Crispy Apple Chips

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted?  I guess that's what happens when I eat out every. single. day. and don't actually cook anything.  At least I can be pretty confident that if food supplies suddenly become scarce, that I'll be able to survive solely off of my winter fat stores.

In the spirit of the holiday season, a wonderful fall fruit (apples!!), and a light snack, I gave these apple chips a try.  Apple chips have long been a favorite snack of mine.  Growing up, we never had potato chips or other 'junk foods' in the house, but I was at least able to convince my parents of the apparent health benefits of apple chips to buy them.  If you've never tried them and want to sample it before making your own, I highly recommend these!  

You've probably had dehydrated apples before, but I promise that these are nothing like the chewy-and-tastes-too-healthy-to-hit-the-dessert-spot wholesomeness of dehydrated apples.  These are crispy, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and when made with an already delicious fresh apple, simply awesome.  T was initially skeptical of my apple experiment, but now he eats them so fast that I don't even get to them sometimes. 

I suppose that's a compliment.

Candied Nuts

A while back, my friend Laura asked me if ever roasted almonds or candied them.  As a matter of fact, this is one of my favorite recipes from back in high school.  We never had many sweets around the house, but we always had snacky foods, like almonds and walnuts.  This is potentially one of the easiest recipes ever! 

I add in some cayenne for a little kick without the smoky flavor of chili powder, or other pepper powders.  The spice blend is up to you, but cinnamon and nutmeg is always a goody!  You can also omit salt, but I am of the opinion that sweet always tastes better when it has something salty to pair with it :)

Candied Nuts

:: 1/2 cup nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts), roasted preferably
:: 2 tbsp granulated sugar
:: 1/2 tsp cinnamon
:: 1/2 tsp nutmeg
:: 1/2 tsp salt
:: dash cayenne pepper, to taste
:: 1/2 tsp water
:: 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small skillet over medium heat, add all ingredients except for vanilla extract.  Add JUST ENOUGH water to moisten all the dry ingredients so that they stick to the almonds.  Keep stirring.  Keep stirring.  You are almost done when the almonds lose their shininess and become dull and dry looking.  When you're almost at that point, throw in the vanilla extract - this will cook off in no time flat.

Remove from heat, let the almonds cool; they will crisp up as they do.

Sweet Potato Fries

I'm going to call these 'fries' even though they're oven-baked.

Sweet potato fries seem to be ubiquitous in Charlottesville these days, so I figured I'd give it a try at home - hopefully these satisfy your cravings and are a lot healthier for you, too! 


These are definitely not as crispy as FRIED fries, but they are much more guilt free :)