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If you happen to have read my last 11 posts, you’ve probably surmised a few things about Boyfriend: that he enjoys traveling as much as I do, that likes eating as much as I do, that he drinks as much as I do, and probably that he has more patience than your average almost-24-year-old male simply because he deals with my craziness on a daily basis.  But I’ve left out a biggie – he really likes sports.

I know that, unlike the patience thing, this is fairly common for your average almost-24-year-old guy.  But, um, they don’t hold a candle to Boyfriend in this department.  This is not just a kid who watches Sportscenter and notes the scores of his favorite teams when they scroll across the BottomLine.  No, no, no.  This is a kid who majored in sports in college (well, Sports Management), then worked at a sports arena for a year before deciding this spring to quit and go back to school to get his Masters in, you guessed it, sports. We have a standing weeknight argument after gym and dinnertime about whether we will watch what I fondly refer to as “shows with a plot” or sports.  Any sports.  Sports played by teams he doesn’t even like, sometimes.  Just whatever sport is on T.V.

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t hate sports – I watch a lot of football in the fall (decked out in my pink Eli jersey, much to Boyfriend’s Eagles-loving chagrin),  I put on PTI when I run on the treadmill at the gym, I have a long-standing obsession with Rick Riley, and I even had a bracket (WHICH BEAT BOYFRIEND’S) for this year’s March Madness tournament.  I’m not anti-sports.  In fact, in my opinion, there is no better bar entertainment, and I pride myself on having at least a passing idea of what is happening in the sports world (stay retired, Brett).

But better than televised sports is live sports. And on this, we agree wholeheartedly.  Boyfriend took me to my first NHL and NFL games this year, and I cannot tell you how much more awesome these events are when you’re really there.  I’m angling to go to my first big D1 college football game this year.

Baseball, on the other hand, I’ve seen live countless times (actually, I can count every one of them and they were mind-numbingly boring every time).  I’ve seen the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays (an excessive amount of times, actually, when you consider I live in the Northeast, not Florida)…the list goes on.  And I’m almost ashamed to admit that I’ve fallen asleep at almost all of them.

On Saturday I’m trying again.  I’m hoping that the addition of beer and the fact that I will be with friends and Boyfriend will make the difference.  But in case it doesn’t, I thought that I would at least make an exciting snack to look forward to while Boyfriend gazes lovingly at Josh Beckett.

And so that I don’t have to waste $5 on a bullshit bag of stale ballpark popcorn.

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Sweet and Spicy Walnuts

From the Smitten Kitchen, which adapted it from Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country

1 lb walnuts

1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. water

1 egg white

1 big pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix together both sugars, salt, cinnamon, and pepper in a bowl; make sure there are no lumps.  In a separate bowl, beat egg white with water until it is frothy but not stiff.  Add nuts to the egg whites and stir to coat, then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.  When nuts are evenly coated with all of the sugar mixture, spread them evenly over a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Cook for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

When nuts are finished cooking, remove from the pan, separating the ones that have stuck together.  Cool completey, or if you’re me and Boyfriend, burn your mouth by trying to eat them the second they come out of the oven.