LOVE ME SOME PEANUT BUTTER- GO JIFF

The best pb for your j

by CookingLight.com, on Wed Sep 8, 2010 11:29am PDT
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From creamy to crunchy to natural options, here are our spread-worthy picks.
Besides crunchy and creamy versions, you can find peanut butters labeled “low-sugar,” “low-sodium,” “no trans fats,” even “made with Valencia peanuts.” Regardless of the touts, most are made the same way: Peanuts are roasted, ground with salt and sugar, then mixed with an added fat component to prevent separation. During testing, we found some spreads so pasty we got an upper-body workout stirring them; other “spreads” ripped bread. A few had the aroma and flavor of just-ground glory―abundantly peanutty and perfect for spooning right out of the container. In the end, several staffers decided to ditch their household brand for these winners.
BEST CRUNCHY―TIE!: Jif Extra Crunchy
Price: $2.59 (18 ounces)
Testers said: Raters loved this not-too-sweet, not-too-salty crunchy spread. If you like a lot of peanuts, this is the one for you. Cookies made with this butter were chewy, but crisp on bottom with good peanutty flavor. Ideal for sandwiches, on crackers, in a nutty sauce for cold soba noodles, or as a base for a curry paste.



BEST CRUNCHY―TIE!: Skippy Super Chunk
Price: $2.75 (16.3 ounces)
Testers said: Raters loved the ultra-smooth butter portion and the pleasantly salty flavor. Besides the abundance of nuts, the peanut aroma and appealing caramel color won us over. All these components combined to yield a stand-out peanut butter cookie with good saltiness and crisp, appealingly crumbly cookie. Good for baking, ice cream, dessert sauces, satay sauce, or to thicken a winter vegetable stew.



BEST CREAMY: Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
Price: $2.75 (16.3 ounces)
Testers said: The roasted peanuts on the ingredient list are evident in the heady aroma and balanced flavor. Testers thought this sample was a touch oily, but spread the best. The spread produced a tasty cookie with a short texture. Makes the perfect peanut butter sandwich, but can turn into a savory dressing when mixed with soy, vinegar, and crushed red pepper to serve over sugar snap peas, broccoli, or a stir-fry. For a sweet version, mix with honey and mayonnaise and use as a fruit salad dressing. Mix with chile paste with garlic (sambal oelek) or sriracha for an easy sauce for roast meats.



BEST NATURAL CRUNCHY: Krema Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
Price: $3.29 (16 ounces)
Testers said: The label claims no added salt, sugar, or hydrogenated oils, and we didn’t miss the sweetness or saltiness in this sample. Raters liked the hunks of peanuts, the crunch, and the real peanut flavor. The cookie sample was chewy and sweet. Serve atop toast, waffles, or pancakes drizzled with honey. Stir into ground chicken as a binder for meatballs or burgers. Use to make fudge or blond brownies.

Read More: 8 Healthy Office Snacks

BEST NATURAL CREAMY: Adams 100% Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
Price: About $4 (16 ounces)
Testers said: Even though you expect a little graininess from natural butters, with a good stir, this sample’s consistency smoothed out nicely. Surprisingly, this butter produced an incredibly short-textured cookie with a mild peanut flavor. (The Test Kitchen chef reported that the cookies spread slightly and baked a bit longer than regular peanut butter cookies.) Substitute for tahini to make baba ghanoush, tarator, or hummus. Stir into hot oatmeal to boost flavor and texture.

Read More: 12 Good-for-You Snacks

From the Test Kitchen: Tips for working with peanut butter

Keep it real. Full-fat peanut butters trump reduced-fat flavor, and they supply heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and 7 grams of protein per serving. (Choose butters without trans fats.) Reduced-fat spreads offer little calorie savings, and you’re ditching good-for-you fats.
Stir it up. The fat in natural peanut butters will likely separate. If you’re a natural peanut butter junkie, you may want to shell out $10 for Grandpa Witmer’s Old Fashioned Natural Peanut Butter Mixer (witmerproducts.com).
Check the date. Fats are susceptible to spoiling, which leaves an off flavor. Check the “use by” date and store as directed by the label.
Bake with care. Generally, the oilier the butter, the more baked goods spread. Add a little extra baking time when using natural butters.
Read More: Surprisingly Unhealthy Food Picks

HOW WE TEST
Method: We held four blind tastings of creamy, crunchy, natural creamy, and natural crunchy peanut butters (16 in all) on 4 separate days. To see how the samples fared in baking applications, we tested them in a standard cookie recipe.

Nutritional guidelines: We evaluated peanut butters that had 190 to 210 calories and 15 to 17 grams of fat per 2-tablespoon serving. None contained more than 3 grams of saturated fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, and 4 grams of sugars. We did not rate any spreads made with partially hydrogenated oils or palm oils.

pralines apples and bread- I will be making this

I feel Fall and I can't wait to make apple crisp--and this new found yummy bread




Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lindsey Ellis Beatty, Katherine Eckert Coyne

Praline-Apple Bread


Sour cream is the secret to the rich, moist texture of this bread recipe. There's no butter or oil in the batter—only in the glaze.

Prep: 20 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 6 min.; Cool: 1 hr., 10 min.; Cook: 5 min.

Yield: Makes 1 loaf


1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb.)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.

2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.

3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).

Note: To freeze, cool bread completely; wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Recipe from Debbie Grusska, Hobart, Indiana





Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2009

REMEMBER 9/11 forever!

I wish I knew this before I started tweezing

EYEBROWS ARE SISTERS NOT TWINS

Great truth's from a friend

Summary of Life

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.



GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy..

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional...
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions...
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus..
4) You look like Santa Claus.


SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . . . Not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . Having friends.
At age 17 success is . . Having a driver's license.
At age 35 success is . . . ..having money.
At age 50 success is . . . Having money..
At age 70 success is . .. . Having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . ... . Having friends.
At age 80 success is . . .. Not piddling in your pants.

Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.


Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

Have a wonderful day with many *smiles*

The Bitter and the Sweet

Obviously, we would all prefer that this life would be a sweet and easy life; no one would ever ask for pain, loss, bitterness or wailing. Suffering and sorrow were not a part of God’s original plan. It is our sin and evil on this earth that create suffering, hunger, slavery, human trafficking, persecution, perversion, abortions, assaults and murder.

Our journey in this realm contains both sweetness and bitterness. As the Son of Man, who could identify with all of our temptations and trials, the Lord Jesus knew both the bitter and the sweet. As He showed us how to triumph in both, we must follow His example. When we are taken to be with Him, only sweetness will remain. But for now, we share in the fellowship of His sufferings (Rom.8:17).

When my family lived in Israel, there was a haunting song that was very beloved, written by Israeli songwriter, Naomi Shemer. In Hebrew, the song is called, “Al ha D’vash v’al ha Oketz,” which means, “The Honey and the Sting.” An approximate translation of the lyrics would be: “Oh God who is good, please watch over the honey and bee sting, the bitter and the sweet. Watch over our baby daughter. Do not uproot what has been planted in us and do not take away our hope. Watch over the rushing waters and the blazing fire, and guard us. Keep watch over both the honey and the sting, both the bitter and the sweet, dear Lord, I pray.”
It seems to me that this is a mature and wise perspective, as we now enter the time of both glory and suffering. Before our eyes, the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the seas (Hab.2:14); but the same generation will see the greatest time of sorrow ever seen in this world, not to be equaled before or after this generation (Matt.24:21).

May the Lord watch over His people, both Jewish and Gentile. May He keep Israel in the day of her trouble. May He help and protect all who call upon His Name, and may His people be kept through the days of sweetness and bitterness. We will remember Your love in that day, and we will testify: “We have tasted Your goodness; Your love is better than wine!” (Psalm 34:8, Rom.10:13, Song of Sol.1:2.)-- Jill Shannon

NO ARM JIGGLE HERE

Anyone who knows me will tell you that arm jiggle is something I do not like- there is nothing better than a jiggle free toned arm-HOWEVER this celeb vein popping skeletal arm is just not attractive at all--Ladies we want to be toned but not look like a junkie!!!!!