Comfort in Peanut Butter

November is a fickle, unpredictable month. You may face a morning bright and crisp, and then suddenly the autumn skies change to dismal gray and the heavens break loose. The rain pelts down hard and the wind roars and comes in sudden swirling gusts. It bites the air and crashes around, snapping slender snags. If you are out on the road, it is a good time to make camp and hunker down with a good book until the weather calms down.

This is when you might reach into the cupboard and find that jar of peanut butter—a truly comforting food.

What 100 years ago was a protein substitute for the toothless has become the nation’s most popular sandwich filler, consumed by an estimated 40 million Americans in an average day. It has the staying power that doesn’t exist in many products, and it has survived all the food fads in America from tofu to sushi.

Peanut butter is cheap, convenient, filling and relatively healthy, despite the high fat content. It may be an American favorite, a lunchbox staple, and close companion of jelly in the nation’s classic sandwich, but it also makes delicious cookies. Here’s a quickie that is easily made in a small RV kitchen: In a large bowl, mix 1 egg, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of creamy peanut butter. Scoop level tablespoonfuls and roll into balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 18 minutes.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
2 3/4 cups of milk
2 cups of sugar
8 tablespoons of flour
Dash of salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup of peanut butter
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Heat 2 1/2 cups of milk, saving 1/4 cup. After milk is hot, add mixture of flour, sugar, salt and egg yolks and the 1/4 cup of milk. Stirring constantly, continue cooking until thick. Remove from heat, add peanut butter, vanilla and butter and mix well. Pour into pie shell.

Meringue: Beat 3 egg whites until stiff; add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1 cup of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Put on top of pie and slip into a preheated 350-degree oven and brown until desired color, about 10 minutes. When you remove the pie from the oven, scatter a wee bit of brown sugar across the top. Chill. Before serving, top with bits of crushed peanuts.

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE
1/3 cup of butter
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1 1/4 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
Cream butter and peanut butter; add sugar and eggs. Cream until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Pour into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 30 minutes.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
Cream 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of peanut butter; add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar alternately. Frost cake. Scatter crushed peanuts on top.

While the wind is howling outside and the rain is pelting down, make this peanut butter fudge before you hunker down to that good book. It is sure to bring much comfort to a wild afternoon.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
2 cups of sugar
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 of pint jar of marshmallow crème
1 cup of chunk-style peanut butter
6-oz. pkg. (1 cup) of semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Butter sides of heavy 2-quart saucepan. In it combine sugar and milk. Stir over medium heat till sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Cook to soft-ball stage (234 degrees). Remove from heat; quickly add marshmallow crème, peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla; stir just till blended. Pour into buttered 9x9x2-inch pan. Score 1-inch squares while warm; cut when firm.

There are many times in November that we are reminded that winter is on its way— on a calm day you can taste and smell it in the chilly air.

HINT OF THE MONTH: Does anyone ever get chewing gum in their hair anymore?
If so, rub a dab of peanut butter into it and massage it and the gum between the fingers until the gum is loosened—comes right out with a tissue.

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Marian Platt's regional narrative cookbook of Washington’s Sequim Valley, From My Kitchen Window, can be ordered by sending cash, check or money order for $25 (includes tax and handling/mailing costs) to Marian Platt, 434 Chicken Coop Rd., Sequim, WA 98382. Phone (360) 683-4691