Spiced Almonds

The turkey and side dishes get way too much attention.  An awesome holiday tradition I love revolves around pre-dinner games and appetizers.

I love to play Trivial Pursuit with my brother.  I know, NERD ALERT!!  I never said I was any good at it, but it's something he and I really enjoy playing, especially before Thanksgiving dinner.  My mom makes all these yummy snacks and he proceeds to cream me in everything but Entertainment.

I can always count on the Entertainment category to stop him.

Anyway, I unfortunately won't be seeing my bro for Turkey Day this year, but the spirit of that tradition of games and snacks is definitely on my mind.  And this snack is AWESOME to nibble on whether you're playing Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, or Dominoes.

Spiced Almonds
Recipe ever so slightly tweaked from Ellie Krieger

2 cups raw almonds
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne

1.  Preheat the oven to 325.

Not an expected flavor combo, but totally awesome!!

2.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until the nuts are evenly coated.  Pour onto a greased baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, stirring once.  Let cool on baking sheet.

I dare you to stop at just one.

 These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Rice with Almonds & Raisins

Do you know what goes really well with Key West Chicken?  This.

Rice with Almonds & Raisins
Recipe from AllRecipes

1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 tbsp raisins
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted 

1.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, stirring, until tender. Stir in the rice and raisins, letting the rice toast a few minutes.  Add the broth and season to taste. Bring to a boil. 

Rice. Broth. Raisins.  Let's party!

2.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Stir in almonds before serving. 

Letting the rice toast a little adds more depth of flavor

Honestly, I could eat this for breakfast.  Yup, seriously, it's that good.  The raisins add a FABULOUS sweetness to the dish.  The onions and broth lend just a smidge of savory to the background.  And the toasted almonds give it this really fantastic crunch.  Because I love texture, as well as flavor contrast, this is totally a party in my mouth.  Yummy!!

Nuts about Granola!

I love granola...especially with raisins and nuts.  Granola is crunchy.  Granola is filling.  Granola can be a fancy dessert (think fresh fruit yogurt parfait).  Granola can be a simple Tuesday morning breakfast (think bowl and milk).  Granola can also be expensive.  Sometimes I'd walk through the cereal aisle, checking out what might be on sale, and if I saw any box of granola for under $3 I'd do a MAJOR happy dance.  Really?  $3?  Wow, pathetic.  Oh and then there's the organic aisle.  Can't forget the granolas in the organic aisle...I discovered this one that had almonds and dark chocolate in it that is to DIE for!  And I almost died over the price too.  Why does all of the tasty good-for-you stuff have to be so damn expensive???  Argh!

Yeah, I'm freaking out over a breakfast cereal.  Sorry about that.  I get a little excited about this sometimes.  I did warn you about that right?  Right. 

So granola was at one time relegated to a luxury item in our house, something only purchased when on extreme sale.  And then I was looking through one of my favorite cookbooks and stumbled across Nutty Granola.

Not only is this recipe easy, quick, and healthy, but it's DELICIOUS and CHEEEEAAAAP!

3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
[Did you notice the lack of a fat ingredient, like butter or oil?  Yeah, I did]

1. Preheat oven to 300.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss to combine.

3. Spread mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once.

4. Let cool and store in an airtight container.  If you're lucky this will last a week.  If you're in my house and have a granola-crazy son in addition to your own granola-crazy self, I give it about 3 days.