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| Classic Elite Sprout |
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Sweet Chipotle Walnuts (For Beth)
Normally I don't do recipes around here. I am not a cook - sometimes I get onto little enthusiasms for cooking, but it doesn't last long. My dinners are pretty utilitarian - I rely on Mark Bittman and Smitten Kitchen to figure things out for me and make me look good. I don't mind experimenting when I am comfortable with a recipe, but, eh, cooking? Not my favorite thing.
That being said, I do enjoy baking. If I have a free day I love making bread. And with a little spare time I like to make goodies to add a little sparkle to my otherwise by-the-book meals. The following is based on a number of recipes bumming around the internet, adapted to be a little spicier for those of us who love a little ZING!
Sweet Chipotle Walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups whole walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in the middle of the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine salt and sugar - stir well. Set aside bowl.
In a skillet, combine honey, chipotle, and cinnamon, and warm until the spices are incorporated and the honey becomes very runny.
Add the two cups of whole walnuts to the skillet and stir with a spatula until the nuts are coated and the pan has very little pooling honey.
Put wax paper onto a cookie sheet, and spread the nuts evenly as a single layer onto the sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes - you should start to smell the walnuts releasing their oil. While the nuts are baking, spread a second sheet of wax paper on the counter.
Take the walnuts out of the oven and allow them to "set" for about 1 minute on the stove top. Carefully pick up the wax paper with the cooling nuts on it, and pour it into the bowl with the sugar and salt mixture. Be very careful not to touch the walnuts as the honey will stick to your skin and burn you!
With a spatula, mix the nuts and the sugar/salt together until there are no loose grains at the bottom of the bowl. Pour onto the second piece of wax paper and spread into a single layer.
Let them cool completely. This is super important! If the walnuts are still warm when you put them in an airtight container they will release moisture as they cool - then they get soggy. Not nice.
Store them in an airtight container. For gifts, I like to put about 1 cup's worth of walnuts into old jam jars. These would be amazing with either pecans or cashews for those unable to eat walnuts.
I serve the Sweet Chipotle Walnuts on top of salads with goat cheese and cranberries. But often they don't last very long - P eats them straight from the jar. I usually make two batches at a time (back-to-back, rather than just doubling the recipe) because honestly, these suckers disappear so fast!
Enjoy!
That being said, I do enjoy baking. If I have a free day I love making bread. And with a little spare time I like to make goodies to add a little sparkle to my otherwise by-the-book meals. The following is based on a number of recipes bumming around the internet, adapted to be a little spicier for those of us who love a little ZING!
 |
| Normally I use my Dad's honey, but sadly, his hives haven't been very productive in a few years, so, store-bought honey. Can't wait for the farmers' market to open this spring! |
Sweet Chipotle Walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups whole walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in the middle of the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine salt and sugar - stir well. Set aside bowl.
In a skillet, combine honey, chipotle, and cinnamon, and warm until the spices are incorporated and the honey becomes very runny.
Add the two cups of whole walnuts to the skillet and stir with a spatula until the nuts are coated and the pan has very little pooling honey.
Put wax paper onto a cookie sheet, and spread the nuts evenly as a single layer onto the sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes - you should start to smell the walnuts releasing their oil. While the nuts are baking, spread a second sheet of wax paper on the counter.
Take the walnuts out of the oven and allow them to "set" for about 1 minute on the stove top. Carefully pick up the wax paper with the cooling nuts on it, and pour it into the bowl with the sugar and salt mixture. Be very careful not to touch the walnuts as the honey will stick to your skin and burn you!
With a spatula, mix the nuts and the sugar/salt together until there are no loose grains at the bottom of the bowl. Pour onto the second piece of wax paper and spread into a single layer.
Let them cool completely. This is super important! If the walnuts are still warm when you put them in an airtight container they will release moisture as they cool - then they get soggy. Not nice.
Store them in an airtight container. For gifts, I like to put about 1 cup's worth of walnuts into old jam jars. These would be amazing with either pecans or cashews for those unable to eat walnuts.
I serve the Sweet Chipotle Walnuts on top of salads with goat cheese and cranberries. But often they don't last very long - P eats them straight from the jar. I usually make two batches at a time (back-to-back, rather than just doubling the recipe) because honestly, these suckers disappear so fast!
Enjoy!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Snowshoeing and Tahquamenon Falls
There is little time for vacations these days - only a day or two to put off what should be already done. P put down all his work for three days straight to enjoy the cold and the snow in the U.P. - where they had recently had a 38-inch snowfall. Snowshoes were mandatory - without them the snow was thigh high.
We stayed in the log cabin again - snug as bugs!
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| straits of Macinac |
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| virgin trail |
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| breaking trail |
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| trying to be patient |
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| frozen falls |
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| Tahquamenon Falls - lower falls |
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| the Mackinac Bridge |
We stayed in the log cabin again - snug as bugs!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday Snowshoe
The big winter storm just missed mid-Michigan, but we still received a respectable 6 inches of snow. Today was my first opportunity to get out and enjoy it - with Zeby, of course! I strapped on my snowshoes and away we went.
Zeby hunted voles on our way back.
I relish these quiet moments in the woods. I love winter, especially if there is snow.
We saw ducks congregating in a small pool of open water. And Zeby wanted to figure out how to get closer to them.
My favorite trail in the area is part of a flood plain for the Red Cedar River. This section obviously flooded and froze recently - the highwater marks were left as frozen ledges around tree trunks hovering over the ground.
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| Nothing better than wool for a cold snowshoe. |
Pattern: Brioche Hood Hat by Valdis Vrang, a free pattern on Ravelry
Yarn: Happy Fuzzy Yarn BFL worsted in the color Shadow. Purchased at the 2011 Ann Arbor Fiber Expo.
Needles: US 8
Mods: I lengthened my ties to about 14 inches. I worked out a system to make sure I did my short rows correctly. I inserted a stitch marker at the point where the short row wedges would end, and inserted a locking stitch marker where the short row wedges began. Every time I worked one short row I would move my locking stitch marker one pair of stitches closer to the other stitch marker. When they met, I knew I had finished my wedge. This will make more sense to you if you are actually knitting the thing.
This is my Use it Or Lose it Project 02 - working from my stash!
Zeby hunted voles on our way back.
I relish these quiet moments in the woods. I love winter, especially if there is snow.
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