tiny bites

(this is dave, not sure how it ended up posting as jabootay)

If, like me, you are bereft of party tricks, please think of bringing these to your next festive gathering. Courtesy of Lisa, these lovely appetizers arrived at our pre-thanks get together back in November. She arrived with her materials, which were fairly few but all the more delicious for their simplicity. Here's a close up:

And the madtasty scientist herself .... please don't mind the messy kitchen behind her.

Spiced Almonds Based on the Gramercy Tavern's Mix

This Spiced Nut mix was adapted from the Gramercy Tavern recipe for mixed nuts, via the blog Gluten-Free Guide. At the Gramercy, this spicy and sweet mix serve as the perfect bar snack, keeping you consistently thirsty for more Manhattans and fooling you into thinking you've eaten more than a handful of nuts for dinner. At home, once the hangover has cleared, we've made them to hand out as Christmas gifts.

In the real recipe, there are a variety of nuts. We just used almonds, and you shouldn't let the high-price of pecans make you spend a fortune on making some yourself. The spice ratios can be altered however you like, but the key to making this mix work is the cumin and cayenne, which give them an almost Indian flavor. The Gluten-Free Guide has the exact measurements, but below is a more casual approach. The key note is to not overdo any one spice so that they all can stand out.

Cook up some simple syrup (2 cups sugar to every cup water) and combine with corn syrup, enough to coat the nuts. You can also use maple syrup or honey if you want to add another flavor. Once the nuts was sugar-coated and sticky, toss them with salt, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, cayenne, and nutmeg. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, turning the pan every five minutes.

If you've done it right, every bite of the final mix will taste different. Some are very sweet, some boast that comforting cinnamon-clove flavor, and some will knock you out with spiciness. They are an ideal bar snack, but be sure to give them to people with adventurous tastebuds.

Workout Queen's Yummy Granola Bars

Ever needed to grab a snack and go? Or on your way to the gym and need a healthy snack to rev you up? Grab one of these granola bars! With the help of a friend, we snagged this recipe and made it work for us. They are chewy and yummy. Try them out.

Ingredients:

• baking tin
  
• 2 cups oat
• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• 4 tsp butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 cup flaxseed
• 1 cup crushed nuts
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
  

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In the baking tin, mix the flour, oats, nuts, and seeds. Then put them into the oven to toast.
3. Meanwhile, grab a sauce pot, and mix the butter, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Heat it on the stove till it has all dissolved.
4. Once the oats are toasty, take them out of the oven and add the yummy heated mixture of sugar. Mix well. (Add raisins now, if you'd like.)
   
5. It will turn into a goop that you can lay into a tray or pan. Flatten it out and let it cool.
   
6. Cut them into bars, squares or just pick at them.
7. ENJOY!

This can be eaten just as is, or accompanied by yogurt or soymilk as a cereal. It really is delicious and can be kept in aluminum foil for quite a while.