Peanut Butter and Jelly... It's not just for sandwiches anymore!

Property of Jessica Gordon Ryan and The Entertaining Kitchen

I saw this awesome recipe and then I had to totally change things because that's just what I do... and from it came another awesome recipe. These are really good... rich from all the peanut butter... and you'll need a tall glass of cold milk, unless you are like me and can't stand the stuff, in which case a nice cup of coffee or a cafe au lait or cappuccino compliments quite nicely as well!

Ingredients

2 2/3 cup oats
1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of lowfat milk

3/4 cup of peanut butter, your favorite brand. Here I used Skippy Chunky All Natural

1 jar strawberry jam. I used Smucker's seedless strawberry.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

In your mixer cream together butter, sugar and vanilla
Then add oats, flour and milk. Mix on low speed initially, then you can turn up the speed.

Spread mixture onto a greased 9x13 baking dish using a rubber spatula

Empty the contents of the jam into a small saucepan, turn on low to medium and stir, until the jam starts to liquefy, then pour over the bar mixture and using the rubber spatula, spread the jam all over the top.

Place the pan into the oven for about 25 minutes.

Remove and let cool thoroughly before cutting. The jam will be too hot and the peanut butter bar will be too crumbly. These need some time to set.

Perfect for an afternoon snack or even breakfast! 

How 'bout them apples?

I had this idea that I just had to try... My kids love peanut butter and apples... my kids love peanut butter and honey on apples... but what would happen if, let's say, we took the apples and the honey and peanut butter and dipped them in the granola? I was going for a sort of a candied apple treat that had no candy and was somewhat healthy... So I had to test out my idea... as a lover of crunchy apples and all things peanut butter and all things granola I have to say that this was one WOW of an afternoon snack!

Ingredients per medium sized apple:

2 tbs of peanut butter, regular or chunky
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 cup of granola -- you will not use it all

Directions:

Wash and slice apples
In a bowl place peanut butter and honey and place in microwave for about 35 seconds
Using a fork blend the peanut butter and honey mixture
Using a knife spread some of the mixture onto the apple
Either dip the apple into the granola or using a spoon sprinkle a very generous amount of granola over the apple slice... you may need to repeat another time or so.
Repeat until all the apple slices have been covered.

We ate this as our afternoon snack but this would be fabulous for breakfast...

It would also be great over bananas!

Healthy Snacks for the Family

Photo from Flickr

I don't know about you, but lately it seems I hear groans when my kids want a snack and I suggest they grab a piece of fruit. Fruit? How drab! How boring! How healthy Mom! "I don't want anything healthy!" That's a funny comment because in this house they're not getting anything that's not... On a rare occasion we'll have hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream, or something homemade and fresh out of the oven. Most days, however, the boring healthy stuff!

Kids are like adults. Food must be appealing. If I have time I'll make up a nice presentation. I also try to get creative and mix things up a bit. We all need variety and kids are no exception.

Fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter might look pretty to a grown-up, but kids need a little more in the wow department...

Snack ideas -- Fruit
My kids love party toothpicks... the more festive the more fun. Serve some of the following with fancy toothpicks!

Blueberries in yogurt
Blueberries in yogurt over lowfat granola
Blueberry Smoothies
Strawberries
Strawberries dipped in yogurt (vanilla) and then dipped in sprinkles
Apples cut up with peanut butter
Apples cut up with peanut butter and drizzled with honey
Apples dipped in *cinnamon sugar
Bananas drizzled with honey
Bananas with peanut butter
Bananas dipped in yogurt and then dipped in sprinkles

Snack ideas -- Non-fruit!
Pita chips and hummus
Pretzels and hummus
Veggies and hummus (not as popular with my kids!)
Pretzels with mustard
Pretzels with Queso dip -- the jarred variety is actually fairly low in fat and calories... just watch serving sizes!
Pretzels with *melted cheese
Pita chips and salsa
Baked tortilla chips and salsa
White corn chips (Syder's is lower in calories and sat fat then regular tortilla chips) and salsa

A slice of toast with peanut butter or peanut butter and honey or peanut butter and banana
An English Muffin with *melted cheese
English muffin with peanut butter/jelly (English muffins are a great choice. 110 calories per muffin!)
A bowl of soup. Soups are (for the most part) low fat and filling!
Mixed nuts -- watch portions!
Trail mix -- *make your own!
Granola -- lowfat or make your own and watch portions!
A plate of cheese, crackers and apple or pear slices
Pudding made with skim or 1% milk
Deviled eggs -- made with lowfat mayonnaise. 1 egg (2 halves) packs a bunch of protein!
Popcorn
Mixed dry fruit (with or without nuts)
Crudites (veggies) and lowfat dip

Finger sandwiches (smaller and leaner than their regular counterparts!):
Using Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread
   Turkey
   Ham
   Cucumber
   Tuna

Kabobs (Kids love these!)
Fruit kabob -- String together various pieces of fruit on to a bamboo skewer
Veggie kabob -- String together various veggies (cucumbers/cherry tomatoes/peppers) onto a bamboo skewer with a small dish of lowfat dressing to dip into
Fruit and cheese kabob
Veggie and cheese kabob

Breakfast for snack!
2 waffles, pancakes or pieces of French toast cut into strips -- honey or maple syrup for dipping
Cereal
Life -- sweet without an overload of sugar
Cornflakes or Rice Krispies drizzled with honey
A small bowl of oatmeal with raisins or dried cranberries (not the instant please!)
Muffins (homemade are healthier, smaller and contain less fats)
   Blueberry
   Apple
   Banana
   Pumpkin
   Sweet potato
   Oatmeal raisin
(Plenty of recipes in this blog to choose from!)
Fruit breads
Made with very little fat (canola oil) these make a nice snack or breakfast
Strawberry
Apple
Zucchini
Blueberry
Pumpkin
Banana
(Plenty of recipes in this blog to choose from!)

* Pretzels (or Triscuits or pita chips) with melted cheese
Preheat oven to broil (hi)
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil
Place desired amount of pretzels on cookie sheet
Sprinkle generously with your favorite shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican, etc)
Place under broiler and watch closely until the cheese starts to bubble and turn a golden brown.
Remove from oven and place on a plate with mustard for dipping, if desired.

* English muffins with melted cheese
My kids (as do I!) love these and they are a much better and healthier substitution to the fat-laden grilled cheese sandwich.
Preheat oven to broil (hi)
Halve your English muffin and place in toaster until lightly toasted
When done place sliced cheese (cheddar, American, etc) on each half
Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet
Place English muffin with cheese on cookie sheet
Place in oven and watch closely until cheese starts to bubble and turn brown.
I am normally not at all a lover of American cheese, but melted on this it is fantastic!

* Trail Mix
Equal amounts raisins and or dried cranberries and nuts such as dry roasted peanuts mixed with half the amount of chocolate chips. Sometimes I add the Pepperidge Farm pretzel goldfish to this as well. So much more less expensive to make your own!

Decadent Blondie Bars

This recipe came to me from my friend Melissa which came to her from her neighbor.
They are, as Melissa pointed out, super rich and super yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted

2 eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup (of each) any chips of your choice (I used butterscotch, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate, but you could also use dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, etc.)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 15x10x1 in. pan

2.  Stir together brown sugar and melted butter in large bowl; beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Add flour and salt, beating just until blended; stir in chips.  Spread into prepared pan.

3.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

4. Let cool before cutting into triangles or squares.

5.  You can also drizzle with melted chocolate if you're feeling extra decadent.

White Chocolate Peanut Buttter Bars

Two of Christopher's favorite ingredients and he was determined to find or create a recipe using them. We saw a few recipes and then created our own from those using our ingredients. I was a little unsure about the white chocolate and peanut butter combination, but he assured me that it would be good. Indeed he was right. My 9 year old has a fantastic sense of taste!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of peanut butter chips
Nonstick cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Directions

In microwave or double boiler melt the butter and add in, slowly 1 cup of white chocolate chips. Make sure the chocolate is well blended into the butter. Transfer to mixer and add sugar. Mix well. Gradually add eggs, one at a time and baking powder and peanut butter until well blended. Beat in flour and the remainder of the white chocolate and the peanut butter chips.

Pour into greased brownie pan. It is hard to spread and you will have to work the batter into the corners. It may seem as though  there is not enough, but the brownies will rise nicely.

Bake for about 25 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen nicely sized (not huge!) bars.

A Birthday Cake for my Littlest Hero!

Alexander turned 5 on Tuesday. He wanted a red fire truck Birthday cake. Had he not had one for the past 3 Birthdays I would have indulged. But I got bored. And I wanted something easy. Simple. Let's face it. I'm lazy. I even bought a packaged cake mix. The kids prefer it. I made the frosting from scratch though. Nothing beats homemade frosting. Especially when it is peanut butter! And the middle of the cake is filled with melted chocolate and roasted marshmallows. I totally did good this year!

Christopher offered up his army toys so that I could do an army themed cake.
Seriously. This could not have been easier!
My easiest Birthday cake to date!

The middle layers. After the cake was baked 
(per directions on the box)
I "roasted" marshmallows under the broiler for a couple of minutes...

And melted chocolate... think Smores!
My sister in law has an amazing recipe for graham cracker cake.
But remember, I am lazy!

Melt the chocolate so that you have a nice smooth chocolate bar in the middle of your cake...

Put the two pieces together and frost...
(Click here for peanut butter frosting recipe.)

YUM!

Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bites...

I have a weakness for granola... Ok, I have a weakness for all sorts of food. But crunchy, sweet granola that is a little bit healthy I just adore!

Ok, this version may be a tad bit less healthy than my other versions. You could toss in some wheat germ for good measure... But this version is like a sweet treat, almost peanut brittle-like. Super easy to make. Hurry up, get your oats on... you'll thank me... Big time!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of good quality honey
3 cups of rolled oats (NOT the instant variety)
1 cup of honey roasted peanuts
1 cup of plain or dry roasted sunflower seeds (I'm all about the salt in this sweet and salty treat!)
1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Directions:

In a small saucepan melt butter and add brown sugar and honey. (I like to spray the measuring cup with Pam before I add the honey. The honey will slide out effortlessly this way.)
Combine until all is well blended.

In a large mixing bowl pour in your oats. Add honey mixture and with a spatula mix well so that all the oats are coated. Add in peanut butter chips, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Mix well. The peanut butter chips will melt. This is exactly what you want to happen!

Spray a brownie pan with your non stick spray and add your granola mixture. Spread evenly and distribute across the pan.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and place in freezer to cool and harden. 15 - 20 minutes. Break apart like peanut brittle. No need for plates... you'll be elbow deep in it before you can get to the cupboards!

Peanut butter... Fluff... Chocolate... Cupcakes... Oh My!

Don't you just want to take a bite?!!!

Alexander wanted to make cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes. He wanted vanilla frosting. I wanted peanut butter frosting. And then I had to wonder what a Fluffernuter-Peanut butter frosting would taste like! Damn it was good!

Cupcakes. From a box. Doctored up. Taste like home made but without the work.

1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix
3 eggs

1 Cup of buttermilk

1/3 Cup of butter, soft

Beat eggs, buttermilk and butter and cake mix until well mixed. Line 12 cupcake tins (we don't kid around with puny cupcakes here!) with cupcakes liners and fill with batter. Place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Peanutbutter-Fluffernutter Frosting

(I eyeballed all portions)

1 cup of Fluffernutter
1 cup of peanut butter
2 tbs butter

1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixer add all ingredients and beat on high until well blended and fluffy.

This makes enough to cover all 12 of my monster cupcakes!

Fully Loaded Candy Bars

This recipe was adapted from Bobby Flay's... well, only the blondie part. Everything else is completely my crazy doing... my cravings for chocolate and salty and sweet have kicked in 100%. I was bored. And stressed and I cook and bake when I am bored and stressed and now I need someone to come and take all this stuff off of my hands!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
2 cups of light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 cups of mini peanut butter cups -- (I like the really small ones at Trader Joe's. If you can't find them, halve or quarter Reese's mini pb cups)
1 cup of Milk Duds, cut in half
1 cup toffee bits, like Heath
1 1/4 cup chocolate covered pretzels broken into small pieces
* Any of these candies can be substituted... Snow Caps, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, various candy bars chopped such as Twix, Snickers... be creative and have fun!

In a large mixer, mix together butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Add flour and mix well.

You might think the pretzel pieces sound a bit odd, but the crunch adds such a wonderful texture, and the salt from the pretzel seems to enhance the peanut butter flavor. I was not prepared to be wowed as I was!

In a well greased brownie pan pour the mixture so that the entire pan is well covered.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Cut into squares after they have cooled for 10 - 15 minutes. Let cool another 20 minutes before removing squares from the tin and serving.

Little bits of caramel seeping through when the blondies are still warm. When they have cooled, the caramel adds a delightful chewiness! Chewy, crunchy, soft, crisp -- you experience it all with these decadent treats!

when the Nutella jar is empty...

Don't panic! You may or may not want to run out to the grocery store. I went to my local Trader Joe's. But came out empty-handed. Devastated and empty-handed. I promised my 9 year old that I was going to make him a Nutella and Banana Pannini. I really didn't want to waste more gas by going all the way to the grocery store. I really didn't want to waste my time at the grocery store on a Saturday morning for the sole purpose of a jar of Nutella. So as I drove home I knew I had to be creative. To some peanut butter I would add a little powdered sugar and cocoa powder and create a chocolate peanut butter spread.

So as soon as I returned home I headed to the kitchen. In a bowl I added:

2 Tbs. peanut butter (Skippy Natural)
2 Tsp. cocoa powder
2 Tsp. powdered sugar

I placed the bowl in the microwave for 12 seconds to soften the peanut butter.

In a hot pan I added about a tsp of butter and let it melt. On fresh challah bread (or any other really good bread) I spread a generous amount of the peanut-chocolate-butter spread on top of which I added a few slices of banana and topped it off with another slice of bread.

Into the hot pan (next time I will use the indoor grill) my sandwich went. I let each side get golden brown and crispy, then I sprinkled a little bit of powdered sugar over the top.

The sandwich was a big hit!

Note this is not as sweet as the Nutella is.

Good to the last bite!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rainy Day Cake

 

It's been raining since Thursday. Today is Monday. There's a small pool in the basement. We are lucky. We have power and our house has no damage. A nasty storm came through Southwestern Connecticut and Southeastern New York. Hurricane-force winds uprooted trees and dumpsters and tossed them upside down... some landing on houses others landing on cars. Electrical wires are strewn across town like crepe paper streamers. Roads are blocked by electrical poles and trees. Or flooded. We were spared and we are lucky. But we have some restless natives. Christopher had a friend over. Alexander wouldn't leave them alone. I came up with a million and one activities to do with him. He wanted nothing to do with them. Then I mentioned baking and he wanted to use the hand mixer. So we decided to make a chocolate chip cake. Of course it had to be out of a box because for some reason Alexander thinks cooking out of a box is so much fun. So to please him and because I am the Queen of Lazy Cuisine (ooh, can I Trademark that?!!) I brought out the box of yellow cake mix. And some eggs and some milk and of course the chocolate chips. Alexander wanted to add something else and so naturally I thought of peanut butter!

This is a low cal treat! (Bwahahahahaha!)

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup of milk plus 1 tbs vinegar
1 cup of peanut butter
1 bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

If you don't have any buttermilk you will want to make some by adding 1 tbs of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 minutes

In a large bowl add cake mix, oil, eggs, buttermilk and mix well. Add peanut butter and chocolate chips. Mix well.

Pour batter into a Bundt or tube pan and bake for 1 hour.

Let cool about 20 minutes.

Despite the milk, eggs and peanut butter this cake is light and airy!

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day!

I heard on the news that today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day!
So  I am reposting this recipe for Peanut Butter Frosting!
Add to a chocolate or peanut butter cake for even more peanutbutterier goodness!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups of peanut butter, smooth or chunky, but NOT freshly made or all natural

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 cup of confectioners sugar

Using a handheld mixer, mix until ingredients are well combined and the texture is creamy and smooth

For a quick and easy peanut butter cake, use a white or yellow boxed cake mix, follow directions and add 1 cup of smooth peanut butter!

For more peanut butter recipes be sure to check my side-bar.

Peanut, Peanut Butter Cup Cookie (A lil bite of Heaven!)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

There's nothing I like better than peanut butter and chocolate when I have a hankering for something sweet. I'm a sweet and salty kind of a girl. And these cookies satisfy both cravings! They really are like a little bit of Heaven in your mouth!

I adapted this recipe from Family Circle Magazine because I needed it to be peanuttier!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks of butter (I use regular salted)
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chunky peanut butter
1 (overflowing!) cup of dry roasted peanuts (I want the salty flavor of the nuts) chopped
1 cup of mini peanut butter cups (I used Trader Joe's brand) or Reese's mini cups coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bow sift together flour and baking soda, set aside

In a large mixing bowl beat together sugars and butter until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in peanut butter.

Add in flour mixture until well blended.

Add in peanuts and peanut butter cups.

Using a small scoop place cookies on cookie sheet leaving an inch in between each scoop (I can fit a dozen on each sheet)

Bake 15 minutes

Let cool on cooling rack

and enjoy!

Rice Krispie Treats for the Indecisive!

Because I have to mess with everything... because my kitchen is my science lab... because I can never leave well enough alone... because I like to play with my food... because I could not make up my mind today I made the most incredibly amazing Rice Krispie Treats! Do you like marshmallow and peanut butter a la Fluffernutter? Do you like marshmallow and chocolate a la Mallomars? Do you like peanut butter and chocolate a la Reese's? Or do you like them all, like me?!

I promised the kids we'd make Rice Krispie treats. I had a box in the basement. The other day Cocoa Puffs were on sale at Shaw's. Something like 2 bucks a box. I saw the box and I knew exactly what would become of the chocolaty corn puffy cereal things (that my kids are normally not allowed to eat!)

So today as I was melting my butter and marshmallows I kept thinking it needed something more. Some chocolate perhaps! I could drizzle some melted chocolate over the top. But that wasn't what I really wanted. Peanut Butter! Peanut Butter is my bff (best food friend!) and would be the perfect add in to my creation.

I melted and mixed and melted and added and mixed and added and melted some more. And what I had was a treat that my husband declared to be "Dangerous!" I haven't been downstairs for a few minutes. I have no idea what remains of my pan, if anything. They were indeed THAT good!

Ingredients:

4 cups of Rice Krispies
2 Cups (full!) of Cocoa Puffs
approx 1 cup of peanut butter
1 bag of marshmallows
3.5 tbs of butter
2 squares of Baker's semi sweet chocolate, or about 1/4 of a bag of chocolate chips

In a large pot melt butter and add marshmallows. Work the butter and the marshmallows together to blend and melt. This requires some good elbow grease! Add peanut butter and mix well until the butter, peanut butter and marshmallow are one.

Add cereal and mix well.

Place in a well greased brownie pan (I use Pam) and press firmly so that the dessert is even in the pan.

Take chocolate bars (or chips) and melt in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes (at 1 minute intervals) and with a silicone spatula, fork or spoon mix well until the chocolate is completely melted. With your spoon, spatula or fork drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the Rice Krispie treats. If needed, place in freezer for a minute or two so chocolate will harden faster.

Oriental Chicken Salad

I've put myself back on the South Beach Diet. I need to lose a few pounds. I never lost the last ten pounds after Alexander was born and then a few extra found their way on to me over the past couple of years. Sad that I had all these wonderful clothes that were either a bit too snug or didn't fit at all, I decided to do something about it. I had been on South Beach six years earlier. I lost and kept off 10 pounds until I got pregnant for the third time.

So basically for the next 10 days I can have no carbs. No bread and no fruit. I'm fine without the bread. I do miss the fruit. I would love an apple to sink my teeth into! With my restriction I want to create foods that are good and fun to eat and fun to make. I also need things that will please the children, as I refuse to make more than one meal for dinner. Inspired by the recipe for the Peanut Dipping Sauce I went on to create a delicious salad. My kids adore chicken lollipops dipped in peanut sauce. This Oriental Chicken Salad was a success according to everyone! I will certainly enjoy this "off the Beach!"

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, each pounded and cut into 4 pieces -- I used leftover grilled chicken for this.
(If not using left over chicken you can either cook the on the stove, broil it or grill it with your favorite mild seasoning.)

6 scallions, washed, trimmed and cut into pieces using both white and green pieces
1/4 cup of cashews, chopped -- I placed them in a baggie and banged them until they were just small enough.
1 lemon
2 packets of Splenda (real sugar can be used if not on South Beach)

4 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
4Tbs. natural peanut butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbs. water
dash of crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper

Cook chicken and set aside to cool. Once cooled placed in a bowl with the cashews and the scallions. Toss well.

In a separate bowl mix together peanut butter, lemon, Splenda (or sugar) soy sauce, garlic powder, water and red pepper. When well mixed (I used a whisk) slowly pour over the chicken salad. You may not need or want to use all the dressing. We had a bit left over.

We served our chicken salad wrapped up in lettuce. The kids pretended to eat it like tacos and had a blast.

Peanut Butter Pancakes!

We are huge peanut butter people. I put it on everything and in everything, or so it seems! I've made the kids peanut butter muffins and yesterday, when Christopher said he wanted pancakes I decided to try a few peanut butter ones! I do not make my pancakes from scratch. In my opinion Aunt Jemima makes the fluffiest ones out there -- better than Bisquick, so I make the boxed Aunt Jemima pancakes. And I am not ashamed to admit it, but damn proud!

I followed the recipe and as always I add about 1/2 a cup of extra milk. I also added three huge heaping (!!) tablespoons of peanut butter to the batter. (I used the natural peanut butter as it is easier to mix in to the batter) I also added a tablespoon of sugar.

I worried that the pancakes would stick to the pan and be heavy, but they weren't. They flipped as easily as any regular pancake does and they were so light and airy and wonderfully peanut buttery!

I served a few topped with honey and bananas. Peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches are my favorites!

And I turned a few into peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (I heated the jam as there is nothing worse than cold jam on a warm pancake)

If your pancakes are not peanutbuttery enough for you, you can either add more peanut butter to the batter or spread a little on your pancake.

I know what my guys are having for breakfast tomorrow!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

OhmyGOD are these good!

This recipe was adapted from the back of the Baker's semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks package

Ingredients:

1 - 3/4 Cups unbleached flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 - 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1+ tsp vanilla
1 cup of peanut butte -- we used unsalted, unsweetened organic peanut butter
3/4 package of Baker's chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla and beat until well blended
Add peanut butter and mix well
Add flour and baking soda, mix well
Fold in chocolate chunks

Place into 15x9 inch pan and pat firmly so mixture covers the entire bottom of the pan

Bake for about 20 minutes (test for doneness)
Let cool and cut into 36 squares

The Perfect Kid-friendly After School Snack

Mu kids love apples and peanut butter. My kids love apples and honey. They love apples and honey and peanut butter too. Toss in a few raisins and we have a healthy treat that is a fun snack as well. My kids are really into how food is presented. Aren't we, after all, too? Restaurants strive for the perfect presentation. I started making this simple flower by arranging the apple slices in a circular pattern around the edge of the plate. The spoon serves as the stem and the center of the flower. The raisins are the embelishment. For fun variety we use colorful paper plates and plastic spoons. Sometimes the kids dip the apple slices in to the peanut butter. Other times they save the peanut butter for last and lick it off the spoon. Personally, that's my favorite way to eat peanut butter. If you or your child suffers from a peanut butter sensitivity or allergy sunflower and soybean butters work as a great subsitute.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I have been tossing out too many bananas lately. Everyone I know, it seems has been baking banana bread or banana muffins. Sitting on my coffee table is the latest issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday FOOD Magazine. I flagged a few of the peanut butter and banana recipes. I love that combination. What I wanted was a muffin with both ingredients, so I adapted her banana cupcake recipe and made my own. Even if I hadn't wanted to change the ingredients my version would have been different, because if you know me even a little bit you know that I can not follow directions to save my life!

So here's my version and they really hit the spot!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Cup of old fashioned oats

1 Cup of peanut butter
3/4 Cups of sugar
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2/3 Cups canola oil

3 mashed bananas

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl mash bananas with a fork, add peanut butter and continue to mash, add eggs and blend well. Keep stirring while slowly pouring in canola oil, then add sugar, flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla extract. When all well blended scoop into lined muffin tins. According to desired size will make 12 - 18 muffins.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, cool before serving.

Some may like a nice dollop of strawberry jam on the side, or drizzle the tops with honey.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Peanut Butter enthusiasts of the world can rejoice! I made this incredible frosting last night that was also incredibly simple. We were celebrating Alexander's Half Birthday as you probably read about in my other blog. Alexander loves peanut butter ( as do we all) and this was a hit. I must confess to having used a packaged cake recipe though. I did not have the entire day to spend on the cake.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups of peanut butter, smooth or chunky, but NOT freshly made or all natural

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 cup of confectioners sugar

Using a handheld mixer, mix until ingredients are well combined and the texture is creamy and smooth