Butter Toffee Nuts

Went to the SWAP at the Coventry Farmers' Market today and what a delight it was.  I got a chance to see a few friends that I haven't seen since October.  Upon request, I brought some of our sea salts, our mixture of Herbes D Provence and I made some Butter Toffee Nut mix.  I found the recipe on oprah.com since it was one of her tasty homemade gifts list.

The first time I made the nut mix, was for a family holiday gathering in December and it was a hit.  I then made them for New Year's eve. I made a huge container full, approx. 18 cups worth (easily) and before the night was gone, alot of it was gone, as well.  If you chose to try making them, keep in mind that you need a good strong arm, as you continue to stir the mixture from a powdery state, to a glossy smooth texture.  I did leave some of the sugary state on the nuts, just to give it alittle different texture and flavor.  http://www.oprah.com/food/Butter-Toffee-Nuts-with-Sea-Salt .  I did change the recipe alittle and did not put the sea salt on the mixture, since I used raw sugar.  I wanted the taste of the molasses to come through.  I also continued to stir the sugary mixture until it was becoming thick and a nice light brown color, before adding the nuts.  Finished the cooling mixture with a touch of fresh grated nutmeg, before the mixture cooled completely.

My mixture consisted of pecans, walnuts, cashews and peanuts.  Looking through my photos, I thought I had a photo of one of the batches, but I guess not.  Anyway, enjoy.  Let me know what you added to the original recipe.  Did you add alittle heat to it?  Used your favorite sea salt?  Added alittle dark chocolate?

Have a great day!

How about a cup of tea?

Now that things have slowed down some, looks like I need to catch up on my knowledge of some of the teas we will be carrying this year.  Its been over a month since I drank coffee on a daily bases and drinking tea instead.  So here is one I would like to share with you.

This is a new one for me - Russian Caravan.  Its considered to be a specialty tea, combining orange pekoe teas from three different countries, India, China and Sri Lanka (from the regions of Assam, Fujian and Colombo).  The altitudes are 1700 ft., 1500 ft., and 5200 feet above sea level, which makes the harvested tea taste different due to their surroundings and amount of rainfall.  This tea has has some light toasty notes, with a hint of the smokey Lapsang.

The history of this tea originates from the 18th Century.   In the city of Xian in central China, there is a historical marker that is thought to be the beginning of the Silk Road trail (that lead to central Asia covering the Caucuses and the Black Sea areas).  One of the trade supplies that was taken along the Silk Road is tea, which was transported on camel trains. It would take atleast 6 months to make the six thousand mile journey from the borders of China to Russia.  The Lapsang Souchong gives it the hint of mystery, since the mysterious character of the tea was absorbed on the trail from the campfires during the evening or from the camels themselves.  Just imagine the starry nights on the plains of Asia on route with such a precious cargo of tea, enroute to the courts of St Petersburg.  You are hunkering down under your blanket, sipping tea that is fit for a king, while trying to keep warm from the cold night air.  As you drink this luxury black tea, just imagine, Now this is the Life! 

No worries here, having it transported by camels!!!!!!!  If you like the smokey taste of Lapsang, chances are you may like this tea as well.

Cheers!!!!!