"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Spiced Nuts (Recipe)

 

We've been making spiced nuts for the last 18 years.  Crazy, how much time has passed while writing this blog.  

Christmas time brought us recipes that used mixed nuts, and other ingredients, that never got used up (or used at all).  There was a lot going on this past holiday, so I'm slowly using up the unused ingredients. 

I had about a cup of cashews (should have been cashew brittle at Christmas), a bit of walnuts, and I had some mixed nuts (I buy these non-gmo, with zero bad oils, but it contains way too many almonds), we also had some pumpkin seeds, and.....

....we had some of these non-gmo chocolate type candies (healthier option to M & M's in Christmas cookies).  By the way, we bought both to test out for holiday baking.  We did not really like either one, and both are very expensive options.

I tossed all of the nuts and pumpkin seeds into a bowl, and roasted our favorite spiced nuts.  Let it cool completely, and then tossed in the leftover chocolate candies.  It filled two quart jars for snacking.  Most importantly, we found a way to utilize it all, and the small amount of chocolate bits make it a perfect on-the-road, every day, or hiking snack.

Here is how we make it:

Spiced Nuts

1 egg white - whisk this until frothy
(add that egg yolk to your morning breakfast)

Add: 1 tsp. water
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp. for less heat)
1/4 tsp. salt (or more if you'd like)

Toss in 3 cups mixed nuts/seeds and coat well.

Roast at 325°F for 25 minutes, on a rimmed baking dish (I use parchment paper or my stoneware baking dish), and stir at least once while baking.  Cool completely, and store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

If 3 cups is too much for you, share with a neighbor or friend.  Winter time is hard on many people.

Spiced Nuts (Recipe)  ©  February 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Home Canned Pickled Jalapenos ~ New Recipes Tried

 


Did you can pickled jalapenos last garden season?  Or last year with farmer's market jalapenos?  It was a "new" to us item to add to our pantry, and here is the update regarding the two cornbread recipe trials.  One is actually more like the traditional corn casserole, often served at the winter holidays.


The first recipe we tried, we loved!  If you remember my post, it was a more dense cornbread, but with some home canned pickled jalapenos.  A nice spicy cornbread for soups/stews and chilis. I was incorrect on the source for this specific recipe.  It is online free at Bowl of Delicious.

We adapted organic ingredients, and if you make the recipe with buttermilk, it's even better.  We really liked this recipe.




The next recipe was more of a "corn casserole" type baked dish, very similar to the traditional "corn casserole" one might bake at the holidays for a side dish.  The recipe was from an online source (Farmhouse on the Boone).  I adapted organic ingredients, and used our home grown, and home canned pickled jalapenos.




The results?

The casserole recipe uses less flour, and cornmeal, and ends up a more "spongy" texture and more of a "pudding" type dish vs. a bread type dish.

It was edible, but we did not like it enough to keep the recipe.  The recipe requires a lot more work to make it than the first recipe mentioned first.  Our pick was the first recipe, but you would have to try for yourself.  The second recipe requires a can of whole corn, and a can of creamed corn.  

The winner pick for these two, was the first recipe (by Bowl of Delicious), with adapted organic ingredients, and home canned pickled garden jalapenos.

It was fun trying these recipes, and it's always fun to find a new way to utilize something home grown, and canned.