Chicken Thighs and Veggies

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

I love raiding my fridge and using  whatever veggies I happen to find that need a home.  The other day, I riffed on this recipe (that I posted way back in 2012!), using two handfuls of green beans added toward the end, lots of fresh garlic I grew, a few new potatoes, and more carrots than required.  The spice rub with cinnamon is always an unexpected flavor and everyone loves this dish.

I prepped everything early in the day then returned home and easily put it together for dinner.  WIN/WIN!

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Originally posted on September 19, 2012

Chicken Thighs with Vegetables

Serves 6

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Ingredients:
  • 3 lbs chicken thighs with skin and bone left on (extra fat removed)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp sea salt
  • ½ Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 10 grinds of fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 large yellow pepper, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 6 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (I don’t peel them if organic)
  • 2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions:

Dry chicken thighs thoroughly with paper towels. On a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper, combine spices, salt and pepper and mix well. Press spices into the skin side of the chicken by rolling the pieces skin side down into this mix. Keep the extra spice mix for when you cook the vegetables.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy sauté pan over medium heat. Place chicken thighs skin side down (the side with the spice rub) and brown chicken for eight minutes. The cooked side should turn a beautiful, reddish brown color. Turn thighs over for another four minutes. If the thighs are large this might have to be done in two batches unless you have a giant skillet like mine.

Using kitchen tongs, remove chicken thighs to a dish with a bit of a lip so the juices can collect as the chicken rests. Pour off all but two tablespoons of rendered chicken fat.

Add the vegetables to the same pan. Sprinkle with any leftover spice/salt mixture you have. Cook the vegetables over medium heat, and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Place the browned thighs and their juices back into the pan and gently cover with some of the vegetables. Add in the liquid, bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the vegetables and chicken are cooked thoroughly, gently basting the chicken twice during this time. Before serving, put in a shallow bowl and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley. Pass any remaining juices to pour on top of the chicken or side dish.

Notes: I sometimes use boneless skinless chicken thighs if I am in a hurry. This takes a lot less time for the meat to cook. The method is the same but after removing the thighs I sauté the vegetables for longer, say 15 minutes. Then I add the thighs and only need to cook it another five minutes or so.

I always serve this accompanied by brown rice, barley or quinoa so the pan juices aren’t swimming all over the plate. Adding broccolini, sautéed cherry tomatoes or tomato slices drizzled with olive oil makes the plate look colorful and appealing.

I have doubled it and then cooked the vegetable/chicken combo in a large Dutch oven if I am serving this for company.

And finally, every single man, woman and child who tastes this LOVES it.

 

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Refrigerator Sweet Pickles

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Marilyn

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Refrigerator Pickles

Twelve years ago when life and food shopping was much more simple, I wrote a post for marinated cucumber salad.  As the years passed, I find myself making this “salad” but calling them pickles, and I like to have them on hand as part of a sandwich (try them on top of tuna fish sandwiches or burgers or hummus sandwiches).  I like that I can use English cucumbers and that this is so easy to make.  

I have yet to find an adult or child who isn’t in love with these pickles!

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Originally posted on July 23, 2014 

During the long, warm days of summer I love eating cold (or room temperature) crunchy, cool and juicy fruits and vegetables. It’s hard to choose among my favorites – but this dish is tried and true … I’ve been making it for at least twenty years and it never fails to please me. I would often suggest this salad when catering for large crowds because it is inexpensive to make, beloved by the masses and, for some reason I haven’t quite figured out, it always rounds out menus and buffets and even small family gatherings. I bring this to picnics or barbeques in place of a green salad or coleslaw. Brunch, lunch, dinner … barbeques or spontaneous picnics in the park, this should be on YOUR “to try” list too.

I happen to own a really inexpensive mandoline for slicing the raw cucumbers, and I also have a sturdy protective glove for using the mandoline so I don’t cut my fingers off since I’ve come close to doing that more times than you can imagine. However, you can slice the cucumbers by hand as long as you can make even and thin slices about an eighth of an inch thick. For me, the mandoline works better and I can make this salad in the blink of an eye. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator – although the color isn’t as vibrant. No worries about that though – you can use leftover cucumber slices as a fresh and delicious addition to summer sandwiches.

I usually use English (aka Burpless) cucumbers, and recently picked up what I thought was this variety. However the vendor at the farmers market (pictured here) informed me these cucumbers were Japanese Slenders because they had “bumps” instead of ridges. I love learning new things! Either English or Japanese cucumbers will work; neither requires peeling and they have tiny seeds that don’t need to be removed.

Super easy, very few ingredients, healthful. Salty, a bit spicy, sweet. Delicioso! Just my kind of recipe…

Marinated Cucumber Salad (AKA Refrigerator Sweet Pickles)

Serves 4 or more

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Ingredients
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. fine Sea Salt
  • 2 English or Japanese cucumbers
  • Purple onion or radishes for color or garnish, if desired
Instructions

Slice the cucumbers (unpeeled, not seeded) into a large glass bowl by hand or with a mandoline. Boil together the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt just until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes from the start. Pour hot dressing over the cucumbers, stir around a bit and refrigerate the glass bowl with everything inside covered with plastic wrap. Leave in the refrigerator for about an hour. Once the salad has cooled, transfer everything to a tupperware container with a lid that you can seal and shake to distribute the dressing and coat all the cucumber slices. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours, and shake it around a few times when you remember to do so.

Drain before serving – the salt in the recipe causes the cucumbers to release a lot of liquid. Wonderful and easy!

Note: if you use regular cucumbers, be sure to peel the skin, cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds! Then slice into half rounds and proceed.



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Fresh Mango Topping

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Marilyn

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Fresh Mango Topping

I am always on the hunt for interesting toppings I can easily make for chicken and fish, particularly when I invite family for dinner.  I often try to make some type of fish because the older kids want a lot of protein and fish is something special for them.  I do get bored with the usual salt, pepper and olive oil preparation though, so this fall I had my taste buds set on an easy mango salsa as a potential topping.  I always put out lemon or lime wedges for those who don’t like my fruit toppings.

This was so good, I ended up eating it as a stand alone salad the next day.  It checks all my boxes: easy ingredients to find, delicious flavors and colorful.  I used this as a topping for steelhead trout I barbequed and it was a huge hit with all of us, kids and adults alike.

Fresh Mango Topping

Makes 2-3 cups, enough for 8 pounds of fish

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Ingredients
  • 2 large ripe peeled mangos, peeled and diced ½ inch or a little less
  • 1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced ¼ inch
  • ½ cup peeled and diced red onion
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (if guests are cilantro averse, use parsley)
  • ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced small
  • 2  limes, juiced
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions

In a bowl, combine all the above and stir together with a spatula.  Taste and add more salt or lime juice as desired,

Leftovers store well for up to 3 days refrigerated. 



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Sheet Pan Pancakes

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Marilyn

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Sheet Pan Pancakes

This recipe caught my eye. Basically, these are pancakes you bake in a rimmed sheet pan rather than on the stovetop.  My son Jakey Boy has four small kids, ages 2 to 7 and they have to eat breakfast each day before being herded out the door to preschool or to activities.  Sitting at the stovetop and flipping pancakes isn’t in the cards, so I did a dry run of this recipe to see if it would pass muster.  I did make a few changes from the original America’s Test Kitchen recipe, swapping out some of the milk for kefir and buttering the pan rather than oiling it.  I probably baked it a little too long so check after 18 minutes to see if the pancakes are done.  The texture is a little more crumbly than regular pancakes–and therefore I put a clean tea towel over the pan as the pancakes were cooking.

Topping the square pancakes with butter and maple syrup or with greek yogurt and berries or jam, how bad can these be?  So … Do the kids like them? Of course they do! But they like anything that involves syrup or fruit!  Not very exciting but good for something last minute that can come out of the fridge or freezer.

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Makes one rimmed half sheet pan worth, about 16 pancakes

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Ingredients 
  • 3 cups or 15 oz all purpose unbleached flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (1 ¾ oz)
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp sea salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 6 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 ¼ cup buttermilk or kefir
  • 1 cup milk, whole or 2%
  • ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • (Salted butter and maple syrup to top)
Instructions:

Butter the bottom and sides and corners of a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the center.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk 3 large eggs and 6 Tbsp oil in a second bowl, then add 1 cup milk and 1 ¼ cups buttermilk or kefir and vanilla extract.

Add mixed liquids to flour and gently stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.  The batter will stay a little lumpy with streaks of flour.  LET BATTER SIT for 10 minutes before baking.

Scrape the mixture into a prepared pan and spread evenly, especially into the corners.  Bake 10 minutes, then rotate the pan the other direction and bake another ~10 minutes until brown and firm to the touch.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve with syrup, butter or jam.  Refrigerate or freeze the rest if you have leftovers!

A Pan of Pancakes!

Note:  the cooled squares of pancake can be stacked in a zip lock bag with parchment or waxed paper between the individual pancakes.  Then take out as many as you like and microwave to thaw.

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Lazy Chicken Chili

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Marilyn

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Lazy Chicken Chili

Some days, especially as the weather becomes cooler, I crave food that is warming and nourishing but easy to make.  Most of the time I love getting in my kitchen and being creative, but there are days I am over booked and tired of making dinner.  Recipes like this one are just the ticket for me, and it so happens that this makes enough chili to feed a lot of people.  I passed this on to my in-town family and they are in total agreement with me.

The few times I have made this chicken chili I have used some precooked rotisserie chicken.  If I go to the trouble of making my own roasted bird I prefer to eat it straight up with easy side dishes and veggies or a salad.  This recipe involves basically using a lot of pantry items, but it tastes pretty complex.

I started with a NYT recipe by Lidey Heuck and tweaked it.  It is THE BEST.  No one will guess it is so easy to make!  Keep this recipe in mind for last minute dinner guests.

Lazy Chicken Chili

Serves 4-6

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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped 
  • ½  large jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic or more
  • 1teaspoon dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh slivered basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • Freshly cracked black pepper 
  • 4 cups chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillion) 
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 
  • 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles 
  • 2½ to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (from 1 roast chicken or rotisserie chicken) 
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 
  • Half a lime, plus lime wedges for serving
  • Toppings:  choose what you like:  Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, pickled onions, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro and crushed tortilla chips, for serving (optional)
Instructions

In a large soup  pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic,basil, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add the chicken broth, rinsed cannellini beans and diced green chiles with their liquid; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has reduced by about half, 18 to 20 minutes. Off the heat, use a wooden spoon to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue mashing the beans until the broth is noticeably thicker.

Return the pot to medium, stir in the chicken and corn, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Juice the lime half over the pot, then taste for seasonings and add more salt, black pepper, and cayenne, if desired.

Serve the chili in bowls topped as you like with a lime wedge.  I serve the optional toppings on the side.   



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Loosemeat Sandwiches 

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Marilyn

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Loosemeat Sandwich

I wrote a post and a recipe for Maid Rites back in 2018 while I had fewer grandkids, less travel,  and more free time. Fast forward to 2025 and somehow my days are packed with too many things I want to do.  Soooo, I like having a few ready to reheat items in my freezer so I can still have delicious homemade food ready with zero effort.

These meat sandwiches are really an all time favorite.  I discovered that if I make the meat filling, cool it, then fill the hamburger buns and wrap them in waxed paper and store them in a zip lock container, they are more than perfect for reheating 2 minutes in the microwave.  All you need are sliced pickles (at least I need these and most always have refrigerator sweet pickles) and mustard.  Ketchup is a NONO.  I make 2 lbs of meat and get 8 large sandwiches!  Pop some Jojo potatoes in the toaster oven, add a simple salad and you will have dinner fit for a queen.  

Make these and this fall/winter you will have yourself something otherworldly.

Loosemeat Sandwiches 

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Ingredients
  • 2 lbs lean ground beef-good quality, not too lean
  • 2 cups of hot Water 
  • 1 Tbsp French’s regular mustard
  • ½  package Lipton French Onion Soup mix
  • Fresh hamburger buns
Instructions

Heat a large (10-12 inch) deep-sided saute pan on medium high.

Brown the ground beef, turning and chopping up the meat to brown and separate on all sides and not have chunks stuck together.  I do not use any oil to do this.  

Add the water and bring to a boil.  Add mustard and soup mix and stir well.  Put on the fan and continue to boil on the stovetop uncovered until most of the water is absorbed – this takes me about 20-30.  Stir often.  If you are going to freeze these, cool the meat mixture.

Scoop cooked meat onto fresh hamburger buns. Serve with picnic type side dishes…beans, potato salad, pickles, cole slaw, whatever your heart desires. 

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Broccoli (or Cauliflower!) Frittata

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Marilyn

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Broccoli (or Cauliflower!) Frittata

My frittata recipe is one I often used in my old catering days!  This year my daughter Rachel hosted Break the Fast after Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.  She is hosting a lot of eaters and a lot of the teenagers love food that is high in protein. Along with that, some guests are gluten free, so I volunteered to bring a few pans of frittata.

I make this several times a year. It is easy, beloved and leftovers are good to serve warmed up or at room temperature or even straight from the refrigerator.  

PS – I posted a very similar recipe for Spinach Frittata.

Broccoli (or Cauliflower!) Frittata

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Ingredients:
  • 12  eggs
  • 1 pint small curd cottage cheese (I use full fat)
  • 8 oz Swiss cheese, grated by hand (or cheddar is fine)
  • 8 oz feta cheese, chopped
  • 12 oz broccoli florets or cauliflower florets chopped ½ inch
  • Olive oil to grease the baking pan on the bottom and sides
Instructions:

Begin by filling a large sauté or soup pot with two inches of water and bringing it to a boil. Add cut up broccoli and allow it to turn bright green – about two minutes. Don’t put a lid on the pan but keep moving the broccoli around with tongs. Remove the broccoli to an ice bath for 5 minutes then to a strainer and keep shaking it to remove as much water or liquid as you can. I usually roll the florets in paper towels so they are fairly dry.

Once the broccoli is prepared, beat eggs, add the cheeses, and stir in the broccoli. Put into an oiled 9 x 13 pan, and even out the surface. Bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown and “set” so that when you gently shake the pan, the center doesn’t appear to be runny. Allow the frittata to cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Beautiful and Delicious!

I always serve this with a slice of fresh tomato or sautéed cherry tomatoes on top. I also like to accompany it with whole grain crackers or rustic bread, fresh fruit salad, and a vegetable or green salad… Delicious!!!

PS: it is OK to  bake this in a 9 x 9 dish and have a much taller, more substantial looking frittata that is still good.  This year I  ended up making a cauliflower frittata because one of my adult children came to my house while I was not here and proceeded to snack on broccoli that I had steamed and left on the counter, in preparation for making this frittata.  I had to get creative and happened to have a cauliflower in the fridge!  Surprisingly, it was terrific with cauliflower but I would use cheddar cheese rather than swiss so the color is a little more vibrant. That being said, I did like the cauliflower because it retained some “crunch” even after steaming it prior and baking it.

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Skillet Chicken With Summer Vegetables

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Marilyn

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Skillet Chicken with Summer Vegetables

Fall is a busy time for me, and I like to make late afternoon lunches or dinners that are fresh and fairly healthful (to balance out the chocolate and pies I make nonstop).  

As summer draws to a close, some of my favorite fresh vegetables are irresistible.  Corn, zucchini, garlic, cherry tomatoes…I can’t get enough of them.  I spotted a version of this recipe in Ellie Kreiger’s substack and made several changes, but loved how this turned out.  It has the right balance of textures and flavors.  I sent my revised recipe  to my sisters and to my kids as we tend to do in my family.  If I like it, they surely will.  

Also note, I am not usually a fan of chicken breasts.  I prefer chicken thighs hands down.  However, the chicken breasts here remained soft and not at all dried out.

Grab yourself some corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and zucchini and make this!  

Skillet Chicken With Summer Vegetables 

Serves 4-6

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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt, divided
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil (use 2 Tbsp to saute chicken and the other 2 Tbsp to saute vegetables)
  • 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium red onion , diced (1+ cup) 
  • 1 ½ cup crimini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into ⅙’s
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 3 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears) 
  • 1 medium zucchini (8 ounces), trimmed, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick 
  • 1.5 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large 
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste 
  • ¼ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
Instructions

Combine flour, paprika salt, cayenne and toss chicken cubes in this. 

Heat a large, straight-sided saute pan, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil.  Saute the chicken chunks for 5 minutes, turning to brown it all over.  You don’t have to cook it all the way through.  Remove the chicken to a bowl.  

Heat the other 2 Tbsp of olive oil and then add the onion.  Saute for 3 minutes until it is translucent.  Add the garlic and saute another minute.  Add the corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables become a little soft.  

All in one pan!

Put the already cooked chicken along with any juices that have accumulated in with the vegetables and saute for another 2 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice.  Garnish with ribbons of basil and serve over brown rice, quinoa or barley.

PS: I am going to try this with tofu!



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Sesame-Crusted Oatmeal Bread

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Marilyn

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Sesame-Crusted Oatmeal Bread

As per usual, when I find a recipe I love, I make it over and over and over to perfect it.  My husband is very patient and fortunately likes my food OVER AND OVER AND OVER.  He knows my shtick and my need to make recipes my own. AND – he also happens to have a great palate and gives excellent feedback.

This recipe originally came from the King Arthur website and was titled “back of the bag Oatmeal Bread.”  First of all, I weighed every single ingredient so there is zero room for error.  My best touch, however, is that I use a LOT of toasted sesame seeds and an egg yolk wash to help them stick to the top of the bread.  To me, this is what makes this bread so delicious.  It could not be easier to make or to clean up if you make this with a dough hook in your large mixer.  

I did try using egg white per the original recipe and it didn’t look as pretty AND the sesame seeds fell off.  SO, use the yolk mix.  Truth be told, this was an unintended ingredient because I had leftover egg yolk wash from making challah. Kismet!

Sesame-Crusted Oatmeal Bread


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Ingredients
  • 361 grams King Arthur unbleached bread flour
  • 99 grams old fashioned oats
  • 40 grams dark brown sugar
  • 7 grams sea salt
  • 8 grams regular granulated yeast (Red Star is fine)
  • 283 grams lukewarm milk (I put in the microwave for 30 seconds combined with the butter)
  • 28 grams softened butter (mine was salted)
  • 1 large egg yolk with ½ tsp granulated sugar (mixed together)
  • 2-3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions

Weigh all the dry ingredients above (except the last four – milk, butter, egg yolk/sugar and sesame seeds) and put in the stand mixing bowl.  (I actually weigh the stuff right in the mixing bowl that goes on the stand mixer).  Mix well with a dough hook. 

Weigh the milk and butter, and put both together in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Pour the warmed liquids slowly into the dry ingredient while the dough hook is mixing. When everything seems wet, put on a timer for seven minutes.  The dough is very soft!  Do not add more flour even though it is sticky – it will come together at the end, trust me.  When the seven minutes are up, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead a few times on the counter, then lightly oil the mixing bowl (no need to clean it) and put a tea towel over the top.  Place inside your oven with the light on for an hour.

The Dough

After an hour, the dough won’t be doubled but it is time to form and shape into a log.  Look at the King Arthur recipe for an in-depth description of how to do this. Place the log into a lightly greased 9 x 5” bread pan (mine is a  non-stick).  Cover loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap and put back in the turned off oven for 1 – 1 ½ hours until it has crested 1” over the rim of the pan. 

About a half hour into the rise, turn the oven on to 350 degrees with the shelf in the lower middle shelf.

Ready for the Oven

Once risen an inch over the edge of the bread pan,remove the pan from the rising spot and remove the plastic wrap.  Brush lightly with the beaten yolk and sprinkle with lots and lots of TOASTED sesame seeds all over the top.  I very gently press these into the top of the bread.  Bake the bread for 33-38 minutes until a digital thermometer stuck into the center registers at least 190 degrees.  

Remove the bread from the oven and after 3 minutes shake the pan and remove the bread from the pan onto a rack to cool.  Put a piece of parchment underneath to catch the sesame seeds that fall off.  Cool completely before slicing.  Leftover bread stays fresh at room temperature for a few days!  

Enjoy!



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Kal’s Spiced Almonds

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Marilyn

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Kal’s Spiced Almonds

My siblings and I are all good home cooks and we often share food and recipes.  My younger brother Kal lives ten minutes away from my house in Seattle, and every time I stop at his home he sends me back with food – usually baked goods.  About a month ago he had a small container of cumin-spiced almonds, and when I tasted them I went bonkers and immediately asked for the recipe.  He sent it along, and told me his neighbor had given him the nuts and then the recipe. He added the caveat that she does not often make these because they are truly a pain in the neck and require nonstop vigilance while cooking.  

The first time through, I had a pretty big fail.  The nuts stuck together and weren’t at all like Kal’s.  So, he came to MY kitchen and stood at my side while I made these.  However, I have since perfected the recipe to my liking and they come out consistently great.  I used cinnamon in place of cumin (although cumin is good too) and reduced the amount of oil.  I also documented other tweaks and timing.  

These are fabulous and I make them at least twice a week.  You must know this is part of my personality: I keep at it until I master the recipes!

A helpful note:  read this recipe through twice before proceeding.  It is touchy.

Kal orders blanched whole almonds from Nuts.com.  I order them from Amazon because it is easier for me – the brand is Yupik.  I keep the almonds in the freezer and remove the measured nuts a couple of hours before I need them.  

Kal’s Spiced Almonds

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Nuts Ingredients
  • 2 C. blanched whole almonds
  • 2 T. peanut oil (keep the oil in your fridge so it doesn’t spoil over time – bring to room temperature before proceeding) 
  • ½ C. granulated sugar (REMOVE 1 TBSP to toss with the spices below)
Spice Mix Ingredients 
  • 1 Tbsp sugar (Removed from the ½ cup you use to cook the nuts) 
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon or cumin 
  • 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1  tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more if you love spicy – the original recipe called for 2 tsp.)
Instructions

FOR THE NUTS: place in a 2-quart sauce pan and mix together well. 

Line a quarter-sized rimmed cookie sheet with parchment and have it ready to go.   Also take out a quart sized metal bowl for the cooked nuts 

FOR THE SPICE MIX: measure all ingredients in a small dish and set aside before you start cooking the nuts.

Mix nuts, oil and sugar together in a 2-quart metal sauce pan – do not use nonstick. Stir constantly over low to low/medium heat until the sugar is caramelized.  Stir for a while, let it sit for 30 seconds, stir well, let it sit over and over until some pop and the color is dark brown.  I actually timed this and it takes me a half hour of stirring and watching!  I use low heat and sometimes a little more than that, but I always turn it down.  

Pour the toasted into a small mixing bowl and stir well, then carefully add the spice/salt mix until everything is coated.  If there is remaining oil in the pan where you cooked the nuts, do not add it to the mixing bowl.  I use the side of my silicone spatula to keep separating the nuts while they are hot for about 5-7 minutes.

Almonds – Almost Ready

Pour the contents of the mixing bowl onto a small parchment lined quarter sized rimmed cookie sheet. Again, do not add any oil that separates out.  With the side of your heat-resistant spatula, try to keep the nuts from sticking together.   Keep on doing this, but once you can touch the nuts (they will still be warm) separate the nuts that might still be sticking together with your hands.  They look a little oily but this dissipates as they cool. Cool well and package to freeze, eat or gift.  The nuts freeze well once cooled and make incredible hostess gifts. 

THESE ARE ADDICTING so don’t say I didn’t tell you so!  My daughter Rachel had good feedback and thought I should add toasted sesame seeds when I put them in the quarter sheet pan while they are still sticky.  I just might try that!

 

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