The Non-Thanksgiving Recipe

Thanksgiving is probably the "biggest" holiday in the USA and it is beyond any religion or culture. I truly respect it and celebrate it each year with all my heart. But I don't still get the obsession of Americans with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pecan pie. I realize the importance of a successful Thanksgiving Dinner but I can't relate to this turkey-mania....

That's why I will post today a fun, easy to make recipe just for a snack to start your day. Even better, the recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cooking with Friends (from the famous TV series). As I feel that I grew older with Friends and remember their fun Thanksgiving episodes (apparently popular with the cast), I publish below the Spiced Pecans recipe taken from the book (page 9). Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon salt
6 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Makes 6 cups, enough for 15 people

Method

Preheat the oven to 325F. Combine the spices and salt in a small bowl. Toss the pecans and oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the nuts out in a single layer over 2 large baking sheets. Toast until the nuts are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool the nuts to room temperature. (The nuts can be stored in an airtight container for several days). Serve a little at a time, or otherwise you'll find your guests have devoured all of the nuts in just minutes.