Christmas Nuts- A Recipe

Christmas Nuts

Everybody has a favorite nut in their family, sometimes it is an Aunt or Uncle. And sometimes it is something delicious and sweet.  I swiped this from a book I am not sure which one, if you know it, please give credit.  I found it in a notebook in which I write/wrote interesting recipes to use in the far off future.  These are old things before I blogged so, source credits were not written down. I know...tsk tsk. I know better.

The Christmas Nut!

Materials:

2 cups of almonds (raw)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp salt (to taste)

2 tsp ground ginger

2tbsp veg oil

2tbsp golden honey

Procedure:

1. Roast raw nuts for 5 mins at 350F.
2. While nuts are roasting: a. combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over med-low heat until warm and melty.
3. Pour over 5min nuts, and return it to the oven to roast for 10 more minutes at 325F.
4. After they have roasted and the yumminess is good and stuck, pour them on a cooling rack to harden. 
5. Serve warm or room temp.
6. Take a picture and post it on the web.

Notes:

This is sticky. Line your roasting pans and drip trays with foil or parchment for quick clean up.
MAKE MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU WILL NEED-they go pretty fast.

35mm Tests

Look what my 35mm lens did! I love this new lens. It doesn't zoom but, it has lots of great features. Large aperture, super sharp shots, great color registration, little to no distortion as in so many lenses.  And best of all it is FAST!

Isn't this little guy guilty looking? Makes you wonder if he is on the naughty or nice list. ha!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.  I am not very old but, old enough to appreciate my day.  I spent most of the morning in bed. My kids made me breakfast in bed which consisted of a 1/2 cup jelly toast (because that is how much they used to jelly the toast); fruit salad (apples, grapes, and tomatoes); and tart orange juice to wash it all down. I had  chance to chat with my Dad but, missed my Mom's phone call while I was in my uber hot shower.  When I finally got downstairs, I was greeted with a hot cup of DH's coffee and red crepe paper streamers and balloons.

We then went to see The Muppet Movie.  I saw 75% of it because my middle blessing started to feel sick.  He had a sour stomach and we wound up waiting till the end of the movie in the car. On the way home, he puked for about 2 of the 5 miles that we drove. Of course, into a bag next to my sensitive first blessing. Sadly, we even stopped for Pepto to help w/ the upset stomach but, it had no positive effect.

We made a light lunch and lounged between bouts of vomit. Somehow, my DH managed to bake me a cake and bring home a delicious dinner.  While he was gone my third blessing tore into the cooling (un iced) cake and damaged one completely.

So, DH came home and fixed the cakes, set the table, coaxed the kids into the kitchen, decorated the cakes, fed the baby, and presented me with a beautiful card and a great gift.  He did all of this for me. He didn't throw his hands up and cry because it didn't go as planned. He smiled and breathed and just let the moments be.  Thank you my love. I love you more than you could ever know. Thank you for trying to make my day spectacular. I will never forget it!

Oh and I got lots of well wishes from my FB friends.  That was kind of nice.  It is almost like getting a dollar corsage pinned on my shirt. That was such a fun tradition.  I should start that up again. 

Can you guess what my DH got me for my bday? A brand new 35mm lens. Yeah baby! Can't wait to crack into that one! So excited!

I took some time today to take a couple of impromptu learning shots on my daughter.  Pink is her avatar on line, you will see why.  Anyhow, I was working with my old lenses which I absolutely love.  My goal this afternoon was SHARP details.  I did pretty well.  I love these of my big girl.  The in between age.  So special and such a short period of time. God I love this girl.  I wish I could be more like her.

So here is Pink.  She has very little patience for me and my camera.  There was not adjusting ISO settings or for bracketing or any of the learning things I wanted to work on.

I LOVE Natural light.  It is so beautiful and so daunting.  It takes so much work just to keep up with shadows and hot spots and all that mumbo jumbo. But, hey. Look how lovely my sweetie is. And this is because she hates it when I shoot my camera at her.