Spicy Roasted Pecans

This bowl was made by Carol Lebreton , she used the pelvic bone of a chicken to imprint the clay

I came across a version of this recipe a few years ago in Bon Appetit. I ended up adding and deleting some ingredients so I feel comfortable calling this my own. This is a very simple ways to add some sophistication to a cocktail party. These pecans are way sexier than potato chips and even more addictive. A friend of mine once asked if there wasn't some "crack" in these as she couldn't stop eating them.

Spicy Roasted Pecans
Ingredients:
1½ teaspoons onion powder
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1¼ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
3 cups pecan halves

Heat a non-stick saute pan and add the butter and honey. When the mixture starts to foam add the pecans and toss them to get the honey/butter mixture to coat all the pecans. Dust the pecans with 1/3 of the spice mixture , toss to incorporate and repeat until all the spice mix is gone. Place the pecan mixture in a 250 degree oven for 40 minutes. When the pecans have cooled break them apart and serve. These will hold for a week or so, but trust me, you won't have them in your house that long.

Lavash Crackers

Lavash Crackers

Saturday morning and I am making coffee (Since it's Portland I am drinking Stumptown...Italian Roast, hmmm...maybe I will write about this amazing shop and it's owner Duane Sorenson, but that is another story).
Anyway, I am having a dinner party tomorrow and I want to have some special nibbles for my guest. I have a sh*tload of stuff going on today so I didn't have a ton of time, but I did have 20 minutes to spare.
I had some Lavash (traditional Jewish flatbread) in the refrigerator and so pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees and got down to business.
This is a recipe that you can easily make your own by what you toss on the flatbread before you bake it. Here is my take on Lavash Crackers.

Lavash Crackers
Ingredients
2 Sheets Lavash
Olive Oil
Seasame Seeds (black and white)
Caraway Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Kosher Salt

Directions:

Lightly brush the Lavash with Olive Oil (really lightly),

Toss any of the above seeds or those you want to add to the mix on top of the oiled Lavash.

Cut the Lavash to the desired size and pop into a 350 degree oven for 9-10 minutes.

Can you say crispy, savory, & delightful?

Charcuterie

Dinner?

Sometimes I actually don't feel like cooking, but the last thing I want is to go out for fast food.
Tonight I was in a funk and decided see what was in my refrigerator. Hmmm, some leftover Flat Iron Steak, some Hard Italian Salami, Rustic Pate, Goat Gouda, an Aged Gouda a bit of Brie and some of my favorite Cornichon pickles. Damn, put this on a nice plate and you would feel good about someone only charging you $16 dollars (not including service).

"House Olives"

Throw in some of my "House Olives" and you would think you were eating out. I love to buy a variety of brined olives and then toss them together with olive oil, bay leaves, corriander, peppercorns (green, black, white), fennel and red pepper flakes. I keep a jar of these around at all times since they go with virtually anything I am cooking for dinner.

Buon Appetito!