Whip It Up: Week Eight

I purchased this cookbook off the sale rack at Borders last week. Will and I actually visited Peanut Butter & Co. in Greenwich Village several years ago, where we ate fancy peanut butter sandwiches and drank milk from curly straws. I bought the book mostly to reminisce about the place, but also because there are some fun recipes for things like Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie. Yum.

I decided to choose a recipe from the book for my final Whip It Up Challenge Recipe. Shockingly, I made it to Week 8 of the challenge. Only one recipe left to Whip Up and disaster struck.

You see, I bought all the ingredients to make a peanut butter recipe--Cold Sesame Noodles--and made it home with four hours until the Whip It Up deadline. Plenty of time.

Only problem? The gas was out. In all of South Davis. No stove, no oven.

It was a shame really, because I had purchased all these ingredients, including a big hunk of ginger.

But I face adversity well and can overcome any challenge! I am invincible! No gas? No Problem!

(Also, my husband got on Google and researched cooking spaghetti noodles in the microwave. Turns out? You can cook spaghetti noodles in the microwave.)

I would like my mom to note the cleanliness of the microwave. I would like everyone else to notice the time: 9:27 pm. With the deadline fast approaching, there was no time to clean as we cooked. There were important things to do! Julienning! Chopping! Measuring! Drinking orange juice with vodka!

Three jars of peanut butter? I don't know why.

Note: electricity was not a problem.

Crisis diverted. We ate dinner at 10 but, I tell you, it was totally worth the wait. Totally worth the wait.

My Peanut Butter book  indicates that west-coasters like their peanut butter chunky and east-coasters like it smooth. Is this true? Where are you from and how do you like it?

Cold Sesame Noodles

1 pound spaghetti
1 red pepper, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
1 scallion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Or microwave (who knew?). Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti with the bell pepper, cucumber, scallions, mint, and cilantro.

3. In a blender (or Magic Bullet), puree the peanut butter, onion, garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, and sesame oil until smooth.

4, Toss the sauce over the pasta and vegetables. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving for optimum flavor. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Comments

[Malia]

We are in Georgia and we like it chunky.

Malia

Janet, I am making brownies for the cookbook you sent! I will let you know how they turn out!

[KateyJ]

Okay, I grew up in Texas and I alternate between smooth peanut butter and chunky peanut butter. Does that support the coastal peanut butter theory? (I think so.)

[Zandria]

YAY for making the deadline! You rock! I also admire your resourcefulness with using the microwave to cook your noodles. Looks delicious!

[Jamie]

I'm from the midwest (Chicago) and only Skippy creamy peanut butter will do!

[Jill]

The noodle dish looks SO good. I'm starving!

LOL~ about your mom and the microwave. My mom does the same thing about mine. I just really hate cleaning it and you can't see it unless you open it. :)

[kathryn]

i like it creamy.

and WHY was the gas out??? how strange.

[Laura]

Weird on the gas outage - very creative of you to manage anyway!

I'm a west coaster and I only like my PB smooth. Sorry to bust that theory.

[Lissa]

I must say I'm not a big fan of peanut butter but that looks delicious!

Also I LOVE the magic bullet! I just bought mine about a two weeks ago and I can't stop using it.

[Larissa]

I'm in California, and I love smooth!

[Nicole]

I love peanut butter smooth and chunky. I can't decide which is better. And that dish looks delicious!

[sensibly sassy]

oh mah goodness that looks delish!

[Michele]

I grew up in Calif and I like both (smooth and crunchy). This recipe looks great, and it's VEGAN! I'm so proud of you!

[Bethany]

I like my peanut butter chunky, but my boyfriend only eats creamy and he's from the same state, Indiana. Maybe it's a southern vs. northern thing, respectively, in Indiana.

But really, I'll eat either and I'll be happy. :-)

[Lesli]

Midwest--and I like it smooth!!

[Lexi]

I'm in DC, grew up in NH and I like it smooth...

[Greg]

I'm from the desert-nothing side of Sunshine California, and I prefer chunky.

[Alisha Thomas]

I'm from Georgia (30 min north of Atlanta) and we like Jiff reduced fat creamy peanut butter. My mother, from Alabama, likes crunchy though. So, not sure on the whole crunchy vs creamy debate. Dinner looked good though.

[Anna]

I'm on the West coast and I have to admit that I like me some smooth peanut butter.

[Jen]

I am from Tennessee and only chunky pb will do for me!

[breanna]

west coaster here who loves smooth pb.

also, good for you for not giving up in the face of tribulation!

[Cindy]

I'm a West Coast girl and I love the chunky peanut butter and as my mom says, I spread it as if I was laying bricks. Congrats on making it through the challenge!!

[Margaret]

I'm from TX and I like it both ways. If I'm putting it in an oriental recipe, like the one you made, I prefer crunchy to give some added texture :). If it's on a PBJ, I guess I like it creamy :).

[kazzles]

Well I'm in NZ and I like chunky and after reading one of the above comments I now really, really, really miss Skippy peanut butter! I used to eat that in London when I lived there (our work stocked it as well as toast and muffins, there was mutiny if we ran out of Skippy). You can't get it here in NZ, or anything close.... sigh.....