Party Nuts
CHECK OUT THESE TWO PARTY NUTS!
Mom rocking her “Fairy Hair” (look closely for iridescent streaks woven into her hair) with Dad at the Infant Mystics’ Mardi Gras Ball in Mobile, Alabama. Taken February 2018. (Sadly, we didn’t know what that year would hold, Mom died that October.)
Mom in another “Queen of Funk” dress with her Mardi Gras mask. Most likely taken at my parents’ Swelegant Supper Club (affectionately known as “the Swells”) in North Carolina. Correct me if I’m wrong, Dad!
A few years ago, I flew home to North Carolina for a visit and noticed something sparkly in Mom’s hair. I pointed it out, thinking it was there in error, and Mom exclaimed, “oh, that’s my fairy hair!”. Wait, what?! Yes, Mom went regularly to a salon and had someone weave iridescent strands into her hair. How’s that for fabulous? Mom never resisted the gray in her hair. In fact, she embraced its elegance and had wonderful salt & pepper coloring for years, which then aged into a gorgeous silver mane. She could have stopped right there and looked great but, being Mom, she took her look a step further. Mom got stopped all over the world and asked about her fairy hair! A salon owner in New Orleans loved it and swore she was going to start offering it. Whether it was the ironed hair of Mom’s 1960s folk guitar coffeehouse phase, or the sparkly fairy strands of the more recent years, Mom’s look was always on point!
Now, combine this aesthetic sensibility with a elevated ability to craft and you get some good costumes! Mom could literally make something from nothing. Once, for a Kentucky Derby party, she beautifully scrawled the words to “My Old Kentucky Home” on a long scroll of paper and attached it to a large hat like a ribbon. Another time, on the Queen Mary 2, she made a fetching fascinator out of crepe paper for the Royal Ascot Ball. My sister and I benefited from this creative skillset by having her help us with our Halloween costumes. There were some cool ones. Although, when looking at photos, it seems we were both “gypsies” for the majority of the 1970s. (This meant headscarves, hoop earrings, lots of blue eye shadow, and, wait for it, STRIPED KNEE SOCKS for some reason!) Oh well, can’t win them all.
In celebration of parties and costumes, I thought I would share two different party nut recipes. I know that with COVID we’re not doing a lot of partying. However, we recently had a neighbor over for drinks in our yard and I served little single portion bowls of the Old Bay nuts. They were damn good!
SPICED PARTY NUTS
makes 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt -- optional
2 cups shelled pecan halves or whole almonds
garlic salt -- optional
Be careful--burns easily.
Preheat oven to 325.
Mix cumin, chili powder, curry powder, garlic salt, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the spice mixture and stir well. Simmer to mellow the flavors, 3 or 4 minutes.
Place the nuts in a mixing bowl, add the spice mixture, and toss well. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and using a rubber spatula, toss the nuts with any spices and oil that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, and a bit more garlic salt if desired. Let rest for 2 hours in a cool place. Store in airtight jars.
OLD BAY NUTS
makes 4 cups
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ to ½ tsp hot sauce
4 cups pecans
Stir butter, Old bay, Worcestershire, and garlic powder. And hot sauce. Add nuts. Line roasting pan w foil. Bake 300 deg 30 min, stirring twice. May need more Old Bay—keep sprinkling till it feels right.
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