Menu Monday #1

We both felt that it was only appropriate that our first recipe to be posted on "Menu Mondays" would be (drumroll please)............you guessed it......a PB&J Sandwich! It's also Gene's favorite meal to pack for lunch. I on the other hand have almost given up on PB sandwiches after eating them daily for lunch all through elementary school. I was a "packer" growing up....and (back then) it seemed like you either bought an inedible lunch from the cafeteria or your mom packed you a PB&J sandwich and you took your chances at trying to swap some lunch snacks with your friend under the table. You always had to watch out for Mrs. Doebler, though. She was the lunch lady....and even though she was one of my best friend's mom's, she still came marching over to our lunch table when Kristin and I tried swapping lunches once. We thought that her mom would "look the other way" for us, but there were no exceptions to this very important cafeteria rule.

Anyway, back to our very important recipe...PB&J. I thought that it would be more hilarious to actually show you the directions that I found on another website. I love the precise instructions....as well as the "Tips" and even "Warnings" that were posted with it! So, go grab these all-American ingredients and enjoy a late night snack with us!


1. Gather the items you will need (two slices of bread, peanut butter, jelly and a knife).
2. Get two slices of bread out.
3. Get a good amount of peanut butter on the knife (this amount varies with your personal preference) and spread it out evenly onto one of the slices of bread.
4. Wipe any residual peanut butter from the knife onto the second piece of bread.
5. Scoop some jelly onto the other slice of bread. Again the amount is up to you, but when in doubt use less rather than more. Jelly tends to squeeze out the edges and drip if you use too much. Make sure to spread the jelly evenly.
6. Gently press the two slices of bread together (facing the sides with the peanut butter and jelly towards each other).
7. Cut the sandwich. This could be in half crosswise into two congruent triangular slices, in half across the shorter width into two rectangles, into fourths either of these directions, or into as many pieces as you want.
8. Eat and enjoy!

TIPS
1. It is polite to spread the jelly before the peanut butter. Given the consistency, it is much easier to wipe jelly from a knife onto the bread. Spreading peanut butter first will likely result in peanut butter residue in the jelly jar.
2. Buttering the bread first (the side with the peanut butter) enhances the flavor. Be aware that it also adds fat to the meal.
3. For a variety, use different types of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) and various jelly flavors (grape, strawberry, raspberry, etc.) .
4. Putting potato chips, tortilla chips or pretzels on the sandwich makes the experience even crunchier and more fun. Just make sure you add them at the last minute so they don't get soggy and lose the crunch factor.
5. You can also add honey or bananas for a change of flavor.
6. For variation, you can make a smaller sandwich with just one slice of bread, folded in half. Remember to use half the usual amount of spreads or it will ooze out the edges.
7. Make an open-faced sandwich with just one slice of bread and your usual preferred amount of spread on top. Spread the peanut butter first and the jelly on top. This is the messiest PB&J sandwich, so eat carefully!
8. Remember to clean up afterward, so that no one else will be bothered with cleaning up your sticky mess.

PLEASE NOTE: If too much time goes by between the application of the jelly and consumption, the jelly can soak into the bread and make it soggy. So, if you plan on enjoying your creation a considerable while after you make it, spread peanut butter on both sides then spread the jelly on one side, thereby insulating the jelly from the bread.

WARNINGS
1. Don't try this without a beverage to wash it down. Peanut butter is sticky on the inside, as well! Milk works best.
2. Peanut allergies can be very serious. Make sure you don't have any, and don't feed PB&J to anyone with a food allergy.
3. Don't cut the bread before adding the spreads.
4. If you spread on a lot of peanut butter and jelly it will ooze out of the edges of the sandwich when you bite into it. Make sure you use a napkin to keep from making a mess.
5. Never put the peanut butter slice on top of the jelly. If the jelly slice is on the bottom, it will soak into the bread and you could have a "jelly wetspot." No one likes the wetspot.. With that said, place the jelly slice on top of the peanut butter slice. The peanut butter if applied thick enough will prevent the jelly from soaking through the bottom slice of bread.


*The most hilarious part of it all is that (even though our blog is called PB&J, I don't even like jelly...so I'm just a PB girl. I always tell Gene, just drop the "J" please.