Making all the little things count is absolutely my holiday M.O.
Jump to RecipeBecause a lot of the big things aren’t happening in the same way. The gatherings, the connecting, the traditions. They’re different. But as I go, I’m finding there are still sweet little ways to make this time of year bright. Like Maple-Rosemary Cocktail Cashews that are just as good when you’re milling around the kitchen wondering what to eat next as they are for a proper fireside happy hour.
Ordinarily, the days and weeks before the holiday would be packed with partying, gathering with friends, me cooking up a storm. This year, the crowd I’m cooking for is much smaller. We’re still gathering – the two of us. We’re still sensing the season, and eager to welcome in the new year. We may still eat caviar and sour cream on chips with champagne sometime this next week, and there is an obscene amount of cookies and cakes being baked in my kitchen. But the little moments are more overwhelming in number. And those are the ones I’m hoping to make a bit more memorable.
This week we had a window to safely pack up the car and head out for a wee mountain retreat. We packed up all of our ski equipment, a boatload of cozy clothes, a deck of playing cards, and enough ingredients to cook for a few days. Plus, SO many snacks. I wanted something crunchy to snack on when we came home from the mountain, cracked open a beer and were hanging by the fire. And I wanted something salty that we could nosh on the long car ride to and from our destination. AND, I wanted something that I could chop up and toss in a salad to Gucci it up if I needed it. These cashews do all of that.
Crunchy, salty, sweet and even a bit spicy little cashews won’t take you much more time or effort than it would take to wait in the too-long line to purchase those other lame-sauce ones. I promise. And there isn’t much to the recipe, either.
If you don’t love cashews, or if you have almonds, walnuts, or another nut combo on hand instead, they will stand in just fine. Also, the recipe calls for smoked paprika – that favorite perky little spice I’ve been telling you about? If you haven’t picked any up, cayenne pepper will work beautifully.
One more thing! The amount of maple syrup required for this recipe just *happens* to be about the same amount as is in a single Untapped Maple packet (for when you overachieve so hard that you’re up late at night determined to make special cashews and realize you’ve forgotten to buy all the ingredients. Yeeps.)
Enjoy this one, friends! Don’t work too hard this holiday, lean in, and make the little things count.
That's ok, just sign up or log in to see this recipe.