dried squirrel brains

Sounds like the name of an alternative rock band, hey.

Actually, this is what happens when you've got two little boy-beans and one Papatouille who thinks he's Calvin's dad--everything gets renamed. These just happen to be sweet-savoury oven-roasted pecans, inspired by some Sahale Valdosta pecans (with cranberries, black pepper, and orange zest) I bought to put on a spinach strawberry salad. We all loved them so I decided to buy my own bag of pecans and do something about it.

I just made it up as I went along and the little beanies helped as well. They shook in some spices and stirred them up really diligently, knowing the prize awaiting them at the end.

You'll need:

• 10-oz. bag pecans
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• one cinnamon stick
• microplane grater
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• some shakes of cumin, ginger, coriander, madras curry powder
• 1/8 c. brown sugar, not packed tightly

Do this:

Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C. Grab a baking sheet and line it with foil, then pour about a teaspoon of olive oil in one hand and use it to coat a handful of pecans in your other hand, rubbing it all together with both hands, and repeating until all your pecans are well slicked and ready for some roasting action. Put them on the pan in a single layer and then grate your cinnamon stick into a separate bowl, adding the other spices and sugar and mixing it all up well. Toss this over your pecans and stir it with your hands, making sure that the pecans are well coated and then lying in a single layer again. Bake for 4 to 4.5 minutes, take it out and stir, then bake for the same amount of time again.

Try to let them cool before popping one after another into your waiting gob!