sorry no recipes from me on this. i m not sure i have ever even eaten a chestnut

I've eaten them, but I didn't like them much.  When I was going with the guy from Wyoming (the hunter), he used to bring them and set them on the metal sill on the fireplace, where the screen closed and wait for the fire to pop them open.  He'd eat a bunch, but one was always enough for me. 

never having eaten them, i imagine them sort of like macadamia nuts, which i hate.

They're sort of like a cross between a macadamia nut and coconut (they can be a little "stringy" or "thready"), texture-wise.  They are not sweet at all, and some of them have a down-right bitter taste to them.  I just don't care for them.