A Banana Only a Poor, Non-Profit Worker Could Love
I know, I know, believe it or not, I do have a day job. And it’s for a non-profit. So as much as I’d love to go out to eat at my fav places every night, or cook fantastic meals, sometimes I slum it.
Exhibit A:
Normally, I would have thrown that sucker out. But, I looked at it twice. As a thing of beauty. As a slice of life I shouldn’t waste. And so I mashed the banana up with some natural peanut butter** and created a creamy, and slightly chunky open faced sandwich. On wheat toast. With a side of ruffled plain potato chips.
**Holy crap. There are like a million different kinds of peanut butters. Or, I should say: NUT BUTTERS. So 80 and I are in Whole Foods selecting over-priced ingredients for our “V-day” celebration and I remember that I just ran out of peanut butter. (Hint, Hint – 80. This is your girlfriend nagging you to write up our Vday dinner.)
Now growing up in little ole Cherry Hill, New Jersey I only remember two kinds of PB – Jif and Peter Pan (I was a Jif girl.) And then I found out there was “chunky” which I thought was disgusting, as I hated peanuts (I’ve grown to like them since) and I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that my beloved peanut butter was actually made from peanuts. Okay, I’ll reveal one more secret just so I can beat dad gansie to the punch: my elementary school lunch sandwich consisted of peanut butter on a hamburger bun. Period.
Okay, back to WF. Since I don’t frequent that grocer very often, I haven’t memorized the aisles so I had to ask where the PB was. I was swiftly corrected that I would be taken to the NUT BUTTER aisle. Anyway I get there and just fucking stare. Meanwhile, 80, who is itchin to get out of there at this point (he has his gourmet beer so he’s ready) is not super thrilled when he finds me open-mouthed and rummaging through: soy butter, soy peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, organic fill-in-the-blank nut butter, natural peanut butter, natural organic peanut butter and blah blah blah I’m going insane! I ended up just getting what I came for (10 minutes later) – natural peanut butter. Phew.
Hold up – one more Q – why is natural PB so funky in that the oil separates from the rest of the creaminess? JoeHoya? Anyone?
*Spoiler Alert*
And OMFG – I can’t believe the ending of this week’s LOST. The Baby!
Organic PB doesn’t include the stabilizers, or go through the same processes as big brand PB. You’ve heard of partially hydrogenation? In a negative light, no doubt. Well, it ain’t good for you, but one of the things it does is prevent oil separation.
thanks, tim. i knew there was a life-affirming reason i bought natural.
oh, and i forgot to make note of this in the post. but, nigella lawson’s recipe inspired by elvis’ recipe, plus my dad’s affinity for banana and PB helped me create this little sandwich.
I made banana mush with banana puddingish stuff with nanas that looked like that the other day. It was so yummy and healthy as a deserts go. I peeled and boiled the bananas with nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamon, drained them, mashed them up, added a little water and a dash of lactose free milk for consistency, put a little granola and more cinnamon on top and introduced it to my sister in a bowl as an after brunch desert. Yum Yum (and very filling).
I am kinda in love with putting natural peanut butter in the fridge–it tastes like and has the consistency of the inside of a Reece’s peanut butter egg.
oops I mean I made banana puddingish mush with bananas that looked like that… sorry still shaky from almost dying on the bus this morning when the bus slid willy-nilly into a car (okay I didn’t almost die… but I was very grumpy)
I actually had marshmallows and some chocolate on hand (more on that when 80 writes up his Vday post) but anyway, i was thinking of mixing that up in the banana and PB w/ some cinnamon and nutmeg, but then decided i’ll leave BS to eat cinnamon with his dinner. that shit is weird.
and – you boiled a banana. never heard of that before. what was your thinking in boiling it?
JAP or no JAP, that is the white trashiest school lunch I have ever heard of
that is one good-looking naner.
to BS – aaaahhhh. i dont care! it was my favorite! with a side of plain pringles, of course.
i hate natural peanut butter. give me the stuff full of sugar and other crap.
on a side note, when i was in scotland, peanut butter was so impossible to find/expensive that i had my aunt ship it to me (along with grits, poptarts and zebra cakes)
zebra cakes?
true, Mom Gansie’s memory is good, she remembers even thru high school, we’d share making the pb sandwich and mom would usually make a face, heart pic in the pb. that was the easiest eating time we had with gansie.
ps. i have 6 of those over ripe banans, i was thinking about making a somewhat fat free pie( you how how sandra lee make 1’2 home made stuff too), but now i might put some pb into part of the pie, not sure if i’ll do a 1 or 2 cruster.
hey dad–
just heard of a new way to use up over ripe ‘naners. slice them up, put them in a ziplock bag and throw them in the freezer. check back for a future post on what to do next.
boiling bananas is actually pretty common in the DR/Colombia//CostaRica. it’s a healthier way to eat them than deep frito
Gansie- niece:) Any thoughts on the difference between Peter Pan and Jif ? Your uncle is a Peter Pan guy and your cousin is a Jif gal. I would prefer to just buy one.Mmmm..I may just have to convert the Jif gal to Peter Pan. And any thougts on Jelly, We use Schmuckers here…..I like the name and the upside down bottle. PS I enjoy your website.Love, AS
hey aunt san–
i’d say quit Jif and Peter Pan and move on to the healthier, natural peanut butter. it really tastes very similar to the regular PB, but is much better for you. doesn’t have those nasty hydrogenated oils. or something like that.
i really don’t make PB and J sandwiches any more, but i was always into smucker’s grape jelly.
and glad you’re liking ES. are you also one of my mom’s spies?