Uses for Peanut Butter & Peanut Brittle Recipe...

by Katie Waldeck

Some helpful hints on using peanut butter in unconventional ways.

Cleaning

1. Getting Rid of That Fishy Smell. Can’t get rid of that funky fish smell? After you’ve fried fish, put a dollop of peanut butter in the pan — it’ll absorb that lingering odor right up!
2. Cleaning Vinyl & Leather. Work the peanut butter in a circular motion on your leather/vinyl furniture and wipe away with a buffing cloth. As you may have guessed, this method will make your leather/vinyl smell like peanut butter. Mix it with a little perfumed oil to mask the smell.
3. Fixing Scratched DVDs & CDs. Work a little peanut butter onto a scratched disk and wipe away with a dry cloth. Voila!

Sticky Stuff

1. Removing Gum From Hair. Rub peanut butter on the gum, work through with your fingers and wipe remnants away with a cloth.
2. Removing Gum From Carpeting. Similar to removing gum from hair, but without the whiny human: remove as much of the gum as you can, then rub it with peanut butter.
3. Removing Stickers. Rub with peanut butter and wipe away!
4. Removing Glue From Your Hands. If you’re a little sloppy with the super glue (I sure am!) and can’t stand that feeling of sticky glue on your hands (I sure can’t!), simply rub peanut butter on your hands and wipe away with a towel. It works like a charm!

Body & Health

1. Shaving. If you’re ever desperate to shave but ran out of any other appropriate gels or creams, reach for the peanut butter. The oils in peanut butter are really good for the skin!
2. Giving Medicine to Pets & Young Children. Fussy pets and picky kids don’t always like to take their medicine — but both sure do love peanut butter! Coat their meds in peanut butter and they’re gobble them right up. In case you’re wondering, dogs and cats are not allergic to the stuff, it’s actually quite good for them!

Food

1. Butter. Peanut butter is a great baking substitute for the regular stuff — as long as the nutty flavour compliments the dish.
2. Pricier Nut Butters. As tasty as almond & cashew butters are, they’re both quite spendy. Peanut butter is a perfectly acceptable substitute!
3. Crepe Topping. Seriously, does anything sound more delicious than a peanut butter, nutella & banana crepe?

12. Make peanut brittle!

Healthy Peanut Brittle Recipe...
by Melissa Breyer

Peanut brittle is one of those confections that could almost be healthy, if only it didn’t feel like biting into shards of hardened refined sugar and corn syrup–the dominant ingredients in most versions. But all those peanuts–they’re great! Chock full of protein, vitamins (especially E), essential minerals, and phytochemicals, if you’re going to eat candy, having one loaded with healthy nuts is a great approach. By trading natural sweeteners for refined ones you can make a much more wholesome peanut brittle than commercial versions–and while it won’t be void of calories, they are wholesome and healthy calories. There is also fun to be had in customizing the recipe with different spices: I like cinnamon or cardamom with a little sprinkle of cayenne for a sweet, spicy, salty mix–add spices at the very end.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Sugar
2. 1/2 cup syrup
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1/4 cup water
5. 1 cup peanuts, or any favourite nut
6. 2 tablespoons coconut oil
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla
8. 1 teaspoon baking soda

How to:

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring Sugar, syrup, salt, and water to a boil. Stir until Sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and add coconut oil and vanilla, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 280F on the candy thermometer.
3. Add peanuts and continue stirring until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
4. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Work quickly and pour at onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and spread peanut mixture into rectangle. 
5. Cool and then break candy into pieces.