Not Yo' Mama's PB&J

Recreate the peanut butter sandwich so you can fall in love with it all over again. 

The peanut butter sandwich is a quintessential American food. The sandwich belongs on a shelf in a nostalgia shop, between the Betty Boop lunch box and the Slinky. 

You don't suddenly lose a taste for PB&J once you turn a certain age (unless you become allergic), but you may want to revamp the old favorite.

Sometimes I play with my food, and that's OK. Sometimes, my experimentation results in unique peanut butter combinations that commemorate the legendary staple. But you can be the judge of that. 

Here are a few for you to try:

1. Elvis was a pretty cool guy, and among other achievements, he was famous for his grilled peanut butter sandwich, stuffed with bananas and honey (maple syrup is also fantastic). Try it with bacon; you will be saying "thank ya, thank ya very much."

2. Combine fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, apples or pears with peanut butter and cream cheese.

3. Make "ants on a log," i.e., celery slathered with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins, and sandwich it between slices of bread.

4. Of course you can pair jam with peanut butter, but you could also use the leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving dinner (Yay, Thanksgiving is coming up). Yum!

5. Drizzle your peanut butter sandwich with maple syrup and add granola.

6. Balance out the peanut butter with something salty, like roasted peanuts or crispy chips.

7. Make a peanut butter sandwich for dessert! A hazelnut-chocolate spread complements peanut butter sweetly.

8. A Fluffernutter is a trademark sandwich made up of gobs of Marshmallow Fluff spread and peanut butter.

9. More eccentric variations include the peanut butter sandwich stuffed with dill pickles. I tried it for the sake of the blog, and it surprisingly worked.

10. A Thai twist is a chilled grilled chicken sandwich with peanut butter and pineapple jam.

Some of my classic PB&Js:

* I melt dark chocolate chips with butterscotch chips, and spread this warm mess all over my peanut butter sandwich. (This description is Liz Lemon-esque)

* I also love to add figs and honey to my peanut butter sandwich for a little something, something extra.

Interesting Tid-Bits:

• Peanut butter was invented in 1880 when St. Louis physician Dr. Ambrose Straub crushed peanuts into a paste for his geriatric patients with bad teeth. 
• A 2002 survey showed the average American will eat 1,500 PB&Js before graduating from high school. 
• Grand Saline, Texas holds the title for the world's largest PB&J, weighing in at 1,342 pounds. 
• Peanuts have more protein than any other nut. They have a higher antioxidant capacity than grapes and green tea, and they are naturally cholesterol-free. 
• Peanut butter was the secret to making the horse "talk" in the beloved 1960s television show, "Mr. Ed."

  xo, 

 LA

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