It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

'It's the most wonderful time of the year' ... or or so they say. I have to admit that for the longest time I only thought of the winter holiday season as a spring board for an annual expedition to warmer shores and an escape from all Christmas spirit. But ever since moving to San Francisco, and into a Victorian flat with gloriously tall ceilings, I have fully embraced the holiday spirit - having fun with tree trimming, hall decking, nut roasting et al ...

And with a tree set up in the living room, finding new ornaments has become a favorite pre-holiday pastime - usually limiting myself to two new ornaments each year, but this year splurging on a whole set of hand blown ornaments, adding to my collection of glass ornaments in the shapes of some favorite foods :)

The growing collection now includes a citrus slice, raspberry, black fig, pickle, garlic, plum, red cabbage, bunch of leeks and a shucked oyster - and I have to admit, I already have my eye on next year's ornament addition(s) ...

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Rosemary Spiced Roasted Nuts
{a holiday favorite}

the ingredients.

1 pound raw nuts { I like to use a mix of almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and brazil nuts }

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

¾ teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread nut mix evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until nuts are starting to turn golden.

In the meantime, mix all ingredients in a large bowl, add the warm nuts and stir to mix ...