Pepitas

I was a little apprehensive at first, but I'm working my way back into old cooking habits.  I tend to see recipes more as suggestions or inspirations.   I had a real learning curve when we began this challenge.  But now it's turning into an obsessive quest to do the South Beach diet "my way".  I saw Martha's Spiced Pecans and Pepitas and felt I could run with the concept.  Honestly, who adds chili powder and salt and thinks that's just dandy?  I couldn't stop there. In addition to the pecans and pumpkin seeds, I threw in flax seed for their supposed health benefits.  Our trusty cast iron skillet turned out to be the perfect pan for toasting nuts.  I then spiced it up with some Turkish red pepper flakes, powdered clove, cinnamon, kosher salt, and a couple pinches of paprika.  I had this suspicion that toasting the pecans would bring out their natural sweetness and the salty-sweet-spicy combo would be enough to keep Michael happy when snack-time comes around at work.  He gave it a test and seemed quite pleased.  (It's hard work keeping this guy's taste buds entertained!)