Here’s a quick and easy — and nutritious — snack to make whilst you’re in the middle of Thanksgiving prep, or even if you just need some snacks to watch a sporting event: Rosemary and Thyme Mixed Cocktail Nuts! They are sooooo good: a little sweet, a little salty, herby, nutty, delicious. They are particularly good if you warm them up eve so slightly in the microwave or oven before putting them out to snack on. You can use all types of nuts, but I used almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and pecans which is a great combo!
So I’m plugging away at Cookie Madness, but I couldn’t help but make one last pie in these pre-Thanksgiving days. This one uses heirloom apples called Baldwins that I got at Russell Orchards last weekend. Very nice apples; firm and not too tart. Loving my lattice work too. The rim was a little messy so I used a leaf cookie cutter to pretty it up a little bit.
As y’all know, every year for Thanksgiving, I make a variation on cranberry sauce, and this year is no different. This year’s variation is a Cranberry Blackberry Portwine (with a touch of nutmeg) Sauce and it is absolutely delicious. Would go super well with the usual poultry (also duck!) but also with a steak/beef. Very warm and enticing.
And now for something a little different …. Have you ever eaten roses? Yes, as in the flower that one gives on Valentine’s Day? The flowers turn to fruit (rosehips) which are edible. I commonly know rosehips from tea, but recently while I was in Germany, I found rosehip jam, and of course was curious. It’s a floral flavor for sure, though I am not sure I could identify the taste as ‘roses’. At any rate, I decided to make some of my crumble shortbread bars with the jam and some almonds and they turned out quite nice. I could see them being eaten with tea or coffee in the afternoon.