Sorry I've been absent for awhile. My mood has been, well lets just say that I felt like going up to little kids and telling them that Santa was dead. Yeah, I've got that holiday spirit. I'm getting better though. Heck, I even wrapped a few presents. Of course, that was only because I couldn't find anywhere to hide them. Our tree will be decorated tomorrow night after Gryffin is asleep. Mike is obsesive compulsive about the lights so the actual decorations won't be hung until about 1 am. In years past we have gotten into disagreements about how the tree should be decorated. Disagreements so bad I went to bed and let him do it himself. I must say, he always does a wonderful job. Amazing how good a color blind (literally) guy can be at decorating. If I didn't know better I would question his sexuality.
I made a batch of 'Hair on your nuts' yesterday and they turned out much better than last year. I don't know if it was old spices or if I overcooked the nuts so I bought all new spices and watched those nuts cook like they were the season finale of Survivor. They aren't so spicey that they are hot, but they leave your mouth pretty warm after a handful. I think this is just right, personally. If you are interested, here is the recipe:
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
3 T Old Bay
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
6 cups mixed nuts
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/3 c grated Parmesean
Preheat oven to 300 and line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Beat eggs until foamy and gradually add sugar. Beat in seasonings. Stir in nuts, butter and cheese. Make sure all the nuts are coated then spread in an even layer on the baking sheets. Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Imediately remove foil and let cool on a rack. Break apart and store in an airtight container. Make sure the nuts don't brown, you just want them toasted.