::gift:ideas::

I don't have to tell anyone more than once that Christmas is around the corner. A month from Friday to be exact and it's exciting! 

I have already a load of Christmas albums on my iTunes - currently listening to Michael Buble, but I did get She & Him, Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Bing Crosby and a relaxation Christmas CD as well. :) Carols permeate throughout my days. 

I am still a little disappointed that there is no snow yet...all I see right now is blue skies....really? I mean, it's almost December...I know that I might complain once the actual snow hits the ground, but still...snow gets you into the spirit of Christmas! 

Anyways...I got some Christmas cards to send out which I will begin writing up and I also was going through the latest issue of Self magazine with Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover and on page 75 there are some nifty and awesome gift ideas that have everything to do with nuts and sweets! Would be great to make them and probably fairly inexpensive and give them away as gifts. :) There are four different recipes, but I will take it one at a time. 

If you guys decide to give it a try let me know what you think. In the past I also posted a recipe for candied pecans {which were amaaaaazing!} so you could use that recipe as well. 

But be careful! Working with hot sugar can be painful if you spill any on yourself...so use extra caution in the kitchen and save the spiked eggnog for later. ;) 

Bon Appetit!

Pistachio Brittle

Offer your pals an excuse to snack and relax. Pistachios' potassium can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Get ready to hear "Mmm...ahhh." 

Makes 24 pieces.

Line a backing sheet with parchment paper; lightly coat paper with vegetable oil cooking spray. In a medium saucepan in medium-high heat, bring 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and 2 tbsp unsalted butter to a simmer; cook, stirring often, until mixture is a medium caramel colour, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Stir in 1/4 tsp baking soda {mixture will foam}, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1 cup dry-roasted shelled unsalted pistachios. Pour onto baking sheet; spread into an even layer. Cool completely. Break into 24 pieces. 

The Dish 242 calories per 3 pieces, 10g fat {3g saturated}, 37g carbs, 2g fibre, 3g protein.

I am definitely a fan of nuts - pistachio's are one of my favorites, for sure. Just make sure that you don't over indulge in them. They may be a "flat belly food" but are super high in calories if consumed like a kookoobanana. 

Just like wine...but we won't get into that one. Especially not during the holidays. ;)

-S.*


{Source: Image from Google Images / Video from YouTube}