I don’t know how single moms do it. I don’t know how they feed their family healthy food and stay sane and work and walk the dog and even get dressed in the morning. I do it for a few days every month, and I don’t even have to leave for work (although, it might be easier if I did), and I still wonder when I will hear the door unlock and I can breathe that sigh of relief that my husband is home.

I’m currently waiting for that key in the lock sound. But his flight was delayed, so here I am with time on my hands. I should be sleeping. But I’m not.

Instead I want to tell you about some nuts I “roasted”. If you’ve read my posts before, you might know that I’m a big fan of the Community Food Co-op of Utah. One of their monthly offerings is a Nutty Guys four pack, which usually includes four pounds of different nuts or dried fruits. Often, the nuts will be raw almonds. I love raw almonds, but sometimes I get bored with them. I mean, they’re “healthy” and all, but choking them down pound after pound gets boring. And nobody else in our house will eat them that way unless we’re out of absolutely everything else but ground beef.

I pulled open my trusty “America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook” and figured they had to have something. And of course they did. Only, I sort of modified it, like I modify everything I ever make. And I have to tell you, I think I improved it, at least flavor-wise.

I’m not sure what happened to getting the stuff to stick. All the yummies ended up at the bottom of the nut holder after a day, so maybe next time I’ll either try more butter, or butter and oil, or just oil. I don’t know, but whatever way, I will be doing this again. And bear with me on this. I have just started using garlic powder and I know real garlic would be better, but in a pinch, I take what I have. It is admittedly, much faster than using the real stuff.

So, next time you find yourself reaching for pre-roasted nuts, consider this alternative instead, and buy a bunch in bulk and experiment. I know I will be.

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Almonds
2 c. raw almonds
1 T. unsalted butter or oil (or more if you really want to make it stick)
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper (okay, really, a few grinds will do)
1-2 minced garlic cloves or a few shakes of the garlic powder (oh, I cringe just typing it)

Heat butter or oil in a nonstick skillet. Add almonds, dried rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. Toast the almonds on medium-low heat, stirring often until they are fragrant and the color deepens slightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and allow to cool before serving, if you have very, very strong willpower. I do not, so half of mine were gone before they were cooled. Store in an airtight container for a week or so.