Recipes by Zola - Cajun Roasted Praline Nuts

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Cajun Roasted Praline Nuts

Zola Gorgon

Hats Off to All...

All those in Florida--and the Southeast and the Caribbean--who have endured both Frances and Charley (the hurricanes, not the nasty cousins) deserve our wishes for safety and a speedy recovery. Hats off to all because, in many cases, they not only lost their hats but much more.

I got an e-mail from a woman who experienced the hurricanes first hand. Linda told me how she and her family prepared and got through it all. I learned a few things. Some of them are ideas that many of us can use in times of pending weather problems or even on camping trips.

One smart thing she realized not to do was stuff her refrigerator full of food when the hurricane was approaching. When the power goes out for several days, that just gives you that much more spoiled food to throw out. I know "up Nort' here, ya hey," when there is a huge snowstorm coming we all head to the grocery store and stock up big time. No "cheesehead" wants to run out of cheese, milk or anything else while we wait for the snowplows to dig us out, power or no power. We can always store things in a snow bank!

Linda had the foresight to brown up a whole batch of hamburger. This made for tacos while they pounded the protective coverings over their windows and finished up other precautionary jobs. In a tough situation, even a taco that's cold isn't a bad thing.

Just before the storm they saved all of their plastic soda bottles (we call them pop bottles up here) and filled them with fresh water. You can imagine all of the uses for fresh water after the hurricane hit that go way beyond drinking!

A frozen chicken became a thawed chicken just in time to put it on the grill. Have plenty of snack bars in stock--healthy ones as well as treats--and get your car filled with gas! We saw the gas lines on TV after the hurricane. If the fuel trucks can't get to the gas stations to fill up the underground tanks, that's going to leave very few stations with gas and it won't last long. I remember when I was small and my mother would get the car filled with gas in the winter when a big "cold snap" was about to come down on Wisconsin. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why she would want a full tank when I suspected we weren't going to be going anywhere anyway!

Now I know that a gas line isn't as likely to freeze when you have a full tank of gas. I also realize we just might want to go somewhere without having to stop and fill up in temperatures so far below zero that men's mustaches freeze. (A frozen mustache is great entertainment for the kids but does nothing for the guys!)

So, hot or cold, hurricane or snowstorm, there's great advice in what Linda shared with me. Thanks, Linda!

In honor of our Southern neighbors, I'm offering up a "Zola-fied" recipe version of a southern nut mixture. This is incredibly easy to make. It can be eaten in hot or cold weather and will do you well as a snack in any emergency--or as a starter at a cocktail party!

Enjoy!

Cajun Roasted Praline Nuts

1 can Fisher Praline Mixed Nuts
1 tsp. cumin (ground)
1 tsp. cayenne (ground)
Salt to taste

Open the can of nuts and spread them on a cookie sheet or metal pie pan. Sprinkle with cumin and cayenne, and sprinkle on salt to taste. Stir to mix in the seasonings. Roast at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. The nut coating will have melted and the nuts will be stuck together and stick to the pan. Take a metal spatula and lift them up and break up the clumps. Let them cool. When cool, break them up again. Put in a fun bowl and serve.

This news arrived on: 09/10/2004

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