I have wasted my life.
Just before we drove out of Texas on our way home to Indiana, I bought a bagful o’ gifts for Those Back Home. I was in a pecan store, so I ended up with a variety of pecans. Somehow I ended up with the 1 lb bag of Sweet-N-Spicy Pecans all to myself. Ingredients: pecans, sugar, eggwhite, salt, chili, cinnamon, cayenne.
Ahh…heaven. Heaven on Earth, right there in Texas. Whoda thunk it?
Do you like these? Do you LOOOOVE them? Do you make them? Because my 1 lb bag is almost empty, and I’m researching recipes. (Found one through google that I’ll try soon.)
Oh man, these are good.
I accidentally made almost exactly what you’re describing for a BBQ we had last year, but I used almonds. I just made a simple syrup, cooked it until just barely turning brown, tossed in slivered almonds and dumped in salt, cinnamon, about half as much chili powder, and a few sprinkles of cayenne.
I was making them to put on a salad, and we had to make a second batch before everyone got there because we couldn’t keep our hands out of 'em. 
(Note to those making them at home: go buy a silpat. Just trust me.)
Non-stick aluminum foil works just as well as a silpat. And yes, those pecans are heaven.
::google::
:eek: (that’s a look of surprise, we don’t have one of those)
You have quite possibly singlehandedly revolutionized my life. Since I only have two silpats, this may be the cookie answer I’ve been looking for.
I like the silpat better because it lasts for years. You don’t dispose of it.
Parchment paper is great for cookies, by the way.
A friend in Oklahoma sends pecans. One variety she sends is really easy to shell – the shell is really thin, and those are awesome just by themselves. I think they’re called “paper shell”, but I might be wrong. Anyway, I stir them up with egg whites, sugar, and spices and bake them in a low oven. I like them better than chocolate.
Ah, but you can’t grill potatoes so that the bottoms caramelize into absolute nirvana on a silpat, now, can you? 
Seriously, though, I almost never bake; we use the nonstick aluminum foil for grilling all the time, though. Get some non-stick foil, readers, it will change your life.
We have parchment paper, and for some reason, rarely use it. I think the major problem is that it’s on a roll, so anything cut from it doesn’t like to lay flat and I don’t ever feel like dealing with it. And given the cost per roll as opposed to aluminum foil or wax paper, I fel a little bit wasteful every time I use it.
I do an almost similar treatment of pecans, except I use a regular aluminum sheet (WITH sides).
Make a meringue out of the egg whites, fold in the sugar, and spices, then fold in the pecans (after toasting them a bit if you like). Mix it all up, so each one is covered. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 or so, and melt a while stick of butter on the sheet. When it’s melted, pour the pecan goo into the pan and spread it out.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, then take it out. The butter should be completely gone, but give it a stir as it cools every couple minutes.
Yum.