Feeling Kind of (Chest) Nutty!

First things first, we need a laugh. Remember yesterday when I said that Amanda and I went downtown to take pictures for her friend? While I was snapping shots of Longitude Lane, Amanda took a picture of me. Not only does this picture make me chuckle because I look like a midget, but PLEASE focus your eyes on the lady on the street. 

#1 – What is her face?

#2 – Her breasts are touching her belly button. Not okay. If you know this woman, tell her to buy a bra. Moving along…

After dinner last night, my new roommate Lucy asked if I wanted to roast chestnuts. I immediately thought of the Christmas song that goes, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” but giggled because we had to use the oven. I had seen chestnuts being roasted over an open fire (literally) in Rome, but never bought any so I was excited to try them. Before roasting, Lucy told me that you have to cut an x into the shell. She showed me how to do a few, then I gave it a go. We scored the whole bag of nuts and roasted them at 400*.. Twenty minutes later, the shells had peeled open and the actual nut was revealed. Aren’t they precious? They were ridiculously hot, but I couldn’t resist peeling one open right away. The first thing I noticed was that they were very starchy! I did some research later and found some interesting facts on chestnuts:

• Chestnuts can be eaten raw, but can also be roasted, boiled, candied, steamed, or grilled.
  
• The texture is similar to that of a potato with a sweet and nutty flavor.
  
• Chestnuts can be dried and milled into flour.
  
• Chestnuts contain no cholesterol, and very little fat (mostly unsaturated) and no gluten.
  
• They are the only “nuts” that contain Vitamin C; 100g contains about 65% of your daily requirement.

Roasting chestnuts was not only festive, but healthy! My mind is already brewing with thoughts of grinding up some chestnut butter…Has anyone done this? What is your favorite nut to roast or make nut butter with?