In Italy, the kids and I were barefoot, looking for a bathroom inside a seaside shack. “Look, is that underwear? In a vending machine?” Yes. And it should be noted that the underwear was red, sparkled, and bikini and all yours for a couple of Euro coins.
In college, times were such that in the gym there was a cigarette machine.
And I just returned from Austin, Texas, where my friend and I were lucky enough to find pecan vending machine that boasted “24 Hour Pecan Service” from the highway roadside.
You just never know where you’ll have a pecan emergency, I guess.
My kids have been nibbling these as part of a snack in the afternoons, but they make a great salad topper. We've also pressed them into the tops of muffins right before they baked. If you want a different heat, add a bit of chili pepper to your sugar mix.
1 lb pecan halves
1 cup granulated sugar (you can make vanilla sugar by letting a split pod flavor sugar for a week)
pinch sea salt
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (depends how strong you want the flavor)
2 egg whites
splash water
Oven to 250. Pick through the pecans and make sure there are no shells. Mic sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In a different bowl, mix egg whites and water, beating well by hand. Add the pecans to the egg mixture, stirring to coat. Use your hands or a strainer/spider to et excess liquid off, and then roll/toss in sugar mixture to coat very well. Spread onto parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake about 50 minutes, shaking/stirring a few times. Let cool completely. Sell in vending machines or eat within 1-2 weeks.