A couple of coleslaws

I'm not sure what the rules are for considering something coleslaw.  When I was a kid it came from KFC and was ignored in its sad little Styrofoam cup.  Now, I think of it as a salad that it is featured in many magazines and episodes of Chopped often atop sandwiches.

To me... coleslaw consists of crunchy veggies mixed with just the right amount of sauce (the veggies must be recognizable in taste and texture and covered but not dripping in sauce).  I think it's delicious!

The following slaw recipe is pretty versatile depending on what kind of sauce you put on it.  You could use mayo, sugar and vinegar to get a more traditional slaw but I prefer something a little more sweet and sour (not to be confused with the bright red sauce that accompanies crab rangoons).

sweet, sour coleslaw

4 small carrots
1/4 purple cabbage

1/4 Cup peanut butter
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T water
a handful of sesame seeds
a handful of peanuts

Shred carrots and cabbage with the food processor's shredding disc ... ( or use a vegetable peeler to create more ribbon-like pieces of carrot and chop your cabbage finely) and set aside in a bowl.
In another bowl mix peanut butter, vinegar and water until it turns liquid-y and has the desired balance of sweet and sour (you may need to add more of one of the 3 ingredients to get to this point).
Combine veggies and sauce.
Garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds!

I had extra carrots so I also made this other, sweeter salad with raisins.

carrot raisin slaw/salad

3 small carrots
1/4 C raisins
2 or 3 T mayo
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar

Shred carrots.
Mix with raisins in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix up mayo, sugar and vinegar.
Combine then enjoy!


In preparation for days where I will need to pack my lunch, I now have some tasty food waiting for me!

When Cravings Attack: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Have I mentioned that my sweet tooth is about the same size of my head?

If there's one thing I love equally as chocolate it's peanut butter.  One of my favorite comfort foods is toast with peanut butter and jelly. Or toast with peanut butter, banana and honey. Mmmm..... 

The other night, I was struck by a craving for Reese's peanut butter cups and a sudden urge to make them right away.  Having never made them before, I googled hoping it would be an easy fix (this is one great reason to keep a well-stocked pantry!!) and I was not let down.  It should be no surprise that there were a wide array of easy DIY peanut butter cup recipes out there and I was happy to learn that they were relatively easy with ingredients I had on hand. 

I based mine off some recipes I read on Allrecipes.com.  Here's what I think went into them.  It all happened so fast I am trying to remember... and they are long gone by now.

2/3 cup peanut butter

stick of salted butter, melted

1 cup finely ground graham crackers

approx. 2 Tbsp. honey

Mix the above together and spread in the bottom of a pan. (some recipes mentioned using a 9 x 13 pan or a brownie pan but I was going for about a half recipe so I used our bread pan.)  put in freezer.

meanwhile melt approx.

1/2-1 C chocolate chips

in the microwave in 20 second intervals until melted. 

Spread on peanut butter stuff.  Put back in fridge or freezer until solid. 

I had to stop myself from scarfing the whole pan down right away. I was good and shared with my husband and they lasted about three days.  There was not time to get a picture... so click here and pretend these are mine. :) 

It wasn't until the day after that I remembered my friend Aimee makes amazing homemade peanut butter cups that is pared down and way more health conscious than the stick of melted butter version I made.  She was kind enough to share her recipe with the Kitchen Table Friends...

Aimee's PB & Chocolate Squares

1 1/2 cups crushed Cheerios
1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Combine Cheerios and peanut butter and mix well. Press mixture evenly into a 9”x13” pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Spread over peanut butter mixture. Chill until just set and cut into bars.