Feeling a Little Sweet and Nutty

 

Some foods I think of as grown-up foods (risotto, champagne (duh) and pate). Some foods I think of as kid foods (smashed peas, boiled hot dogs, fruit loops). Then, there are those foods that apply across a lifespan, the foods that remind us of the comfort of childhood without revoking or interfering with the independence of adulthood. These are the true comfort foods, including mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies and, my childhood favorite, peanut butter and jelly.

 

Really, peanut butter and jelly is quite a sophisticated childhood favorite. It is a delicate marriage of sweet and savory, nutty and light, that surpasses the simple sugar-obsessed kid palate.  Also, it allows for countless variations and interpretations. You can substitute almond butter for peanut butter, grape jelly for strawberry jelly, or whole wheat rolls for the classic white bread.  It's utterly simple to make (I was a pbj pro at age 7) yet tastefully complex, an on-the-go meal that never fails to satisfy.

 

Recently, I have been craving peanut butter. Maybe it's nostalgia because peanut butter was always one of my favorite snacks. Or maybe it's my increased activity and need for protein. Either way, all I really wanted was to grab a jar and a span and be left alone for a few delicious hours. Except, peanut butter by the spoonful is just a little bit to calorie dense for that kind of indulgence. Instead, I decided to get creative.

 

If it isn't already obvious, I LOVE to bake. A hot oven and some flour and sugar are the main ingredients of happiness. I especially love baking bread. The smell of working yeast and the pillowy softness of rising dough never fails to delight. So, I decided to combine my two loves and bake bread with a healthy dose of peanut butter. I even opted for a healthier loaf by using mostly whole wheat flour (which happened to enhance the nuttiness of the peanut butter). But as I kneaded the dough and placed it in the bowl to rise, I still felt like something was missing....

 

 

 

Then I remembered my elementary school lunch box. I recalled the days when I would unzip my container and see that marvelous creation, all wrapped snugly in a plastic wrap sheath, and my mouth would begin to water. There it was, a delicious PB&J made with love by my mom, ready to be enjoyed. Sure, I enjoyed the turkey sandwich days too, but the true delight came from the days when I could bite into the soft crust of a PB&J and feel the peanut butter stick to the roof of my mouth.

 

So, then and there, I knew that I needed to transform my simple peanut butter yeast bread into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich loaf. And boy, am I glad I did. With just a simply layer of jelly spread on the dough before placing it into the pan for its final rise, the wonderful and classic PB&J combination was recreated. The jelly moistened the bread around it creating a sweet, gooey texture while the rest of the peanut butter loaf maintained a hearty consistency due to the wheat flour. It's the perfect toasting bread and its a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the messy jars.

 

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Yeast Bread

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

- 2 1/2 cups wheat flour

- 1 cup bread flour

- 1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter

- Enough jelly to spread a thin layer on the dough

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, yeast and water in a small bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy. Meanwhile, combine the flours and peanut butter so the peanut butter is well incorporated. (I used a pastry cutter but you can use a food processor or even your hands). When the yeast is foamy combine the water mixture with the flour mixture and allow it to form a smooth but not sticky dough. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is thick and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise for an hour to an hour and a half. Once the dough has risen, shape it into a rectangle about the width of your bread pan and about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Spread a generous layer of jelly on the dough, allowing a bare rim around the outside. Roll and seal the dough to create the jelly swirl. Place in a greased bread pan and allow to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes. Once risen to about an inch over the lip of the bread pan, bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan, cool and Enjoy!



Twenty is the new twelve, right?

 

My Human Development class this year spent a decent amount of time discussing the fairly recent concept of Emerging Adulthood. As children grow up and pursue higher education, they are delaying their development into full blown adults by allowing themselves more time for identity discovery. As my professor informed us about this fascinating new life stage, he reminded us that we are all in the throes of this very stage of development. And BANG... it hit me. I am approaching that scary, intimidating period of my life called adulthood. The very thought of it made me want to fly back to Neverneverland and never ever leave!

 

As it turns out, I wasn't the only one of my friends who felt the pressure of adulthood. My best friend recently turned 20 (yep, she kissed those teenage years goodbye, whether or not she was ready to leave them). Though I wished her Happy Birthday (via text, facebook and of course, the classic hallmark card), she still expressed a hint of sadness over the feeling of.. well... feeling OLD.

 

With May being the month of birthdays amongst my friends, I've had a lot of time to think about turning 20 (though, thankfully I still have more than two months to fully accept it). I told my mom that I was concerned and she said, "What?! Your twenties are great! I just turned 50!" So I guess when you put it into perspective, the twenties aren't so bad. You're young, adventurous and you bring that youth and excitement into the adult world. It's not adulthood that changes you, it's your youthful perspective that changes modern adulthood. So, let us emerge, strong, proud, and maybe a little awkward from our teenage years and embrace being adults.

 



 

As I mentioned, my best friend turned 20 a few days ago. And when I say best friend, I mean it. We bonded over crayons in kindergarten and have been inseparable ever since. I was worried that as we went off to college, we would begin to grow apart, finding different interests, different lives. Luckily, though we have found different interests, we have lots of similarities to bind us together. We both have found solace in religion, we love to play Frisbee and we even enjoy snacking on cereal. Another thing we both love is the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination. To remind her of our past and future friendship, I decided to bake some decadent peanut butter and chocolate cake balls for a birthday treat.

 

I didn't realize the cake ball process was so time intensive. I baked the cake, crumbled it, made the icing, mixed the icing and cake, rolled the cake balls and froze them all the day before. 

 Then came the dipping... The chocolate looks so deliciously innocent obediently dripping off that spatula, doesn't it? Well, its totally faking. By the time I was done dipping the cake balls, there was chocolate splattered everywhere. I used about 20 toothpicks trying to coax the chocolate neatly onto the balls. In my attempt to smooth out the chocolate, I added half and half and the whole mixture congealed! Ha, chocolate, innocent, SWEET, ha... LIES!

Luckily, they came out well and I hope my best friend enjoyed them! Peanut butter and chocolate is not only the perfect treat, but the perfect analogy for our friendship. She's sweet and smooth, I'm a little nutty, and, together, we make an awesome pair!

The Birthday Trade-off

                    In late June, I started my first ever summer class. There are so many courses that I wanted/ needed to fit into my schedule for the fall semester that I felt the summer was a good time to get a required course out of the way. So, I decided to sign up for CAS 100 (Effective Speech) through my local branch campus.  Luckily, the class only meets twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays from six to nine, and it only lasts for roughly eight weeks. Also on the positive side, my professor is very relaxed and capable of putting the class at ease (which is very important when you have to prepare and give five speeches in front of that very class). So overall, even though I’d rather be out in the summer sun or spending time with my friends, my first summer class has not been an unbearably painful experience.

                There was one major downside to this particular summer class. It’s not the exams, or the speeches, or the three hours of sitting in a cold room. It’s that one of those Wednesday classes happened to fall on July 25^th. What’s so special about July 25^th? Well, it just happens to be my birthday. Through my 13 years of public school, having a birthday right in the middle of summer meant I never had to endure class, or worse, an exam on my birthday. I never had to wake up early or study or impatiently watch the minutes tick by on the clock while a teacher lectures on my birthday. It made for 18 years of blissful, stress-free birthdays. But, do to my first ever summer course and an unfortunate coincidence of dates, I had to endure not only a class on my birthday, but also, one of the two exams that the class requires. Instead of the typical birthday dinner that is our family tradition, I spent my evening studying for and taking an exam on effective speech tactic. Truly scintillating!

                Ok, I’m being a little dramatic. It really wasn’t that bad.  The exam was really easy, even comical. (My professor has a very pronounced sense of humor) The family dinner was rescheduled and was just as delicious a week after my birthday. I still didn’t have to wake up early and one 3 hour class is much better than an entire day of school. The occurrence of class on my birthday actually provided me with an opportunity that I had always wanted to have as a kid.

                In elementary school, the “cool” thing to do was to bring in your favorite baked treat to share with the class on your birthday. I saw and ate everything from homemade gooey chocolate chip cookies to the store-bought, brightly colored, whipped cream frosted cupcakes, depending on the tastes of the child whose birthday was being celebrated.  The treats were handed out by the birthday boy or girl on neatly folded napkins while the class sang “Happy Birthday” to him/her. I always enjoyed the treats and the singing, but there was a part of me that was a little jealous that I wouldn’t be able to share my favorite treat with the class.

                So, in true kindergartener-at-heart fashion, I decided to bake my favorite birthday treat for my class full of adult students.  I chose the chocolate cake that my mom always baked for me for my birthday, and formed it into individual, easy-to-handle cupcakes. I loaded the cupcakes with delicious peanut butter buttercream frosting, once again reuniting my two favorite flavors. I even brought my own colorful napkins for serving. The best part, though, was when my class decided to sing happy birthday to me! Even though I was celebrating my 19^th birthday, I felt like a little kid again, savoring the moment in the birthday spotlight.

                So, all in all, having class on my birthday was a nice trade-off for the opportunity to serve my cupcakes while being sung to.

Chocolate Cupcakes





 

• 3/4 Cup Salad Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 tsp. Baking soda
• 2 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Hot Coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
2.  In a mixer bowl, combine salad oil and sugar. Blend well. Add in eggs one at a time. Slowly add hot coffee and milk, making sure not to cook the eggs. Add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In small batches, combine the dry and wet ingredients.
5. Scoop batter evenly into a cupcake pan. (The cupcakes will rise so do not overfill).
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Check centers with a toothpick for doneness.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

• 3/4 Cup Butter
• 1/2 Cup Creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 Cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbs. milk

1. Combine butter, peanut butter and vanilla.

2. slowly add in powdered sugar, being aware of the texture.

3. Add in milk (amount depends on desired texture).

 

COOL THE CUPCAKES, FROST AND SAVOR!

 

Cookie Class (of 2012)

I attended my alma mater’s 2012 graduation recently because I wanted to see a few of my younger friends process. I expected the crowds, the excitement, the crazy, and the dressed up parents loading up their cameras and herding their families into the seats. What I didn’t expect was how OLD I felt. Ok, I realize that I’m not old, but it was weird to see all those kids in their caps and gowns, taking the seats that my class held just one year ago. All that wonderment about the expectations of college and leaving home has slowly faded into a more practical knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of college. I still enjoy the ability to hang out with friends and grab lunch with them at any time, or the countless free concerts and events, but the idea of college as the ultimate goal for the end of high school has changed into the idea of college as a small part in my path to education and success.

Regardless of my own feelings, I was very proud of the accomplishments of my class of 2012 friends. I swear, they grew so much, physically and mentally, while I was away. They won competitions, collected awards, aced tests and grew into themselves, slowly discovering who they are and who they are striving to be. As I listened to the valedictorian give her speech, standing at the same exact podium where I spoke just one year ago, I realized the hardships and adversity that my friends had gone through in just this one year and how well they handled it. Their maturity through tough weather and dark days has helped them blossom into respectable citizens and now, alumni.

The reason I’m getting all sappy and torturing any potential readers of this post is that I baked these cookies as a present for one of my graduating friends. I found the recipe for these Levain bakery copycat cookies a couple months ago at Love from the Oven (by the way, this is an awesome blog and you should definitely check it out!). I’ve made them a couple times since I found the recipe and brought them to various parties and gatherings. They are always well-received. I’ve seen people in the room take two or three at a time and come back for seconds. The only complaint I’ve ever received is that the cookie wasn’t actually a cookie (due to its soft gooey texture) and that it bothered the eater that he couldn’t figure out what it was. My friend probably has eaten at least a dozen of these cookies since I found the recipe and always seemed very pleased with them.

The real reason I decided to make these cookies for him was actually the discovery of a very unique ingredient. I found some turquoise chocolate candies at Wegmans in their amazing candy section and decided I had to give them to him. I don’t know if it’s because he has spent way too much time in a pool or just that he likes the hue, but aqua (or turquoise) is, by far, his favorite color. Instead of just giving him the candies, I decided to bake them into cookies with another special ingredient, peanut butter. He has always told me how much he likes the combination of chocolate and peanut butter (and really… who doesn’t?), so it was an easy and obvious substitution.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter or hald a cup of benecol
1/2 cup peanut putter (preferably creamy)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 & 1/2 tsp salt (I prefer sea salt)
2 tsp cornstartch
1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups M and M's or chocolate chips 
Optional – 1/2 block of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not unsweetened baker’s chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a large bowl/mixer bowl, cream together cubed butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.
4. Add flour, salt, cornstartch, baking powder, baking soda & salt to butter, sugar and egg mixture until just combined. This should be a very thick mixture, and not sticky. If your dough is still sticky, try adding more flour, 1/8-1/4 cup at a time.
5. Add in chocolate chips and nuts. If you are using a block of chocolate, you will want to grate it and add it in as well.
6. Combine the dough and chocolate chips. My dough was so thick that I had to do this by hand, a bit like kneading bread.
7. Divide into portions to bake. I scaled back a bit from the giant Levain Bakery size cookie and instead of making 12 cookies with this recipe, I made about 18. I worked the dough into balls, and put them on the cookie sheet, leaving ample room between them. I did not flatten the dough out at all. I also did not use a silpat, parchment paper or grease the cookie sheets. I’m a baking rebel when it comes to putting my cookies on the cookie sheets.
8. Put into the oven to bake. For my 18 cookies, each sheet took approximately 10 minutes. Larger cookies will obviously take a few more minutes. Watch them closely and don’t over bake, or you will ruin the gooey wonderfulness inside. I pulled mine out as soon as I saw them start to lightly brown.
9. Let cool and remove from pan.

* A few hints about the addition of peanut butter. The dough is a little bit softer than the regular dough. It remians sticky even after more flour is added. Instead of dividing the dough, I portion it using a large tablespoon (and making roughly 3 dozen cookies) and placed them on cookie sheets in the freezer to allow them to set. Because my cookies were smaller, I baked them for about 12 minutes and they were still very soft and with a perfect, light crust.