Going Nuts

Also known as, "Holiday Treats: Part I, Preparation." Since we are essentially a nut-free house until Nathan turns three, I had a ton of nuts in the freezer that I needed to use. Enter Christmas candy. I had grand plans to make all our holiday treats last weekend but I underestimated the prep time required to get those freezer nuts into a usable form. First off, the almonds, whole and unskinned. Too bad every recipe I have requires said nuts to be naked. Google to the rescue for quick instructions on how to blanch and skin them. Easy but time consuming. By the end of it all, my hands were two giant prunes but I learned that you can shoot an almond a really long way if you pinch it just right.
Second, the pistachios, unshelled. Yup, We shelled two pounds of them and were rewarded with sore fingers but beautiful green nuts. However, I was not in the mood to make candy after all that prep but made some insanely good peanut brittle anyway (anything to not have to look at pistachios or almonds). Click on for the recipe...