Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe

Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe
Kids love peanut butter, but as a parent you may be concerned about the level of salt and preservatives in commercially available peanut butter. Make natural peanut butter at home with unsalted peanuts and peanut oil for a healthy alternative. This quick and easy
homemade peanut butter recipe is sure to please even the finickiest kids, and give you the peace of mind of knowing that it is preservative free.

Natural Peanut Butter

Ingredients:
6 cups of Spanish peanuts
1 tablespoon of peanut oil (olive oil)
½ to 1 teaspoon of salt. (optional)

Makes 2 pounds..

Equipment:

Blender---Measuring cup---Measuring spoon---Wooden spoon---Jar or container for storing peanut butter.

Choose natural roasted peanuts. Dry roasted peanuts are not recommended, as the resulting peanut butter will be too dry to spread properly. If using peanuts in the shell, you will need to shell 6 cups of peanuts.

Organic raw peanuts require roasting prior to making homemade peanut butter. Spread a layer of shelled peanuts on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Peanuts roasted in the shell require additional time to roast, generally 25 minutes or more. If you roast peanuts in the shell, you will need to roast considerable more than 6 cups so plan accordingly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Blend 3 cups of roasted peanuts and 1 ½ teaspoons of peanut oil or olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until it begins to clump. Stir down the sides with a wooden spoon and add the remaining peanuts and oil. Blend until you reach the desired consistency. Add salt, if preferred, and blend for 60 seconds.

Store fresh natural peanut butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Due to the lack of preservatives, natural homemade peanut butter does not keep as long as commercial brands and may turn rancid if not refrigerated. Oil may rise to the top when stored. Simply stir to mix before serving.

Alternatives:
Making natural homemade peanut butter provides you with the perfect opportunity to create your own flavors. Blending the peanut butter while the peanuts are still warm will melt any ingredients like chocolate bits and the flavors will blend throughout the peanut butter. Try adding honey in place of the peanut oil or add bits of chocolate for a special treat. ¼ cup of chopped peanuts can be added to create chunky peanut butter. Try out other favorites like cinnamon, raisins or a combination of nuts for a unique blend of homemade peanut butter.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

５人は何時も一緒にお願いします。。。 always keep the faith...

can't see the thunderstorm...
but can hear and feel the pouring rain & roaring thunder...
r e skies gloomy like my mood too?

such bad news early in the morning...

today's the day of the hearing...
no news on the outcome yet...
i hope the judge is just...
and let our 3 guys get what they hope for...
and give hope for all the rest who are being chained by slave contracts signed when they are well below legal age...

tvxq...
i pray for u guys to PLEASE stay together no matter WHAT happens...
i can't imagine a day in the world without ur music...
always keep the faith...
stay together forever please...
５人は何時も一緒にお願いします。。。
(- /\ -)


☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Chuao Chocolate Blocks from LEGOLAND

Chuao Chocolate Blocks from LEGOLAND

In the last of my vacation candy theme week, I’ve got something that I didn’t actually get on my vacation last week. But it’s something that you might.

The Man went to LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, CA yesterday, and I asked him to check in the gift shop while he was there to see if they had anything LEGO-ish to complete my week.

He called me from the store and said, “Guess what chocolate LEGOLAND has?”

He just about dropped the phone when I excitedly said, “Chuao!” (It’s not like I actually knew that, but I know his love of Chuao and their proximity to LEGOLAND.)

So he picked up a nice package of the “not quite LEGO branded” blocks. (There’s no actual name on the package of the product, it never uses the name LEGO and it’s not on Chuao’s website, so I’m guessing it’s something that’s only available at the theme park.)

There were three varieties to chose from: all milk, all white or a half & half mix. Each sleeve holds 16 blocks.

Each little block is sized to approximate real LEGO.

A true LEGO 8 block (two rows of four pegs) is 9.6 mm by 32 mm by 16 mm and are basically hollow.

The Chuao version takes some liberties and is 15 mm by 35 mm by 19 mm - which as far as I’m concerned means more chocolate!

I noticed that the sides are not straight verticals, the block is slightly trapezoidal. This is likely an engineering issue - chocolate is rarely injection molded as plastic LEGO blocks are. In order to get most chocolates out of a stiff mold, a little angle can make all the difference.

Also, injection molding means that the item is molded in three dimensions, in the case of chocolate blocks, the bottom is not molded, just leveled flat by gravity when the chocolate is molten.

Each block weighed 10 grams (.35 ounces) ... see, being solid has its advantages.

As I mentioned before, the packaging was so spare and minimalist it didn’t even say what kind of chocolate this is so I’m going to guess. (Hopefully I’ll get a response from Chuao soon and can revise this.)

The Milk Chocolate blocks were practically flawless. The molding was excellent with no voids. The color is a deep, milky brown ... so dark that I wasn’t sure if this was milk chocolate at first.

I suspect that this is El Rey’s beautiful dark milk called Caoba which Chuao is known to favor (though they may have a custom blend done for them).

The chocolate has a beautiful snap. Mine smelled rather milky, but that might be because it was intermingled with the white.

The flavors are dark but the melt is clean and only slightly sweet. There’s a wonderful smokiness to it with a slight background bitterness. It’s quite smooth and has a thinner melt that keeps it from feeling sticky or milky-cloying. It’s good munched up for an immediate bolt of flavor or a lingering melt on the tongue.

Chuao’s White Chocolate is dreamy.

The color is a crisp ivory. The molding is precise and the snap is good.

It smells like milky cocoa and pound cake.

The texture is pure, solid silk. It’s sweet but has a consistent melt that is neither greasy nor watery. The sugar is ultrafine so the vanilla flavor as well as some of the cocoa-ness comes through. It’s cool on the tongue so it feels like a great, refreshing summer version of chocolate.

I suspect that this is El Rey ICOA, which is a premium un-deodorized white chocolate.

The final thing to tell you about these adorable, well made and great-tasting chocolates is the price. It was $14.95 for the sleeve. Yes, that’s nearly $1 for each block. At this point I’m just going to buy El Rey or Chuao bars (which are more widely available at grocery and gourmet stores anyway). As it is, these are not kid treats ... they’re a grown-up way to revisit a childhood favorite. Since the only place to get them is LEGOLAND, if you’ve paid $65 just to get in the gate, may as well go for broke (and satisfied).

LEGOLAND - California
One LEGOLAND Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 918-LEGO
(List of Legoland Stores)

Credit: Candy Blog

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

so cool...
my fave toy during childhood...
merged with one of my fave foods...
and WHITE CHOCOLATE!!!!
HEAVENLY!!!!

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Ginger Japanese Salad Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

* 2 tbsps rice wine vinegar
* 3 tbsps vegetable oil
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp sake
* 1 tsp grated ginger

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients other than oil in a bowl. Add oil gradually into a bowl and mix well.

*Makes 2 servings

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Japanese Onion Salad Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

* 3 tbsps rice wine vinegar
* 4 tbsps vegetable oil
* 1 tsp soy sauce
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 1 tbsp grated onion

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients other than oil in a bowl. Add oil gradually into a bowl and mix well.

*Makes 2 servings

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Creamy Sesame Salad Dressing Recipe

Creamy sesame salad dressing is a popular Japanese-style dressing. Adding mayonnaise makes this dressing creamier. Adjust the amount of mayonnaise as you like.

Ingredients:

* 2 tbsp ground white sesame seeds
* 1 tsp rice vinegar
* 1 tsp vegetable oil
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp grated onion
* 1 to 2 tsps mayonnaise

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add mayonnaise as you like.
*Makes 2 servings

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Sesame Salad Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

* 3 tbsps rice wine vinegar
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp ground white sesame seeds

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients other than oil in a bowl. Add oil gradually into a bowl and mix well.

Makes 2 servings

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m

Tofu Mayonnaise Recipe

For a vegetarian mayonnaise, try this mixture of tofu, miso, lemon juice, and spices. Tofu mayonnaise may be further spiced up with curry powder, minced onion, or other herbs.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

* 12 ounces (3/4 pound) silken tofu
* 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
* 4 Tablespoons sweet, white miso (or 3 tablespoons red miso)
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Preparation:
Combine tofu, vinegar, miso, garlic powder, and dry mustard in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Yield: about 2 cups

Goldie notes: Start with this basic mayonnaise, then add your own touches. Try minced onions, chives or parsley, a bit of curry powder perhaps, or dill or other herb. You will have created your own dip!

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss　m(~_~)m