Another DIY Food Gift. Cookin' With Chris: Hot Nuts

Earlier today we looked at some DIY Food Gifts. Now, this afternoon a little something called Cookin' With Chris is coming back on the scene!

Recently, Scott made some delicious spiced nuts. They were fantastic straight off the stove top. And they were still pretty tasty when they chilled out a bit. So, I asked him to make them again so I could take photos and do my best to capture the recipe.

In case you hadn't guessed, the recipe I am about to show you is my attempt at a DIY Food Gift. You could package it up in something pretty like the box below. And add a homemade tag like I showed you this morning.

Del's Food

Hot Nuts Recipe (or, as Scott called it later, "How To Make Nuts Taste Worse." He is wrong- he never says good things about his cooking. I think the nuts are delicious!)

He put a teaspoon or less of canola oil on a Skillet and swooshed it around. I would picked olive oil. But I don't know what I'm doing- Scott said to use a bland oil like canola so it tastes more like nuts.

For a small batch, throw in about a half handful of walnuts, another of pecans and another of almonds. Or use whatever nuts you want.

Do a little nut toss and shake your pan around.

Then he added a smidge or cinammon and a smidge of 5 spice.

Did you notice that the spice jar he's holding says Nutmeg? That's how we make our lives easier- we keep cinnamon in the nutmeg jar.

Time for a little more tossing.

Then he added a smidge of brown sugar

Another toss. You have to keep those nuts moving so they don't burn. The whole process probably took 3 minutes. 

And that was it! The hot nuts were done. 

Tricked you- we could have stopped there but we decided to keep going!

I tried them and said I thought a little salt might be good. 

It was!

Then Scott added a little hand squeeze orange juice. Yummy!

A steam party happened. I'm not quite sure how.

Scott said that you can add whatever you want- raisins or rose water to make them rosey nuts. I wouldn't suggest the rose water though. Scott bought some a few years ago because he loves the smell of rose and rose water has done NOTHING to enhance any of our food thus far.

Scott also added a little honey and some sesame seeds. 

I liked better without sesame seeds. With or without honey was fine with me.

And here they are, in all of their hot nut glory!

Check out that fantastic festive Aussie napkin in the background! Animals with santa hats = the best!