Recap

While away, I...

• ate really fantastic food (and a lot of it)
• watched two little boys light up with joy
• attended a four-hour high mass (whew!)
• reveled in a visit from bro/sis/bro-in-law
• gave and received foot duvets
• saw a hilarious movie
• had a lot of winter fun...sledding, SNOW, snowfights, snow falling like huge goose feather flakes, new furry boots in the snow, videos of boys hookiebobbing in the snow...
• danced my tail off in an airplane hangar
• saw the biggest book in the world (oddly enough, post holiday food, I weigh exactly the same thing as that book. ugh)

Back to the important stuff...all that fabulous food! Along with the old holiday favorites, it seems like at every gathering I went to there was something new that I'm not sure how I had lived without for so long. Milo's Vietnamese sandwiches will probably reappear once a week in our house, mac n' cheese will never be the same, and so long to frozen pizza for Christmas dinner (an unfortunate part of our recent history)--crab is the new game in town! Oh, and wait until I tell you about the bacon!

But my late Christmas gift to you is a recipe I just came up with today. I have a dear friend that knows my weak spots and spoils me with things I can't resist...the latest being a container of ginger orange candied almonds brought along for the New Year's trip. The ingredient list was short though, and my first try today was fairly successful if I do say so myself! Easy, savory, sweet, slightly salty, filled with protein, excellent on salads or as a snack on it's own...basically, totally irresistable. Have fun!


Ginger Orange Almonds

Note: the picture above shows sliced almonds, as that's what I had on hand today. The originals were made with whole almonds. Use whatever you prefer because it really won't affect the yumminess.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 tsp ginger (from the spice cabinet, not fresh)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granualted sugar
• zest of one orange

Directions: Whisk egg white until no liquid remains. It should be a very thick froth, but does not need to get all the way to soft peaks stage. Add everything else and gently fold together. Spread on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 325 for about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the clumps and loosen the nuts from foil. Watch carefully at end, and remove right after they turn a pretty golden brown.