Nuts if You Think We're Giving These Away

After making two batches of Dark Chocolate Bark - one batch for my co-workers and another for the husband's co-workers - I figured it was time for something a bit more savory. Sweet treats are great, but I think it's nice to hand out a little something now and then that isn't going to induce cavities and spike everyone's blood sugar. 

I went back and forth debating what I should make once I cleaned up the bark mess. Visions of bread and not-too-sweet oatmeal cookies danced in my head.

But I kept coming back to nuts.

I've just had nuts on the brain lately. I spent years not eating nuts; I'm not sure why. I don't remember ever thinking they were gross. I think I just never tried them, so I never knew how absolutely amazing they are. And now? Love. Almost. All. Of. 'Em. I've been eating them in yogurt, in my hand, whatever. 

And the abundance of nuts in our pantry wasn't helping. 

That's right: I just realized nuts are quite cheap at the odds-and-ends store that recently opened near our house. (They sell everything from cookbooks and boxed food to folding chairs and curtains at discount prices there, and the nuts are an added bonus.)

Nuts it was.

I found a couple of recipes and asked the husband what he thought - sweet/spicy or savory/spicy. He said he thought the savory/spicy recipe sounded the best. It called for a little red pepper, thyme, rosemary, worcestershire sauce, a little salt and nuts. I went for it.

About 12 minutes later, the husband came into the kitchen and told me he wasn't hungry until he smelled whatever I had in the oven. The rosemary was making the baking sheet of walnuts, almonds and peanuts smell fabulous.

They browned up quite nicely and all of the spices stuck to the nuts. (I was so afraid the spices wouldn't stick for some reason, so I considered this a huge success.)

After a few minutes of cooling on the aluminum foil, the nuts were ready. I told the husband we had to try them before packaging them up and mailing them to family or taking them to work for our co-workers. And thank God we did.

We each tried a nut, and then the husband and I both looked at each other.

"What do you think?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure," he said, scrunching his eyes and looking like he was really analyzing the situation. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure I like them," I admitted.

"Neither am I."

So, no recipe tonight. I figure I should keep this disaster to myself. And perhaps I should thank the husband for his honesty and willingness to try my creations with another batch of bark - one he can keep for himself.