Shoes and Sweets

It's Monday and I don't like Mondays.. who does? Especially when it's the first work day after losing an hour and you couldn't fall asleep the night before because of losing the hour so the alarm went off way too early and you were tired all day. Grrr. I'm still not a fan of Daylight Savings yet.

To try to bring some positivity to this grumpy Monday, I thought I'd list a few things I am liking these days. Here goes --

My hipstamatic kicks

1.  My Nikes Triax. I like Nike running shoes. I always have. I like a narrow fit along the whole foot. I don't like my foot to feel like it can move within the shoe. I don't like the feeling of free feet in a shoe. I like security. I have never found a running shoe that feels that way, except for Nike. I have tried many different Nikes over the years. I'm currently with the Triax. I like them. They work for me.

I know that as people get serious about running they tend to go with one of the 'runner's brands' that you can't get at your standard Footlocker - Brooks for example. Not me. I have tried running in many other shoes and I spent a long time at Jack Rabbit before purchasing the Triax yet again, trying other shoes on the treadmill to see what I thought. (has anyone ever noticed how many straight looking attractive men are in Jack Rabbit at any given time by the way? Maybe I need to join a running group..) All other shoes feel sloppy on my feet. I like the feeling of clean, structured, security. So I am a Nike gal. 

2. Peanut butter and chocolate. (yeah, no transition here from one random topic to another...!) As the title of this blog indicates, I love to bake. Of course most baked goods are sweetsy things. And I don't really have a sweet tooth. Sure, if something looks yummy and  sweet and is sitting right in front of me, I will eat and enjoy it. But I don't usually really crave sweets. OK once I did eat gelato every single day for 2 weeks on vacation in Croatia (sometimes twice a day) and I do love my frozen yogurt piled high with all the awesome bits on offer at 16 Handles. But my real food vices are more of the savory type. Pizza. Cheese. Crispy salty thin french fries dipped in mayo. Spicy stacked nachos. Crusty bread and salty French butter. You get the idea.

However, when it DOES come to sweets, there is one genius combination I'm particularly fond of -- chocolate and peanut butter. Sweet and salty. Salty sweet. Genius.

So last week, when I received this gem in my 'gift bag' from the James Beard Greens event,  I knew it would be good.  Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams. Natural peanut butter and dark chocolate together, in one spoonable jar.

Beware: Highly Addictive. 

If you are like me and you have portion control issues with anything that can be eaten with a spoon straight from the jar / carton - WARNING. Please proceed with caution when trying this. It. Is. Addictive.

Far better in my mind than Nutella - this has the perfect balance of salty sweet.

AND..... I have convinced myself it is not really that bad for you. I mean it contains peanut butter. That has its health benefits and when lined up next to Peanut Butter & Co. crunchy peanut butter - the nutritional info isn't that off -- yes, higher sugar of course, but it's actually 20 CALORIES LESS per 2 tbs serving than regular peanut butter. And lower fat too of course. Hmph. Plus, it's all natural. I like that.

I wouldn't waste this jar of geniuseness making the following snack -- although you probably could -- save the Dark Chocolate Dreams to eat by the spoonful with a side of pretzels. The following recipe is already easy as pie. And I wanted to end with it while I'm on the topic of peanut butter and chocolate because it is one of the easiest, quickest, fail proof, crowd pleasing recipes I know. It is straight from the back of the Chex box, and also known amongst some as 'puppy chow' although many people have never heard of it before. But trust me. People rave about it.  And it only takes about 20 mins to make, from start to finish and requires no crazy ingredients or special appliances. Perfect treat to make for a casual get together - movie night, book club, March Madness. It's also gluten free. Call it what you want. It won't disappoint.

         Peanut Butter Chocolate Deliciousness


        9 cups of  rice Chex cereal  
        1 cup chocolate chips
        1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural; I use Jiff)
        1/4 cup butter
        2 teaspoon vanilla
        2 cups powdered sugar (at least - I usually use more)
        a 1-gallon ziplock bag

Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium microwavable bowl, add chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer and stir mixture until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour sauce over cereal and stir until evenly coated (I use my hands to mix everything up and make sure it's all evenly coated). Spoon half of the mixture in the ziplock bag. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and seal. Shake the bag until everything is entirely coated. I like mine to be very white with a lot of powdered sugar, so I add more sugar as needed to achieve that. Repeat with the rest. Spread on waxed/parchment paper to cool (10 mins or so). Store in airtight container. Bring to a get-together. Your friends will love you.

--Adapted from the back of the Chex cereal box.