Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you

It's all about chestnuts here today. I remember as a young girl walking the streets of Lisbon during the Christmas season and one of my favorite things, was the Chestnut vendors.

You could smell the chestnuts roasting and within minutes they would hand you a newspaper cone filled with these deliciously roasted chestnuts. It brings back so many good memories.

While grocery shopping at the commissary yesterday, I found a whole barrel of them, it's not something they usually have, you don't understand how happy I was to see them. It's like being instantly transported back to 8 years old carrying around this big cone and nibbling on them while walking the busy streets of Lisbon, Portugal, with all the Christmas decorations and lights and shoppers scrambling around for last minute gifts.

So I'm going back in time today, I'm roasting chestnuts and I'm taking you along, because you know, I think everyone should try these at least once in their life....and because they make me think of Christmas.

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

If oven roasting preheat oven to 180C | 355F, if using stove top use medium low heat.

With a small steady knife make a cut in each chestnut

Rinse chestnuts well in cold water

Spread wet chestnuts on pan

Salt generously

Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until tender to taste. *Note: When roasting chestnuts they may crack and pop so it’s good to use lid then check and rotate frequently.

Go ahead and grab some for yourself, I made enough to for everyone. Enjoy!