A GIVEAWAY! My New Favorite Gadget: The Van Vacter PBJ Bagel Knife

The Peanut Butter Man and I have a long-standing disagreement about the best way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He uses a butter knife to spread the jelly on one slice of bread, then cleans the knife on the other slice of bread before dipping it in the peanut butter. I spread the peanut butter first, then stick the knife back into the peanut butter to get a little snack to tide me over until my sandwich is ready. Then I tip the jelly jar and usually it drips some out on top of the peanut butter, or if it needs a bit of help I'll grab a spoon. I'll smear the jelly around with my freshly-licked knife, cut the sandwich in half, and enjoy my little bit of heaven.

I have to admit, when I first saw this knife I was skeptical. Let's face it, there are new gadgets and gizmos every day, all proclaiming to be the most awesome things since sliced bread, and most of them end up either in the trash or forgotten in the junk drawer.

After just one use I was hooked. This knife is amazing! Its wavy blade makes it the perfect tool with runny peanut butter--no more drips all over the outside of the jar or on my plate. It works great with cold, stiff peanut butter from the fridge, too. No need for jelly spoons--it holds the jelly just as well as it holds the runny peanut butter.

I love the tip of the knife because it's the perfect shape for scraping the last bits of goodness from the bottom of the jar. The serrated edge cut through soft white bread as neatly and easily as it cut through a bagel. And the handle is perfect: not slippery, not heavy, not too skinny. This knife is also awesome for cream cheese, mayonnaise, or just about anything else you might want to spread on bread.

You can see more about this knife and the complete line of Van Vacter products on their website. If I've convinced you that you can't make it through another PB&J without one of these knives, you can get them from Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, and Broadway Panhandler.

I'm very excited because Van Vacter gave me a knife to give away to one of you! Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling how you make a PBJ
2. You must have a mailing address in the U.S.
3. Earn a second entry by blogging about this giveaway, including a link back to this post; and leave a second comment here with the URL of your post
4. Comments can be posted through October 5, 2008. On October 6 I'll use the randomizer thingie and select a winner.

Peanut Butter Cup Shortbread Giveaway

Cookies by Kristin is a new shop on Etsy--just about one month old--but I'm hooked already! These peanut butter cup shortbread cookies are baked fresh when you place your order and then shipped Priority Mail so you get them quickly. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious, I could easily down half an order with my morning coffee. At $6/dozen, that makes this the best $3 breakfast I've ever had. And for that matter, the best shortbread cookies I've ever had. They're good for late night snacks, too. And mid-afternoon snacks. And dessert.

Kristin is not only an awesome baker, she's also very generous. She's giving away a dozen fabulous peanut butter cup shortbread cookies to two separate winners! Here's how to enter:

1. You must have a U.S. mailing address.
2. Have a look at Cookies by Kristin, then come back here and leave a comment telling what flavor of shortbread cookie you'd love to see in her shop next. (I'm hoping for a peanut butter and strawberry combo, sort of a PBJ flavor!)
3. Earn an extra entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog, with links to both this post and to Cookies by Kristin; then leave a second comment on this post letting us know where to find your post.
4. Earn a third entry by making a purchase from Cookies by Kristin, and comment here with your transaction number.
5. Make sure there is a link to your blog or an email address accompanying your comment so that I can contact you if you're a winner.
6. September 25, 2008, is the last date to comment. On September 26 I'll use that randomizer thingie to select the winners.

I've been busy lining up more terrific giveaways, so come back soon and see what else I'm giving away!

Win a Jar of P.B. Loco

Kristle at Stir-Crazy! is giving away 3 jars of P.B. Loco peanut butter. I love every flavor I've tried so far, but they make so many different flavors there are plenty I haven't been able to check out yet. I really want to get my hands on a jar of their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the new Sun-Ripened Apricot flavors. Check out her giveaway post and enter--you'll be glad you did! Giveaway ends September 18, 2008 @ 12 Noon, CST.

And the Winner Is . . .

We had 16 comments, but one of them was mine. I used randomizer.org to choose a winning number from the 15 real comments and skipped over my comment when counting to reach winning #11. Congratulations Sara at News from NOLA! Let me know when you're back home after Hurricane Gustav has passed and I'll drop your handy-dandy new Grandpa Witmer's peanut butter mixer in the mail.

Amish Peanut Butter Spread Giveaway and Recipe

I discovered Kristen's Loving Our Simple Life blog today, and not a moment too soon! She's on vacation, where she's picked up some Amish treats including a jar of peanut butter spread--and is giving them away to her readers. Click on over and leave a comment to be entered.

And if you can't wait to try the spread, I've got a recipe that should take care of you. It's not Amish, but it is insanely easy.

Peanut Butter Spread

Ingredients
1 lb. creamy peanut butter
1 lb. marshmallow cream
2 c. Mrs. Butterworth's Original Maple Flavor Pancake Syrup
3/4 c. hot water

Directions
Whip all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Enjoy on bread, pancakes, biscuits, toast, muffins, crackers, or a spoon!

Win Peanut Butter During Bloggy Giveaways Carnival

If you like giveaways, you'll love this! There's a giveaway carnival in the blogosphere this week, and the last I checked there are 562 giveaways in progress. You know I had to check out the list for nifty peanut butter prizes, and I found that Superdumb Supervillain is giving away a jar of P.B. Loco. Click over to enter because we aren't participating this time around--but look for us to be a part of the giveaway carnival next quarter.

We Have a Winner!

Randomizer.org chose comment #9. Melanie, I enjoyed hearing about your Teen Winners--and I hope you enjoy this coffee! Next time your mom bakes a batch, maybe you can get her to share a photo and the recipe?

This was fun! I never thought of stirring milk into the jar of peanut butter, or mixing it with maple syrup. For those of you who didn't win this time, click on over to Higher Groundz and pick up a bag or six. Really--this coffee is that good.

The Best Coffee in the Universe--and a Giveaway!

I had the best coffee in the universe this morning. No joke--it was the best cup of coffee (or three) I've ever had! I am now a huge fan of Peanut Butter Cup flavored gourmet coffee from Higher Groundz. Knowing that it was flavored coffee before I tried it, I was on alert for chocolate and peanut butter flavors, and although I could taste them they were subtle. If I hadn't known what I was drinking, I doubt that I would have picked up on them. This tastes like just darned fine coffee!

You've got to try this, even if you aren't a fan of flavored coffee. The generous folks at Higher Groundz have given me a 1/4-pound bag of ground deliciousness to give away. To get yours:

1. You must have a mailing address in the United States, and you must supply me with your mailing address if you're the winner.
2. Post a comment here, telling us your favorite thing to do with peanut butter.
(This is a family blog, so keep it family-friendly!) Make sure you include a link of some sort with a way to contact you in your comment.
3. Earn an extra entry by blogging about this giveaway, posting a link back here, and leaving a comment alerting me to your post.
4. Your comment(s) must be posted by midnight (Eastern U.S. time) Tuesday, July 22, 2008.

On Wednesday, July 23, I'll use that nifty randomizer.org thingie to choose a number, and if that number corresponds to your comment, you too can enjoy the best coffee in the universe!