Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire: Roast Chestnuts

TMIL loves to make snotty snide comments about gifts my husband and son receive.  I'm specifically referring to anything warm - like the beanie and sweatshirt Thatkid got for his birthday.  Or the flannel lined pants I got Thatboy for Christmas.  "Well they'll never wear THAT" she snorts.  Pretty bold comment from a woman who can count on one hand the number of times she's been to San Diego, none of which has been during the winter.


So I am going to paint you a picture of the difference between the weather in San Francisco this winter, versus what we've got where I am.

The morning we left for San Francisco, it was 36 degrees out when I was walking Thatdog.  We got in very late Saturday night.  Sunday morning I realized I had left my winter coat at home!  Only to find out, I wasn't going to need it at all.  A cardigan was sufficient for the entire week we were there.  Thatkid wore shorts.

We spent one day we were there at Golden Gate Park.  Visiting the ducks at the lake.

The Conservatory of Flowers.

And running through gardens filled with blooms.

In contrast, it has been snowing in parts of San Diego.  We've found our temperatures regularly in the 40s, dipping into the low 30s at night.  It's cold here!  It makes me miss having a fireplace.  Although I have been taking advantage of the new throw blanket Thatboy got me for Chanukah. 

And even though I can't roast my chestnuts over an open fire, the cold weather makes these sweet nuts the perfect wintery treat.  Roasted chestnuts are a tad more labor intensive than say, a bag of almonds, but they are well worth the effort. 

Roast Chestnuts

The instructions and ingredients couldn't be simpler.  

Preheat oven to 450.  Take the chestnuts and use a knife to score an x into the flat side.

Place the chestnuts on a baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.  

Peel while warm and enjoy!