Peanut Butter Cookies
I can't imagine what it would be like to be married to someone who never cooked. Who never ventured into the kitchen except to get ice. It's just so outside my realm of experience.
My mom cooked the majority of meals in our house growing up, but my father definitely did his share of the cooking, too. He was a San Francisco Fireman. He knew his way around a kitchen and didn't fear for his masculinity if he was seen at the grocery store or cooking for his family. His veal cutlets and dirty potatoes were legendary. And those Sunday morning eggs fried in bacon grease.....
::sigh::
Okay, so he wasn't always the most health-conscious of cooks. He was definitely role model, though. A really good role model. I learned a lot from him.
Fast-forward a few years and imagine my joy walking into the house after work and seeing Victor in the kitchen making peanut butter cookies. It's slightly chill outside, but the minute I walk into the house I'm enveloped in warmth and the smell of baking peanut butter wafting through the house.
My stomach started smiling before I did - and I started smiling immediately!
By choice, I do most of the cooking at home. I really do enjoy it. But I also love it when Victor gets into the kitchen - especially when it's unexpected... like coming home to peanut butter cookies in the oven. No matter what sort of day it has been, all is immediately right with the world.
Yes. It is definitely great to share the cooking chores. Especially when there are cookies involved!
His recipe was adapted from an old, battered copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup peanuts
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Add the peanuts. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, dipping fork in sugar between flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Pork Tenderloin and Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts. The greatest little vegetable in the whole wide world.
Really.
I loved brussels sprouts back when the only way I ever saw them was from a frozen square box. Even over-cooked and mushy they were great.
And then one day I found them fresh. Brussels sprouts could actually have a crunch when cooked! What a revelation! My love affair deepened. I tried them any number of different ways. And I liked them all.
Boiled, broiled, roasted, steamed, or fried... no matter how you do 'em, I'm there. For years, I was hooked on brussels sprouts in a mustard sauce. Then I went into a rut with balsamic vinegar. Lately, I've been slicing them really thin and sauteing them.
Tonight, I cut two slices of bacon into matchsticks and fried the shredded/sliced brussels sprouts with the bacon - and a pinch of salt and pepper. They were outrageously good.
For folks who aren't huge brussels sprouts fans, slicing/shredding the sprouts turns them into a much sweeter vegetable. They lose a lot of that bitter cabbagy taste that many dislike.
And, of course, the fresher the better...
And speaking of fresh... Did you know that brussels sprouts grow on stalks?!? The picture above is about half the stalk I started with. With easily 3 1/2 pounds of sprouts on a stalk, it's a bit of a commitment for two people. I may just blanch and freeze some.
And here's what a cup of Brussels Sprouts will give you:
Only 60 calories without anything on them. Bacon does add calories and fat. Go figure.
Nutrient |
Amount |
% RDV |
Nutrient Density |
| vitamin K | 218.80 mcg | 273.5 | 80.9 |
| vitamin C | 96.72 mg | 161.2 | 47.7 |
| folate | 93.60 mcg | 23.4 | 6.9 |
| vitamin A | 1121.64 IU | 22.4 | 6.6 |
| manganese | 0.35 mg | 17.5 | 5.2 |
| dietary fiber | 4.06 g | 16.2 | 4.8 |
| potassium | 494.52 mg | 14.1 | 4.2 |
| vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.28 mg | 14 | 4.1 |
| tryptophan | 0.04 g | 12.5 | 3.7 |
| vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.17 mg | 11.3 | 3.4 |
| omega 3 fatty acids | 0.26 g | 10.8 | 3.2 |
| iron | 1.87 mg | 10.4 | 3.1 |
| phosphorus | 87.36 mg | 8.7 | 2.6 |
| protein | 3.98 g | 8 | 2.4 |
| magnesium | 31.20 mg | 7.8 | 2.3 |
| vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.12 mg | 7.1 | 2.1 |
| vitamin E | 1.33 mg | 6.7 | 2 |
| copper | 0.13 mg | 6.5 | 1.9 |
| calcium | 56.16 mg | 5.6 | 1.7 |
As for the rest of dinner...
I took a small pork tenderloin and cut it into six pieces. I dipped them in an egg and then rolled them in chopped pecans. Into a skillet they went and I browned one side, flipped them, browned the other a bit, and then put thye skillet into a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
Perfectly cooked.
The potato was a yellow sweet potato mixed with a bit of melted butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of allspice. Into a hot oven for about 25 minutes.
No baseball tonight. It's a travel day to Texas.
Maybe I'll get to bed at a decent hour, tonight. But not before the peanut butter cookies Victor made for dessert.
More on those later.....