Simply Nutty

I am committed to making the upcoming holidays as low-stress as possible and for me this means taking some time to prep! It’s a great idea to keep a few homemade presents on hand so you’re prepared when those inevitable last-minute gifting moments pop up. This way, you won’t get frazzled when you remember you wanted to thank your child’s bus driver, your mailman or your neighbor down the street.

Just whip up a batch of these savory roasted and spiced nuts and then fill up beautifully simple ball jars for a tasty gift that’s easy to make in bulk. I’ll show you how…

Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup peanuts
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Get started
1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2.  Combine all nuts and seeds in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and melted butter, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
3.  Spread seasoned mixture on a cookie sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently.
4.  Remove from oven. Spread mixture on a rack to cool.

While your nuts are in the oven roasting, use those 20 minutes to decorate the ball jars. Using manila tags and colorful cardstock, stamp holiday greetings or festive images to make labels. Snap a rubber band around the label in the middle of the jar to secure the label.  If you’re feeling bold and have a little more time on your hands,  you can also cover the tops of your jars with coffee filters and attach them to the lid with pretty ribbons, raffia, or string. It’s easy to experiment with all sorts of household items…add jingle bells, ornaments, or plastic snowflakes for instant style.

Once your nut mixture cools, fill up the jars and voila- instant gifts that you can grab and give to all the special people in your life…even the nutty ones!