The Land of Cashews and Almonds

I finally got up enough courage to try an Almond again. I have been craving them so badly that I have been replacing the taste of Almonds with the "Almond scent." I have been smelling cleaning supplies, fabric softeners, hand creams and candles...just to quench my new-found passion. I broke down Friday night while Wes was home, and ate an Almond Joy. I slowly ate the chocolate bar and nothing happened so I ate the other one. AMAZING!!! Wes was worried the whole time but was so relieved that the past Almond experience was not just some weird fluke and was actually a revelation. He got so excited and started pondering what nut I could try next. We settled on Cashews because those are his favorite.

We went to the store the next day and were in the nut isle...it felt so weird, so foreign and strange. I felt like death could get me at any minute but I had to explore a new found journey...of nuts. (I know I sound so dramatic)

We started looking at roasted Cashews and, low and behold, the Cashews are roasted in PEANUT OIL. Who was the genius that thought this was a good idea? So, we looked at another brand and, the same thing. So all these years (I am almost 32) I thought I was allergic to tree nuts but come to find out I was allergic to the oil that some idiot was roasting the tree nut in. We went to the nut bins to see if they had any organic Cashews and they did; safe, as far as peanut exposure.

That night I took the little Cashew out of the plastic bag and smelled it ...no reaction. I then stared at it a little while. I had never even felt a Cashew, so that was a little strange. Then I took a bite... HEAVEN...forget the Almond. I mean, my life has been meaningless without the Cashew. Everything was perfect, no swelling or itchiness. I ate another one and then my mean husband took the bag away from me and told me I had to wait until the next day to try another so we could see if there was going to be an allergic reaction of any sort. I woke up the next morning and everything was right as rain. Thank goodness I made that mistake a couple of months ago or we would never have had this epiphany. To think I don't have to be scared of these two nuts just as long as they are natural and not roasted is a big load off my shoulders. The next nuts I am going to try are Macadamia Nuts and Pistachios.