My mom has this (infamous) saying: Every child gets what every child “needs”.
This does explain why I got a car during college and my brother did not. I needed it for a job and classes….he had to borrow my mom’s car.
My dad still does my brother’s laundry…he’s 23. I guess he still “needs” help doing laundry.
I’m pretty sure my parents still pay for many of my brother’s expenses: cell phone, insurance, etc. The boy has several jobs!
When I started dating, I was never allowed to have a boy in my room. Ever. When my brother started dating, he had girls all over and his room…with the door closed. Heck, my brother lived with FIVE girls in a house his sophomore year of college!
My brother and I are very similar in some ways, but very different in others. I’ve always been very mature and independent and my brother…not so much.
He’s a total mama’s boy…and I, a daddy’s girl.
This was very evident when I talked to my mom on Super Bowl Sunday and she shared that she was making my brother some appetizers to drop off at his apartment for his party. She made him “no-brainer dip” (cream cheese, chili, and cheese all melted together) and something else…I can’t remember.
Talk about spoiled.
Next time she’s making appetizers for her grown kid’s parties, I’ll request this one. Soooo good.
Sweet and Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix from Cooking Light
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped and divided
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup unsalted almonds
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups tiny unsalted pretzels
1 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal squares (i.e. Chex)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine brown sugar, 1 teaspoon thyme, salt, cinnamon, and red pepper in a small bowl.
Combine pecans and almonds on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until the nuts begin to brown. Combine the pecan mixture and butter in a medium bowl, stirring until butter melts. Gently stir in pretzels, cereal, and syrup. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over pretzel mixture; toss gently to coat. Spread pretzel mixture in a single layer on jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, stirring once. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Cool completely.
Yield: 9 servings (heaping 1/2 cup each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 183 calories; 10.7 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 387 mg. sodium; 20.9 g. carbohydrate; 4.0 g. fiber; 2.9 g. protein
Result: Warning – this stuff is ADDICTING! I made a double batch and while that was a great choice for entertaining, the leftovers were dangerous to have around! This was sweet, salty, spicy…it had it all! I loved the pecans in this the most…a perfect texture to offset the crunchy pretzels and almonds. Definitely a delicious snack or game day food!
[/print_this]Why do I feel like this week is going to be a long one? Boo.
Be well,
hahahaaha… this was my life. My brother was babied with getting his laundry done, leftovers sent home with him… still is… I think for a while, he would send the receipt of his grocery trips in college home so that my mom would refund him the cash. Seriously?? I like to think this made me mature faster and more independent… but come on…
HA…your brother’s gonna be in for a rude awakening with a future wife! 😉
This mix looks yummy! I need to eat breakfast so I don’t end up making this for breakfast, I’ve got it all on hand!
Ha, love the difference between you and your brother! My sister and I, while twins, are not the same at all. I always wanted to get home by cerfew, my sister didn’t care. I’d get home on time, my parents would ask where my sister was, and then would yell at me ABOUT my sister being late. Crazy!
Yep, that is most definitely crack in a bowl!
As a teacher, I tell my students that fair doesn’t mean everyone gets the same but that everyone gets what they need. As a sister, I’m still trying to learn it. I totally identify with you! Love the pic of this snack, too. Great job!
Yummy looking snack, thanks for the recipe Nicole. And I understand, sometimes I think my brother and I had a “double standard” too – though my parents were great to us both. To this day, my brother and I are still REALLY different people, on every level, and as a result, don’t see each other all that often….which is amazing considering we’re from the same gene pool, brought up in the same house, with the same values etc.
Curse the gender double-standard and the fact that parents are always more lenient with the younger sibling.
. . . lucky for me I’m the youngest and I don’t have any brothers.