Spiced pecans

1 cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the pecans with the butter.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar and salt. Pour the mixture over the pecans and toss to coat completely.

3. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and cook for 12 minutes, gently stirring halfway during baking to candy the nuts. Remove the tray to a rack and cool the nuts completely. Once cool, coarsely chop the pecans. Set aside.

Currants

1/4 cup dried currants

2 tablespoons whiskey

1. In a small saucepan, heat the currants and whiskey until boiling. Simmer until the currants have absorbed almost all of the liquid. Remove from heat and cover the pan. Set aside to cool completely.

Candied carrots

2 cups finely diced carrots

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup