Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

You know how a lot of things taste better the next day?

All the flavors and spices have a chance to come together and marry in a beautiful harmony through a process that just can’t be rushed.

I’m beginning to believe this is true of almost everything.

Take for example my peanut butter sandwiches. Not something that immediately sounds better after having sat for a while. But… I’ve learned something vastly different.

I had to go to a friend’s graduation party (I hate other people’s outdoor parties, they’re usually the death of me. I ALWAYS pack my own food for these). So for my packable, on-the-go, just-in-case dinner, I made a BLT but minus the bacon and mayonnaise and plus peanut butter and horseradish mustard.

(Yea, so not really a BLT anymore I guess, but there was lettuce and tomato.)

To keep it fresh, I packed it in my lunchbox with an icepack. When I got to my friend’s house, I just stuck the whole thing in the fridge. Long story short, there wasn’t much I could/wanted to eat. I had some fruit and that held me over for a while. Since it started to downpour, I ended up going home before my wonderful sandwich could be consumed.

So I just ate it for dinner anyways.

…

…

Nope. Not ready for words yet.

…

Okay, this sandwich was FREEZING cold. The plastic wrap had compacted everything. The peanut butter united with the mustard, the lettuce was crisp, the tomatoes were cold and the juices ran with the peanut butter. Mmm…

If I had eaten it fresh, sure it would have been delicious. But letting it sit for a few hours (possibly overnight, I don’t remember) brought its deliciousness to near indescribable.

Another sandwich that has stood the test of time through the night in the fridge is the simple honey with peanut butter sandwich (I’ve written about this before: ….).

I’m not sure what happens exactly to the honey and peanut butter, so I’ve got no answer scientifically. Judging by taste and all around good, yumminess, the honey sort of infuses itself with the peanut butter while thickening it. Then together they begin to solidify (not completely or else it would probably be inedible, but to a nice tinker, sturdy texture).

The bread does stale a little bit from the cold, however, it’s not a bad thing, it kind of works with the rest of the sandwich. Almost creates a sort of crispiness on the outside.

I usually chill all my peanut butter sandwiches overnight just so I don’t have to rush to make them the next day, if they’re an on-the-go lunch. For all (including the two mentioned above) I tend to use my homemade peanut butter, which has no added oils, salt, or sugars. However, I have been branching out recently. I’m still not sure how regular peanut butter would work in those specific situations, but most taste beautiful (yes beautiful) when refrigerated overnight in a sandwich.

Two days ago I went to the grocery store to get a few things, bread being one of them. I found the normal choice, Sara Lee Light Whole Wheat (I tend to buy low-cal breads, this one only having 45 calories per slice, that way I can stuff it as much as I want to with peanut butter). However, I began to think/daydream about oatmeal bread. I love oatmeal bread. So the search resumed and shortly I found a 100% Whole Wheat Oatmeal bread (I don’t remember the brand off the top of my head, and I’m too lazy to walk downstairs to look in my cupboard at the moment).

Thus, a sandwich was made.

(A refrigerated sandwich at that.)

The refrigerated oatmeal bread was dense and wonderful. My lunch box smelled like peanut butter.

Left me craving another sandwich.

Which I may end up making later today…

Who knows what really makes these sandwiches so alluring. It's not like I'm against warm sandwiches. Toast is a staple for me. Melty peanut butter is practically it's own food group in my book. Maybe it's the anticipation. The waiting. The knowing it's made and awaiting a first bite. Maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Though, in this case, it may be taste that's grown.

This Post Should Be Titled "How Many Foods Can Hannah Describe As 'Thick'"

In light of National Peanut Butter Month, I decided to write out my top 10 Favorite Ways to Consume Peanut Butter. I could probably write more…But I would hate to bore you. Or if this is the first post of mine you’re reading, weird you out so much you choose not to come back. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.

My 10 Favorite Ways to Consume Peanut Butter:

#10 - Out of the Jar

Pure peanut butter, nothing gets in its way, nothing violates it, just peanut butter. My dessert is often one or two (or three) scoops of peanut butter. And since I often have much more than one type in the house, I have a wonderfully varied dessert.

#9 - Peanut Butter and Yogurt

I love Greek yogurt. Being lactose intolerant, it gets difficult to eat it. There are some brands that sell alternatives, however, there aren’t many stores reasonably near me that sell it. So I made my own. Using So Delicious yogurt and PB2 (powdered peanut butter) plus a vast amount of peanut butter, I’ve created (what I think) is an even better version. Leaving the mixture in the fridge for as long as possible allows it to thicken up to mimic the texture of Greek yogurt.

#8 - Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of my first choice bases to work off of, while it has a flavor it’s not overbearing and goes with pretty much anything. Adding peanut butter helps to make it thicker (I like thick foods, haha). Oatmeal, even Old Fashioned, can have a big impact on my blood sugar, so having some protein in there helps balance things out. Plus, not only thick, the oatmeal gets gooey; gooey oatmeal is never a bad thing.

#7 - Instead of Milk

It started out with just Cheerios. It was an improvisation on dinner at work. I had planned yogurt and peanut butter, but upon opening my yogurt I found a nice blot of mold. Figured that would be bad to eat. It then spread of Honey Nut Cheerios, then an organic version. Then, one of the best choices I’ve ever made came into existence: Peanut Butter and Honey Bunches of Oats. If you follow my Twitter or Tumbler account, you realize just how obsessed I am with this dish. I use a 50/50 mix of Honey Roasted and With Almonds flavors, and then coat them in excessive amounts of peanut butter.

#6 - Peanut Butter Pasta

Peanut Butter Pasta is my version of Mac and Cheese. Don’t get grossed out, I don’t use cheese. The sauce that coats the pasta is water, peanut butter, PB2 (seriously, if you haven’t already, look it up. You need to.), and spices. I tend to like my food with flavor but hot. I add cumin, curry, red pepper, cinnamon, and sometimes a little nutmeg (minuscule amounts); besides the nutmeg, I usually add a good dosage of each. The sauce, as it cools, tightens and thickens around the pasta (again, with the thickening, what can I say?).

#5 - Between the Bread

Classic. No way to get past it. Toasted, roasted, grilled, refrigerated, or even as is. Not much else to say, honestly. It’s a sandwich, who doesn’t love a sandwich?

#4 - With Rice

Please believe me. Please, please believe me. It tastes good. It really does. Make a good batch of rice throw in just enough peanut butter to flavor and bring the rice all together but not enough to be obnoxious. Peanut butter and rice is sticky, silky, good warm or cold, and mushy. (Mushy in my book is a good thing, if a food is supposed to be mushy.) Like, not soupy mushy, but not grainy or crunchy (less you prefer crunchy peanut butter, in that case it should be crunchy).

#3 - Ants on a Log

You know how all different things can bring a person back to a memory? Well, I’m extremely sensitive to tastes. Apple juice and Pringles bring me back to sleepovers at my Grandparent’s. Ants on a Log brings me back to my childhood. I think of my mother, when she shared her favorite treats with my brother and I. Besides the way that celery’s watery, crunch and the chewy sweetness of raisins mixes heavenly with Jif peanut butter, my love for Ants on a Log is almost completely about the sensory experience.

#2 - In Sweet Potato

I thought I was weird for this one. Then I joined Tumblr. Apparently, it’s not so weird. So you should try it. Because frankly, it’s number two on this list. Which should say a lot. In sweet potato soup, sweet potato mash, just on a sweet potato, or any other way you can think of. The distinct sweet potato flavor plus the nuttiness of peanut butter…I’m sort of at a loss for words with it.

#1 - Out of the Jar

Honestly, who are we kidding? I mean, we can think up as many fancy ways to eat it as we can, but does anything really beat straight out of the jar?

Okay, there's one more. 

As I was promptly alerted, I forgot to mention one important way I love to consume peanut butter. When The Boy cooks for me!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hannah-friendly Peanut Butter Donuts

Birthday Veggie Stir Fry with Haitian Hot Pepper Peanut Butter (with teriyaki mixed in the sauce)

Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins

I enjoy dating a cook.