Like usual, when I step into the kitchen, there’s no plan. No list, no recipe. When I go to the grocery store, I don’t have anything specific in mind—I just buy what catches my eye, what feels right for the day. It works. I prepare everything at home; we rarely eat out. It’s not that we never do, but for the most part, meals happen at the table, not in a restaurant. In France, most people eat at home too. Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do, even when we’re traveling.
The other day, I just wanted something to nibble on to take the edge off. Usually, I reach for some nuts, but this time, I had an idea. I grabbed a handful of nuts: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and cashews (raw, unsalted nor sweetened, of course. But any nuts will do). Then, some cranberries. coconut, sesame seeds, and a bit of chocolate. I threw everything into the mixer until it started to look like nut butter.
At the last minute, I added some butter and a banana—why not? I rolled them into little balls and placed them in a cupcake tin, just because. Into the oven they went, at about 300°F, for maybe 10 minutes. You could dip them in chocolate if you wanted, but that wasn’t the point.
My family loved them, especially Martin and Gabriel. When Gabriel asked me what they were called, I said, “Nutty Buddies.” When you’re hungry and running around outside, you can grab a Nutty Buddy.
Later in the day, he told me he had four.
Leave a Reply