Cooking With TechyDad: The PB Files, Part 3: Peanut Butter Grilled Cheese
There are some things that just seem to go together and things that don’t go together at all. Once in awhile, you might be lucky to discover two things which, by all rights, shouldn’t go together, but do. It was in this hope that I opened the Peanut Butter and Company cookbook to the Peanut Butter Grilled Cheese (aka the PBGC) recipe. I’m always game for food experimentation, though, especially when using my family as dinner-guinea-pigs, so I plunged ahead.
The first step was to gather the ingredients: Bread, cheese, and butter.
Of course, I needed the star ingredient: Crunch Time, chunky peanut butter.
This sandwich is a cousin of the Veggie Elvis and so shares some similarities. First, you spread the butter on one side of the bread.
Then, you spread the peanut butter on the other side.
At this point, the Veggie Elvis and PBGC part company. Where the Veggie Elvis added banana and veggie bacon, the PBGC adds sliced American cheese.
Now, just close the sandwich and cook on each side for a few minutes so the cheese can melt.
Finally, put the sandwich on a plate, cut in half (to see the melty PB-Cheesy goodness inside) and enjoy.
This was better than I thought it would be, but perhaps not as good as it could be. The peanut butter flavor overpowered the cheese flavor a tad too much for my taste. Perhaps next time, I’ll try a cheese with a stronger flavor. Maybe a sharp chedder would give the peanut butter a run for its money.
What-er Great Escape
On the day before Father’s Day, we went to the Great Escape. It was a hot day and, though we weren’t going to the water park section, I was looking forward to getting a little drenched at the Raging River ride. While B took JSL to Wiggles World, NHL and I got on line for the Raging River ride. (She took the camera as I obviously couldn’t bring it on this ride… thus the lack of photos.) The line was long, but moved pretty fast. During the ride, I spoke with a woman in front of me (who was there with her three sons) and we eventually got on the ride together.
Now, the basic layout of this ride is a whitewater rapids with a few small waterfalls. There are also water sprayers that can soak you at various intervals. A recent change seems to be that these sprayers are now operated by people who deposit quarters for the honor of soaking riders. Quite the ingenious money making scheme there!
Aloha Friday: Obtaining Recipes From Restaurants
By my parents’ house, there is a Greek restaurant. I used to order from them all the time. They would even recognize me, not by my voice, but by my phoned in order of “Spanikopita, side of rice pilaf and side of chickpeas to go” as I drove home from work. I’ve tried (and failed) to find spanikopita as good by me. Of course, any trip to my parents comes with two conditions, the first of which is that we eat at the Greek restaurant. (The second is stopping by Trader Joe’s.)
Despite my love of their spanikopita (aka spinach pie), there’s another dish that I’d love the recipe for more. Their chickpeas. When you sit down for dinner, they’ll place a bowl of these in front of you with some pita bread. My taste buds are watering just thinking of them. The chickpeas are marinated with chopped up onions in oil. My best guess is that it is olive oil with some mystery mixture of spices. (And now my nose just kicked in as I remembered their scent.) I would eat these chickpeas every day if I had the chance.
Every time I go, I tell myself that I should ask for the recipe so I can try to duplicate this dish. Every time, I either chicken out or ask so meekly that it is all too easy for them to decline.
My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever asked a restaurant for the recipe to a dish that you loved? Were you ever successful if obtaining it?
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.
Aloha #44
Happy Anniversary To My Angel Forever!
I still remember the first time I met B. It was just after Yom Kippur ended and I signed into the Yahoo chat rooms. I had planned on simply killing time until going to sleep. I was soon contacted by “The Angel Forever”, though. A message in my profile (one that I only added a few weeks prior), had gotten her attention and we began to talk. The more I talked with her, the more I knew there was something special about her.
We talked well into the night and many nights later. Soon we decided to swap photos of each other. I nervously opened the photo she sent and was greeted by this gorgeous woman.
I didn’t know if I was falling in love with B at that point, but I certainly did want to get to know her better. Over the next few months, we would meet in person and visit each other as often as possible. The more I knew B, the more I fell in love with her. Before long, it became apparent to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
I came up to visit B one hot weekend early July. Her parents’ AC had broken and B had passed out on the floor. I snuck away and asked her parents for her hand in marriage. The next day, I had planned to take B out to a nice dinner and then for a walk around her block where I would propose. Unfortunately, the restaurant I wanted to take B to was closed. We searched for an alternative and settled on Friendly’s. Not the romantic dinner I envisioned, but we made it do. Then we went back to her house where she plopped down onto the couch because of the heat.
I told her I wanted to go for a walk with her and she declined. I all but dragged her outside. As we rounded the block, I imagined what I would say to her. I tried to work up the nerve to ask her to marry me. I saw her parents’ house getting closer and knew that I was running out of time. I walked in front of her, started to go down on one knee… and saw a swarm of ants right underneath us! I shifted over a foot or two and then dropped to one knee.
B started to tear up and she realized what I was doing. I told her how I wanted to spend every day of the rest of my life making her as happy as she has made me and asked her to marry me. She couldn’t speak but nodded yes. As we walked in, she said that this didn’t get me off the hook of asking her parents for permission. I told her about my little sneak off the night before and, as we walked in the house, she told her parents they were DEAD! (Apparently, they had already informed the rest of the family of the upcoming proposal. Good thing I didn’t lose my nerve!)
On our wedding day, I was truly greeted by an angel and had the great pleasure to call her my wife for the first time.
It always amazes me how, just when I think I can’t be more in love with B or find her more attractive, I’m proven wrong (in a very good way). Over the years, we have become parents, home owners, parents again. We’ve had high points and low points. Moments of great joy and moments of great sadness. We’ve argued and made up. We’ve had special moments and mundane moments. B is my wife, best friend, lover and mother of our two great kids. She’s also – despite her protests – incredibly sexy. (Yes you are, B!)
B, I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for 9 wonderful years of marriage and here’s to the many, many wonderful years ahead of us.