Wednesday, October 11, 2006

If I'd Only Known Sooner

Maybe this is something every mother out there already knows, but my mother didn't do it and I was in the dark until someone took the time to teach me the Ways of the PB&J . . .

When making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich put peanut butter on both pieces of bread. This keeps the jelly from soaking into oblivion. A world of difference!

Another fine tip for a zen PB&J experience: try other spreads besides peanut butter.

* Nutella (chopped hazlenuts with cocoa)
* Tahini (sesame seed paste)
* Almond Butter

I've used MaraNatha brand tahini and almond butter and had good reviews. My kids like one side Nutella and one side peanut butter. We're gourmets I tell you.

Oh and P.S. the herbal garnish is a joke.

Check in with Rocks in My Dryer every Wednesday for other good tips.

Some other little gems you might enjoy:

* The latest Freebie Friday at MotherLoad
* How to make maple-leaf roses courtesy of Average Jane's romantic husband
* Holiday recipes (I know it's early but some of you are thinking about it) at Overwhelmed with Joy!
* Ideas on helping children learn to exercise at Buzz Off
* A Kids Craft Weekly email to sign up for from sprout.

33 comments:

Rae said...

I admit that I knew that, but I never follow it. I just rush myself and don't take the time to spread both pieces with PB. I absolutely LOVE Nutella & PB sandwiches, your kids have great taste ;)

Anonymous said...

GREAT idea! Why didn't I think of that?

nonlineargirl said...

The PB on both slices makes the sandwich a lot more travel-worthy.

I lived on PB&honey for years as a kid. It was my lunch every day.

Overwhelmed! said...

Oh my gosh, I've been in the dark on this too! No wonder my PB&J sandwiches turn out soggy! Thanks so much for cluing me in. :)

I've posted a WFMW tip as well, involving No Fear Shakespeare!

Bec said...

Great idea - sadly none of our schools or preschools allow any nut products at all, so our kids pig out on PB and Nutella at home where the jam (jelly) soaking is not an issue!

Must try them on tahini (which will also not be allowed at school because of seed allergies!)

Unknown said...

Some people would miss the grape jelly mush if you just changed. I myself make it this way, but don't just go changing your ways willy nilly.

Another great thing (that makes a whole different flavor), is to mix up the PB&J first, and then spread.

julbgs said...

i agree with georgia, you've got a great blog here. amazing writing...i'll be adding you to my favorites as well.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful idea! The p,b and j sandwiches all these years and I had never thought of that!

Thanks for posting this idea!
--Tracy

Anonymous said...

Holy crap. That peanut butter tip is amazingly brilliant!

Anonymous said...

PB on BOTH sides? It seems so, so... fancy! I should try the other spreads you suggested. We do honey and PB a lot. The kids are starting to groan at lunchtime.

Erin said...

I did not know that -- PB on both sides. Brilliant! I do use the heel of the bread and put peanut butter on the heel side, so the "normal" side is facing outward and the kids never know the difference. They won't eat the heel otherwise and it seems so wasteful to throw it away.

Girlplustwo said...

you know, i've never actually eaten a pbandj. that might be weird...yes?

to answer your question, lovely scrib..i did take all those pics...except maybe for the one w/ the white border a few posts bac..i think J scanned a postcard into our photo file.

Anonymous said...

One of my sons suggested that a few years ago when the jelly kept soaking through his school lunch -- it does work great!

Unknown said...

Great suggestion. I love Nutella, too, but have never thought to use tahini or almond butter. I'll have to try those.

Anonymous said...

Great suggestion! I'll have to try it.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip! I am not a pb&J gal myself, but I am sure the kiddo will be in another year. :)

J Fife said...

Proof that I have worlds to learn about mothering.

Now, if you can only share tips on how to get my daughter to eat the sandwich...

Anonymous said...

For a while my son had to have Peanut butter and honey everyday. I figured out if I made honey butter (1/2 honey 1/2 butter) and spread the bread one side honey butter, the other peanut butter I did not have the problem of honey all over hands and everywhere. (Of course, you would not give this to a child less than a year old.)

cheated are the clouds said...

ah yes the peanut butter sequence, very important for the perfect sandwich, I have been surfing blogs and I came upon your site, very interesting, thanks for letting me read it over

Anonymous said...

Mmmm... Nutella.

Kimberly said...

You know...I didn't know that either! Wow...where have I been? My mother used to pack me cream cheese and jelly sand's on raisin bread. UGH. It was soooo gross. And what's even worse - she would butter the bread. ICK.

Anonymous said...

Oh my lord. Nutella is just the most delicious thing! Giada on the Food Network made a nutella and strawberry panini the other day and I just about had to have a spoonful of the stuff!

Anne said...

I chuckled at the comments your post has drawn, but it wasn't a "duh!"-chuckle for your commenters, but rather a "duh!" moment for me! I've been putting the PB on both sides of the bread for ages because I like it that way... it never even occured to me that the jelly would soak through;). Thanks for the smiles!

Anonymous said...

I had no idea....I guess I'll try that tomorrow for my son's lunch. :) Thanks!

Meg said...

Ohhhh... other good pb alternatives- sunflower seed butter is amazingly decadent and soy butter is a fine alternative... we have nut allergies in our house, can you tell? I get both at Trader Joes.

emily said...

My very picky son loves to eat "chocolate sandwiches" which is just Nutella on bread. It's a blessing for the cranky, picky eater.

Anonymous said...

That's a great PB&J idea. Thanks!

My Trendy Tykes said...

Ahhhh! I always wondered what the trick was!

Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

oh, and if you can find it (it's hard to find!) some company ... it might be maranatha, I'm not sure anymore, makes *macadamia nut butter*

but skip the sandwich. Melt it with chocolate chips, it's yummy.

my mom always put butter on the jelly side.

Amy said...

Thanks for the mention! I missed participating this week in WFMW. That is a great tip!

I actually had a honey & peanut butter sandwich after I read about this method. Best sandwich- ever ;)

Thanks again!!

Kate said...

YUM YUM YUM! (But I like my jelly soaking in the bread!) I've been hearing a lot of rave reviews about Nutella and you know, I am probably the only soul out there who hasn't bought it yet... for fear of becoming addicted to it!

Anonymous said...

I just got back into PB&Js. Thanks for the great tips!

ChiefFamilyOfficer said...

Yum, I love the Nutella + PB idea!