Rainy Day Cravings: PB + J AAF

Welcome to Day 2 of rain in Washington, DC.  Here is the thing, when it is raining I feel like blech.  I don't want to run, I don't want to think about how my hair is growing (wider/frizzier) by the moment, and I don't want to get wet (and in DC, cold).  All I want to do is read, watch, eat.  

Some might say this is the perfect weather for grilled cheese and soup.  Even that sounds too time consuming...  I want salty, crunchy, nutty peanut butter and sweet, fruity jelly.  

Here are some hometown favorites:

 

Please note, if you are ever making a PB + J sandwich, treat yourself right and do the trick my dad taught me: Toast some fresh Challah,  egg bread/brioche, and then slather both pieces with peanut butter and then both pieces with jelly.  The warm bread ups the flavor and out of this world comfort of this food and pairs amazingly with a cold glass of milk.

Bite courtesy of yours truly

How about this for breakfast?

 Pillsbury Waffle Sandwiches are nothing short of brilliant.  We do this a lot for breakfast or a mid afternoon/night time snack.

Lunchtime!

This clever design comes from  Serious Eats and NY's Peanut Butter Co - a restaurant that serves up so many PB & J sandwiches that they created one for every day of the year.  Photos of the clever creations are now on display at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art!

High Class PB & J?

This clever idea come from Bon Appetit's new blog the Kookery.  The clever concept was for choosy mom's with ever choosier kids.  Frankly, I think this works for 26 year old kids too..

Decadent PB & J

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups might be the most brilliant thing ever.  The deliciousness of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Heavenly...

What do you crave for comfort foods?  How do you like your peanut butter and jelly time?

Holiday Shopping: Gifts for the Littlest Ones on Your List

I have two nephews and a niece, and another nephew on the way, and I consider myself a pretty cool aunt to some very cool kids.  My niece and nephews never stop surprising me with how curious, smart, and funny they are - and they are just being themselves!

For Christmas, and anytime we give them a present, I want to give them something that totally stokes that creativity and continues to excite them after the Christmas cookie sugar wears off.

Here are my top picks for kids this year:

Open publication - Free publishing - More kids gifts

To be fair my first gift (a trip to Disney World) is not easy to do, and definitely a big, BIG, Oprah-sized gift, but I have been loving "the surprise the kids" Disney commercials so much this fall, I had to include it (a Mickey Mouse shaped pizza - come on)!  Other favorites include a collection of books; I go with Dr. Seuss because it is classic, but maybe you fancy Little Golden Books, Goosebumps, Harry Potter or Nancy Drew, no matter who the page-turner is about books are a great gift.  Another gift that falls in the sentimental category is the American Girl Doll collection (my sister and I shared a Samantha, who has since been discontinued... 

In the category of getting your brain growing I love, love, love these gifts this season: the Make Your Own Monster - this is awesome, I just can't get over how cool this is, expensive ($249) but way cool, also the Food Face plates which I have seen in person and totally encourage playing with your food.

Also, when shopping for the littlest kids on your list, please try and remember the kids for whom no one is shopping for.  There are many organizations through which you can adopt a kid (The Angel Tree) or a family for the holidays (a personal favorite of mine is Touch a Heart in South Florida).  For the smallest kids, even the smallest gift can brighten their day!