Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

The Spunky Nut.

by

Let me first start off and say

THANK YOU

from the bottom of my heart for ALL the birthday love yesterday!

It was so much fun to read comments from some of you

who I have  not seen before

and those who are daily commenters.

Words cannot express to you how much all of you mean to me!

Thank you so much for your continual support.

Now…

Time to  get back to all of our:

For those of you who live in the city,

you know that the “wildlife” here are ruthless.

I mean, I would go to so far

as to call them ballsy.

These guys have no fear of anyone.

In mine and Greg’s old place,

our kitchen used to look out into the backyard of our neighbor.

She used to grow all sorts of citrus trees,

but Greg’s favorite tree was the fig tree that sat right in front of the window.

Every day he would watch the progression of certain figs,

waiting for them to ripen so he could pick and eat them.

However, we figured out that

he was not alone in the endeavor.

A certain squirrel, we started to call “Charlie,”

would stop by every morning and inspect the tree, almost at the same time

Greg would.

At a certain point, we started to notice that he would sit in front of the window,

waiting for us to take notice of him,

just so we would watch in horror as he stole the fig

Greg had kept his eye on.

It was as if he knew what was up…

See?

Ballsy.

He would antagonize Greg to come chase him

as he flipped him off as he scurried away.

(okay, maybe that is an exaggeration but it sure felt like that was what he was doing).

My favorite memory of Charlie is one that still makes me chuckle to this day.

He did the usual cat-and-mouse chase

and when he realized that he had our attention,

he climbed up onto our roof and proceeded to

urinate off to the side

so that as we stared outside the window,

all we saw was a stream of yellow liquid.

The message was clear.

Don’t mess with city squirrels.

So in the name of Charlie,

I made him a little festive fall treat

that would make him pee in excitement:

Chocolate Acorns

Chocolate Acorns Recipe

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • vegan chocolate chips, melted
  • Chopped almonds
  • Dr. Lucy’s mini cookies
  • sliced pretzels
  • chopped almonds (for dipping)
  • Truffle chocolate mold (I got this one at Michael’s)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Fill thin layer of chocolate into molds.
  2. Place 5-6 almond slices into each mold. Coat the remaining with chocolate.
  3. Freeze for 10 minutes until sets.
  4. Remove from molds.

While the chocolate molds are setting:

  1. Cover each mini cookie with chocolate on the top and allow 1 pretzel piece to set on the top.
  2. Set each piece on wax paper.

ASSEMBLE:

  1. Place a dab of chocolate onto the bottom of the cookie and press onto the flat part of the truffle chocolate molded acorn.
  2. Set on wax paper another 10 minutes.
  3. Cover sides of cookie with chocolate and then gently cover with chopped almonds.
  4. Set again another 10 minutes.

You taught me a thing or two about spunk, Charlie.

So in your honor,

here is your Thanksgiving treat!

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Cara

      You say that to all the girls, sister. haha. Isn’t that a most funny story?? That bastard got a kick out the look on our faces when we looked at each other in bewilderment, asking the question, “Is that what I think it is?!!”

  6. think.care.act-Cara

    I love your American squirrels (those reddish brown European ones are way too shy to do something like this), I remember when I visited the US and we all were surrounded by begging squirrels, thought about Hitchcock making a “the Squirrels” movie that day. And I love your Charlie story. And your acorns!

    Great cooking as usual, Cara!

    xo

    • Cara

      Don’t encourage the American squirrels, Cara. That is what they would want you to do and then when you are least expecting it: BAM! They attack. I watched a squirrel at school totally approach a girl and lunge at her. I got a good chuckle out of it but she wasn’t as amused 🙂

        • Cara

          Have you ever met a California crow? They are just as crazy. It’s probably why “The Birds” was created 🙂 Must make movie about killer squirrels now. Or at least ones that attack…

  8. Laurel

    You should have known better than to tread on Charlie’s turf. Geez, HUMANS! Top of the food chain my chocolate acorns. I read an article last winter claiming that the squirrels in NYC were mating with the rats and it somehow seemed only natural. I mean think about it squirrels just have bushier tails. They definitely fit the behavior profile. And Cara, my birthday is in July. Send candy molds because those chocolate acorns are the prettiest thing I’ve seen any Thanksgiving.

    • Cara

      I know that they cannot take their Prius to the supermarket and buy themselves a fig and that technically, those figs *are* for them to a certain degree. But peeing right in front of our faces? OH COME ON, CHARLIE! There is no need to get hostile here 🙂 July candy molds being sent to Laurel’s house, stat! xo

  9. Brooke

    How awesome is that? I can totally picture a plate of these on a Thanksgiving table! The squirrels around here assure that we will never eat a hazelnut. But they also keep the plums picked off our ornamental plum so we don’t have much mess in the Summer. And they keep our cat well exercised. (He’s never caught one, but he fancies himself quite the squirrel hunter.)

    • Cara

      I’m sure the squirrels are talking about your cat around the water cooler, as well. Laughing and joking about how pathetic he looks in the hopes of catching one of them. They can be mean little boogers!

      • Brooke

        He deserves it, really. He’s killed every shrew in a mile radius. Poor little defenseless shrews. (Well, they do have the whole poisonous venom thing, but still) He gloats about it loudly at every execution so squirrels laughing at him aught to take him down a peg or two.