Oh Nuts!

 

I assembled all of our nut products today in an effort to make nut butter.  The easy way is to buy a tin of mixed nuts and just whiz it smooth. But those mixes have palm oil, which is not healthy.  Peanut oil makes more sense, so I do my own mix.  This week I had unsalted dry roasted peanuts, sea salt cashews (not a lot of salt added), walnuts, black walnuts, almonds, pecans, and chia seeds.

It's important to keep the food processor going a long time.  When you think you're done, give it more time -- otherwise you will end up with a grainy spread.  Since we like our spread chunky, I add some nuts at the end and then just pulse. It's also important to keep Miss Frankie-Pants away from it all! She is capable of jumping up on the island but just hasn't realized that. And I'm not going to tell her, either.

I use little jars so Tommy can grab one for work when he runs out.  This batch also needed to be labeled as dog toxic because it has black walnuts, which are very dangerous for dogs.  They are healthy for us and I bake with them quite a lot, and sprinkle over salads.

I also reworked my island off-centerpiece.  It sits on a lazy susan which I made. You can buy these round pieces of wood at Home Depot. That was stained walnut to match the butcher block. Then I attached a rotating base -- the base is quite large because I could only find the ones used for cabinetry.  But it's very stable. I put rubber on the bottom but also set it on a small cloth, so it won't mark the surface it sits on.  Tommy got me the flowers for Valentine's Day. They are set in a pitcher made by my sister-in-law, a talented ceramicist.  The silver-plate bowl was $1.99 at the Salvation Army yesterday.  I have fruit in it to keep it separate from the onions.  Otherwise, it will oxidize and ripen too fast.  The brown piece needs a small pillar candle but holds an orange because I don't have a black pillar in the house.  Coasters are to protect the butcher block from water rings and were a gift from a South American friend who brought them back from a trip to Peru. They are actually pressed leather!  The candy is what's left from Valentine's Day, in a dish that was my grandmother's. When we entertain, sometimes I put pizza or a cheese plate on the board.  

Dinner was chili from the freezer. When I make a batch, half is frozen for the next week.  I topped it with chopped lettuces, shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.  The ice cream wasn't solid yet, but we wanted something sweet.  I love rainbow sprinkles. They are my favorite condiment. And don't dispute my categorization!

Do you grind your own nut butter? Which nuts do you use?