Hello all. Well, I suppose y'all would be more appropriate. My name is Walter Thompson (the unadorned Walt in occasional 'D.C.' blogs.) I am indeed Nealey's rather insignificant other, and am thrilled to be providing her with her first 'guest post'.

Now I won't go on ranting about myself, but to briefly add a touch of character to an otherwise hollow name, I love movies more than I should admit, and am proud to tell you that Nealey and I attended a showing of Julie & Julia over the weekend. Guys? Laugh if you want. You're reading a food blog.

This movie is the most well-rounded I've seen in quite some time. To put it into boiling peanut context; when you stew up a superbly well-told story and spice it with an amazingly well-cast ensemble, you're going to have a crowd pleaser every time. Do yourselves a favor and go see this one. You'll be sprinting to the kitchen afterwards.

Now on to the goobers! An amazing southern tradition. One that has apparently never crossed the California state line. Or at least the borders of Los Angeles County. Of the 50+ people (LA socialites) that have recently had a big steaming pile of these things stuffed into their disconcerting faces..... not ONE didn't come back for an entire handful. Moments after scrounging around for the smallest one in the bowl. They're truly that good. And SO simple.

Get a big pot, the deeper the better. Throw in some raw, unsalted peanuts (green peanuts work best here, but any will do), first making sure that you bought the ones still in the hull. While trying to hold most of them down with your hands, (peanuts are buoyant little legumes,) fill the pot with water until they're submerged by about two inches. Dump in a LOT of salt (I use around a cup for 2 pounds of peanuts) and about half as much chili powder. Let them sit on a slow rolling boil for as long as it takes for the peanuts to become soft, which should be anywhere from 6 to 9 hours. Stir thoroughly every 20-30 minutes, adding water when necessary and salt to taste. You'll know when they're ready.

For those of you non-Southerners, try 'em out and spread some culture... 'Til next time,