Raven's Nest Mulling Spices & Mixes

Instant Gourmet Mulling Spice  Raven's Nest Spices  $3.49

Garden Party Spice Mix  Raven's Nest Spices  $3.49

Garden Party Spice with Christmas Spreader - Assorted  Raven's Nest Spices  $8.99

Peppermint Forest Pecans are served at our Annual Open House every November!
A pretty package of Peppermint Forest Pecans makes a delicious home baked gift that is super simple to create! It doesn’t need refrigeration and stays fresh for a long time. One cup of Peppermint Forest Pecans in a pretty container or gift bag is an easy-to-make gift for teachers, choir director, babysitter, hairdresser, co-workers, friends and neighbors. Kids can help, too! Don’t forget to make an extra batch to have around at your own holiday celebration.  Check out our Peppermint Forest Pecans Recipe below.

PEPPERMINT FOREST PECANS
The secret ingredient is Raven’s Original Mulling Spices!

Great snack or ice cream topping!

1 egg white
4 cups pecan halves (approx 1 lb)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup Raven's Nest Mulling Spices
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt 

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

• Put pecan halves in a large bowl. Beat the egg white in a separate bowl with a rotary beater until foamy and pour it over the pecans. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until the pecans are well coated.

• Combine sugar, Raven's Nest Mulling Spices, cinnamon and salt.  Sprinkle over the pecans and stir gently with spatula until coated.

• Spread pecans in lightly greased 15 x 10 x 1inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in airtight container.

Prep time 45 minutes / Yields 4 cups

There is a creative woman named Raven behind Raven’s Nest Specialties of Birmingham, Alabama. She has won numerous awards for her products - 2007 Atlanta Gourmet Show “Raven’s Original Mulling Spices” was the 1^st Place Winner for Beverages, “Raven’s Original Butter Crunch Wafer Mix” was the 3^rd Place Winner Overall, and the Southern Style Cornbread Dressing/Stuffing Seasoning was the 1^st Place Winner in the Spice category. All three products are available at the Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop.

More Recipes

Instant Mulling Spice Recipes

Sprinkling Spice Ideas

• Sprinkle on hot cereals, pancakes, waffles.

• Add Spice to apple sauce or banana fritters.

• French Toast - beat a little in your egg mixture.

• Toast - Add some spice to your buttered toast.

• Bagel Spread - Blend into cream cheese for a great spread.

• Add to apple or orange juice to make a paste for basting ham or pork roast

Pumpkin Bread

¾ sugar
½ cup oil
1 cup pumpkin (canned)
2 eggs
1 pkg. Raven's spice
1 ¾ cup flour
½ tsp. Baking powder
½ cup walnuts (cut-up)
1 tsp. Rum extract (vanilla may be substituted)
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup water

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs, water, pumpkin, rum extract, and mix well. Add Raven's spice and mix. Combine in another bowl-flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into 9x5 greased and floured bread pan. (GREASE ONLY BOTTOM OF PAN).

Bake 350º 1 hr. 15 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. Recipe can be doubled for 2 pans. Recipe can be baked in mini-loaf pans for gifts. Baking time will vary 30-40 min.

BREAD IS BETTER IF BAKED THE DAY BEFORE SERVING - THE SPICE FLAVOR DEVELOPS FURTHER. BREAD WILL BE MOIST AND HEAVY IN TEXTURE.


Christmas Dreams In Wine

2 (12oz) cans frozen apple juice concentrate thawed and undiluted
1 (12oz) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate thawed and undiluted
4 cups dry red wine
4 cups of water
1/3 cup Raven's Mulling Spice

Combine all ingredients, stir to make sure sugar is dissolved. Chill for at least 1 hour. Beverage may be served hot or cold with an orange slice. Yield: 12 ¾ cups.


Deep Dish Apple Cobbler

5 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
6 tbsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Lemon juice
2 lg. Eggs
1 pkg. Ravens Spice
2 tbsp. Butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to coat apples; pour into lightly greased 8-inch square dish. Beat eggs & spice at medium speed until blended. Add butter & vanilla, beating until smooth. Combine flour, baking powder and slat; fold into egg mixture. Spread over apple slices. Bake at 350º for 30 min. or until lightly brown. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Yield: 6 servings.


Sweet Potato Pie

1 can (2-½ lbs.) mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup orange juice
½ cup or 1 stick margarine, melted
5 oz. can of condensed milk
1 pkg. Raven's spice
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts

Combine all ingredients and pour into pie shells. Bake at 375º for 35 min. Place marshmallows on top and put under broiler to brown or place on pies 10 minutes before pies are cooked.


Sparkling Cider Drinks

Use about 2/3 apple juice mixture to 1/3 gingerale, 7-Up or Sprite. Same ratio can be used to make sparkling punch recipe on back of package.


Cinnamon Nut Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 pkg. Raven's Spice
1 cup chopped nuts
1 ½ cup melted Crisco
4 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Soda
3 eggs, well beaten

Mix sugar, spice and Crisco well. Add eggs. Beat in dry ingredients a little at a time. Add nuts. Make into long rolls. Chill. Slice & bake at 350º until done.


Fresh Fruit Dip

¼ bag (1 ½ oz.) Raven's spice
1 8 oz. pkg. Cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of marshmallow cream

Blend until spices and ingredients are smooth. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve chilled. Great with fresh apples, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, peaches.


Raven's Cranberry Salad

1 pkg. Strawberry Jell-O
½ pkg. Raven's spice
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cup raw cranberries
½ orange
¾ cup nuts

Make Jell-O according to pkg. Directions. Jell a little while . Grind ½ orange and cranberries in blender or processor. Mix in spice and sugar. Fold mixture and nuts into Jell-O. Refrigerate.


Spicy Banana Bread

1 stick butter
1 tsp. Soda
1 pkg. Raven's spice
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ tsp. Salt

Cream butter & spice. Add eggs and beat. Add mashed bananas. Stir in flour, which has been sifted in soda. Add nuts and salt, blend. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hr. at 350º.


Hot Cranberry Bake

4 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 ½ tsp. Lemon juice
½ cup sugar
½ cup Raven's spice
1 1/3 quick cooking oats, uncooked
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
Vanilla ice cream

Layer apples and cranberries in a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon sugar over fruit and set aside. Combine oats, walnuts, brown sugar and butter; stir until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake uncovered at 325º for 1 hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Served in a compote it's elegant and appetizing.
 

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup orange juice
1 stick butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Raven's spice

Separate canned rolls into eight triangles and roll one around each piece of apple. Place in a baking dish. Combine juice, sugar, spice and margarine. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over apples. Bake uncovered at 375º until brown.
 
 

Garden Party Mix Recipes

Pot Roast
Braise on both sides of roast. Salt to taste and Sprinkle with Raven's Garden Party Spice. Add onions, carrots and a little water and cook till tender.

Fish
I haven't found a fish that this isn't delicious with! Lightly baste your fish on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with Garden Party Spice and salt to taste. Broil or bake. To fry, mix spice into batter or flour and fry. It's all great!

Chicken
Sprinkle on chicken when you bake, broil or fry. (See Fish).

Ground Beef
Sprinkle into your stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, meatloaf, ground beef for tacos, hamburger steaks and burgers.

Potatoes
Sprinkle over your baked potatoes as a topper or Sprinkle into your favorite Twice Baked Potato recipe.

Seafood Dip
Blend in shrimp or crabmeat.

Spinach Dip
Add spinach and water chestnuts.

Veggies Dip
Wonderful with fresh vegetables.

Pasta Salads or Chicken and Shrimp Salad
Chop main ingredients. Add celery, little onion, green pepper, and black olives if you like and use Garden Party Spice as your mayo. To expand on this recipe, add pasta and presto!  Pasta salad or sandwich spread.

Cheese Ball Ideas
1) Stuff celery with cheese ball mix
2) Roll cheese ball in chopped pecans (you may like to blend in 2 tablespoons of well-drained crushed pineapple)
3) Blend in fine chopped ham or roll cheese ball in bacon bits
4) Use as a bagel spread


Raven's Original Garden Party Pasta

1 lb. Rotini Garden Pasta, cooked
1 chopped onion
4 lg. stalks chopped celery
1 tsp. celery seed
1 qt. favorite ranch dressing
2 cups broccoli crowns & stems, cut in small pieces
1 pkg. Raven's Original Garden Party Dip
½ cup mayonnaise

Mix ½ qt. of the ranch dressing with all other ingredients. Refrigerate. Before serving, add the rest of the ranch dressing. Note: If you add all of the ranch dressing at first, the pasta will absorb the moisture in the dressing, causing the pasta to become stiff and the spices won't release as well. If it is too thick, add a little milk.

Hot Cheese Dip or Topping

Place one pkg. Raven's Original Garden Party Dip in a bowl. Add ¼ cup hot water and let the veggies in the dip soften. Melt 2 cups Velveeta cheese. Mix 1 cup cooked hamburger or sausage. Add veggies. Wonderful over chips or as a baked potato topper. A meal in itself!

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

1 c. of ketchup
1 tsp. Dip Mix
1 tsp. horseradish

Mix these three ingredients up and enjoy the spice!