Sweet & Spicy Cocktail Nuts Plus Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots

 This week we decided to "divide and conquer" to each try a different December recipe in anticipation of schedule craziness and unexpected busy-ness (ok, it is "expected" :) at the end of the month. 

We had also agreed that we would catch up by each trying the recipes individually ....for instance Tricia will do next week what Nana did this week....provided none get a thumbs down ;)

Nana's try at the "Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts":

This is a  easy recipe to make and the results were very tasty.

I used a combination of almonds and peanuts.  However, I do think using a larger nut such as pecans would be better, since they would be more uniform in size.  On my  "to do" list for the next trip to Costco.

That said,  I am pleased with the flavor of these.

The first taste makes you think that they are not sweet and certainly not spicy. But it has something in it that you can't eat just one.  Just ask your father.......

I will definitely give this another try before Christmas, it is great for snacking with a nice glass of anything.  Make mine Vodka on the rocks.

Tricia's comment:  Nana shared her efforts and they were very much appreciated by adult and child alike in our household....although to protect the innocent blogger family members, I can not divulge how quickly the entire sample was devoured :)  These are a winner.

Tricia's Try at "Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots":

The great part about this recipe was that it was simple. The other great part was that it involved the use of fresh ginger, which of course smells absolutely lovely and never more so than during the holiday time of year.

 

 The not so great parts , other than my not caring for the results, included the cost of the infrequently used ingredients.  Fresh ginger, white pepper and cardamom.  I can sum up the results of this recipe test as "not...a...fan". 

 In all honesty I was less than thrilled when I read that I needed to pick up fresh ginger and cardamom seeds, but when I saw the $9.79 price tag in the supermarket for the cardamom my attitude pitched south quite dramatically. 

This was going to be a pricey side dish that I thought replicating would be a long shot. And I was right. I can firmly say that I will not be making this dish again.  

In all fairness, this dish involves some strong flavors so I imagine there is not going to be many "middle of the road" responses.  More like love or hate.  No comments from Nana coming on this one because I gave her the heads up and didn't even supply a sample......

 But as with other recipes that didn't fly, I definitely browsed related pages and will be looking forward to testing other side dishes and veggie choices in the near future.  It's all part of the journey and I consider it a victory when my kitchen smells this exotic, even if the dish will not be a repeat :)