On Trail Mix and missing my cookbooks

almonds

My boyfriend and I have lived in 4 countries in less than a year. We have storage lockers in 2 countries, the U.S and Canada. Our stuff is far far away from where we are. I don’t care about the couch, the bed on which I slept like a baby, or the coffee table that we loved. It’s my kitchen tools. My Henkels knives. And sadly, my cookbooks. My beloved cookbooks are packed away in boxes, in some dark, dingy 5 x 10 storage box. I can remember their covers, and the recipes that I forgot to write down. There were just so many, and so little time.

And because we know we will be moving again soon, I haven’t bought any cookbooks in a really long time. “Don’t accumulate until we settle down again.” My boyfriend advises me. And it’s wise, it is, but it still hurts.

I have to look for recipes online now. But it’s really not the same. It’s not the same as flipping through a clean, crisp book, or a worn and wrinkly one stained with tomato sauce, or olive oil from your sticky fingers trying to turn the page. The beautiful pictures in full colour that you can admire, while tucked away in bed or lounging comfortably on the couch. The laptop just isn’t the same.

My Larousse Gastronomique just seemed too heavy to take with me at the time, but now what I wouldn’t give to lug that big hunk of a book overseas. They were all cookbooks that reminded me of moments in my life. The Ultimate Vegetarian cookbook my parents bought me for my 18^th birthday when I first declared that my life would be meat-free. The Vegetarian Times cookbook my roomates bought me for my 20^th birthday, knowing that I needed to branch out from eating pasta and rice all the time. The meat filled cookbooks that I started to buy for myself after I turned 26 when I had finally succumbed to an overwhelming desire for the tastes of tuna and turkey, and more, and was no longer a vegetarian. They all hold such wonderful memories. And of course there is the Zuni Cookbook my boyfriend received as a gift, which he lovingly gave to me because he was really hoping I’d make him the Zuni Chicken with bread salad recipe that was about 4 pages long. And I did. It took me 3 days of preparation, but I did it. And it tasted so so good.

When our wanderlust finally fades I will bring my babies home.

Wherever that may be.

In the meantime, I will make do. I thought it fitting to share with you one of the recipes that I knew that I could not live without. It has moved with me in a little notebook from Canada to the U.S to England and now to Germany. I originally had copied it from an issue of Cooking Light magazine, but I have no recollection now which issue or how long ago that was. And I'm not even sure if they called it Trail Mix. The smell that will fill your kitchen when you make this is completely intoxicating. And if you are lucky enough to have a Whole Foods in your area, you will have a world of nuts, raisins and honey to choose from. Oh, how I miss Whole Foods and their Red Flame raisins.

Homemade Trail Mix

1teaspoon of butter
¼ cup of honey
1 cup (250ml) of mixed unsalted nuts and/or seeds (my favourite combination is slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and roughly chopped pecans)
¼ to 1/3 cup of raisins (or as much as you see fit to add)
dash of ground cloves (dash meaning a tiny pinch, adjust to taste, it’s very powerful)
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom
¼ tsp salt

Mix all your spices and salt together in a small bowl before starting.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and then add the honey. When the mixture starts to bubble add the nuts. Stir continuously. Add the spices and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring constantly. The nuts should begin to brown. Then add the raisins and stir into the mix.
Spread the mixture out onto a foil lined baking sheet and let cool.

I usually put it right into the fridge. Once it has hardened, if it’s not all eaten right away I break it up into smaller pieces and put it in a bag or plastic container back in the fridge.

Please note: if you use more honey than what is called for your mixture will not harden as well. Although it will still taste good but it will be stickier than you might want it to be. This recipe is completely open for experimentation, but I’m sure you will love it.