Sometimes I wonder about peanut butter.
Tonight, for dinner, I had a peanut butter and jam sammich. I have been pretty into eating better since I became a grown up and moved away from my nest. (that sort of implied that i didn't eat well at home. not true. i ate just fine.) Well, tonight with my somewhat occupied schedule, I was unable to create something to eat that had any substance. I opened the fridge, closed it, walked away, then went back and opened it again. I replayed that activity a few times until I realized that nothing had changed since the first time I looked. However, I looked a little bit harder that last time and saw my peanut butter and jam sitting down on the bottom shelf of the fridge door. FANTASTIC.
So, I think I should tell about my fascination with peanut butter. Ok, to call it a fascination gives it a little too much emphasis. Let's call it my interest. I should tell you about my interest in peanut butter.
In grade school I did a report on George Washington Carver. I was fascinated with what I learned about the man, even at that young age. One thing that I learned about the botanist was that he described over 300 uses for peanuts. Although he is one of the names most associated with "inventing" peanut butter, he didn't hold the patent for it. In fact he only held 3 US Patents. (for more information on peanut butter and it's origin, read here.) Some say that George Washington Carver was born on 12 July in the early 1860's. After doing my research, I found a lot of variations. But, since my birthday is 12 July, I like to think that was the day of his birth.
I like to eat peanut butter. I eat it on crackers, bread (toasted or not), celery, chocolate, etc. There are lots of great tastes that are accompanied by peanut butter.
I am amazed at the different kinds: creamy, chunky, extra chunky, organic, salted, unsalted. Who knew that peanut butter, while being so simple, could be so complex?
So, I wonder---what is your take on peanut butter? What is your favorite kind? Was yours a "choosier" mom? Did you fall under the guise of staying young by eating peanut butter? What's your favorite recipe including peanut butter?
post script: my nephew is allergic to peanut butter. it's sad, but he likes other things. like karate.
Tonight, for dinner, I had a peanut butter and jam sammich. I have been pretty into eating better since I became a grown up and moved away from my nest. (that sort of implied that i didn't eat well at home. not true. i ate just fine.) Well, tonight with my somewhat occupied schedule, I was unable to create something to eat that had any substance. I opened the fridge, closed it, walked away, then went back and opened it again. I replayed that activity a few times until I realized that nothing had changed since the first time I looked. However, I looked a little bit harder that last time and saw my peanut butter and jam sitting down on the bottom shelf of the fridge door. FANTASTIC.
So, I think I should tell about my fascination with peanut butter. Ok, to call it a fascination gives it a little too much emphasis. Let's call it my interest. I should tell you about my interest in peanut butter.
In grade school I did a report on George Washington Carver. I was fascinated with what I learned about the man, even at that young age. One thing that I learned about the botanist was that he described over 300 uses for peanuts. Although he is one of the names most associated with "inventing" peanut butter, he didn't hold the patent for it. In fact he only held 3 US Patents. (for more information on peanut butter and it's origin, read here.) Some say that George Washington Carver was born on 12 July in the early 1860's. After doing my research, I found a lot of variations. But, since my birthday is 12 July, I like to think that was the day of his birth.
I like to eat peanut butter. I eat it on crackers, bread (toasted or not), celery, chocolate, etc. There are lots of great tastes that are accompanied by peanut butter.
I am amazed at the different kinds: creamy, chunky, extra chunky, organic, salted, unsalted. Who knew that peanut butter, while being so simple, could be so complex?
So, I wonder---what is your take on peanut butter? What is your favorite kind? Was yours a "choosier" mom? Did you fall under the guise of staying young by eating peanut butter? What's your favorite recipe including peanut butter?
post script: my nephew is allergic to peanut butter. it's sad, but he likes other things. like karate.
posted by MF at 10:40 PM
29 Comments:
I like the Adam's Natural Chunky. I just don't like it when you're stirring it and the oily stuff gets all over the jar.
Freshman year at Rick's it was, obviously, Skippy SUPERCHUNK.
When I was in Jonesboro we got two huge jars of JIF chunky from the food bank, for free, and I ate a toasted bread, butter, peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich every day for breakfast and lunch for two months.
Have you ever had Almond Butter? It's horrible to say, but it puts Peanut Butter to shame. It's nice for when you're feeling elitist and think, man, I want some nutty butter, but for the ruling class part of my tummy.
i love the "keep opening the fridge door" game. just once i'd like to see a miracle happen in there when i opened it again.
i have to say i go for the lite smooth peanut butter. it tastes just as good but with less fat. the thing i hate is they only sell it in small jars in utah. one more thing to add to my list of things i miss. i used to eat adams but i got tired of it getting all hard in the fridge.
a new thing i've discovered from a friend down here is peanut butter with syrup on waffles/pancakes. sounds awful, tastes delicious.
I'd have to agree with the peanut butter and syrup on waffles/pancakes. I thought it was going to be nasty at first, too. Turns out, it's great. It's one of those things that my college buddies ate that I picked up. Another one of those was grilled cheese sandwich with grape jelly on it. Not a ton of grape jelly. But a nice thin layer after it's cooked. D-Licious. Don't knock it until you have tried it.
Another good treat: ice cream and peanut butter. Mmmm.
That was me!
I agree about the ice cream. It totally rules!
The thing about Adam's is that you don't put it in the fridge.
There is already so much to agree with on this page. First of all, that's a big "Yes" for peanut-butter and syrup. I also picked that up from a roommate in college, and it is delicious. As per brand, I'm a skippy girl. Do you remember those commercials where the mom drew a heart in the top of the peanut-butter jar? Well, that sold me for life. I'm particularly fond of the honey-roasted peanut variety.
I have yet to try almond butter, but just the thought of it tells me that it would be delicious. Let's be honest, almonds are just a higher quality nut than peanuts. To borrow something from Mr. Pulsipher, peanuts are the poor man's almonds.
Now, on the subject of nut spreads, I'm going to have to mention the grand-daddy of them all, Nutella--the chocolately hazelnut spread of the gods. If you haven't tried this product, get yourself to the nearest grocery and purchase some. It is worth the exorbitant price charged here in the United States. I personally am not allowed to buy it because I can literally eat a whole jar in two days (it turns out that pretzels dipped in Nutella makes an excellent breakfast...or lunch...or dinner...or snack...you get the point).
DH, I am so proud of you for choosing this topic for your blog post.
There are two reasons I am happy about this post:
1. I love peanut butter and wrote an essay on it for school
2. I just bought smooth & chunky PB to take to my friend in the UK as the rumor is they don't get as HQ peanut butter over there (in fact he just sent an email requesting Reese's PB cups, too - he doesn't know about the peanut butter - it's a surprise!!!)
About the essay...
My senior year of high school we had to write a personal essay. It could be serious or light, and since I had had no tragedy in my life (some of my classmates wrote about serious deaths in the family, etc.), I opted for Peanut Butter. Let me tell you, what a pleasure it was to think about, ponder, and write that essay.
A few major points
- the fake peanut butter in all candy is great. peanut butter m&ms, reese's pieces. Wow! BUT the best is the PB in those fat reese's eggs (the kind they only sell at easter but now distribute in other forms for all holidays) Now is the time to buy them. Honestly, people. fantastic.
I would also like to give my resounding agreement with the following opinions stated above:
- YES on syrup & PB waffles
- YES on Skippy's superchunk
A few new ideas (some of you may already be veterans of this action):
- make your own PB cups using muffin papers, chocolate, and pb. microwave, then freeze. very good. (thank my 10 year old self for this idea - my mom was too stingy to buy me candy all the time)
- make grilled PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES (That's right! use peach jam for best results) but honestly the peanut butter melts, it's so smacking delicious. My brother used to make them for me all the time. I miss them!
Great post, Devastatingly Handsome. I am really really really feeling my heartfelt appreciation for Peanut Butter.
An added tip for makers of homemade peanut butter cups:
Into your peanut butter mix a little butter--that's right, this is a healthy snack--and some powdered sugar.
You mentioned the delicious pb inside those big easter reeses...well, the powdered sugar with the peanutbutter is the trick...trust me. It's delicious.
wow, lots of new great ideas for PB.
my sis once made grill cheese with mango chutney after seeing it on a program. it was the big huge, texas toast style bread. now that was delicious.
ryan, i thought you HAD to put adams in the fridge.
sometimes nothing beats the simplicity of pb on toast when it gets all melty, gooey.
oh, and bethany, nutella rules. my grandma used to give it to us on white toast. mmmm
Apparently I am not the only one that wonders (both thinks and is amazed by) peanut butter.
Terrific treats, I say.
Ryan--That was you. And, I do it still. Grape jelly is my favorite, although there have been some good combos.
Aisy--It's best to put the organic ones in the fridge. But, before you use it (you know what happens when you try to spread cold hard peanut butter on bread---bread catastrophe) set it out on the counter while you are gathering your other ingredients, or a few minutes before hand. Then stir it before. That will remix the natural oils and make it more smooth. I know this from experience. maybe you just got sick of doing it. It's a trade off. That's fine.
Oh...and chutney is a weird word. Say it slowly and you'll see what I mean.
Bethany--Nutella is not my favorite, but it is good. Now you and Karren have stumbled onto a treat that I love love love. Peanut butter cups. That might be my next confectionary adventure.
My mum used to feed us "ants on a log," celery filled with peanut butter and topped with raisins. I loved it.
My nephew is also allergic to peanut butter. Maybe, he'll find something like karate to fill the void. I'm not so sure.
i used to love ants on a log, until i developed an allergy to celery. celery you say? yup. it's related to sage brush apparently. *sniff
My friends and I had a rating system for all the different types of Reese's PB cups, with the large eggs at the top. I don't remember all of it, but the small cups were in the middle and the large cups at the bottom. It was all based on the right ratio of PB to chocolate. "Hey, you got your PB in my chocolate." "No you got your chocolate in my PB." Remember those?
My college roommate did the PB and syrup thing too; perhaps we all unknowingly had the same roommate. That's one crowded apartment.
Can I tell you about the great thing with PB cups in Canada? They come THREE to a package. That's right, three.
And you have Coffee Crisp up there. How could you leave?
And we had wunderbars. I get my sister to ship them to me. I'm still wondering why I did leave!
Has anyone had the Newman's chocolate peanut butter cups? They're pretty darn good, especially if you get the dark chocolate kind. Oh, and they also come three to a pack.
Plus, you get to buy a peanut butter cup with Paul Newman on the cover. Actually, that's kind of weird come to think of it.
Oh, the greatness of peanut butter. How could you not want the patent for that, George Washington Carver?
The idea of dark chocolate and peanut butter sounds like home, to me.
Wunderbars are good, but it's Canada, eh. Totally kidding. Our neighbors to the north are more than welcome in the land of the free and home of the brave.
Fantastic ideas with peanut butter. Welcome, Melissa.
and my american friends are always welcome in my home and native land.... seriously though, our chocolate bars are superior but i digress... back to the peanut butter. do you sometimes ever just eat a spoonful of it? why is it so delicious, maybe that's what we should discuss.
I'm not trying to discuss whose chocolate bars are more superior. To me, treats are treats are treats.
I DO eat spoonfulls of peanut butter sometimes. They are delicious, I agree. Can I tell you of another use of the peanut (actually peanut butter)? 301, Mr Carver.
I was at a get together with some friends a few years ago. We started playing a variation of this game that my buddy and some friends made up a game involving yearbooks and cheese. Somebody would mention a characteristic of a person and then would randomly open the yearbook. Each person was to point at the person that had that characteristic, as fast as they could. Once everyone had picked, there was a vote. The one who picked the least close to the characteristic had to take a bite of a block of cheese. The same block of cheese was used for the entire game, until it was gone. Think of the nastiness that would be that piece of cheese at the end.
Well, we didn't have cheese. We had peanut butter. There wasn't any drinking or anything that would allow for you to get the peanut butter from within your mouth. Once you lost three times, your last bite had to be dipped into the pumpkin guts we had left over from carving pumpkins that night. Craziness.
I think that just goes to show what happens when you are stone cold sober and living in Provo, Utah. Or was this Rexburg, Idaho? It would be even worse to be stone cold sober there...or so I've heard...
My favorite peanut butter comes in big tubs shaped like squirl and there is a single perfect peanut on top when you open it up. I don´t know it´s name you can´t buy it in Iceland so here I buy Peter Pan pb.
My favorite pb recipe is my lovely peanut butter pasta
Zucini
carrots
onion
garlic
celery
1 can of tomato
garlic cream cheese
origano
salt
pasta and
Peanutbutter, smooth,
eat while it´s still steaming hot,and cold the day after.
Dagga....that sounds weird. I'm not going to lie. But, if you send more of how to make it, I'm game for trying some stuff. Iceland, eh? That's pretty rad.
Bethany, it was in South Jordan. But, being stone-cold sober anywhere can be a drag, I guess. But, I don't have to deal with getting sick the next day, right?
Hi MF I found your blogg through "right of way" you can find me in Lisbeth´s Fruit Basket.
It´s easy to make,
chop the veggies (1/2 zuccini, 2 carrots, 1 red onion, 2 stalks cellery, 2 cloves garlic)
fry with little bit of salt on a pan until lighly browned
add tomatoes from can and some water add oregano and black pepper to taste. Let simmer until pasta is ready (I like to use spagetti)
At the same time boil pasta for aprox. 2 people. when ready drain water and put pasta back in pot.
Add veggies
Stir in cream chease 2-3 tbs and peanut butter 3-4 tbs util smooth and eat while hot.
Great comfort food and really tasty even if it sounds strange.
Okay, but have you guys noticed that dogs love peanut butter too? I mean, they LOVE it. Kind of like us. My friend Lupita and her husband actually have a separate jar of peanut butter they keep for their beagle (his name is "Peanut" incidentally). Seriously. Dogs love peanut butter.
my brother fed our dog peanut butter to make him look like he was talking. it was an english project and they made him the mc of the film.
Nice post. Thanks for commenting on my blog. I love peanut butter too. My favorite childhood treat is sliced apples with peanut butter spread on top. The best part is you put marshmellows on top of the peanut butter. This makes the whole treat look like a mouth! Very fun! I'll make some today and post about it on my blog. Anyway, well written. I like your style. Good blogs are hard to come by.
Before you say anything else, I need you to know that I ALSO love peanut butter! (It would seem that a lot of people do.)
So. I have plenty of things to say about peanut butter.
1) I, too, wrote a report on George Washington Carver in grade school. I have always been grateful to him for his use of the peanut. The peanut may not be a high-end nut, but I'm glad we have it, just the same. In fact, I like it all the more for it's lowly position -- it's the proletariat of legumes. A fine and respectable variety, I'd say.
2) You really put pb in the fridge? Really?
3) I'm a JIF, extra crunchy girl all the way.
4) One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is the one in "Meet Joe Black" where Brad Pitt's character tastes pb for the first time.
5) I was going to suggest adding powdered sugar to pb, but it looks like somebody else did. However, my preparation is a little different. You just mix as much powdered sugar with as much pb as you want. Roll the mixture into teaspoon-size balls. Put them on a cookie sheet and in the freezer for a while. You can let them harden to the desired texture. At that point, you can either eat them plain, or you can pour that chocolate that hardens by itself onto them. Anyway, it's a lot easier than this putting-them-into-muffin-cups business.
Great blog. I love it. I might just put you on my blogroll, if you don't mind. Anyone who can elicit so many responses for a post about peanut butter has my vote. And as Leezy Lindsey said, good blogs are hard to come by these days . . .
Leezy and Sara, welcome home.
I need to say that the apples and peanut butter thing sounds great, so does the peanut butter balls with the chocolate. Who knew what wonderful confectionary treats could come from something so unassuming as a peanut?
I'll have to try both of them.
Your comments are too kind.
Sidenote: Brad Pitt eats a lot in his movies. Especially Ocean's 11.
Yes, do try the apples and peanut butter. I forgot to say that they are DEEE-licious!
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