Freezer-Pasta Roundup; Meringue Walnuts

I cleaned out the freezer today, which included a baggie of frozen meatballs, some chopped green peppers and onions and leftover pasta. Leftover frozen pasta needs care to make it edible, but it's not impossible. I defrosted it and then let it slowly simmer and come to life in the sauce, which was made of President's Choice Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with the chopped peppers and onions, a can of diced tomatoes, and a few handfuls of sliced mushrooms. The meatballs were a bit freezer-burned, but I broke them down and basically made this into a really meaty meat sauce. Not bad, for leftovers.

Aaaaannd . . . another walnut recipe! After this, my walnut supply is depleted; I'll be able to make one more recipe from these babies, and it will probably be another attempt at Muhammara. This recipe is adapted from Julie Van Rosendaal's Grazing, a bounty of quick and easy recipes which is being rereleased this fall, and which I suspect I will be cooking from often.

Note: The original recipe's baking time is 30 minutes, but my oven seems to be hotter than Julie's, so I check it often. You can also use pecans, cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, or a mix thereof.

Meringue Walnuts

2 cups walnuts
1 egg white
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp Sambal Oelek
1 tsp salt


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg white into a foamy froth. Stir in nuts, sugar, cinnamon, Sambal Oelek and salt.

3. Spread mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring often (or else they will burn, like mine did). Let cool on the baking sheet.