New toy on Black Friday

Black Friday is something you either love or hate it seems. Many years go Bob and I would head out on Black Friday to wander around the malls, take in the excitement of the season without buying anything and come home to make our annual audio Christmas Card for family and friends. Then life changed, and Black Friday became one of the best days to head to the woods for a hike , or to the grocery store to shop for groceries crowd free. We would buy the paper on Thanksgiving to look at the ads , and just make note of what the hot things were this season gift wise. This year we happened to have a little extra money and discovered a must have item of clothing for Bob that was slashed to a too good to resist price. I am still laid up, so he hand Nick awoke before the crack of dawn to head to the mall to make the purchase. It was found, bought, and another item was added. My sweet husband bought me a Cuisinart 7 cup food processor because he saw a terrific deal on it and he knew I wanted one. I have wanted to buy a good food processor since about the 3rd year of our marriage , but I never found a great deal on one. I simply made due with a few lesser appliances and all was well. However now I had a new toy and I was going to play . How do I play ? Make homemade Almond Butter !!

First you start with almonds. You can roast them, soak them or simply add just as they come in the store. I chose to roast them to bring out a more nutty flavor.( Yes my cookie sheets look terrible, but this one is a professional grade pan and it works wonderful so I ignore the black ) Next, put them in your food processor  and process for about 8 minutes ( you may have to stop on occasion to scrape down your bowl and let the motor cool). The mix turns to powder, then paste and then a smooth nut butter. No need to add oil, sugar, salt or anything at all.

The resulting butter needs to be refrigerated. Taste is terrific, costs way less than anything you can buy in the store and absolutely no harmful anything contained. I love it !

As to my injury, it is improving. Yesterday I was able to take about 30 steps on my own and could almost bend my leg enough to get into the shower. I am experiencing moments of shooting pain and spasms for no reason, which is a sign of healing. Injuries are merciful things when they happen because your body goes into a numbing state of shock. Healing however is a twitch because slowly all the sensations come back as the body rebuilds itself. I am continuing to take this as a good sign of progress. I also caught a glimpse of something on TV where people were dancing and I yelled 'Show off !!!" at the TV. It's funny how normal movement becomes so exotic looking when you get laid up !