Sweet Treat: Grape Nut Custard... Loved the Box

Okay I admit it, I bought it for the box.

I loved the nostalgic look of the Grape-Nuts cereal box.

I was pretty sure my many children would not like the contents, but I figured if Grape-Nuts were the only selection in the cereal department of the pantry...one lonely retro box of Grape-Nuts...they would at least try the little rock-hard pebbles contained in this lovely box.

Wrong, Wrong,Wrong!

It sat in the cupboard being all cute and retro for two months
yes
TWO MONTHS

I thought, well, I love Grape-nuts warm with lots of cream and sugar...but then I remembered the carb count, and considering the fact that I am really trying never to eat carbs again (ok at least until The Wedding (my oldest daughter's...a whole story I am sure I will bore you to death with over the next eight months) so I'll have to forgo the warm bowl of goodness.

BUT with the food budget as tight as tight can be, I could not let these go to waste, right?
Custard is the answer!

I had never made custard, but I do adore it, so I thought, how hard could it be?

With all the kid friendly ingredients I thought it might work.

So I greased a bowl...

Gathered some eggs ( double what the recipe called for)

and proceeded as follows:
6 eggs, slightly beaten
add 3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups of half/half, light cream, or whole milk (depending on what you have)
1 3/4 cups of Grape-Nuts
pinch nutmeg



heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl blend together the first 4 ingredients.
Gradually stir in the half and half (or whatever)
Add the Grape-Nuts and be careful not to mix too much.
Pour mixture in well greased medium sized bowl and sprinkle with nutmeg.


Place a 13x9-inch pan on the oven rack and place the bowl in the center. Add about 1-2 inches of hot water to the pan (not the bowl)

Gently slide the oven rack back in.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or chilled

Success!

This was put together in about 10 minutes with very inexpensive ingredients.

And guess what?...they loved Grape-Nut custard.....So I can keep buying the box!

Make Your Own Damn Dinner

For some strange reason Make Your Own Salad has become the most popular weeknight dinner at our house, and it could not be simpler.

I start by getting a protein into bite sized pieces--in this case BSCBs that I threw on the grill pan, but I've also used thawed frozen shrimp, thinly sliced left over steak and left over sausages.
then I chop up whatever vegetables I've got lying around and tuck them into individual bowls. I like cheese too, blue or shredded whatever, and to finish I whip up a batch of homemade ranch dressing.

Everyone serves themselves which is nearly heaven on earth. The only drawback is the 19 dirty little bowls but with so much happiness from such minimal effort, I'd be an ass to complain.

Homemade Ranch Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
dash hot sauce
dash paprika
dash dijon mustard (as much as fits on the tip of a teaspoon)
squeeze of fresh lemon if you have it, 1/2 teaspoon of cider vinegar if you don't
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Stir together and voila!

Frugal Kitchen Renovation

When the bank takes the house back when we go fully into bankruptcy, at least the kitchen will be cute....

Here's what $3,000 of hard earned retirement savings and a lot of hard work can get you in Concord, New Hampshire.

It started out as a very simple project: move the sink off the north wall of the kitchen so that my pipes wouldn't freeze solid this winter, like they did last year and the year before that and the year before that.

And like any woman worth her pointy heels, I was able to finagle a whole lot more.

It didn't seem right to move the sink and not get a new counter for the island. And since B&E stoneworks was having an 80% off sale on their remnants, well...

And since we were getting the new counter, how could we not extend it a tad to make room for a couple of stools?

And since the faucet would now be on display, it should be a cute one, right? Good thing we were able to buy the floor model at a shop in Salem at a huge discount.

And if we are going to have the cabinet doors reattached and painted, we should probably get new hardware too...

And the white range hood would look silly with the barn red cabinets so we surely should get a stainless range hood...

And the green walls would have looked ridiculous with the red cabinets, so why not paint the whole thing a soft yellow?

Here is the before picture....


Take careful note of the missing cabinet doors and the cabinet that is just hanging off the wall. Super sweet.

Read about the plans and challenges here.

We better start selling a whole lotta light bulbs in 2010...

Partly Puttanesca with Prawns

Another day another damn dinner.

These people I live with seem to need to eat two or three times each and every day, and they are annoyingly dependent upon me to provide their sustenance.

I am reasonably happy to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, but I'd sure like someone else to come up with a menu idea now and again. Coming up with dinner ideas is the killer part of the whole process. Especially since if it were up to me, dinner would be a nice glass of Barolo, a hunk of baguette from Butters and about a quarter pound of Taleggio.

The other night I pulled some frozen shrimp out of the freezer and a couple cans out of the cabinet and cobbled together a chunky sauce for pasta that was tasty and complete before the penne was cooked. I used the classic ingredients of a Puttanesca sauce -- anchovy, garlic and red pepper, but when I tasted it the flavors were too sharp so I added about a cup of chicken broth which mellowed it right up.

For 8 Servings:

1 pound penne or whatever you've got

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped
half a can of rolled anchovy fillets with capers packed in olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus the oil from the anchovy can
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
1 28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
kosher salt and pepper to taste
handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
1 pound thawed shrimp, peeled

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Warm the olive oil and the oil from the anchovy can in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic, onion and the anchovies and stir around until the onion goes limp and translucent and the anchovies mostly dissolve, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook at a very slow simmer until the pasta is done.

Toss the shrimp into the sauce, stir well and turn the heat off. Cover the skillet and let the shrimp turn pink while you drain the pasta. Serve in bowls, garnished with the parsley. Pass additional crushed red pepper at the table.

Quick and Easy Vegtable Beef Soup

This time of year is a challenge in many ways.

Not only is the entire region frozen solid so that every day is an Arctic adventure, but the economy is still not so great, even if the ones in the know have stated the recession is over.

Yeah right...

We are still not sure how this will all turn out.

We keep plodding along, scraping by one day at a time... the budget for food has dwindled as has our budget for all items and just when I want to throw in the towel and call it a day, it seems the people around here will not hear of it.

They still want breakfast, lunch and dinner...go figure, don't they know I want to quit this position?

I have no office to run to, or vacation time built up, I have no 401K , I also have no health insurance to speak of-- unless the $10,000 deductible is worth talking about, which it isn't.

However, because of this small issue--a house full of children--I must go on.

Their smiles and laughter fill the house even on the darkest days. The weather outside is not frightful to them; it is invigorating.

So I will make something from nothing.

I get out the pot.

Soup's On

Ingredients
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
4 tbs butter
3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
6tbs Better than Bouillon beef base
2 quarts water
1 large bag frozen mixed veggies
2 cups cooked rice
salt and pepper to taste

in a large soup pot melt the butter and saute celery and onion until soft about 10 minutes over medium low heat.
Add garlic and saute additional 2 minutes being careful not to burn garlic.
Add the cooking sherry and let simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
Add water and beef base along with tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.
Add veggies and rice, simmer another 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.




In the end you will have beautiful soup, it does the trick on a wintry New England Day

Warms even the coldest of hearts :)

Even Not-So-Great Minds Think Alike

I swear that the two posts of recipes that will be popping up on Monday and Tuesday of this week were done without any consultation between the two of us. It must be January in New Hampshire that makes us want to vent about our lack of enthusiasm for all our wifely duties, and tip cans of petite diced tomatoes into everything we make.

We need to find the strength to soldier on despite a lack of heat, insufficient funds and frozen imaginations and we are just not feeling it. Apparently our gumption is as frozen as our pipes.

How are all y'all holding up?

ps: I scraped the photo from here.

Sweet Treats: World's Best Chocolate Cake

For about 10 years I didn't want to believe that the best chocolate cake recipe on the planet is the one on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa box.

After choking down one too many chunks of frosted sawdust I had to concede the point. This cake starts off moist and only gets better as it sits on the counter, or should I say IF it sits on the counter.

There are a few things you should know:

1. This cake can be in the oven in less than 10 minutes, and is so much better than that awful cottony mess that comes out of a box that you should really try this, at least once.

2. It sticks like hell to the pan so when you are preparing the pan, grease it and line it with a piece of waxed paper cut to fit, then grease the waxed paper and dust the whole thing with flour.

3. This is the thinnest batter you can imagine. Do not freak out when you are sloshing it into the pan. It will eventually turn into fudgey goodness. I swear.

4. This doesn't make a lot of cake. I would use 8 inch round pans, and to make the half sheet cake I used two full recipes, and frankly should have done 2.5 recipes to get a nice high cake. To go full out Tenley Style, use three recipes.

5. It is very crumby. Go dark with the frosting or you'll wind up with the slab o frosting as seen in the photo above. I was trying to make the cake look like a report we use down at Shotz Brewery so I had to keep the frosting white, and it was a giant pain.

6. Don't count on much left over.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water.

Grease, line, grease again and flour 2 8 inch baking pans or 1 10 inch square brownie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water and use a spatula to combine, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Batter will be very thin.

Pour into the baking pan and carefully place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 30-32 minutes for the 8 inch pans and about 40 minutes for the 10 inch.

Cool for 10 minutes. Slide a flat knife around the edges of the pan and invert on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

Basic Vanilla Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, at warm room temperature
1 2 pound bag of confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream, approximate.

Beat the butter in a stand mixer until fluffy. Slowly add cups of sugar and keep beating until well combined. Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula and beat again for about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla. Slowly add heavy cream and beat until frosting is of soft, smooth spreading consistency.

Lamb Burgers with Feta Cheese and Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce

If you can stand the thought of eating lamb these burgers are incredible. I know a lot of people hate the thought of snarfing a fluffy little sheep but I've got to say these were moist and flavorful and so much more tender than beef burgers.


I'd like to put these into heavy rotation over here on School Street and I was shocked to find that Market Basket stocks lean ground lamb -- I thought I'd have to get out the meat grinder which would mean that I'd never make these again. I use that damn thing once a year to grind cranberries and oranges for my grandmother's thanksgiving relish recipe and I am not looking to increase my grinding repertoire. Bless her soul and I'm glad I have the damn thing but using Ruthie's grinder is a chore.

This recipe comes from Jacques Pepin's More Fast Food My Way, a lovely volume of easy to prepare elegant dishes. We won't comment on the fact that this book is filled with dishes that he cooks for family -- most of them are more elaborate and elegant than anything I'd make for a dinner party.

For eight burgers:

2 pounds lean ground lamb
2 cups coarsely chopped white mushrooms
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Mix together the ground lamb, mushrooms, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano. Shape into 8 patties. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. heat a ridged grill pan over medium high heat until very hot. Place the burgers oiled side down onto the pan and cook for about 4 minutes.




Brush the tops with additional oil. Flip and continue cooking for another 4 minutes for medium rare. Serve in pita with the following Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce.

1 English cucumber, shredded on a large box grater.
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek.

Stir together and refrigerate until serving.
Use a slotted spoon.

New Frugal Feasts Column: What You Need to Survive Winter in N'ompsure

Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Tim Gunn, mentor to the demented designers on Project Runway, and a kind but no nonsense fashion advisor to women everywhere put together a list of fashion “must haves” for the stylish woman. His list is what we might call “aspirational” and includes things like a Little Black Dress, and a classic white blouse and other items for women who have unlimited budgets, well heated homes and jobs that don’t involve any sort of physical labor. Here in New Hampshire the winters are long, this recession is longer and the last time we checked it was still about three months until spring – that blissful week between mud season and the arrival of the black flies. So here is the Fru Gals list of must have items for surviving winter in New Hampshire.

1. An ugly coat. Because cute coats are not warm. One of the best things about being in our 40s is we no longer put fashion first. We both have coats that are so warm and so ugly that our 25 year old selves would have chosen death instead. Robin has a lovely faux fur number that makes her look like a shaggy bear headed for hibernation. Suzanne has one of those puffy ankle grazers that looks like an overstuffed garbage bag. Laugh all you want but we are warm. And happy too as long as we avoid all reflective surfaces. Because catching a glimpse of our backsides in either of these confections is more depressing than a Monday snow day.

2. Cheap black snow pants. When we first gazed upon our newly born children we were filled with hope – these were the children that were going to solve all the problems of the world. Hard to image these geniuses curing cancer or solving global climate change when they can’t seem to bring home their snow pants. We have amassed an arsenal of cheap unisex bib overalls. Any given pair might be too big or border on Capri length, but we never have a day where we can’t shoo our darlings out the door for some fresh air . And by “fresh air” we mean “peace and quiet”.

3. Silk long underwear. Think of them as winter Spanx.: warm yes, but with a bonus smoothing function. The pretty pink color is certainly better than the winter skin they are upholstering. Just stay away from the ones with the pinchy waistbands. Nothing makes a bigger or more unflattering muffin top than tight elastic. Winter is hard enough without our undies digging into the evidence of our holiday snacking.

4. A reality television show, one with lots of crying. Misery loves company so we like to spend our miserable winters watching miserable people get voted off an island or a stage or a scale. And just think, by the time we have a new American Idol, winter will be over!

5. A Slow Cooker. Because this time of year every chore seems doubly hard. When you need to walk the dog you’ve got to suit up like Randy in A Christmas Story. Taking a toddler out? Plan on a ten minutes to get the seat belt on the booster seat around the wadded up snow suit and into that little clicky thing at the bottom. Need to run to the grocery store? Better rev the engine extra hard to get the minivan over the crusted mound of snow that the snowplow has left at the bottom of the driveway. But if you load up the crock pot in the morning, when you get home at the end of a long day the house might be 62 degrees, and the breakfast dishes might still be on the table, but the frosty air will smell like your sister wife has been slaving all afternoon.

Texas Style Brisket
8 servings @ $1.80 each
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup catsup
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 4-5 pound beef brisket trimmed of excess fat

In the bottom of a crock pot stir together all but the beef brisket. Add the brisket and turn with a fork to coat well with the sauce. Cook on Low heat undisturbed for 6-7 hours or until beef is tender.

Remove the beef from the pot and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
Degrease the sauce from the pot and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve with the beef.

Southwestern Smashed Potatoes
10 servings @ $.47 each
This recipe is adapted from the Roanoke Virginia Junior Service League cookbook and is a keeper.
1 cup light cream or whole milk
½2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Cajun style seasoning
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch chunks
Stir together the cream, butter, Cajun seasoning and green onions in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until small bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pot. Shut off the heat and add the shredded cheddar. Cover and set aside until cheese melts.
Place cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 8 minutes. Drain and mash roughly with a hand masher or a large fork. Slowly pour in the cheese mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy.

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken

8 Servings @ 1.56 each

4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
7 medium potatoes cut into ½ inch thick slices
4 medium onions sliced thinly
4 carrots cut into ½ inch thick slices
½ cup sherry
1 10 ¾ ounce can condensed cream of onion or cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons curry powder
1teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Layer half of the potatoes, onions and carrots evenly in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with half of the chicken. Repeat with the rest of the vegetables and chicken.

Pour the sherry over all. Stir together the soup, curry powder and black pepper and pour over the top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Stir gently to shred the chicken and serve.

newsflash: domino's pizza lame as evah

Peter had a meeting this evening and I after working a 10 hour shift down at the plant the last thing I wanted to do was make dinner, or even leave the house to go get dinner.

So I placed an online order with Dominos for their New and Improved Pizza:

The sauce still takes like candied tomatoes.

The cheese is weirdly wet.

I think their profits still heavily support legislation that aims to limit the reproductive freedom of American women.

and

The order for 1 large cheese and one specialty pizza was $28 before the tip.

The hell was I thinking?

Cold, Colder, Coldest!

aka Frugal Feasts (in Finnish)

Our friends Megan, Chris and Sophie are in Turka Finland for five months. According to Megan's blog winter in Finland is even frostier and darker than doing time in Concord.

On the plus side, you can easily quench your reindeer meat craving right at the grocery store. Which is good because as hard as it might be to wring the neck of a chicken, I could never bring myself to take down Rudolph.

You can follow their adventures on Megan's blog: Cold, Colder, Coldest.

She takes great photos and her blog even has video, not that I am jealous or anything.

Crock Pot or Stove-Top French Onion Soup

One thing for sure is the winter in New England is hard, the cold frigid temps last for days.
The inside temp never gets above 65 degrees.
The days are cold and the evenings darker than usual and the comfort we seek is food--hot steamy soups that do not bust the budget but warm the body and the soul.

Crusty bread and a steamy bowl can make all the difference.

The recipe below is wonderful because it can be done in the crock pot or on top of the stove.

Ingredients
1 stick of butter

3lb. onions peeled and sliced

2 48 0z. cans beef broth
1 cup white wine

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper
10 slices French bread

10 slices Swiss cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet or soup pot.

Add sliced onions and saute over med heat until onions are browned,
making sure not to burn butter, about 10-12 minutes.

Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, then add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point you can transfer the soup to the slow cooker,
add the beef broth and cook for 4-6 hours on LOW.

If you are sticking to the stove, add the broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 1/2 hour.

In the meantime brush bread with olive oil or butter and brown in a skillet.

Preheat the broiler on high.

Place oven-proof bowls on a cookie sheet for easy handling

Ladle soup into individual oven proof bowls.
Place a piece of french bread on top of soup and lay a slice of cheese over top.
Place under the broiler until the cheese bubbles and turns golden brown.

Serve at once.

Better than eating out,
and what a bargain!

Serves 10

Essentials?

Tonight is the first installment of Project Runway Season 7. No need to bore all y'all with our girlish squeals of excitement; our love for all things PR related has been well documented, here, here and also here (sort of).

So while we will be parked in front of our televisions tonight at 10, watching the shenanigans and following along with Project Rungay's live blogging, we don't expect that you'll give up precious hours of sleep for this show. Even though it is rightfully back in New York and Nina Garcia and Michael Korrs are judging (along with Nicole Ritchie, wtf) you can make do with this; Sir Tim's ten essentials for any well dressed woman.

As long as the well dressed woman has an unlimited budget, a well heated house and friends that throw fabulous soirees on a regular basis....

So ladies, do you have.....


Basic Black Dress - The LBD. Surely a classic and the Nicole Miller one I snagged from Kristin last year is perfect with princess seaming that makes even my wide ass look fairly chic. Knee length and sleeveless is the way to go, in my opinion. Put on a cardi, add a belt and pretend you are Mrs. Obama.

Trench Coat - If you are headed out to do the morning carpool in your jammies, a decent trench coat will preserve your respectability.

Dress Pants - Black is the way to go here. Seasonless high twist wool will get you through most anything. Add a party sweater and voila, you are good to go.

Classic White Shirt - Here is a place to spend a little more for quality. And if the ones you've got are all yellow in the pit area, toss them.

Jeans - If you are over 40 (and who reading this blog is not) go for very dark, straight and with a high enough waist to avoid the dreaded muffin top. Jag is a fair trade brand that fits well on the mature figure. (UGH)

Any Occasion Top - works with the jeans or the black pants, is fun and flattering and well, good luck finding this one.

Skirt - Classic, necessary and find a length that flatters you.

Day Dress - Just like Betty Draper. Have to say I'm not totes on board with this one.

Jacket - Here is where the unlimited budget thing would come in handy. A classic Chanel jacket would be killer with the skirt, the black pants and especially with the jeans. On a budget, find a length that is flattering and consider 3/4 length sleeves. Even if you are above your goal weight, your wrists are prolly still slender.

Sweatsuit Alternative - Hmmm. Maybe just a decent sweat suit, like the pieces from Lululemon. Killer and since they aren't made out of cotton, hold their color and dry in an instant.

Ok ladies, get those Powerball tickets.....

Taste of Spring

I might have figured out the best part of having a job outside the home--coworkers!

Unlike the people I live with, the people I work with appreciate when I help them out, they say please and thank you, I almost never have to cut their meat, and they occasionally bring me stuff.

This morning a giant bunch of lemongrass was sitting on my chair.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but at a minimum I'll be spicing up some of the regular Ellinwood Winter Gruel with the exotic, bright flavor of spring.

Anyone have any suggestions for a new recipe?

Hello Spring

We can do it...

69 more days until our cold world is tranformed

and we can breathe the fresh air of spring

We can do it

Mom can you stop PLEASE

The question is:
Why must you document every moment of our lives?

Because I want credit and ammo, so I can use this against you in the future...You know how it goes, Mom I think you loved him the best, Mom you never went on any college visits with me. Well for future reference, remember when I dropped everything and ran to Boston with you, in the freezing cold, do ya ,do ya,

remember how cold it was do ya do ya?


So smile for God's sake, is that to much to ask?

Sweet Treats: Peanut Butter Jelly Time Bars

Tomorrow night the CHS Lacrosse Boosters Club is hosting a family friendly comedy night. I'm not sure who is going to be performing, but I personally can't wait to see a family friendly comedian. There is nothing I hate more than a salty tongued joke teller.

What is it going to be, 90 minutes of knock knock jokes? Family friendly knock knock jokes?

Suh-wheat!

I made these bars from The Martha Stewart Cookie Book for the concession stand.

Hopefully someone else is bringing chardonnay.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Makes about 3 dozen

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
* 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups strawberry jam, or other flavor
* 2/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla. Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with offset spatula. Using offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.
3. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about thirty-six 1 1/2-by-2-inch pieces.