Peanut Butter at a Dinner Party
I was invited to my first-ever dinner party! Somebody actually wanted to have dinner with me! Never mind the fact that it’s virtual and I can’t actually eat any of the food… (Well, maybe I could try to lick my computer screen. But that wouldn’t taste very good.)
Valerie at Atlanta Mom of Three extended an invitation to participate in her potluck next week, and I wanted to cook the perfect dish to share. Something kid-friendly but classy, something fast but flavorful, something easy but healthy… Continue reading for recipe.
Better Than a PB&J
Many children dread this Monday morning. Classes begin again, and the school bus will shuttle them off to memorize more multiplication tables and write big book reports. The recess bell sounds too quickly, the lunch break ends too soon, and the drive back home drags on and on.
But they aren’t alone. Continue reading for recipe.
He Knows If You’ve Been Bad Or Good!
My popcorn kernels, peanut butter, and nutella all bully each other around on their crowded shelf in my pantry. When I pull the peanut butter down, he knocks the nutella over, and when I grab the popcorn kernels, they push the peanut butter off of the ledge. They just won’t play nicely or give each other any personal space!
When I mentioned the predicament to Rebecca at Crave, she encouraged me to create a snack that combined all three. Although tempted to stick them in hour-long timeouts in separate corners of the kitchen, I decided to try her suggestion and get the three to cooperate after all. Continue reading for recipe.
Candy for Breakfast!
Just before Halloween, I elbowed my way through last-minute shoppers on the candy aisle at Walmart. Pausing in front of the large mixed packages with 3 or 4 different types of sweets, I sighed aloud. None of them, not a single one, included miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!
Dejected, I went with the next best thing: a bag of Rolos, Kit Kats, and Reese’s Pieces. But those Reese’s Pieces just aren’t the same… I can’t nibble off all of the chocolate and let it melt on my tongue before biting into the peanut butter, not with that thin candy coating shell instead! Continue reading for recipe.
“Dairy” I Try Gluten-Free Baking?
Last month, I invited a friend to dinner at a local Indian place, only to cancel on him two hours before the meal. My stomach had contracted an oh-so-lovely 24-hour bug, which left my lying pitifully on the couch all night, the remote dangling from one hand and a glass of Sprite in the other.
As an apology, I wanted to bake him some sort of tasty treat. At our rain-checked dinner three days later, I finally dragged it out of him: he’s a sucker for a good peanut butter cookie. Perfect! Easy as pie cookies, right?
Not so fast… Turns out he’s allergic to both dairy and gluten. I checked around my kitchen: white, whole wheat, and cake flour sat in the pantry, while butter and milk chilled in the fridge. Oops. Continue reading for recipe.
After Trick-Or-Treating: The Candy Trade
When it came to trick-or-treating, my brother and I meant business. We planned our M&M and Cleopatra costumes over a month in advance, and we drove our ghost- and witch-covered pillowcases clear across town where the homes were closer together (less time wasted traveling!) and the parents at the doors were more generous.
After hauling in the loot, we drew a clear line across the living room carpet and dumped out our treasure, carefully sorting each piece into piles before haggling away at trades. (Mom hovered above us, not to prevent any arguments but to snatch up any nut-laden candy we threatened to throw away!) Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: Back to Chocolate
Even though I gave in and ate five of the thumbprint cookies, maybe Santa disliked the stick, sugary jam. Maybe he preferred a thicker filling, one that didn’t shake like his belly when he laughed. Maybe he wanted a decadent dessert after all. Continue reading for recipe.
Stale But Salvaged
I meant well. Really, I did. I baked a batch of chocolate-chocolate cupcakes as a thank you for the friend who picked me up from the airport after my trip. In my brilliant plan, I would bake them one evening, let them cool overnight, and frost and deliver them the next day. But when do things ever go according to plan? Continue reading for recipe.
Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your… Cookies?
I talk through baking. I might as well be mute with all of the cakes and cookies I substitute for conversations! This time, I mixed up a batch of thank-you treats with two mouthwatering ingredients—peanut butter and chocolate chips. Continue reading for recipe.
P is for Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Cups
My dad recently discovered that he is allergic to peanuts, which posed a huge problem. Most nights, he sits in his chair next to the fireplace, munching on a small bowl of nuts while reading the paper. Although he trades off between almonds, pistachios, and peanuts, the peanuts were his favorite. And he had stocked up on peanuts, buying about a pound or two before the holidays, so when I came home for Christmas, I inherited all of them.
So what’s a girl to do when she has peanuts literally spilling out of her pantry? Continue reading for recipes.
Foods for the Soul 