Peanut Butter Squares

"A perfect balance" said D as he referred to the peanut butter to chocolate ratio. In other words, a raving review straight from a very picky (and often skeptical) PB & chocolate connoisseur.

I love peanut butter. I was late to the whole PB world because we never really discovered it in my family until my brother was in high school (and he is 7 years my senior) because being British, peanut butter just wasn't big with them. Branston pickle, yes... peanut butter, no. In my adulthood, I have made up for lost time. I love PB cookies, treats, toast with PB & honey, celery with PB... anything really. Mmm... I digress.

It's my turn to bring Friday breakfast to the office tomorrow. Admittedly, I forgot about it until last night and being too tired to really plan anything, I decided to pull together a very European breakfast -- meats, cheeses, spreads, crisps & baguette. Easy, right? Yep! But I needed a sweet because who doesn't love a sweet for breakfast? The easiest, quickest & tastiest thing I could think of (and PB really screams out breakfast, no?) were these squares. This recipe kicks it old school big time!

Peanut Butter Squares

3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided, plus a little more to butter the dish

1 3/4 cups icing sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line an 8x8 pan with foil, leaving enough foil overhanging the sides to use as "handles" later. Butter the bottom & sides of the lined pan and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs. Continue stirring until thoroughly combined and smooth. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan & use a spatula to even it out.

In the same pan, add the remaining 1/4 cup of butter. Melt over low heat. Add the chocolate chips and stir until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until totally melted. Pour the chocolate over the peanut butter and spread into an even layer.

Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. Using the foil to lift, transfer from the pan to the cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Soooooo good!!!

Garlic & Basil Pasta with Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

I had a ridiculously late night at work last night (3am... gasp!) and used my Friday afternoon to catch up on some sleep. D sent me a text around 4:15pm to say he was on his way home with M. I wanted to have dinner ready when they got here to I flew into action and threw together this meatless, fresh & simple summer dinner. This one is great for those of you with gardens!

Garlic & Basil Pasta with Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

Paste of choice (linguine is perfect)

2-3 beefsteak tomatoes

Ball of good mozzarella

S&P

Basil & lots of it

In a small saucepan, gently warm about 3 tbsp. of olive oil. Add two cloves of garlic, minced and a good pinch of red pepper flakes. Be careful not to burn or brown the garlic.

Get your pasta of choice going in a pot of salted boiling water.

Slice 2-3 beefsteak tomatoes into thick 1/2" slices and arrange on a lightly oiled baking tray. Season with pepper and kosher salt before topping with a thick slice of good mozzarella. Place in the middle of oven and boil until bubbly & beginning to brown.

Strain your pasta and put into your serving dish. Using a strainer, pour the infused olive oil over the pasta and discard the rest. Add a few big handfuls of torn or chopped basil and toss together. Top with freshly grated or shaved parmesan.

Serve pasta topped with 2-3 tomato slices per person.

Meal Plan for the Week of August 14th

I have work commitments two nights this week so that means we need a few options that are quick & easy for D to toss in the oven or pull together when he gets home with M, who can be a mini dictator when he's hungry! This week's menu pretty much consists of meat, pasta & cheese. Um, yeah. Not the healthiest but I need things that are quick on the fly this week.

Grilled chicken breasts w/ a chickpea & pepper salad

Homemade mac 'n cheese with chedder, smoked gouda & gruyere & a panko crust w/ salad

Skewered pork tenderloin & pineapple w/an orzo & grilled vegetable salad with feta, olives & oregano

Homemade pizza w/ proscuitto, pineapple & roasted red peppers w/ salad

Basil spaghetti w/ cheesy broiled beefsteak tomatoes w/ salad

As usual, will share any recipes that are a hit but really, the only new one I'm trying is the last.

An Update on the Patient

A couple weeks back, I wrote about M's surgery to have his tonsils & adenoids removed. His recovery was quick & he was back at it within 48 hours of the surgery. We had to keep him home for almost 2 weeks to prevent infection but he went back to school this week.

We've noticed significant changes already. First, he no longer snores. He was a total bear before the surgery and he's SO quiet when he sleeps that I find myself checking him constantly to make sure he's okay. Second, he's having better sleeps. We've been lucky to have a kid who likes his sleep and always gives it the ol' college try but we can definitely tell that he's waking more refreshed and having better naps. Lastly, his speech is improving! We're thankful that his nasally pipsqueak voice is s-l-o-w-l-y disappearing (a side effect from the surgery) but he speaks with a much more clear voice now. We can understand him better and his parrot ways are nonstop.

Oddly enough, this post coincides with a letter we received from the SLP. We'll be getting a call shortly to schedule a reassessment and I know they're going to be thrilled. Yay! We are so excited for M.

Run Fatty RUN!

15km!

My hips are grinding worse than they did after giving birth to M and my toes feel like death BUT I did it! I ran 15km yesterday and almost died doing so! It was insanely hot and I was exhausted & sore but I talked myself through every step of the last 5km. I have bootcamp twice this week and then I'll get out for another run (albeit shorter) this weekend.