Last summer, one of my sisters introduced me
to Rosemary Marcona Almonds from Trader Joe’s.
(Highly addictive!) Then last
week, a small bag of Sahale’s Parmesan Cheese + Herbs “Crunchers” jumped in my
cart during one of those shopping trips everyone and their brother tells you to
avoid: shopping while hungry! I was a
little overwhelmed by the herb + parm coating, yet I ate every last little almond
“cruncher” (for, you know, taste test purposes).
Riveting, right? E ate some nuts. Let’s continue. . .
Keep in mind, RARELY do I consider whether I
could replicate at home something I can buy at a store. (I applaud do-it-yourselfers, crafters, and
people who embrace all-things-domestic; I’m just more of a “find-buy-support
the economy” kind of gal.) But when I
mentioned that I intended to get back to blogging and in reply someone asked
for holiday party hors d'oeuvre ideas, for some crazy reason, I
wondered, “Would it be easy to make those Sahale things at home, only MY way,
more like the Trader Joe’s almonds?” I
assumed I was just one quick Google search away from the recipe for what I
wanted to taste. Wrong! I had to dig a little. I’m an Internet sleuth, but going back to
that part where I just assume buy what I need and call it a day, having to
spend more than a few minutes finding a recipe for something that pretty much
already lives on a grocery store shelf was annoying.
But I came across the following recipe for “Herbed
Nuts.” It lacked parmesan, but the rest
looked good. The recipe was short and
sweet. It was a holiday weekend and I
gave myself permission to spend 30 minutes on something like this. And crossed my fingers (for two reasons: [1]
I hoped these would taste good; and [2] figured if they tasted good, I could
use them as a blog post).
Well, here we are, so…..win, win!
There’s a time and place for a bowl of chips
at a party, but if you’re throwing a classier affair or need smaller snacks to
put around a room for a cocktail party, go for nuts!
Herbed Nuts
1) Mix 3 Tbsp. melted butter with 1 Tbsp. each minced parsley,
sage, rosemary and thyme, and 2 tsp. salt. (I used dry spices – gasp, I know – but I bet
fresh spices would be even better)
2) Toss mixture with 3 cups unsalted mixed nuts. (I used 1.5 bags
of Raw Blanched Slivered Almonds from Trader Joe’s)
3) Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, stirring once.
p.s. Be sure to place a small
stack of cocktail napkins next to each bowl of nuts. You’ll need napkins!
