As someone who's been kicked out of countless grocery stores, camera in hand, I especially enjoyed the contraband video that Carl Willat, a San Francisco-based animation director, recorded with his humble Treo. Although the chain has stopped carrying some of my favorite products -- oh sweet, spicy ginger gelato, where did you go?! -- I still stop by their SoMa store before any major baking session. Nuts and dried fruit for me, unpasteurized orange juice and onion rye bread for my husband.
Walking down that dry goods aisle, I always go overboard. Later, there will be bags and bags of walnuts, pecans or cashews left lying around the kitchen. Spicing them up and distributing them among friends is the best way to deal with that problem. While you can keep them around your house for snacking, they're so addictive that I recommend dividing them up into many small caches, like a squirrel, to extend their goodness as long as possible.
SMOKY SPICY NUTS
Makes: About 2 cups