I have a To Do List the length of my left arm.  And my torso.  And possibly my left leg.

There is a lot to do to prepare for World Tour.  Even though we’ve been planning this for about 6 months, it’s now getting toward the time when I need to, you know, do some stuff.   A lot of stuff.

And remember to breathe.  And cook.

These almonds are not on my World Tour To Do List, but they were on my New Year’s Eve To Do List.  I made them for a yummy salad with pears, spinach and red onion.  Seriously tasty.

You could probably eat them alone, too.  I may have done some of that in the cooking process.

What?  You’d snack a little too if you saw my list, trust me.

Ingredients:

5 cups sliced almonds
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1-1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika (I used about 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla
sea salt

Directions

Place a large sheet of foil on a work surface. Spray with cooking spray or rub a teaspoon of oil over foil with a paper towel.

Place sugar in a large non-stick sauté pan and heat over medium heat , occasionally tipping and swirling the sugar until it is all melted into a pale golden syrup.

Lower heat immediately and add butter, cinnamon, smoked paprika and vanilla. Stir until well combined and all butter is incorporated into the sugar syrup.

Add the nuts and stir gently to coat. Don’t worry if you have some clumps of caramelized sugar – they will melt as you continue to sauté the almonds. Cover and continue to cook on low, stirring every minute or so until almonds are a delicious golden brown. Turn out onto prepared foil and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Spread out on foil to cool.

Source: The Cafe Sucre Farine