Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is consumed in many countries. The United States is a leading exporter of peanut butter and one of the largest consumers of peanut butter annually per capita. January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day in the United States.
Peanut butter is a nutrient-rich food containing high levels of protein, several vitamins, and dietary minerals. It is typically served as a spread on bread, toast, or crackers, and used to make sandwiches (notably the peanut butter and jelly sandwich). It is also used in a number of breakfast dishes and desserts, such as peanut-flavored granola, smoothies, crepes, cookies, brownies, or croissants. It is similar to other nut butters such as cashew butter and almond butter.
As the US National Peanut Board confirms, "Contrary to popular belief, George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter." Carver was given credit in popular folklore for many inventions that did not come out of his lab. By the time Carver published his document about peanuts, entitled "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it For Human Consumption" in 1916, many methods of preparation of peanut butter had already been developed or patented by various pharmacists, doctors, and food scientists working in the US and Canada.
While the earliest example of grinding peanuts into paste has been traced to the Aztecs and Incas, the US National Peanut Board credits three modern inventors with the earliest patents related to the production of modern peanut butter.
Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, obtained a patent for a method of producing peanut butter from roasted peanuts using heated surfaces in 1884. Edson's cooled product had "a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment" according to his patent application which described a process of milling roasted peanuts until the peanuts reached "a fluid or semi-fluid state". He mixed sugar into the paste to harden its consistency.
"In 1922, chemist Joseph Rosefield invented a process for making smooth peanut butter that kept the oil from separating by using partially hydrogenated oil; Rosefield "...licensed his invention to the company that created Peter Pan peanut butter" in 1928 and in "...1932 he began producing his own peanut butter under the name Skippy". Under the Skippy brand, Rosefield developed a new method of churning creamy peanut butter, giving it a smoother consistency. He also mixed fragments of peanut into peanut butter, creating the first "chunky"-style peanut butter. In 1955, Procter & Gamble launched a peanut butter named Jif, which was sweeter than other brands, due to the use of "sugar and molasses" in its recipe. A slang term for peanut butter in World War II was "monkey butter".
If you want to read a lot more about peanut butter, go here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter
In salute of March's National Frozen Food Month, there’s no better time to explore all that the freezer aisle has to offer. Plus with all the sales this month and so many new products, make sure you plan on spending a few extra minutes and we bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how inspired you’ll be. We did, and look what we came up with…and yes, it’s ready in 10 minutes.
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 (22-ounce) package frozen grilled chicken strips, thawed
- 1 (10.8-ounce) package frozen Polynesian-style vegetables, thawed
- 1/2 (16-ounce) bag frozen pineapple chunks, thawed
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cauliflower rice
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat teriyaki sauce, chicken, Polynesian-style vegetables, pineapple, and sesame seeds for 6 to 8 minutes or until warmed through. Stir in scallions.
- Meanwhile, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat cauliflower rice 4 to 5 minutes or until hot. Serve chicken mixture over cauliflower rice and enjoy.
1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
1920 – James Brown, American actor (d. 1992)
1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
1933 – May Britt, Swedish actress
1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress
HOW TO OBSERVE
5 Great Ways to Goof Off With Your Kids
- Sock Races – When things have gotten mind-numbingly boring, this goofy game will bring about some giggles and definitely burn off some boredom. Empty out the sock drawers. Preferably mom and dad’s because the bigger the better. Make a pile on the floor. Each child starts with bare feet and the goal is to put as many socks on their feet before the sock pile is gone. They’ll look goofy doing it and goofy when they’re done, too. And, all the while they were playing, they were goofing off.
- Play Dress-Up – It doesn’t matter what age our kids are, playing dress-up allows them to act out. Bring out some old makeup, old clothes and use a hairbrush as a microphone. Crank up the music and let the lipsyncing begin. Share a few videos, laugh and make some memories, too.
- Charades – Play an old fashioned game of charades. Set a few parameters by selecting a set topic that will keep your children on course. For example, you may want to only act out one of these topics: Disney movies, international travel, or national days.
- Blanket Fort – This classic way to goof off can lead to naps, reading books or playing with other toys. But it’s also a surefire memory maker, too.
- Write a Song – Take a song the whole family likes and write a new verse to it.