Sugar Coated Nuts

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Last year was our first Thanksgiving away from family, and quite honestly, more than a little sad.  So I was determined to have a more lively holiday this year.  We invited several other families over to our house who also live far away from home. Our little town home soon overflowed with love, laughter, and little kid squeals!  Just what a good Thanksgiving feast needs :) I had good intentions of taking pictures of my Thanksgiving preparations... aaaannnd I totally forgot!  Good thing, this year I made some tried and true recipes from the blog, with the addition of one new one.  I made turkey meatballs, twice baked potatoes - added a little milk and it worked great!, roasted asparagus, and some honey-glazed carrots.  The carrots ended up not getting syrupy like the recipe suggested, but I just poured off the excess liquid and ended up really liking the hint of sweet / tangy from the honey/vinegar mixture.  They were a hit!  I had hopes of making these babies - but realized I got the wrong kind of dough and I sure as heck wasn't going to go back to the grocery store with all those crazy people!!  I ended up just making a regular pumpkin pie... my first!  The back of the can instructions worked great!  All-in-all, we had stuffing, rosemary yeast rolls, sweet potato souffle, spiral ham and more desserts than we really needed!  But it was all so delicious!! And everything worked out great.  I've always wanted to host Thanksgiving at my house - and this year I did!  Hopefully this will be a new tradition that we can continue. These sugar coated nuts are my grandma's recipe.  I only make them once a year - Thanksgiving.  She always has these out on her kitchen counter anytime we visit between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's really the only thing she makes that I can replicate.  Everything else is going to take some trial and error.  You know, it's hard to follow a "little bit of this, a little bit of that, and you cook it until it looks right" kind of recipe.  But once you master the 'grandma recipe', precious memories are passed down from one generation to the next. Hope you enjoy these tasty treats!  Just be careful because they're ridiculously addictive ;) Sugar Coated Nuts - from my grandma's recipe Her Original Recipe:                                  What I used: 1 cup granulated sugar                              1.5 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup water                                            3/4 cup water 2 cups raw shelled peanuts or pecans       3 cups roasted unsalted almonds &                                                                                 peanuts Directions: Gather ingredients.  I used mostly almonds and a few peanuts.  Last year I had pecans and used them (YUM!).  Since I was serving these as appetizers for Thanksgiving, I altered her recipe to make 3 cups of sugar coated nuts. Dissolve sugar in water in sauce pan over medium heat.  Stirring sugar helps to dissolve it. It will look almost clear when all the sugar is dissolved.  You think that it's NEVER going to happen, but it does! Add the nuts and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until nuts are completely sugar coated and there is no syrup remaining.  They will eventually boil and bubble.  Keep stirring and keep going! The whole process takes 10 - 15 minutes.  Again, you're thinking "Did I get my proportions correct?  This sugary water is STILL here!"  But, it does evaporate.  Promise. Pour on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Separate the nuts with a fork and make sure they're a single layer.  You really do need a fork.  They're sticky.  Again, remember to refrain from taste testing!!! Boiling sugar!! At least I remembered this this time around :) Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring at 10 minute intervals. Enjoy!  Store in an airtight / covered container.  They're even better if you make a day -or at least a night- in advance so they have time to sit. The Verdict I love cooking because of the legacy it brings.  I have distinct memories of cooking with my dad's mom in her kitchen when I was young enough to have to use a step-stool to reach the counter and stove.  With Little One, even though he's too small to help, when I can, I always hold him some while I'm cooking so he can see me stirring the soup, sautéing the onions, folding in the brownie mix... you get the idea.  I want him to appreciate the kitchen as much as I do. It's so amazing to me how a recipe can bring back a memory instantly when you put the first bite in your mouth.  These bring me back to my grandma's (my mom's mom) kitchen over the holidays, instantly.  I equally like to put my spin on things too.  The addition of the almonds was a nice crunchy alternative.   I was originally worried because the almonds were soggy once they were cool enough to eat.  But the next morning, they had dried out and were their original texture.  These make a fun, tasty, and sweet appetizer.  Enjoy this sweet treat! Happy Thanksgiving!