconds. The pretzel dough will become puffy and some ends may come untucked. As soon as you reach this stage…

…Use a slotted spoon to lift each piece from the water, drain and return to the pans. Brush each piece with the frothy egg wash.

Remember that the sausage is already salty, so use a light hand in sprinkling the coarse salt.

Bake the trays for 16 minutes each, or until the pretzels are a glossy golden brown. Remove from the oven. If desired, brush the finished pretzels with melted butter and cool for 5 minutes before transferring the pretzel sausages to a serving platter.

Cranberry Mustard

Adapted gently from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Yield: A little over 8 ounces.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard seeds
• 1 1/3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 2 generous pinches ground allspice

Bring red wine vinegar to a boil in a stainless steel pan. Remove from heat, add yellow mustard seeds, swirl the pan and cover tightly. Let the pan sit at room temperature for about an hour or until the seeds have absorbed almost all of the red wine vinegar. Scrape the soaked seeds into a blender or food processor fitted with a stainless steel blade.

Process until most of the seeds have been crushed. Do not process until completely smooth as you still want a grainy texture with some whole seeds. Add the cranberries, Worcestershire sauce and water and process until the cranberries are finely chopped. Here is where you start getting an idea of just how gorgeous this mustard will be.

Use a silicone or rubber spatula to scrape the cranberry/mustard seed mixture back into the stainless steel pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 5 minutes.

Whisk in the sugar, mustard powder and allspice until completely incorporated. Simmer until reduced by third, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid.

The mustard is ready to use immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. This is the only mustard I’ve ever found myself sneaking by the spoonful straight from the jar. Yes, it is that good.

This is my fourth entry in Project Food Blog over at Foodbuzz.com. Did you like this recipe and the post? I’d appreciate your vote of support! Voting is now open. To show your support for Foodie With Family, you can click here or on the orange “Vote for Me” tab in the Official Project Food Blog Contestant widget in the upper right sidebar. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me this far and for your continued support!

Welcome to my third entry post for Project Food Blog on Foodbuzz.com. The theme of the challenge for this round is “Luxury Dinner Party”. The good folks at Foodbuzz.com prompted thusly: “Celebrate! You’ve made it this far, and the next challenge is to hold a party for your friends and family (at least four guests). Whether you’re an experienced host or an entertaining newbie, get creative and host a luxurious dinner party. Share your hosting secrets with readers. ” I ran into a bit of a snag but the show had to go on! How did I do? I’ll let you judge…

“…[Weed]  out what you yourself like best to do, so that you can live most agreeably in a world full of an increasing number of disagreeable surprises.”

~MFK Fisher

While planning our fabulous dinner party we all got the flu.

There was no reason at all to let a disagreeable surprise like the flu stand in the way of living as agreeably as possible. Clearly our previous plans were waylaid*, but the family gamely agreed to carry on when I solemnly pledged not to include any pictures of snuffly noses or red-rimmed eyes in the post. Luxury is a state of mind, after all, and we were of a mind for some luxury.

*Would you attend a dinner party thrown by a cook who looked and sounded as though you might find her lung in your soup? Exactly.

We respected the rules of the competition. And so invitations went forth…

The children all R.S.V.P.’d.

Then we hiked up our softest jammy pants, adjusted our fuzziest socks, combed our hair and generally made ourselves presentable (to keep ourselves in the spirit of the thing)  for a Flu Fighting Feast of the First Degree.

Our first course was, naturally, a soup course. We indulged in a velvety chicken soup with light-as-air dumplings made from my grandmother’s “Never-Fail Dumplings” recipe. Everyone knows that nothing cures the flu faster than homemade chicken soup and Grandma’s dumplings. I do believe lungs started clearing.

Our second course was our hot drinks course. We harnessed the season and pampered ourselves with steaming sweet apple cider dressed with a spoonful of dulce de leche and a hearty dollop of whipped cream. The warmth of the drinks soothed our throats and quieted the chills. While whipped cream isn’t traditionally recommended as a flu curative, it certainly helped mend our spirits if not our respiration.

There were also spicy, hot Chai Lattes for the tea lovers among us. Topped with a cap of frothed milk and a cinnamon stick they warmed parents and children alike. Believe me, that felt like a million bucks.

We retired to the den for the dessert course; Vanilla Scottish Shortbread…

Lots of cuddles, and an ibuprofen.

And a luxuriously good time was had by all.

~~~~~~~~~

If you find yourself hosting a Flu Fighting Feast, take advantage of these simple tips to make your evening sparkle:

• Put cushy pillows on the seats.
• Have a blanket draped over the back of each person’s chair so they can wrap up when overtaken with the chills.
• Make sure to put out place markers with names clearly written in case you forget who you are because of fever.
• Above all, remember to ditch the whole plan and snuggle on the couch while watching a movie if you find it’s just too much to remain upright.

For a printer-friendly, photo-free version of these recipes, click here!

Chai Lattes

Recipe adapted from the Stash Tea Company

Ingredients:

• 10 standard-sized Chai teabags (I prefer the Stash brand.)
• 7 cups cool fresh water
• 1 cup whole milk plus additional milk for frothing
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like your chai
• Optional: whole cinnamon sticks for a flavorful garnish

Combine water, milk and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the teabags to the liquid and bring to a boil, partially covered. Remove cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Pour chai into a tea pot (or into a Mason jar with a lid for storage in the refrigerator.)

To froth milk, use a handheld frother or pour at least 1/4 cup of milk into a blender and process until fluffy. Put milk in a microwave safe container,uncovered, and heat for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, depending on the strength of your microwave. Watch closely, because the milk expands and wants to boil over.

To serve, fill a mug 2/3 full with the hot chai. Spoon the frothed milk over the tea until you reach the rim of the mug. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Use the cinnamon stick to swirl the hot milk and chai together.

Hot Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients per serving:

• 6 ounces (3/4 of a cup) fresh apple cider
• 1 Tablespoon dulce de leche or caramel sauce
• Heavy whipped cream, to taste

Heat apple cider in a saucepan or in the microwave just until steaming. Stir in a generous tablespoon of dulce de leche or caramel sauce until it is completely melted. Top the cider with whipped cream just before serving.

This is my third entry in Project Food Blog over at Foodbuzz.com.Did you like this recipe and the post? I’d appreciate your vote of support! I will let you all know here when voting opens up on October 4th! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me this far and for your continued support!

Pssst… Are you still with me? I have a favor to ask. The next challenge, if I make it there, requires a photo tutorial. So I’d like, if I may, to get your opinion. Would you like a photo tutorial on Scottish Shortbread? Homemade Chicken Soup and Dumplings? How to open the new-fangled ibuprofen bottles? Something else entirely? Do let me know!