Nov 25 2014
It is getting into winter now and our first winter holiday is near. We used to try to celebrate the holidays with both the wife’s and my parents. That meant getting the kids around and any food we were taking. Our parents are gone now except for my 93 year old Mother and she still live sat home but don’t celebrate much anymore. We went through having the family’s gathering here for a long time.
For the first time we are going to our Son and daughter in laws for Thanksgiving. Our daughter is coming to stay for the week-end so all our immediate family will be here. The wife and I are both 72 now and it’s kind of a relief to not have to host the party! Every year now it’s a little harder to get in the holiday spirit! I am on meds for a ruptured disc and waiting to have an operation on Dec. 15th so I can’t do as much work as usual.
Today it was a brisk 35 deg. and a little windy. The wife was going through the task of getting all her Christmas decorations carried in and put out. Our son helped carry some of the stuff in. The grandson stayed and helped me pick up the leaves on the back patio. Three days ago I had them cleaned up then we had two days of strong winds and it blew more back in.
We got all the leaves picked up and I spent the rest of the afternoon making some treats for the holidays. For the last few years I have been smoking pistachios in the shell. A little smoke and seasoning makes them a little bit better. I found a recipe for some pretzel and nut mix that sounded good so I made a batch of those. They are done in the oven and coated with a sweet and spicy chocolate mix. They turned out pretty well even though I had to improvise on some of the spices.
I have the pistachios down pretty well now; mix a tablespoon of melted butter with a tablespoon of olive oil per pound of nuts and stir to coat. Then add any seasoning you like to cover and smoke, 180 deg., for 1 ½ to two hours. We like Penzey’s Sandwich sprinkle which is a salt, garlic and herb blend.
Today I smoked 2 pounds of the pistachios that are on the hot side and will do 2 more pounds tomorrow that are mild. Our daughter from the Chicago area will be here tomorrow. All I have to do for Thanksgiving Day is to heat up about 3 lbs. of smoked ham and make a batch of calico beans in the crockpot. Our daughter in law is making some turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy. Her parents will be there too and bringing side dishes.
I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving! I will be glad when my belly is full of good food and it’s all over!
Link to pretzel recipe
https://food52.com/recipes/8370-sweet-and-spicy-pretzel-and-nut-mixPretzel Nut Mix
Pistachios
Hot ver. Smoked pistachios
http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=11855.0Smokin Don
