The Peanut Butter Boy » Peanut Butterless

The Best Meat Sauce. Ever.

Nick — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:49:51 +0000

Ever go to a top-notch Italian restaurant that had unique, creative dishes? The kind of place where everything sounded good and it was hard to decide? If so, you probably didn’t order the pasta with meat sauce. But if you had, it might have been the best dish there. I did that once, and it was so good that I was determined to re-create it at home. I present you with the best meat sauce. Ever.

Penne alla Vodka with Crispy Prosciutto

Nick — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:34:13 +0000

Everything is better with peanut butter. But does peanut butter work in the ultra-popular penne alla vodka? I don’t know, I was too scared to try. Besides, I wanted to try a new secret ingredient for a healthier version of vodka sauce, and making two drastic modifications at once is a recipe for disaster. Can you guess the secret ingredient? I’ll give you a hint, I’ve used it to make Ice Cream and Pancakes (which, by the way, are two of my favorite recipes on this site). We ran out of penne, so while the full penne alla vodka experience wasn’t there, the taste and flavor was. This sauce greatly exceed both of our expectations – it tasted like a true penne alla vodka. It’s even better when topped with salmon. Make it tonight!

Walnut Snowballs

Nick — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:29:33 +0000

Every child likes to eat snow. And who can blame them? The only reason, as adults, that we don’t eat snow is we don’t want the neighbors to see. Well that’s about to change. You’ve probably seen these cookies before since they assume several identities – Mexican Wedding Cookies, Princess Tea Cakes, Honey Sandballs – but no matter what you call them, these are perfect for wintertime. Many people will tell you that these cookies can’t be made without butter – they’re wrong. While the flavor or consistency may be slightly different, this heart-healthy version is just as delicious. However, while healthier, these cookies are still high in calories, so if you’re watching your intake, you may want to stick with real snow.

Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich

Nick — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:00:33 +0000

Sadly, Thanksgiving is over. The #1 foodie holiday came and went in a flash. But thankfully, there’s still plenty of leftovers! I went through several iterations of this recipe, finally settling on the one you see here. Deli turkey breast just doesn’t cut it – it’s watery, slimy and lacks flavor and texture. If you don’t have any leftover turkey, go to Costco and get the “kettle fried turkey breast” in the refrigerated section. Despite the name it’s not actually fried, it’s simply a cooked turkey breast without the bones or skin. Disregard the directions on the label, just cut open the package, pat it dry and slice it. The other key ingredient to this sandwich is cranberry sauce. I tried using dried cranberries but they didn’t add much to the experience and often just fell-off the sandwich. Also, homemade cranberry chutney is the only way to go, but if you must, opt for the whole-berry cranberry sauce in a can. There’s one other ingredient here that brings the whole thing together, read on for details.

Cabbage, Carrot and Peanut Bulgur

Nick — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:53:33 +0000

I don’t know why I made this. The combination of ingredients is strange, the name isn’t particularly appetizing (it was originally called braised bulgur and cabbage) and it doesn’t look all that good, but I had all the ingredients so it was too easy to pass up. Did you ever make a recipe you were skeptical about but it wound up being way better than expected? We served this with leftover Chicken Chana Saag (chicken and chickpeas in a spinach and garlic sauce), which is one of our favorite Indian dishes, and expected this odd recipe to simply be filler to round out the meal. We were so wrong. I couldn’t stop eating it and finished it all before I even touched the Saag. There were crazy flavors going on that I can’t fully describe – there was sweetness, saltiness, and something else that was just plain delicious. This taught me to never judge a recipe by its recipe.

Tomato, Olive and Brussels Pasta

Nick — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:41:07 +0000

In a last desperate attempt to hold on to the summer season, we ventured to the farmers market to collect the colorful remnants of warm weather. We got the last couple of bright red tomatoes and the last yellow tomatoes on the farmers table. The pick of brussels sprouts was plentiful, probably because they are often overlooked and under-appreciated in my opinion. Plus, I just discovered a kickass way to cook them, a method which deserves a post all on its own. The recipe is based on one of my favorite recipes my mother makes. You can add fresh grated parmesan or mozzarella on top, but this dish is so fresh, simple and delicious that it doesn’t even need it.

Pastelón de Plátanos Amarillos

Nick — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:32:34 +0000

I’ve been to the Dominican Republic. Not the touristy spots but the REAL Domincan Republic. A group of us went down for Engineers Without Borders to design and raise funds to build a hydroelectric generator for a small, remote village that the government refused to supply power to. During our trip, we stayed at a retreat center where Dominican women cooked us authentic meals from scratch. This one, right here, was everyone’s favorite. It has taken me 4 years to find a recipe but I finally did here. Despite a burning desire to do so, I restrained from putting peanut butter in this recipe since it was my first attempt. Did I put some peanut butter on top and taste it together? Yes. Will I be incroporating peanut butter next time? Absolutely.

Spicy Summer Pasta

Nick — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:57:32 +0000

Our recent trip through Pennsylvania opened our eyes to many new things. First, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are much prettier than we thought. Second, Pittsburgh is not the “dirty steel town” I expected it to be. And finally, no matter where you go, farmer’s markets are still the best place to buy your food. The most prized stop at the Pittsburgh farmer’s market was Olio Fresca which sold all sorts of flavor-infused pasta that we could sample (uncooked). The flavors in the pasta were surprisingly strong, and the guy told us that the flavor doesn’t go away when you cook it; We’ll see about that pasta-man. To my surprise and delight, he was correct. It made for one of the simplest and best homemade meals we’ve had in a while. And that’s cottage cheese I put on top, not ricotta – don’t give me that face, you won’t notice the difference. At least I didn’t add peanut butter.

Raspberry Brownie

Nick — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Updated from the recipe archive.

For as long as I can remember, raspberry brownie has been a part of my life. It began at our annual end-of-the-school-year pool parties with pizza and raspberry brownie. Kids would come from all over the neighborhood just for a bite of the raspberry brownie. The raspberry brownie tradition continues to this day, and arriving guests’ first question is still: where’s the brownie? But before you dismiss this dessert as a simple combination of brownie and sherbet, let me say that something magical happens to this dessert in the freezer, the brownie basically turns to fudge. Through experimentation over the years, we have determined that any brownie mix will work, but the lower fat mixes seem to work best.

Express Eats: Raspberry Truffle Coffee

Nick — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:31:19 +0000

Hey everyone – long time, no eats! It’s been a while since my last recipe but you’re all in for a treat. I’m developing a new recipe series called Express Eats that are designed to take literally 1 minute or less. The idea is based on the fact that not everyone has the time (or desire) to make a fancy 3-course dinner or a rockin’ bowl of oatmeal every morning. So I’ve come up with a few super quick recipes to add a little spice to your day. This can be anything from a quick and innovative snack to a twist on an morning staple (like this coffee recipe). But I need some feedback. What do you think – is this series a good idea or not? And do you like the title “Express Eats” or can you think of something better? Other names I was contemplating: 60-Second Eats, Minute to Make it, Done in 60 Seconds. Suggestions?