the problem with lentils and some caramel almond quickies

This is the beginning of the fifth month of winter in Eastern Ontario. There’s been snow on the ground continuously since the third week of November.  And even though there are bits of winter that I love, like almost everyone I know, I’ve had enough.

I’ve moved house in the past couple of weeks. Somehow when I was planning the move in early February, I imagined that by moving day it would be spring-like. I pictured crocuses and spring bulbs poking through the ground. Instead, it was snowing. Followed by sub-zero temperatures. Again.

Moving is chaos. I’d forgotten quite how bad it really is. My kitchen is still scarcely organized. This is the first house I’ve lived in since my student days that does not have a pantry. NO PANTRY! There’s also no dishwasher. That I can manage. But no pantry….?! Honestly,  it’s barbaric.  I don’t know who plans such things but stuffing food into random cupboards is not going to work for me. So I’ve ordered a Mennonite pantry and in the meantime, activity in the kitchen has ground to a standstill while I contemplate life with all the food sitting on an old bookshelf.

The first meal I made in the new house was an old favourite – a lentil and rice dish. I absolutely love this dish – essentially lentils and rice sautéed in a little olive oil with chopped fried onions, salt, pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese – true comfort food. The lentils and rice form a perfect protein. And this is just so simple and tasty.

But the problem with lentils is that they aren’t really very pretty. Not at all photogenic. So I’m not going to write about the lentil dish after all. Instead, I’m going to give you this recipe for caramel almond quickies which my mother gave me. She made them for church socials and the like. It’s one of those recipes that looks like less than it is (but still looks like more than the lentil dish). These are absolutely addictive. Butter, brown sugar and almonds. Hard to go wrong.

Caramel Almond Quickies

• Servings: 30
• Print

• 30 graham crackers
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Oven – 350 deg F

Line a buttered cookie pan (needs to have sides of some sort) with graham crackers. Bring the sugar and butter to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the graham crackers as evenly as possible and sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for about 8 minutes. If your oven is slow – you might need to cook an additional 2 minutes. Take the squares from the oven and immediately remove from the baking tray and set on a board to cool.

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