It's the Time for Gift Giving...

In case you need a last minute idea for a homemade gift, here's an option. You're welcome to "steal" as much of this idea as you want.

First a bit of background.

Those of you who have checked out my web site have found out things about me that go beyond the realm of cooking. For example, my first name isn't REALLY Zola (although I'm completely used to being called that). It's really Sarah. You'll find that I am not a full-time food writer. I'm a full-time CEO of a training company.

The copy that follows is a note that we included in all of our company Christmas gifts this year. The reason I am passing it along to you is that, whether this year or next, you might want to pick up on the idea of sending a homemade gift, in a special box with a note, to your colleagues, friends and/or family. The personal touch has rewarded me with more Thank You cards for gifts than I could have ever imagined. In this time of mass-production, people really notice when a person takes time to make something and to tell a story.

This curry-flavored nut recipe is a snap to make. Zola knows. I've made almost one hundred pounds in fewer than six hours. Call this my version of a "family holiday newsletter" -- only this one is edible.

Enjoy the recipe. I hope you make a batch for yourself and eat them watching some wonderfully sappy holiday movie in front of a crackling fire. Go to http://www.apexperformancesystems.com/recipe/00000077, or http://www.apexperformancesystems.com/recipe/00000077, to see the original Zola's Nuts recipe and pictures of the holiday-wrapped Zola's Nuts packages.

Here's how the letter goes. . . .

The True Story of Zola and Zola's Nuts

Holiday Greetings!

Sarah McCann (aka Zola) is the CEO of Apex Performance Systems. She is also married to Chris Lytle. If you are getting a box of Zola's Nuts, you are truly a valued customer of Apex. (Thank you!)

These nuts are created in the Lytle-McCann kitchen, packaged, boxed and shipped from Apex to you with the hope that you will share them and make them again for your friends and family in your home oven. They are incredibly delicious and astoundingly simple to make.

Sarah whipped up the first version last year for Chris as a low-carb alternative to Chex Mix. Chris loved them and so did dinner guests. They were so popular, in fact, that she decided to "mass produce" them for gifts for friends, family and clients.

Speaking of dinner guests, Sarah's "hobby" is entertaining. She runs the company and still manages to squeeze in 40-45 dinner parties a year in our home in Madison or our office/home in Chicago. Those dinner parties can be a Sunday dinner for our friends down the street, a lavish dinner for clients who are visiting Madison or the neighborhood Christmas party for 40 couples. No caterers. In fact, Sarah loves the challenge of pulling off a party in three hours or less including shopping. Some call her "the anti-Martha." She teaches people how to arrange the three bags of flowers for $10.99 into beautiful centerpieces, how to prepare simple, elegant meals, and even how to get guests laughing and dancing while they help clean up!

Not long ago, a popular local magazine got wind of that and published a feature article about the CEO who entertains for fun. That turned into a monthly column and later an Internet column (ArcaMAX) that goes to 150,000+ avid readers who try her recipes and entertaining tips. She gets more fan mail and feedback each week than her sales trainer husband. Seems that people are hungry for ideas on how to simplify rather than complicate the art of the dinner party.

This has led to speaking engagements for Sarah and she's got a book in the works too ("The Art of the Dinner Party") and a web site, www.dinnerwithzola.com (http://apexperformancesystems.com/recipes/).

So where does the name Zola come from? One day as we were driving from Tampa to Naples, we were talking about naming the column and perhaps using a pen name. At the time we were both reading John Grisham's The King of Torts. One of the characters was named Adelpha Pumphrey. Chris made the comment that he could name characters better than that. "How about Zola Gorgon?" We "tested" the name at dinner that night with a group of Madisonians who winter in Naples. Most of them "got it" . . . . "Oh I get it. Zola Gorgon. Gorgonzola (blue cheese) backwards." In any event "Zola" stuck. Comments like, "Zola knows cooking and entertaining" and "Let's ask Zola" surfaced repeatedly. So "Zola" is the alter ego who loves to entertain.

And whether or not you were entertained by this true story, we hope you'll enjoy Zola's Nuts (unless you have acid reflux and no purple pills). By the way, this year's nut recipe is the most popular of 2004. It's the curry-flavored ones. (There are now four flavors being prepared for market). This small batch was made with love in Zola Gorgon's own kitchen with the help of her assistant Parmi Zahn (get that one?) and even of sous-chef Chris. And with that we wish you a very Zola Holiday season.

For this recipe and variations on the theme, please visit www.dinnerwithzola.com (http://apexperformancesystems.com/recipes/). You'll find ideas and recipes that simplify your life and make entertaining a breeze. It's part of the Apex Web Site-and oftentimes the most visited pages.

Happy Holidays to you and yours, Zola, Chris and the team at Apex

(That's the end of the letter.)

Curry-Flavored Zola's Nuts

Ingredients:

1 can mixed nuts, no peanuts (2 cups) (Mixed nuts that include macadamia, almonds, pecans and Brazil nuts work the best, but really any nuts will do.)

Olive oil spray
1 tsp (or to taste) curry powder (not hot curry powder)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Instructions:

Pour the can of nuts into a baking pan. Spray nut surface with olive oil and toss. Sprinkle on your curry powder, cayenne and salt. Spray with olive oil again (lightly) and toss again.

Roast in your oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. When the nuts are just starting to get a tinge of brown on the top, they are done.

Cool.

Eat slightly warm or at room temperature.