spicy pecans – nut case

by Michelle

My friends are having a great time teasing me about my compulsive blogging condition. Hence the title for my post this morning!

 I mentioned yesterday that I am having friends over tonight. Since then, I have completely changed my mind on the menu. The lobster stock is going in the freezer to be used another day. I arrived at the grocery store at 8:10 am this morning and basically had the store to myself. The produce department and meat department were stacked to the rafters prepared for throngs of weekend cooking warriors to pounce. I was completely inspired.

Tonight we are having a ride on lasagna stuffed full of pork sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and cheese.

To start, I always like to have a little salty, spicy something to whet the appetite. Tonight I am serving a spicy pecan. I had these last weekend at a friend’s birthday party. I loved them so this is my version.

SPICY PECANS

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups whole pecans

heat the olive oil over medium heat and add spices

cook gently for 2 minutes then pour mixture over the pecans

mix well then place mixture on a baking sheet so that the nuts are in one layer

bake for 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes

remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

  allow to cool and serve

The fun thing about this appetizer is that you can use any nut you like with any combination of ground spices. Play around a little with combination, your friends will be delighted to test for you!

Thanks for reading