If you will indulge me, another holiday recipe.

This is one I began making several years ago, when I needed something fast but good, that didn't require a candy thermometer, to take to a party.

It is one version of spiced nuts. (Probably many of you already know this recipe).

I find it works best in an electric frypan. You take two cups of sugar and a cup of water, mix them, add between 1/4 t and 1/2 t cinnamon, and put it in the pan. Then you add between six and seven cups of whatever nuts you like (they should be "raw" and unsalted; I usually use a mix of walnuts, pecans, and almonds). Then you turn the frypan on to about 275* and let it cook. The water will begin to boil. I am guessing what you are doing is making a super-saturated sugar solution, which then crystallizes out on the nuts. Nothing much will happen for perhaps 15 minutes but keep an eye on it - when it starts going it goes pretty fast. It helps if you stir the nuts (a wooden spoon is best). Keep watching and stirring until all the water is gone and the nuts look sugary. When you're sure all the water is gone, turn the nuts out on a greased pan to cool. (They are tempting when warm but taste best after they've cooled - the heat sort of roasts the nuts as well).

Another bonus is that of all the sweets I know, these have the BEST smell while they are cooking. If you're having a party and want your house to smell festive, try making a batch of these shortly before people are due to arrive.

I made these last night and will admit that I stirred the nuts with my left hand while marking papers with my right. (I did manage by a big effort, to get all of the ecology indpendent research project papers graded yesterday. It took perhaps six or seven hours, but I did it).