Hazelnuts, also known as filberts or, less frequently, cobnuts, have a crunchy texture. Paige uses these as snacks and dessert garnishes, but I think these sweet and peppery nuts are great to make before prospective buyers come to inspect your house. The aroma will sell even the most rundown shack.

Named after the Latin word for nail, clavus, cloves look like little nails (as in hammer, not finger) and although bitter raw, taste warm and slightly sweet when cooked. In most kitchens, whole cloves sit for years and years, losing flavor, waiting to be inserted into a baked ham, their most common ally.

Makes 3 cups.

1½ tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large egg white (2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups raw hazelnuts, very coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium-size bowl and stir well. Add the egg white and vanilla and gently whisk to combine Add the nuts and toss to coat thoroughly with the mixture.

3. Transfer the nuts to the prepared sheet and arrange in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake, tossing every 5 minutes, for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven, immediately loosen the nuts with a metal spatula, and set aside to cool before serving.

If you’re sipping: Serve with tea or mulled cider.

From Party Nuts! 50 Recipes for Spicy, Sweet, Savory, and Simply Sensational Nuts That Will Be the Hit of Any Gathering (The Harvard Common Press, 2002)