Our Nutty Runner friend over at A Runners Fuel: Cooking in a Runner’s House talked about how important it is to her to be able to KNOW what each ingredient is that she puts into her body – and to actually be able to pronounce the words!  That’s one of the reasons why she loves all-natural Krema PB, because its made from just one thing : PEANUTS!!!

She suggested this open-faced Sammy of the Week made from toasted flax bread, creamy Krema PB, banana slices and rolled oats sprinkled on top as a healthy breakfast that will keep your tummy happy and full

Lisa is the Snack Girl who loves healthy snacks and of course loves Krema PB too!  She recently blogged about Jif PB and how they are trying to “compete with the Kremas of the world” by coming out with a ‘natural’ Jif PB.  She cautions her readers to beware of tricky advertising – just because a label may claim “Natural” does not mean that they don’t have added ingredients.  So, what should choosy moms do according to Snack Girl and Yours Truly??  Choose KREMA!!!  (even though I may be a little biased )

♥ Kimberly

To make Monkey Sundaes at home; put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in your bowl, drizzle warmed-up, all-natural Krema creamy PB over the top, then add any fun toppings you like!  These kids used honey-roasted peanuts, broken pretzel pieces, bananas, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate syrup, candies and whipped cream!  Look at these silly “monkeys” !!!  I told you my family was full of nuts!

♥ Kimberly

One of those “other” PB guys (aka – Jif) holds an annual kids contest to come up with a new, creative PB sandwich recipe.  And the winner gets a $25,000 college fund!  What a fun idea!  This year the winner was Rachel, a ten-year old girl from California who says she is an aspiring chef.  I believe her award-wining sandwhich is called the “Let Us Rap” made with chicken, grapes, lettuce and of course PB!

Well, we can’t really keep my Aunt Nanette away from trying new recipes (she loves it!) and of course she always adds her own Krema flair to everything she makes!  Isn’t Nanette awesome?  Here is one of her adorable granddaughters holding up our Krema version of the $25,000 sammy.  Try it this weekend!  Yum!

$25,000 PB Sammy – Krema Style
-one small Fuji apple chopped
-cooked chicken
-10 red grapes halved
-red onion chopped
-crazy salt
-1 T mayo, 1 T honey, & 1T all-natural Krema PB mixed together

Combine all ingredients and then spoon into a fresh, crispy lettuce leaf and roll it up!

♥ Kimberly

Hey all!  We are enjoying a little nutty family time in Michigan right now…but I’ll be back at it in a week or so…

Don’t worry, my Aunt Nanette is holding down the fort at Krema – so if you are in need of some PB…give her a call or stop by the Sisters Sweet Shoppe!!

Happy Summer

♥ Kimberly

I just kind of made up this dinner last night for my family and some of our friends and they all flipped!  Everyone loved it and had two or three helpings!  Even the kids!
I was soooo pleasantly surprised, so I’m sharing

First I made a Quinoa Salad.  My awesome cousin Mallory (one of my Aunt Nanette’s daughters) introduced me to the fabulous whole-grain product: Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).  This pseudocereal is a whole-grain product which can easily be substituted for rice in almost any recipe.  My Quinoa Salad:

Its pretty simple.  Wash quinoa.  Cook quinoa in rice cooker.  Add chopped veggies.  Refrigerate.  That’s it!
I added red pepper, red onion, and leeks and a bunch of cooked, shelled edamame – but you can add just about anything, nuts, seeds, craisins, or other raw veggies

My Easy Green Beans:

I also cooked up some green beans separately.  I used organic, frozen green beans – and our favorite way to cook them is super easy : throw the frozen green beans in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon of peanut oil and season with garlic salt and pepper!  Voila!  Easy veggie side in just a few minutes.

Nanette’s Spicy PB Chicken:

1/4 c Hot & Spicy Krema PB
1/3 c + 1 Tbs. light soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
1/3 c peanut oil
chunk chicken (any will do; cut up breasts, rotisserie, canned chicken)

Mix all ingredients together in order.  It helps to warm up the PB mixture to ease in the stirring process
If you don’t have a jar of this incredibly delicious Hot & Spicy PB already, then go here to order some!  You won’t be sorry!
(or you could just use creamy Krema PB and add some cayenne pepper and hot Hungarian paprika to get that special ‘kick’)

The Spicy PB Chicken and Quinoa Salads can be made in advance and refrigerated.  Just whip up the green beans (or not) and combine them all!
Can be eaten cold or hot!
This really is such a versatile, easy, delicious dinner!!

♥ Kimberly

One of my favorite summer memories as a kid was sitting around a bonfire with my family,  eating ooey gooey s’mores by the dozen!  I still love s’mores today but I have discovered a new exciting way to enjoy them year round in my “Want S’more PB Sammy?”  Heres what you do,

INGREDIENTS:
buttered bread
all-natural Krema PB
chocolate chips
mini marshmallows
(optional banana)

If you’re using a frying pan, spread Krema PB (creamy or crunchy) on both insides of your bread slices then put chocolate chips on one side and mini marshmallows on the other.  Close the sammy and lay buttered side down in the frying pan, toasting both sides equally.   Its best to cover pan with a lid and cook on a low heat so the chocolate and marshmallows have time to melt before the bread gets too crispy.  Sliced, ripe bananas are always welcome in my “Want S’more PB Sammys” just because my kids are bananas about bananas!

For some summer backyard fun, try making this sammy over an open flame in a pie maker – like a Tonka Toaster or a campfire iron.  Its like your on a campfire without leaving home!

Easy Tip :  chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (or Marshmallow Fluff) are my trick to getting the ooey gooey factor in this sammy.  Large chunks of chocolate and large marshmallows take longer to melt.

Happy Summer!!

♥ Kimberly

Hi Kimmie- Hope I got this right, but this granola is to die for.  I broke my diet for it!!

Here are some pictures of my before and after of the granola and the recipe.

Addictive PB Granola

(found on the blog lifeloveandfood24.blogspot.com)

2 1/2 c oats

1/2 c flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 t Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1/3 c oil

1/3 c Krema Crunchy PB

1/4 c Brown Sugar

Add in’s – PB chips, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, whatever!!

Mix the oats, flour, baking soda in a large bowl.  Stir in vanilla, then add oil stir well.

Then add the PB, brown sugar and the add in’s.

Spoon into a square pan, Bake for 18-20 min at 350 or until light brown.

Cool 10 min before devouring!!

Enjoy!

Good find Auntie Nanette!

This granola looked so yummy that I made it for breakfast the morning after I got Nanette’s email!  My family ate the ENTIRE pan!  It was so delicious and satisfying, and I felt full almost all day   Until the next morning when I woke up and was CRAVING this granola, so then I made myself a double batch and I CAN NOT STOP eating it!! Morning, Noon, and Night!

The add-in’s I’ve tried so far have been a handful of white chocolate and a handful of dark chocolate pieces, coconut and unsalted peanuts.  And of course a little flax to make it a bit nuttier!   I also DOUBLED the amount of Krema PB this recipe calls for and I tried it with both the creamy and crunchy PB.  Both rocked. 

Here are my cutie pies eating up their Addictive PB Granola breakfast!  Oh, but honestly, this photo is a little skewed because they RARELY have their hair fixed and are dressed for the day at breakfast.  This was just a fluke   But fantabulous granola none-the-less!!

(Candace from The Cook Next Door with her family)

Oh yes, and here is a super cool, totally nutty fact: the creator and author of the absolutely adorable blog The Cook Next Door, is the daughter of my mother’s old college roommate!  How fun is that?  Did that make sense?  Let me clarify.  Not too many years ago, my mother was roommates with Jill.  Than Jill had a daughter named Candace (The Cook Next Door) and my mom had me (We’re Totally Nuts!)

(recent photo of Jill on left, my mom Melissa center, Julie on right – all old college roomies)

AND to make the story even that much more fun, Jill has another daughter named Chelsea who I WAS ROOMMATES WITH IN COLLEGE!!! And Chelsea has a phenomenal style blog based out of Washington called Make You Over (which I highly recommend).   Oh and that other adorable old roommate of my mom and Jill’s on the right in this picture named Julie?  Yeah, she also has a daughter.  Her name is Ani.  And – can you even guess – Ani was ALSO my roommate in college!  Incredible?  I think so.

There you have it.  We are all connected….in a crazy and nutty kind of way!!

(my old roomie Chelsea – Jill’s [my mom's old roomie] daughter)

♥ Kimberly

Over at the well-known and super trendy – Crumbs Bake Shop, they created a special cupcake of the month in honor of the King called -  Elvis cupcakes ($3.75), which are vanilla cake domes with banana flavored cream cheese in the center, swirls of peanut butter on top and a sprinkling of peanut butter chips. It’s not unusual for these or any of their specialty cupcakes to sell out, so if you’re in a celebratory mood, visit a bakery early.

I’ve come up with a copycat of the Elvis Cupcake…try it out!!

First make up a Vanilla Cupcake Mix (homemade recipe below or a store bought package works too)
Fill up your cupcake tins about 1/2 full
Spoon in a large dollop of Banana Cream Cheese Filling (see below)
Cover cupcake with thin another thin layer of Vanilla Cupcake Mix

Bake 20-25 mins at 350 (or according to directions)
Let cupcakes cool about 15 min
Frost with Krema PB Frosting and decorate with nuts or PB chips!

Vanilla Cupcake Mix:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.  In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

Banana Cream Cheese Filling:

• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 3 small ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In an electric mixer (or in large bowl with a spoon), mix all of the icing ingredients until well blended and smooth. If the icing is too runny, add a bit more cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar until it thickens.

Krema PB Frosting:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup Krema Creamy PB
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Mix sugar, PB, butter, vanilla and salt in electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy.  Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

This is my cousin Meryn and her daughter with some chocolate cupcakes iced with this Krema PB Frosting recipe!!  So cute!

Happy PB Elvis Week!!!

♥ Kimberly

One such establishment is The Arcade Restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee.  It is Memphis’ oldest cafe – since 1919 and Elvis used to frequent this place back in the day!  This family-owned restaurant, full of old-time Memphis charm and multiple claims to Hollywood fame, continues to serve “Elvis’ favorite dish” in honor of their treasured heart-throb.  They call this PB Sammy, “Fried Peanut Butter ‘N’ Banana.”

The Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina offers a ‘Grilled PB&B’ Sammy on their kid’s menu.  ”An Elvis born favorite” they claim, this PB Sammy is made on Texas Toast with creamy PB, Bananas, and Tupelo Honey.  Tupelo Honey, of course, because Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi 75 years ago.

Make your own version of this signature PB Elvis Sammy : Grilled PB&B by following these directions…

Grilled PB&B Sammy Ingredients :
-1 small ripe banana
-2 slices of white bread
-2 T. all-natural Krema Creamy PB

Grilled PB&B Sammy Method :
1. Mash banana
2. Butter both sides of the bread
3. Lightly fry one side of each piece of bread in a frying pan on the stove (or toast it)
4. Spread PB on both sides of fried bread
5. Add banana/honey mash on top of PB
6. Close Sammy
7. Fry outside of bread on low until the bread is golden brown and the PB is warm and slightly runny
8. Place Sammy on a plate and cut on a diagonal

♥ Kimberly