Unfortunately, the only "open fire" was on the television.
![In For the Night](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8211/8299231604_58c8cd269e.jpg)
Thankfully, according to Martha, an open fire wasn't required. But a chestnut roasting pan was.
Right.
I used a cookie sheet and it worked out fine. Whew.
![Chestnuts](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8298145649_cc6e27140f_c.jpg)
Having never made or eaten roasted chestnuts before I wasn't too sure what I was getting in to. After finding the chestnuts at Whole Foods, I sent the hubby the most ironic text ever.
"Do we have a nutcracker?"
The process was super easy. It was just 4 steps. And it turns out a nutcracker wasn't even necessary.
- Make a slit in each shell using a sharp knife.
- Roast the chestnuts in a 350° oven for 35 min.
- Once they're out of the oven and still warm, crack open the shell and harvest the meat.
- Eat them up.
Eating the chestnuts reminded me of eating crab legs. It was a lot of work for a relatively little bit of meat. But it was very worth the effort.
Is this a Christmas tradition you've adopted?
![](http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/301/8DBB2AC9A69E5964F4A8C9ADA7262AC2.png)
![](http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad267/aforeignland/Christmas_Red_2.jpg)