On Almonds...

   The other day my husband was at a friend's house.  He called and asked if I wanted some almonds (they had bags full, he said).  I know what almonds are. I love almonds. I eat almonds.
   What I didn't know was that they come in shells (I should have put 2 & 2 together....peanuts come in shells...walnuts come in shells...pistachios come in shells....).  When I saw what was in the bag he brought home, I told him that these were NOT almonds.  I didn't know what they were, probably chestnuts, but DEFINETLY NOT almonds.
    I don't have a nut cracker.  I used a meat tenderizer to open one, and guess what I found?? ALMONDS!!!  Apparently almonds come in shells too.  Lesson learned.  Well, since I didn't have a nut cracker, and the meat tenderizer thingie was crushing the nut, not just the shell, I used a vise-grip to crack them all. 
   After I finished that task (and ate half of them), I googled how to roast them.  So I did. I made a batch of garlic-pepper & one of cinnamon-honey.  They came out well and tasted good, but someone forgot to tell me NOT to put the ones with honey on a paper towel to cool.  Apparently they stick.  Lesson #2 learned.  At least I didn't burn anything.