Jenn's mom's birthday was Saturday and she requested a German Chocolate cake:
I made extra frosting and it was damned good.
I also made biscotti last week. It was pretty plain but I flavored it with orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract and it was AWESOME. I will make more for Christmas goodies.I have also volunteered to provide food & decor for the Roses and Rosemary New Years Eve party (www.rosesandrosemary.org/NewYears) so I spent the weekend pricing cheese and testing appetizers - I wanted to make fancy nuts for nibbles and loosely based my recipe on the absurdly fantastic spanish peanuts they have at El Camino (please go there immediately).
Abby's Awesome Spiced Peanuts (or mixed nuts, do whatever you want)
3 cups peanuts (i used roasted + lightly salted and they worked fine)
1t cumin
1t cayenne
1/2 t savory seasoning blend (optional - i used the no-salt garlicky one in a grinder from costco)
1T honey
1/2 lime
2t sea salt
Put cumin and cayenne in a dry pan and toast for a minute, then add a tablespoon or two of water, get all the spices wet, and add the nuts and toss to coat. Cook the nuts, tossing frequently, for a couple of minutes. Stir in the honey and make sure that's mixed well, then spread on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, then let cool. Squeeze in some lime juice and sea salt, toss again, put the rest of the lime in some Coronas, and try not to eat them all in one go.
Love,
Abby
