Cajun Spiced Nuts (My Favorite Holiday Recipe)

My new favorite recipe, Cajun Spiced Nuts, is one that comes from a cookbook that I bought in Hattiesburg, MS. We were there twice last year. The first time when Thomas was deploying and the second when I went to pick him up. Even though one of the visits meant that Thomas was leaving for his first deployment, the cookbooks represent a very happy chapter in my life. I went to the same place to pick him up as I did to see him off. And, it was the first "vacation" that I'd had in a long time. Since I picked him up on December 20th the place is linked in my mind to the holidays and probably the best Christmas that I've ever had. The cookbooks are from The Crescent City Grill, a restaurant where we ate when we were there in March. The restaurant happened to be closed in December or we would have enjoyed a good second helping of some of the best food I've ever had in my life. I like his food so much that I bought two cookbooks (along with some Blackening Seasoning for a Christmas gift) while we were there and absolutely love them for their Deep South recipes and the Southern Humor/Food articles that punctuate each chapter. I started making Cajun Spiced Nuts last Christmas. I gave little packages of them as gifts. They are salty, sweet and spicy with homemade Creole Seasoning (also in the book). Robert St. John is my new cookbook hero. Here is the link to his website.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with successful new recipes and the "oldies-but-goodies" that remind you of the joy of Christmases past.

Amber