Adapted from the recipe for Hot Cashews in a cookbook called "Hot Stuff" that I got at a garage sale a long time ago.

Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter, and dump in nuts. Heat and stir the nuts until they brown a bit. Beware too high a heat or too infrequent a stirring, otherwise pick out and discard burned nuts.

Place the seasonings into the bag and shake to mix. Transfer the browned nuts from the hot skillet to the bag, crimp the top, and shake. This distributes the seasonings onto the buttery nuts, and allows the excess butter to be absorbed by the bag. When cooled a bit, pour nuts back into their containers.

Have recipe ready at party, for those who ask. You will probably want to step up the pepper quantities, as these are spiced pretty much to appeal even to "the old aunties" and those with mainstream tastes.

My wife (not a chile-head) makes me keep the small can home when I make these, so she can sprinkle the nuts on her Chinese food.

Gus Altobello, Jr., Work: gus. Altobello@reuters. Com, Play: alto@pipeline. Com

From the Chile-Heads recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive, http://www. Erols. Com/hosey.