The Buena Vista Brunch & Spiced Nuts

The Buena Vista Brunch comes around once a year and every year it is just as great as the last. The brunch started many years ago, bringing together a group of friends for a holiday get together in December. Since Dotty and my mom passed, the ladies invited the daughters to join in their place and I am sure glad I get to be part of this fun tradition.

The yearly brunch goes as follows:

• Swoop in to get a table
• Drink Irish Coffees (and a peppermint schnapps hot chocolate for me)
• Eat the classic eggs benedict
• Catch up on the year/gossip
• Exchange Christmas gifts
• Take a picture in front of the bar (usually with a white haired bartender in the background)
• Shop around fisherman’s wharf
• Say our goodbyes until next year!

December is always such a hectic month, so now we get together in January. Luckily, the change in date doesn’t affect the gift exchange. It’s like Christmas a month later!

Every year they wonder if I am going to have a big girls drink and I still can’t do it. Peppermint schnapps hot chocolate for me please.

Usually I bring everyone a gift from my exotic holiday vacation, but this year I didn’t find anything in Hawaii that I wanted to bring back. Instead, I went with the homemade route and decided to whip up some spiced nuts (inspired by Ina).

Rosemary Chipotle Spiced Nuts

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

• 4 tablespoons Vegetable oil, divided
• 3 cups whole roasted unsalted cashews (14 ounces)
• 2 cups whole walnut halves (7 ounces)
• 2 cups whole pecan halves (7 ounces)
• 1/2 cup whole almonds (3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves, divided
• 3 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheet pan with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil.

Combine 2 T. vegetable oil, 2 T. rosemary leaves, 2 t. salt, all nuts, maple syrup, orange juice, and chipotle powder in a large bowl. Stir the ingredients so the nuts are coated evenly. Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Stir twice while baking and take them out when they are glazed and golden brown.

Sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and salt and stir. Set aside to cool and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Store in air tight containers at room temperature.

To give these as gifts, I bought some mason jars and cute tissue paper. I cut square pieces of tissue paper and put it between the lid and the screw top. And I tied on some heart tags to jazz it up a bit.

And they’re ready to gift!

I got a few “oh you are so your mother’s daughter” comments when I gave them out. I love it when people say that 🙂

I love traditions like this and hope to do this with my friends one day!