New Year's Great Expectations

I'm excited for this upcoming year's surprises and developments. Last year I learned about the discipline it takes to write a blog while managing all of life's other necessities and I'm happy I started; it's hard to know what something will be like until you try it. My resolutions for 2014 are not anything I can't tackle: to continue to nurture my creative side with some juicy projects (more on this to come), to try my hand at calligraphy, and to smile more (oh yes, while sporting adult braces). 

I see far too many photos of calligraphy like this one via Instagram to not want to try it.

Spicy Pecans

My holiday gifts consist of a few simple traditions: dry humor postcards, jam thumbprints, and spicy pecans. If your lucky, you get all three, but that's a rare achievement. Here I unveil the secret behind the addictive little nut nuggets...

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup -plus- 1 Tbs Brown Sugar (dark or light works)

1 Tbs Water

1 Tbs Unsalted Butter

Pinch (or more) Cayenne Pepper (omit if you can't handle the heat)

1 1/2 - 2 Cups Raw, Unsalted Pecans

Special Equipment:

Parchment Paper - forget this step and you'll be scraping sticky bits off your sheet pan instead of kicking your feet up and munching pecans.

The Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

2. Melt brown sugar, water, butter, and cayenne pepper (to taste) together in a medium size pot over medium heat

3. Add in your pecans and stir to coat

4. Spread evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes

5. Remove from oven, toss to coat once again and bake for an additional 5 minutes

6. They're done, let cool, share if willing.

PS - I've heard these go great on an Arugula, Goat Cheese, Beet Salad!

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{wishing you a wonderful holiday season}

Memory Tie Banner

It was this time last year that I received the tragic news that my childhood friend had been in a boating accident. My weekend calendar was packed with all of the last minute preparations that make up the hectic few days before Christmas; gift shopping, cookie baking, Christmas card addressing, wrapping, twinkle lighting, and movie watching. But all of this became secondary after the first text came through letting me know I needed to call home asap. The following three days were spent amongst family and friends waiting for the heart wrenching, inevitable news that my friend had not been found. Christmas came and went without the usual superficial stresses and instead left us all with a deep, gaping loss and sense of closeness as we mourned a great soul together. 

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{a simple tradition in memory}

With the first anniversary of my friend's passing upon me, I was left with a lot of anxiety about how to acknowledge this day. I wanted to create a small tradition I could uphold, so after some thought, I decided to start a "Memory Tie Banner."

I sewed a small piece of fabric with decorative stitching to tie onto a length of cotton webbing. This way each year I can take a moment and add another tie, reflecting both on the painful significance of this friend's passing as well as the many years of life ahead that I look forward to experiencing fully while carrying his spirit on.

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{I imagine many colorful ties will be added throughout the years}

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{this post is dedicated to Barrett Wyles Raymond}