Sandy Supposes....

P.B. For Me

Day 3914: November 7, 2023

Prompt: November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month: Write a story, poem, tribute, or rant about peanut butter. Do you have a favorite recipe that includes peanut butter?

         To p.b. or not to p.b. Why yes since you asked I like peanut butter. It's a great spread for toast, just the p.b. and absolutely no jam or jelly whatsoever.

         Oh wonderful, now an ear worm has burrowed into one ear and its musical loop is stuck on repeat. Enough! "Peanut, peanut butter, and jelly!" This unfortunate ditty assaulted me during one visit with my third grandgiggle and it's left a residual echo. "First you take the peanuts and you mash 'em, you mash 'em, you mash 'em, mash 'em ,mash 'em." Eventually the p.b. is spread, but then everything is repeated with berries. Yep, they too are mashed.

         If I dare to sing my own version of the 'lyrics' I suffer 'the look', the glare for my efforts. Often a wee hand finds its way to a jutting hip, or the arms curl into each other. Four-year olds are masters of body language. I may have belted out "you smash 'em" and a line or two of " peanut, peanut butter and yucky jelly." I may detest fruit spreads with or without peanut butter, but I like p.b. paired with chocolate. This is in my opinion a delicious pairing. "First you take the chocolate and you melt it, you melt it, melt it, melt it, melt it Then you take the p.b. and you dip it, you dip it, dip it, dip it, dip it."

         Of course, chocolate chips taste divine in peanut butter cookies and p.b. cups , ( think Reese's!) are fantastic in oatmeal cookies. Peanut butter and its delectable mate chocolate feature in many of the family's favourite Christmas treats.

         A new no-bake treat in our repertoire is easy to make. It melds many flavours together.

         Melt equal amounts of semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips in a double boiler. I use one package of each. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies cereal. Form into bite-sized balls and let the mixture set. May be refrigerated or kept at room temperature.

         Another requested treat is peanut butter fudge. Like all fudge it tempts the taste buds and disguises its calorie count. Yes, the recipe's claim is true.

         EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

2 cups white sugar

half a cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

three quarters of a cup peanut butter

Bring sugar and milk to a boil. Boil for 2 and a half minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a square cake pan. Let cool and set.

         I suppose I've created a tribute to peanut butter.