 Jif peanut butter - you are my favorite.😁 I've been a fan for a long time so naturally, I was devastated when they recalled and pulled their peanut butter products from grocery store shelves last Spring. I reluctantly tried other brands of peanut butter during that time but I was stuck on my old favorite. 😉 I'm embarrassed to admit that I had 6 pounds of Jif peanut butter stored in my pantry at the time of the recall. 😬 6 pounds!! Don't worry, I did my due diligence though, and even though it pained me - I threw away all of my potentially contaminated peanut butter.😭
I was more upset about having to discard my delicious snack than I was about the loss of my financial investment that it took to build my peanut butter stockpile. 😅 I filled out the online claim form for reimbursement and then not-so patiently waited for my favorite brand to return to the shelves. 🥜 After a few months, I received $55.00 worth of Jif couchers in the mail to replace my discarded peanut butter. It was so generous that it more than covered the cost of the 6 pounds of peanut butter that I threw into the garbage. More importantly, my favorite brand was available in grocery stores again and back on the shelves of my pantry.  That wasn't the end of the vouchers though. In the last 4 weeks, the Smuckers company has mailed me at least 12 vouchers for free peanut butter. A monetary value of over $100.00! I don't know the exact number of vouchers that I received because at some point, I started handing them out to friends. (By the way, Do peanut butter coupons make good stocking stuffers?😂 ) The company has been so generous with their vouchers but quite honestly, it would probably take me years to consume that much peanut butter. And I'm the girl who stocked 6 pounds of the yummy nut butter in my pantry!😅 I decided that I would start redeeming the vouchers and handing jars of peanut butter to people that I come across throughout the day that might be in need of some extra food. I've also put some of the peanut butter in the free pantry boxes in my little town.  Having my favorite Jif peanut butter back in the house, just makes me feel like all is right with the world again.😅 I'm back to making my favorite peanut butter snacks and even testing out a few new ones. These Peanut Energy Bars are delicious and amazing.  Peanut Energy Bars 1/2 cup salted peanuts 1/4 cup roasted walnuts 1/4 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup raisins 2 cups rolled oats 2 cups puffed millet 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ ½ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup brown sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla
 Let stand for about 1 hour to harden. Remove from pan.  Cut into bars.  If you are someone who could benefit from a Jif peanut butter voucher - please send me your address. I would be more than happy to share some free peanut butter coupons with you. I'm all about spreading the peanut butter love. 😅
Ciao!
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 I recently read an article that stated that it takes 21 days for a person to build a new habit. Another scientist reported that it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Still another, claimed that it takes between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit. Honestly, I don't know what to believe but, that last one seems the most realistic.😅 It's taken me years to get in the habit of silencing my cell phone during church and only a few hours to get into the habit of eating a piece of chocolate after every meal. 🤪 My addiction to chocolate is powerful, strong and quite honestly - more than a habit.🍫 I suspect that I would have to deprive myself of my after dinner chocolate treat for at least 254 days in order to stop the cravings. I've been indulging in a post meal chocolate for years - it's certainly not a habit that's going to change overnight. I've tried giving it up for a week at a time but - big surprise - I didn't end my chocolate addiction. 😂  Sometimes a single square of dark chocolate after dinner is all I need to satisfy my raging sweet tooth. Then there are days that I need something rich, dark and chocolatey that I can sink my teeth into. We've all had those days.🥹 Let's just say that the amount of chocolate that I eat after dinner is directly proportional to the amount of stress that I've had throughout my day. (I may need to find healthier ways to deal with stress.). 😆  This cast iron brownie is my definition of chocolate perfection. The center is fudgy, chewy, rich, decadent and loaded with chocolate chips. The top and edges of this incredible brownie has the most delicious crackly crust and even more chocolate chips. The cast iron skillet method of brownie baking is genius. I'm a fan. It bakes the most scrumptious, drool worthy chocolate brownie ... ever.  Cast Iron Brownie 8 large marshmallows (2 ounces) 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water 4 Tablespoons butter 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1/3 cup cocoa powder 2 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cups canola oil 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 3/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
 Bake 33-38 minutes at 350. Let cool 30 minutes.  Slice into wedges.
Have a great Sunday. Ciao!  I'm not going to lie - it was an adjustment when our youngest child moved out of our house and into her own place last Spring. It has left a void in our close knit family when each of our kids decided it was time to leave the nest. 🪺 I'm super proud of them both and it does my heart good to see them fly on their own but I'll always miss having them at home. We have two children and they couldn't be more different. Our oldest, is living his dream - 750 miles from home, with his amazing wife. Our youngest moved less than 10 miles from her childhood home.🏠 They're different.🤪 Can you guess which child has the "jump all in with two feet" and "live with reckless abandon" personality and which one makes very carefully calculated and cautious decisions? 😅  Our house is quieter these days. Most nights, there are lots of empty beds, which makes me even more thankful that our youngest takes the opportunity to stop by from time to time. Coincidentally, her visits usually coincide with meal times. I'm not sure how I feel about this but for now, I'll take it as a compliment. 😅 Last week, during one of our afternoon phone chats, my not-so-subtle, Georgia child, casually asked what I was making for dinner. I'm not sure if her intent was to "swing by" for something to fill her empty stomach but, after I informed her that I was making "Veggie Tacos", there was an unusually long and awkward silence. After a few seconds, she finally broke the silence with "you guys enjoy that". Message received, young one.🤪 She's not a fan of grilled veggies.😂 Too bad for her - Grilled Vegetable Tacos are AMAZING and she missed out on this incredible meal! I like to serve the grilled vegetables on a platter with a side of tortillas. It's always more fun to have a "make your own" situation when it comes to tacos. I'm a pro at stuffing a tortilla with so many vegetables that it falls completely apart when I take the first bite. 🌮😂  Grilled Vegetable Tacos 2 red peppers, cut in half 2 corn on the cob, whole 1 red onion, sliced 2 zucchini, sliced into quarters 1 pint of cherry tomatoes 8 oz. of baby portobello mushrooms 3 limes, halved 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. cumin 1 1/2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. fresh cilantro 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper corn tortillas 4 avocado  Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet.
 Brush spice mixture over vegetables.  Put all vegetables and limes, on the grill and cook until slightly charred.  Remove vegetables from the grill.
 Slice corn from cobs and cut vegetables into bite sized pieces. Squeeze roasted lime over entire platter.  Choose the vegetables that available in your area for your tacos. Grilled eggplant and poblano peppers are some of my favorites. Be creative with your veggie tacos and you might just create something delicious.
Ciao!  Speculoos - Despite what I originally thought ... speculoos not a new form of eye wear or the act of pondering a subject. 😅🤦🏻♀️ Who knew that I've been enjoy speculoos, and even purchasing, it for years - without even knowing it. When the kids were little - we called the little crunchy cookies - air plane cookies. When I bought them in the grocery store, I referred to them by their brand name - Biscoff. Talk about genius marketing. I always just assumed that Biscoff was the appropriate name for the gingery cookies - like the way that Kleenex has convinced everyone that the appropriate term for a tissue, is a "kleenex." 🤧
Now that I know the proper name for a speculoos cookie, I see them more than ever. Trader Joes sells the most delicious jars of speculoos butter. I've even seen some seriously drool worthy speculoos ice cream.🍨 These little cookies have gone way beyond their humble beginnings as in-flight snacks. ✈️ I've experimented with recipes like speculoos granola bars and speculoos cupcakes and now I'm trying my hand at speculoos biscotti. These dip-able cookies were a clear favorite when served alongside an assortment of biscotti flavors. I love the sweet, buttery flavor of these crispy cookies and the best part is that the recipe doesn't use the whole package of cookies. #leftoversforthewin 😂  Speculoos Biscotti 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 20 speculoos cookies, coarsely chopped
 Cool slightly. Slice into 1/2" slices on the diagonal. Bake for 10 more minutes per side.   This post is not sponsored by Biscoff. I'm open to the opportunity to partner with you though. 😉 #callmebiscoff I love creating recipes with your delicious cookies and butters and I'd love the opportunity to share them with you. 😅
Ciao!  I may be the only person on the planet who gets super excited about a new freezer. Technically it's not even a new freezer - just new to me. 😂 To make a very long story short - I've been looking for a commercial freezer to accompany the commercial refrigerator that I bought at an auction 6 years ago - and last week --- I found one! And as if by fate - I actually found the matching freezer to the refrigerator that already resides in my basement. I was over the moon excited about my newly acquired 47 cubit feet of frozen storage. The only problem was figuring out how to move this gigantic, 500 pound appliance from downtown Atlanta to my house in Monroe. #minorsetback 🤪  This was the week that I realized that residential moving companies don't move commercial appliances and commercial movers won't deliver to a home residence. 😆 Let's just say that it took more than a small miracle to get this freezer to it's new home. Now that it's all said and done, I feel like all hassle and headaches were totally worth it. 🤪
 I've affectionally named my new freezer "Maxine". Now that she's up and running - I'm ready to load it up. I've got some things to transfer from the old freezer but with all the added storage, I'm ready to get busy baking too. How much biscotti do you think it would take to fill up Maxine?  Butter Pecan Biscotti 4 Tablespoons butter 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups flour 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted 1 cup butterscotch chips
 Shoutout to Fox moving for coming through with a stellar crew to pick up and transport this beast of an appliance for me. 😉
Ciao! |
