Friday, February 26, 2010

friday love

It is no secret the we LOVE peanut butter.....so we decided to make our own!

I ordered my organic peanuts from Shop Organic. (I cannot find bulk organic peanuts anywhere local--Whole Foods doesn't even have them)

You just dump them in your food processor and let-er-rip!
I was really nervous at first.....when I had a whole bowl full of peanut powder....but you just have to let it run for a LONG time.
The oils eventually come out and it will get nice and smooth.
I then added more peanuts to the smooth batch, and processed those, let it get smooth, and added the remaining peanuts, and didn't run quite as long....so it had a few little peanuts in it.

Taste: AMAZING. I didn't think there would be a difference....there is!! It's so much more peanut-y. I'm so poetic, I know.
Cost: I bought a 3lb bag of organic roasted (and shelled!) peanuts for $11.19.
It made around 40 oz of peanut butter (one giant Adams jar, plus a small jam jar).
I think this is a great price for organic peanutbutter.....but...

the shipping was $9.00....! So I just made some $20 pb. It like golden peanut butter.

Will I do it again?: I'm going to explore Shop Organic more (they have TONS of stuff) and see if there is anything else I want to order, to balance out shipping costs, and continue my search to find bulk organic peanuts local.
It was so so tastey, and the quickest/easiest thing I've ever made!

We love to go to the library!! A giant Star Wars Encyclopedia for the boy (I am not ready for this stuff), a William Wegman book for the girl (she loves a dog in costume....who doesn't?), and for me.....

Earth to Table. Maybe my new favorite book! The most beautiful food photography I have ever seen!! It's about eating in season.....and I won't lie....winter has me a bit nervous. Calf liver? Rabbit Stew? But there are some amazing looking recipes too....I'll let you know what I try!

And speaking of food (always), I LOVE Jamie Oliver. I am so excited for his new show to start up in the next few weeks.....this is right up my alley and I cannot believe that we're finally getting a major network show on this topic...check it out!!


And for your song this week......we have been listening to a lot of Ray LaMontagne these days...it's really mellow, a bit sad at times....but perfect for a dreary day of terrarium making......wow. who have I become?



Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week?

19 comments:

Lillie said...

We too-- have been into Ray LaMontagne lately. I'll be honest. It all started for me when Tara Whitney did a home video to "You are the Best Thing" and now I just desperately want to copy her and do a home video to the same song.

The golden pb? yum. I always want to get the fresh grinded stuff in bulk at Henry's but I worked at Good Earth in Provo and heard too many stories of how many germs were in that thing... homemade... THAT's a good idea.

Bekah: said...

Oh the peanut butter looks delish thickly spread a top your bread. May I have a bite please?

I had such great luck with my local whole foods in Portland. They could usually accomodate my request and carry an item I wanted. They even found chimichurri sauce for me :)

Teresa said...

WOW!
You made HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER...what a delight!!!
Love it!
And it looks so yummy on that whole grain bread!!!
Oh...I adore Jamie Oliver too!
I just swoon over his cuteness...and that accent...makes me forget I ever took any marriage vows! Ha...haha!!
Happy Weekend to you too!
Oh...what was my favorite part of the week...
when I got the lab results from my breast biopsy...oh oh what a relieved and happy moment that was!!!
So thankful!
xxooxx
you are a doll-baby! ;o)

Shannon said...

You are so granola Sheena. ;)

The peanut butter looks yummy though.

We loved the library too! (You need to tell me the author/title of the Star Wars encyclopedia. It's right up Weston's alley)

I loved spending my $25 gift card at Bed Bath and Beyond! It's always fun to shop with free money.

Ms. Wife of the Year said...

Homemade peanut butter. What a fabulous idea! I'm sure it beats the pants off Jiffy!

Morgan said...

That peanut butter looks and sounds AMAZING! Too bad that it had to cost you a small fortune. Shipping charges are the worst.

I LOVE Ray LaMontagne. He's pretty much fantastic.

Thank you SO MUCH for your incredibly sweet comment. Your kind words mean so much. Yes, those were all taken with film. Film is my favorite! I use a Nikon N55, nothing fancy but I like it. I use Fujifilm- Superia Reala 100 and Superia X-tra 400. Reala is my favorite:)

Have a great weekend!

Kenny said...

You should ask whole foods if they'll order peanuts for you. I know our whole foods carries bulk nuts and there is a grinder so you can grind it yourself in the store. Also, I belong to a couple of food co-ops here in California. You could do a search and see if there are any in your area (try yahoo groups). We do group buys from places in order to share the shipping costs, etc. Good luck! I'm lazy and just get Organic Natural PB from my local Costco!

melissa said...

what the heck, you just made peanut butter!

lisa said...

Ok first of all, that new show with Jamie Oliver looks incredible--I hadn't heard about it, and now I'm so excited!! (I met him at a book signing in London, and he signed my apron back when he was the naked chef--love him!)

As far as the peanut butter goes--why not try regular ol' peanuts? They recently did a HUGE study on organic food and found no nutritional benefits over other produce. And for a food like peanuts, where pesticide isn't an issue, why not? I've just read too many scams to be on the organic bandwagon all the way. I'm down with local, just wary of organic.

sheena said...

shannon: it's this book
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Dictionary-Characters-Creatures/dp/0756622387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267227315&sr=8-1

kenny: our Whole Foods carries bulk nuts, just not organic peanuts in bulk.

lisa: In all my research I've found that the peanut shells are actually thin enough the the pesticides do seep through.

Yes, you're right, organic foods have no more nutritional benefits than non organic, but it's the stuff that's NOT in the organic that I buy it for.
As long as it is USDA certified organic.... meaning the food is grown, harvested, and processed according to USDA standards that include restrictions on amounts and residues of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Natural pesticides are allowed. Organic foods cannot be treated with any sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.

banananutmeg said...

Try Walton Feed for peanuts. They have everything in bulk, and my friend is an organic nut (no pun intended) orders a lot of stuff from them.

Rachelle said...

have you read, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver?!?!

you should. it's sooooooooo good! it's all about a family who only ate what they could produce or buy locally for a whole year. really inspiring.

you would love it.

Jessica Kettle said...

oh, sheena, you amaze me. how do you do it all? i'm thinking, maybe i will make peanut butter. but if i do, the truth is that my sole motivation will be so that i can have an adorable little boy hand written label! that really was the best part!

Unknown said...

I'm counting down the days until the Food Revolution debut! I love Jamie Oliver and hope he can save that town...

cara lou said...

I am so excited for that show! Woot! I do love Jaime Oliver so much. John gave me 'Jaime at Home' for Christmas and I am obsessed with it. It's so beautiful and the recipes are amazing. I looove the seasonal aspect. I'm so so into eating seasonally. (I agree, though, rabbit freaks me out s little!)

My favorite things about this week were going to the park with Will *every day* and John coming home this afternoon! Yay!

Unknown said...

I wish I could reach into the computer screen & try your peanut butter! It looks delicious! I'm really inspired by the way you eat and feed your family. My husband & I try to eat as healthy as possible and we do eat mostly organic, but I love reading about different ideas and recipes on your blog! Thanks so much for sharing! xo

summer said...

sheena, you do amaze! everything you do is something i would just love to try. like this peanut butter! oh how we love pb.. we can go through a jar in about 2 days. and there are only two people at my house. we love love love it. and yours looks spectacular. (thanks also for sharing for the price facts and logistics of it!)

woohoo for trips to the library! one of my favorite spots. (ps. i am crazy about your shoes.)

and wow, am i ever pumped for jamie oliver's new show. i had no idea! so cool. how exciting.

Marisa said...

just stumbled on your blog for the first time + i think it is so lovely. your photos are captivating!

Julia Kelly said...

I'm looking forward to that new show as well. Seeing that I'm now living in West Virginia, I can testify that there are a LOT of over weight people here.