This post really has nothing to do with bread flour. Except for the following 2 photos and a story. It’s not really a story though. It’s pretty much just how I was biking around with 5lbs of bread flour in my back pack. For some reason this struck me as funny. I just had to get to the store today, because I just had to get bread flour. It was a necessity. [I may or may not have thought about falling off my bike onto my back, and having the flour soften my fall, then being covered in a cloud of flour. Does anyone else have ridiculous thoughts like this or just me??]

Chris has been taking the car to work, which leaves me with my 2 sweet wheels to get around. It’s been kind of fun, I’ll admit. Although errands are WAY more tiring now.

My house to errand #1 = 3 miles
Errand #1 to Whole Foods = 2.5 miles
Whole Foods to home = 4 miles

Not a ton of miles, but I feel the need to go faster than my typical riding speed, to get to my destination. Hence, errands are tiring!

What else was in my bag?

4 local organic heirloom tomatoes [they were on sale…I couldn’t help it]
3 lemons
flour
button mushrooms
parsley
kale

Can you tell what I made?? I am so freaking excited to share this recipe, because I couldn’t have been any more pleased with how it came out. I was pretty much dancing in the kitchen. For realz. And you will too!

Okay. Now to more important things…

Like perfected homemade peanut butter.

Perfectly drippy [but not oily] peanut butter. It was like a whirlpool on my oats today. I dripped it on with a knife. No heating necessary.

With a little Cocoa Goodness crunch underneath.

What else was in the mix?

1/4c Scottish oats
2T chia seeds
1 1/4c water
1/4c milk
1/2 banana
1/2t cinnamon

CHOMP.

So. I figured out the secret. Tell me if you already knew this, and I am just late to the game!

When making homemade peanut butter you must use dry roasted peanuts!! [preferably organic…tons of pesticides are used on peanuts!] It makes all the difference in the world. The past few times I’ve made peanut butter, it has been good, but I was always wondering why the flavor was so different from store bought.

Can you dry roast peanuts at home? I must google it!

In the past I would use large unsalted, unroasted, Virginia peanuts. I would roast them at home, in the oven. This just didn’t do it though. The peanut butter was extremely light in color and didn’t taste right.

I happened to find organic, dry roasted, unsalted peanuts at WF the other day. I figured I would give them a go. I never use salted peanuts when making peanut butter. I just add my own to taste.

Peanut butter is one of the easier nut butters to make. It butterizes pretty easily and oil is not necessary.

Homemade Peanut Butter [yields ~ 1.5c = 12oz]

3c organic unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
1/4-1/2t salt

Add nuts to food processor.
Turn on and scrape bowl as necessary until smooth + creamy. ~10-15min
Add salt slowly, process, then taste test. Repeat until desired saltiness is reached.

I don’t feel it’s necessary to add sugar to plain peanut butter, but I know some people do enjoy slightly sweetened nut butter. 1T of pure cane sugar/honey/maple syrup/etc. would work great.

While this was whirling around in the food processor, it turned into a big peanut butter dough ball. I had to break that up a handful of times and keep it moving in the bowl. It takes some time, but then comes together. Once it’s creamy, I still let it go in the machine for a few minutes longer, scarping another time or 2.

This photo below, is not the plain peanut butter.

It is cinnamon vanilla bean peanut butter and it is faaaabulous. And Chris doesn’t like cinnamony things so it is all mine. [muahahaaa]

Cinnamon Vanilla Peanut Butter

3/4c homemade salted peanut butter
1/2t vanilla bean paste [or 1t vanilla extract]
1.5t cinnamon
1.5t pure cane sugar

Add 3/4c of homemade pnut butter back into your food processor.
Add ingredients and turn on.
Scrape down bowl a few times. It will thicken a bit from the cinnamon but let it work for about 3 or so minutes and it should come to a good consistency.

I’m in love! Drippy peanut butter that will warm your soul :)

How’s the apple challenge going? I have a recipe that will be up on Friday! Here is the current tally, but who’s keeping score??

Ashley – 9 : Chris – 1

I didn’t eat all 5 apples today but used them in the recipe. It includes sweet taters + cinnamon, both of which Chris is not a fan. Hence, me getting the credit for all 5 apples. Like you care???? hehehe

Chris is funny about fruit. He has to be reminded to eat it. Not like “honey, did you eat your fruit today??” That is so not me. But literally, he forgets it’s there. Whenever I ask if he wants fruit, 90% of the time he does and he says “oh yah, I forgot that was there.” He loves kiwi, but also loves to let them sit in the fridge. Very strange. Fruit is like candy to me. I never forget when we have it!

How much yammering can a person do in 1 blog post??

The kitchen is in need of a rest, as are my feet and clearly my brain. Lights out!

Ashley