"almonds" news and stories

Ah, almonds. So beautiful in their tidy simplicity, so limitless in their potential. This bowl of almonds, snapped by Andrea of Bella Eats, was destined to become a jar of almond butter. And while it was undoubtedly delicious, this photo speaks volumes about the raw appeal of raw almonds. It's easy to imagine sprinkling them over yogurt with a drizzle of honey, or stirring them into some oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and butter -- or simply eating them by the fistful, straight from the bowl.

[Via Bella Eats]

Yesterday I mentioned how much I loved and devoured oranges as a kid (they just don't seem the same nowadays). And that got me thinking about clementines. Not just eating them on their own, but a dessert that featured them.

This recipe for Clementine Cake (which sounds like the name of a Bond girl) comes from Nigella Lawson, and it actually looks quite easy to make: just clementines, almonds, eggs, sugar, and baking powder.

In honor of the primary voting currently taking place in the state of Wisconsin, I thought I'd put up this recipe for Carmelized Almond Raspberry Brie. I couldn't resist a recipe that put those four words together into one item. I used to hate cheese-based desserts (like cheesecake), but now I love them, and I'm intrigued by the combo of Wisconsin Brie, sliced almonds, raspberry jam, honey, and shortbread cookies.

And yes, Hawaii and Washington, I know you're voting and caucusing today too. I just felt like putting up a cheese recipe, nothing personal.

I've been doing these food holiday posts since last year and I'm pretty good at keeping track of what special food day it is and mentioning it here (if it's worth mentioning, that is). Somehow though I missed the fact that yesterday was National Almond Day. I almost bought almonds but decided to go with salt and pepper cashews instead. Big mistake. I love cashews, but these were the Target brand and they tasted like old salty Monopoly pieces.

Anyway, here are some facts about almonds, and here are recipes for Almond-Mushroom Wild Rice, Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Almond Roca, and Almond Cookies.

Roasted nuts (along with chips/dips and vegetables/dip) are a good thing to set out at a Super Bowl Party just before the event starts. That way, if guests show up early, or you happened to have underestimated how long you would need in the kitchen, your guests will have something to snack on while you run around the kitchen like a chicken with its Buffalo wings cut off. I like to put out little trios on different tables around my house of roasted peanuts (a standard), roasted pistachios in shells (with a small bowl for the discarded shells), and these ridiculously, deliciously addictive Rosemary Marcona Almonds from Trader Joe's that I ate by the bagful over the Holidays. You can also make these yourself, using a recipe that Bob posted a few weeks, substituting Marcona almonds for the cashews.