The Wonderful World of Peanuts

The Peanut Critic: PB&J

2009-06-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M's

The Mars Candy Company has just released New Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M's as a limited edition to go along with the release of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
These M&M's are definitely interesting to say the least. As you open the bag, a strong strawberry aroma fills your nostrils. The filling is essentially the same as Peanut Butter M&M's. The real difference is that the chocolate is infused with strawberry flavoring.
The idea of a Peanut Butter and Jelly M&M sounds like a slam-dunk, however I feel that the flavor balance was a little bit off. In my opinion, the peanut butter filling was overpowered by the strawberry-chocolate. Not my favorite M&M's, but they're not bad by any means. If you live on PB&J's, these are the M&M's for you!

Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M's Earn:

3 out of 5 Peanuts!

The Beloved Nutter Butter

2009-06-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Nutter Butters

Formerly called the National Biscuit Company, Nabisco was formed in the late 1800s by several bakeries that joined together to meet a growing demand. In the 1870s, Nabisco's forefathers had introduced the first individually packaged baked goods. Before this, cookies and crackers had been sold from open barrels or biscuit boxes. The company has become the world's largest manufacturer of cookies and crackers, selling some 42 million packages of Nabisco products each day to retail outlets on every continent.

Nutter Butter Cookies were introduced in 1969 and have quickly taken their place alongside Nabisco's most popular products, including Oreos, Chips Ahoy!, and Fig Newtons.

Cookies:

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup old-fashioned Quaker oats
1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fine graham cracker crumbs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar with an electric mixer.
Add the egg, salt, and peanut butter and beat until well blended.
Put the oats in a blender and blend on medium speed until they are almost as finely ground as flour.
Add the oats and flour to the mixture and blend well.
Pinch out small portions of dough and roll into 1-inch balls in the palm of your hand. Press these flat on ungreased cookie sheets so that they form 2-inch circles. If you're a stickler for a cookie that looks just like the real thing, you can form the dough into a peanut shape as shown above.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown around the edges.
While the cookies bake, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
When the cookies are cool, use a butter knife to spread a thin layer of filling on the flat side of a cookie, and press another on top.
Repeat.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Another Peanut Joke

2009-05-27T11:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry for eating the peanuts

A man visits his aunt in the nursing home. It turns out that she is taking a nap, so he just sits down in a chair in her room, flips through a few magazines, and munches on some peanuts sitting in a bowl on the table.

Eventually, the aunt wakes up, and her nephew realizes he's absentmindedly finished the entire bowl. "I'm so sorry, auntie, I've eaten all of your peanuts!"

"That's okay, dearie," the aunt replied. "After I've sucked the chocolate off, I don't care for them anyway."

The Peanut Critic: Creamy

2009-05-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

Ben & Jerry's
Peanut Butter Tracks

The beautiful minds at Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream now bring us Peanut Butter Tracks, a rich blend of peanut butter ice cream with mini peanut butter cups in it. Sounds like a good time to me!
I'll have to admit though, there's one downside to this ice cream... the carton's just too small! I can go through one in maybe twenty minutes! Give me 2 gallons and I'll be just peachy!

B&J's Peanut Butter Tracks Earns:

5 out of 5 Peanuts!

Circus Peanuts

2009-05-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Circus Peanuts:

Funny Orange Candy or Peanut Impostor?

I figured there was only one sure way to solve this dilemma. I bought a bag and began to make my comparison. Below are my findings.

These spongy gas station treats were invented by a candy maker in the early 1800's. Real peanuts were invented by God at the beginning of time.

Circus peanuts have a marshmellow texture, a strong contrast to the firm nuttiness of my beloved.

Circus peanuts, a common favorite in nursing homes, are composed of mainly sugar, corn syrup and gelatin (made from pork skin). Need I say more? And here's the real kicker...

These stupid squishy peanuts don't even taste like peanuts! They're banana flavored! What's next? Banana-flavored Tuna fish? Ha! I caught you Circus peanuts! Pretending to be real peanuts!

In conclusion, there is no real comparison between Circus "Peanuts" and real peanuts.
All I can say is George Washington Carver would be ashamed!

The Gift of Peanuts!

2009-05-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg!

Are you craving peanuts? Are you missing that roasted aroma? The Peanut Shop can cure your peanut blues! Need to find just the right gift for friends and family? Peanuts are perfect for any and all occasions!
The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg has a large assortment of delectable peanutty treats, including cakes and pies, to peanut gift baskets and box sets. They also have ham.... but that's irrelevant. There's something for every peanut lover at the Peanut Shop!

It's Paula Deen Approved!

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

2008-01-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

1. 1 - (19.5 ounce) package Pillsbury(R) Brownie Classics Traditional Fudge Brownie Mix
2. 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3. 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4. 1 egg
5. 1 cup powdered sugar
6. 1 cup creamy peanut butter
7. 1/2 (16 ounce) can chocolate fudge ready-to-spread frosting

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, beat brownie mix, melted butter, cream cheese and egg 50 strokes with spoon until well blended (dough will be sticky).
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets to make 24 cookies; smooth edge of each to form round cookie.
In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter with spoon until mixture forms a ball. With hands, roll rounded teaspoonfuls peanut butter mixture into 24 balls. Lightly press 1 ball into center of each ball of dough.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 14 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheets at least 30 minutes.
Remove from cookie sheets. Spread thin layer of frosting over peanut butter portion of each cooled cookie.

Peanuts In The News

2008-01-16T20:23:00.001-08:00

High antioxidant: the future of peanuts?

Peanuts are in the news again as being healthy - despite their high-fat levels - as researchers suggest that they may be as rich in antioxidants as many fruits.

Scientists from the University of Florida have found that peanuts often rival fruits in their levels of antioxidant.

“When it comes to antioxidant content, peanuts are right up there with strawberries,” said Steve Talcott, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “We expected a fairly high antioxidant content in peanuts, but we were a bit shocked to find that they’re as rich in antioxidants as many kinds of fruit.”

Antioxidants are chemicals that block the aging effects of free radicals – unstable molecules naturally occurring in the human body that damage living cells. The damage caused by free radicals has been linked to heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and macular degeneration of the eye.

The Florida researchers found that peanuts contain high concentrations of polyphenols - particularly p-coumaric acid - and that roasting can increase the level of the compund, boosting overall antioxidant content by as much as 22 percent.

“If you compare peanuts to other foods people think of as rich in antioxidants – mostly fruits and berries – peanuts come out somewhere in the middle,” said Talcott. “They’re no match for the foods at the top of the scale, such as pomegranate, but they do rival other foods."

He said roasted peanuts are about as rich in antioxidants as blackberries or strawberries, and richer in the chemicals than fruits such as apples, carrots or beets.

Last month, a study from Pennsylvania State University suggested that one serving of peanuts or peanut butter a day could help children and adults meet requirements for nutrients often lacking in American diets.

Kristen Ciuba, a spokesperson for the The Peanut Institute that part funded the research, told FoodNavigatorUSA.com that although past studies had shown that peanuts are high in nutrients, this was the first time, to their knowledge, a study had shown that just one portion a day could provide enough nutrients.

Moroever, peanut butter and peanut eaters had increased levels of vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and dietary fiber in their diets.

The researchers also concluded that their study “helps to dispel the myth that higher-fat foods automatically lead to weight gain”, noting that the peanut eaters had leaner bodies compared to the non-peanut eaters, as measured by body mass index (BMI), an indicator of body fatness.

Peanut eaters also had lower intakes of “bad” saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher intakes of “good” monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.“Peanuts are higher in fats than other foods, but most of these fats are unsaturated,” said Ciuba.

The Peanut Critic: Crunchy

2008-01-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar

Imagine mixing a Butterfinger and Peanut Butter Cup together and you get Reese's new Crispy Crunch Bar. If you like those, you'll love this! Imagine Reese's Creamy Peanut Butter and Crunchy Butterfinger Candy smothered in peanuts and milk chocolate! Delicious in every sense of the word. It may not be the healthiest snack, but I'm not sure I care!

Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar Earns:

4 out of 5 Peanuts!

Our Beloved Peanut Butter

2008-01-14T17:18:00.001-08:00

Peanuts Living a Double Life

- Nearly half of the U.S. peanut crop is made into peanut butter each year.

- November is Peanut Butter Lover's Month; March is National Peanut Month.

- Consumers prefer creamy peanut butter to chunky by a 60% to 40% ratio. Children and women prefer creamy, while most men opt for chunky.

- It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

- In the last year, more than 75% of all American families purchased peanut butter.

- Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make over 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

- "Arachibutyrophobia" is the fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of your mouth.

- Although peanut butter is considered to be a kids' food, adults actually eat more peanut butter than kids each year.

- The average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school.

Squirrels Are The Enemy

2008-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

Attack of the Squirrels

Squirrels these days, just can't leave you or nuts alone! There's acorns all over the place... but acorns aren't good enough for this little bloodthirsty scavengers. No... they go after our savory shelled snack.
Sure, people may think they're all cute and adorable, but just you wait. These furry fiends will attack without warning! Today it's our peanuts, what's next? Our Cashews?
We've done all we can to appease these vicious varmints, even to the extent of peanut butter covered pine cones. They abuse our generosity. There's no pleasing them! If we ignore the urgency of this situation, who knows what could happen.
Let's put an end to the squirrel's rule over our peanuts, before it's too late! Take a Stand!

Please, Do not feed the Squirrels!

Peanut Joke

2008-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Two peanuts were walking down the street.

One was assaulted.

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2008-01-11T08:59:00.001-08:00

Chewy Chocolate

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1. 1 - (16.5 ounce) roll Pillsbury(R) Create 'n Bake(R) refrigerated sugar cookies
2. 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
3. 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
5. 3 egg yolks
6. 1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Cut cookie dough in half crosswise. Cut each section in half lengthwise. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix condensed milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg yolks until smooth.
Spoon milk mixture evenly over partially baked crust; carefully spread. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until set.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand 3 minutes to soften. Spread chocolate evenly over top. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set chocolate. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.