The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid

Cynthia Kagan Frohlichstein was inspired to write The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid by her own son's love of peanut butter. Elmer, the main character, could just as easily been based on me! This is a delightful, award-winning book, perfect for peanut butter lovers of all ages. I'm looking forward to Frohlichstein's next book, The Perils of the Peanut Butter Dog. You can find more about Elmer and his peanut butter troubles at Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid and PeanutButterLady.

Deskins Candies Peanut Butter Pinwheels

photo © 2006 Deskins Wholesale

I stumbled on to these candies while shopping at my local Kroger. The packaging was simple, single color printing on the label over a clear plastic carton. It caught my attention right away--the candies are so visually enticing! The label stated the candies were made by a small, family-run business. I had to bring them home with me, and I'm so glad I did--they are delicious.

The main ingredient is peanuts, always a plus as far as I'm concerned. The peanut buttery part of these candies is smooth, creamy, and rich. The white colored part of the pinwheels are firmer and lighter tasting, a perfect contrast of flavors and textures.

If you can't find these candies at your local supermarket, try Deskins website. You'll be glad you did!

Peanut Butter Ring

Just when I thought I'd seen all the peanut butter jewelry possible I came across this darling ring. It's actually part of a set of peanut butter and jelly best friend rings created with polymer clay at Pumpkin Pye Boutique. If the rings aren't enough for you, there's a nice selection of pendants, necklaces, even keychains!

Peanut Butter Whoppers

Finally! After surgery to remove an arthritic bone at the base of my thumb, I'm feeling better enough to do all the things I've had to ignore the past several months. My terrific find today is Peanut Butter Whoppers--something that I didn't expect to like much, but one bite and I'm hooked! They're almost a candy version of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch cereal, lots of peanut butter flavor with an underlying taste of malt.

I've finished my box but will be replacing it quickly because I've found two yummy-sounding cookie recipes I'm dying to try. The first is Peanut Butter Whopper Cookies on a terrific food blog, But Mama, I'm Hungry! The second cranks the cookies up a notch in an effort to create a cookie version of a fluffernutter. I found it at Picky Palate, another wonderful food blog.

Luxurious Peanut Butter Cookie Scented Lotion

What a wonderful treat for your skin and your nose! Enriched with aloe, vitamin E, and almond oil, the yummy scent of peanut butter cookies fills the air as you open the jar. The lotion is actually a little darker in color than in this photo, almost a peanut butter color. You really ought to try some of Dawn Da Nut's Peanut Butter Cookie Lotion--your skin (and your nose) will love you for it!

Nice Source of Peanut Butter Treat Recipes

The Peanut Butter Treats lens on Squidoo has a nice collection of cake, cookie, brownie, and cupcake recipes. The Peanut Butter 'N' Jelly Cake recipe looks like one my mom made when I was young, and I loved it! Our recipe has since disappeared, so I'll be trying this one out soon. I'm also looking forward to trying out the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes I found there--they look delicious!

The lens is missing a few categories but it looks like a new lens, so maybe they'll add candies, pies, and more soon. (Lens master, if you're reading this, consider it a request from a new fan!)

Peanut Butter Recall Updates

It's difficult to keep up with which foods are safe and which ones have been recalled. I found this nifty widget at the FDA--it makes keeping up a lot easier!



FDA Product Recall List

I Did Not Run Out of Peanut Butter!

For those of you placing odds on whether I ran out of peanut butter goodness, the answer is absolutely not! I was a bit overwhelmed with filling orders during the holiday shopping frenzy and working in a couple of physical therapy visits each week. The shopping frenzy has quieted somewhat, and I graduated from PT this week (yippee!). There's a wide world of unexplored peanut buttery delights out there, and I'll get back to sharing them with you in a few days.

Naturally More Peanut Butter

The kind folks at Naturally More sent me a jar of their peanut butter to try. I have to admit I was skeptical, after all their tag line is "what peanut butter should be," and that's a pretty tall order to fill.

Naturally More contains 25% more protein and 50% more fiber than regular peanut butter. They've added egg whites, wheat germ, and flax seed. That sounds healthy, but not necessarily yummy.

After stirring the peanut butter I gave it my knife test: does the peanut butter drip off the knife because it's got a bit too much oil? Yep. Runny peanut butter is never a happy thing for me.

I struggled to keep an open mind, and took out a spoon for a straight-from-the-jar test. Gritty. Again, not a happy thing for me. But the flavor was good! And in spite of the unpleasant texture, there's something compelling, almost addictive, about the flavor. I usually save good-tasting but bad-textured peanut butter for baking, but I've eaten almost half of the jar with a spoon.

The fact that it's full of flax seed and flax oil is a huge plus. Highly recommended as a mega-food, people add flax to their diet to boost their immune systems, fight cancer, and improve cardiovascular health. I'll be buying a replacement jar of Naturally More soon. I might try the organic variety, and they also have an almond butter product. I didn't expect it to work out this way, but I'm such a fan now I may spring for one of each!

Stealing Peanut Butter From the Dead

British comedian Russell Brand has admitted to grave robbing. Did he take something valuable? Jewelry perhaps? No.

During his recent appearance on the Late Show, he told host David Letterman that he took peanut butter from the grave site of writer Jack Kerouac. "Around his grave were all manner of tributes left by well-wishers. Some people had left things like a book of poems or flowers, more conventional, but someone had left a jar of peanut butter. That's no use to you in the afterlife, is it? I was hungry. I took it. I asked the crew, 'is that respectful to steal from a grave?' I was able to argue that in the spirit of the beat, in the spirit of rebellion and revolution he wouldn't mind if I had that peanut butter. So I took it."

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza

These peanut butter and jelly pizzas are so easy to make a child can do it--and things always taste better if you make them yourself!

We used Mama Mary's prepared individual size pizza crusts, spread them with peanut butter and then jelly, popped them in the oven for about 6 minutes, and it was time for the pizza party!

These are also delicious with chocolate chips sprinkled over the top--both instead of and in addition to the jelly!

Krema Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

Krema has been making peanut butter for over 100 years. The ingredients are: peanuts. That's it--no salt, oil, sugar, or any of the really bad stuff. A number of people have recommended that I try it, and it sounded like a winner. I hate to admit it, but I think I may have found a peanut butter I don't much care for. The flavor is terrific, and I love the absence of extra ingredients. It's the texture that bothers me: it doesn't feel good straight off the spoon. There's a gritty sort of texture, and although it disappears if you bake it into a recipe, I can't open a jar without sneaking a spoonful for a snack.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

Last week I got to wear my wicked stepmother hat the entire week, and one of the "mean and dreadful" things I subjected my little darlings to was making and eating these no-bake cookies. The kids thought these were not only easy to make but fun, and of course they loved eating them. I'm really gonna have to work on the wicked part; apparently I'm not very good at it.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

1 c. powdered milk
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. honey

Mix everything in a large bowl and roll into bite-size balls. Store in the refrigerator.

You can toss in a handful of mini chocolate chips or raisins before rolling into balls if you like. You can roll the balls in powdered sugar, or decorate with mini chocolate chips if you want to be a bit fancy. Stack a few and make a peanut butter snowman!

Guest Post by Diana of Diana's Daily Ramblings

Here is a yummy recipe using peanut butter submitted by Diana at Diana's Daily Ramblings.

Diana is a creative, crafty work from home mom who likes to create quick and easy meals that are within her budget. Her family lived in Malaysia in 2001 and enjoyed Chicken Satay and other recipes made with peanuts. She has taken these Beef Satay Patties to a potluck and it got rave reviews. Try it out and let Diana know what you think of the recipe!

Beef Satay Patties
~2.25 lbs of lean Ground Beef
1 Tablespoon Corn Meal
1.5 teaspoons Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon grated Ginger (or Ginger Powder)
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1.5 teaspoons Sugar

Mix all ingredients. I have found that just digging in and using my hands works best. It will look like this.


Make large meatball-patties and put them on a cookie sheet. I prefer to use a broiler pan so that any fat from the meat drips down.


Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 mins. Serve over rice. The meatballs look dry and plain, but they taste divine!


BONUS: Not only do they make a good lunch the next day, they still taste GREAT!

Peanut Butter and JellyFish Plush Toy

This is another one of those finds that's got me giggling non-stop. It's a Peanut Butter and JellyFish Sandwich Plush Toy from San Diego artist Mandy Jouan. Handcrafted in felt and fleece, it's sure to bring smiles wherever you play with it. Visit her Sappy Moose Tree shop for more fun and quirky items.

OOPS! A Glitch with Guest Bloggers

I've just discovered that many of the emails I've sent to you, oh very kind prospective guest bloggers, have been disappearing into the vast void of cyberspace. This problem has also reared its ugly head with many of the emails that have been sent to me.

I apologize if you thought I was ignoring you. And I know you weren't ignoring me. (If you were, we can pretend, OK?)

So here's the new plan: I will attempt to contact everyone who left a comment experssing interest in doing a guest post one more time. If you're reading this and haven't heard from me, go ahead and send me your post. Make sure you include a photo or two if you have 'em, and links to your blog or site. A one- or two-sentence bio blurb would be terrific. Email everything to me at luckygirltrading at yahoo.com. If you don't hear from me within 24 hours or so, leave a comment asking whether I have your post--because most likely I don't.

Back to our regular peanut butter fun tomorrow!

Win a Family Vacation from Skippy

Skippy Peanut Butter is having a terrific promotion. The grand prize is a 4-day/3-night trip for four (4) to Cedar Point, Ohio. Trip includes round-trip coach class air transportation from the major United States airport nearest to Grand Prize Winner's home to destination city, three (3) nights sponsor-selected hotel accommodations (based on quad occupancy), four (4) days' admission tickets for four (4) people to Cedar Point Amusement Park, four (4) days' admission tickets for four (4) people to Soak City Amusement Park, and $2,000 spending money awarded in the form of a check (ARV: $7,200). First prize is A Charlie Brown Christmas on DVD.

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are 13 years of age and older. No purchase necessary, and you can enter once each day through December 31, 2008.

November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month

The best way I know to celebrate this month-long holiday is by eating peanut butter every day. Now that I think about it, I pretty much do that anyway, so I guess I should come up with some other ways to celebrate. Here's a partial list of ideas:

1. Try a new peanut butter recipe.
2. Share my love of peanut butter with a friend or neighbor.
3. Create an amazing sculpture with peanut butter dough.
4. Make my own peanut butter.

Please help me add to this list! How will you celebrate Peanut Butter Lovers Month?

Have a Peanut Butter-licious Halloween

These cute little pumpkins are easy to make and absolutely delicious! Just melt a package of peanut butter chips, mix with a can of vanilla frosting, and add a few drops of orange food coloring. Take a small piece of the dough and add green food coloring. Cover the dough and chill for about an hour. Roll the orange dough into balls and draw the pumpkin "seams" with a toothpick. Use the green dough to make stems and press them lightly on top of the pumpkins. If you're feeling the need to create jack-o'-lanterns, you can add some mini chocolate chip eyes and teeth.

The Creamy Peanuts Winner

Congratulations to micaela6955 of Creative Writings 101! If you haven't seen her blog, click on over and scroll down a bit--the photo of the pumpkin is too funny!

We're all looking forward to her review of this yummy-looking candy, and I hope to be better at posting in the meantime. Sorry for the lack of exiting stuff, it's been a bad week here. Tomorrow is another day, right?