NUTS TO YOU!

I was going nutty trying to think of a creative N post for Alphabe Thursday! So I decided to share a favorite snack here : N U T S ! I know some folks are allergic to them! But there are so many varieties and I like to eat a handful of pistachio nuts or almonds! Those are two of my favorites! I also like to have a snack with some crunchy peanut butter! When my oldest sister was a young bride and her husband was overseas in Korea she would send him care packages. One of the favorite things she sent him was canisters filled with  cashews! I think they are too rich for my blood!
My favorite pistachios are native to Asia Minor! This is a picture of them above. Those delicious little nutty pods grow on trees! The pistachio nut is a member of the cashew family! Laugh Out Loud!  Lots of recipes can be made using various nuts.

Walnuts are nice. I like to chop them finely and mix them into the batter of banana nut bread! If you don't like nuts you can always add chocolate chips! Yummy!  Walnuts are a good snack choice too. They are heart healthy! My mother use to bake the best dessert bread! It is a Slovenian speciality called "potica". You have to use lots of ground walnuts. Here is a photo:

Sometime, perhaps at Easter, I will share the story of Easter food with you. It is a tradition from my culture and the potica represents the "Crown of Christ". As a kid I loved Easter and all the stories and traditions

I love pecans! Did you know this fun fact, President George Washington loved snacking on these and often carried them in his pocket? Neat huh?

I had to share a pecan pie with you! I have a recipe from when I was a teen that I found in the newspaper column "Dear Abby". It is the easiest and very best pecan pie! It is a Thanksgiving favorite.

Need a zero cholesterol treat? Cashews! There are lots of health benefits here too. It is an energizing food that promotes good gum and teeth health! Did you know that cashew promotes good sleep  patterns in menopausal women?

Take me out to the ball game! Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks! I know you have to hear this song inside your head! Laugh Out Loud! You rarely hear someone says " I really love  peanuts.   Even airlines are downsizing and not serving peanuts anymore.  Jimmy Carter, our thirty ninth president of the USA was a peanut farmer! Peanuts contain more antioxidants then broccoli! It is a favorite food of starving college students (not my son Nick though!) Laugh Out Loud! You don't need very much to feel full!

Almonds and filberts are also nutty nuts! You can even use some of these nuts to create your own facial masks! Check it out!

I know I am going to miss someones favorite nut here but these are branches from a Macadamia tree. Jim Nabors who played Gomer Plyle and has a voice like an angel lives on a Macadamia  nut ranch in Hawaii! Some kind of life huh? Macadamia nuts are used in sauces and crusts and it is a flavor you can not substitute.

I know I got carried away about my nutty post but I hope you enjoyed it and will visit Ms. Jenny and all the other participates of Alphabe Thursday! It is nicely played out each week. Just don't eat too many nuts! You will get nauseous and your diet will think you were being very naughty!