School's in session.....

This past week, my youngest started her senior year of high school - What?????? When did she grow up? My husband says that our daughter and I are exactly alike - she's got a healthy dose of my stubborn side.  I say she is more like him as she is witty, sarcastic, sporty, and academically smart like him. She and I don't have much in common when it comes to school. My favorite classes were Foods 101, Home Economics and working in the cafeteria. Her favorites are Creative Writing, Lacrosse, and Orchestra. She even mentioned she enjoyed Physics once or twice - a class you could not pay me to understand or enjoy!  But the two of us do have one thing in common - we like to eat.  She's not much on the school cafeteria food, never thought it was worth the cost or the time waiting in line.  I, on the other hand. loved our cafeteria food.  Everything was scratch-made each morning. Nothing was brought in. I lived on pretty much the same thing for lunch every day. A hot ham and cheese pocket (remember, scratch-made), a chocolate milkshake and a peanut butter chew bar for dessert. Before you leave a comment about how unhealthy those choices are, remember, I was also a teenager.

I still remember the year I got to work in the cafeteria for extra school credits.  My job was to cut and bag those freshly baked peanut butter treats while they were still warm to ensure they stayed chewy. The only thing I could kick myself over is that I never got the recipe for them.

Thanks to the internet and Facebook reunion sites, I found out that I was not the only one in my school who loved those bars. One of the former students had gotten the recipe and posted  it.  Right off I noticed that some of the measurements were off (1/4 cup of Vanilla? I went with 1/4 Tsp.) so I made a couple of adjustments without ruining the integrity of the recipe.  After one bite, I was instantly transformed back to the halls of high school.

I'm not sure what memories will stand out the most for my daughter this year, but I'm fairly certain food, whether it be on campus or at home, will always give her good memories. I'm jus' sayin'!

Peanut Butter Chews adapted from the original cafeteria recipe of  John Muir Junior High School by a fellow alumni student Juaquina Thorpe Twidwell

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PEANUT BUTTER CHEWS
1/2 c.   white sugar

1/2 c.   brown sugar

1/4 t.    salt

1/2 t.    baking powder

3/4 c.   rolled oats

1/2 c.   flour (sifted)

3 T.      butter

1          egg

1/4 c.   peanut butter

1/4 tsp.   vanilla

1.     Mix dry ingredients together.

2.     Cream in butter and eggs.

3.     Add peanut butter, flour and vanilla.

4.     Mix just enough to blend all ingredients (do not over-mix).

5.     Put mixture in a parchment lined square 8x8 cake pan.  Press down with fingers to make level.  Make sure mixture is well into corners.

6.     Bake 375° for about 13 minutes or until golden in color.

7.     Chews will be quite soft when removed from oven but will firm up as they cool.

8.     Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

9.     Cut while still warm into squares.

Back In School With PB&J

Whether you are dancing with jazz hands raised in the air or dragging your feet from that early morning alarm, there is no way around it - school is either already back in session or it is poking its head around the corner. I for one have a bittersweet struggle with school starting. I don't have a bunch of little ones clambering at my feet screaming from the roof tops they are bored all the time. I have the last of my sweet ones about to start high school. This summer was particularly hard as she found herself dedicated to a summer babysitting job and I taught a summer cooking camp for kids. This meant that our now-annual summer trip to California to visit friends, family and the beach did not happen.

I will, in a couple days, pack her up and whisk her off to Port Aransas for a little bit of beach air and gulf sand before school starts. Maybe if I'm relaxing on that warm sand breathing in the salty air it will give me the right amount of perspective to hand that summer torch of lazy meals and staying up late over to the rigid schedules and structured meal planning of the school year. Until then I will bask in what's left of the summer and enjoy my healthy version of the classic PB&J... I might even pack some of these wonderful treats to munch on at on the beach... I'm jus' sayin'!

I was never a big traditional PB&J fan so creating this bar makes perfect sense to me. I'm fortunate that whenever my husband is away on business he always brings home some little food treat for me from wherever he's been. Many times it's simply stuff from Trader Joe's to stock my pantry, but this latest trip provided a real treat.

He was invited to a home-cooked meal at a friend's house and she sent him home with some delicious Plum Jam and Plum BBQ Sauce. Thanks Anita! It's a real comfort to know he is being well fed while on the road and always a treat to receive a gift from someone else's kitchen. I used the plum jam for these bars and I see several savory dishes in my future with that BBQ sauce.

I also switched the peanut butter in this recipe for sunflower seed butter as my husband is allergic to peanuts. In this case, the sunflower seed butter was also a gift, this one from my friend Sam in Arizona who loves to surprise me with TJ's care packages from time-to-time. (I'm such a lucky girl!) You can certainly use any nut butter you like. I also added 2 tbs. of ground flaxseed for an extra boost. That way, if the kids decide that these bars make a great breakfast, you won't freak out as they have a good solid punch with the oats and flax seed.

Not Your Average PB&J Bars

Ingredients
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tbs. of ground Flax Seed
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup of nut butter (I warmed mine a few seconds in the microwave to help it spread evenly)
2/3 cup favorite jam (I used Anita's "Mother Rucker" Plum Jam)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Carefully spread nut butter over crumble mixture. I found using an offset spatula works the best. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.