You got your X in my peanut butter.

There was a series of old Reece's peanut butter cup commercials in which some calamity would occur and two individuals would find their favorite snacks (chocolate and peanut butter) mixed and would be very near to blows until they tried them together and realized that the world could sing in harmony if only we had a Coke and a smile.  OK, so I'm mixing commercials there but the idea was that these seemingly different food products made a great combination.

Peanuts are originally from South America and for versatility may be one of the greatest treasures to make it back across the pond.  What we think of as peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) may better be described as peanut flavored vegetable shortening.  So called 'old-style' peanut butters tend to be much thicker and don't spread like the soft stuff.  From a flavor and health standpoint the choice is obvious but it is hard to argue with the convenience of the stuff off the shelf.  Many devices are sold that try to make the 'real' peanut butter easier to use and I have also used a nut butter mill.  These are fantastic for trying out things like Cashew or Pistachio butter but in some cases you may need to add a little extra moisture in the form of oil or honey to keep things moving with dry nuts.

We all know the ubiquitous PBJ and in a previous post I mentioned one of my favorite snacks of peanut butter cheese and banana.  Many Thai dishes are known for peanut sauce and peanuts in the sauce.  I'm not sure what the original flavor was for these dishes but the peanuts add a nice dimension.  Some other non-standard peanut uses include on a hamburger or part of my stepfathers peanut butter and gherkin pickle sandwiches.  What do you like on your peanut butter?