I spent some time today thinking about Christmas gifts.  I think I’m going to go the homemade path this year. I’ve printed lots of calendars, now I’ve moved on to testing recipes for snacks to include in the “holiday care packages.” Today’s project, sweet spiced nuts. I found a very simple recipe in the Food Network’s new magazine. The November issue. Only seven ingredients and less than ten minutes prep time. I did learn a valuable lesson, I wasn’t sure if the ground cayenne pepper in my pantry was still potent. I sniffed it and couldn’t tell, so I tasted a bit. Yup, really powerful. My tongue is still burning.

The nuts turned out really well.  They were a little sticky once they were cooled.  I might use a little less egg white wash next time. Our wonderful neighbors spent the afternoon pruning the large evergreen hedges that separate our driveways. I took over a container of the sweet spiced nuts as a thank you.