When it comes to breakfast Ryan and I have two distinct needs. Ryan needs coffee. I need to be full so I’m not hangry (hungry+angry) one hour later. This smoothie does both things. Tasty, filling, and caffeinated. I like peanut butter and banana together, and I know that’s a sandwich combination usually associated with Elvis. I think a catchier name for this smoothie might be something like the caffeinated Elvis. Or maybe jumpin’ Elvis? Whaddya think?

Regardless, it’s such a good combination of foods because the protein from the peanut butter keeps you full and the banana adds a nice sweetness. Frozen bananas are especially delicious and creamy in smoothies and I highly recommend you throw some bananas in your freezer right now. Ok don’t just through bananas in your freezer, but peel them, cut them up into blender friendly pieces and store them in a tightly sealed food storage container. The smoothie also contains yogurt & milk so in one drink we’re getting three food groups. How’s that for a balanced breakfast?! Final bonus, this stores well in the fridge and doesn’t separate like most smoothies. You can drink half one morning and save the other half for the next. Yummy and efficient is the best recipe combination.

Now, I was a little nervous about combining banana and coffee – it seemed weird. And then I remembered I’ve actually had this combination before. Every summer until we moved to London (and pretty much every summer of Ryan’s whole life) we went to the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. In the mornings we’d go to Coffee Talk (because as you might remember from the top Ryan needs coffee in the morning) to get breakfast and on the last day of our trip we’d buy a bag of bananas foster coffee. The delicious sweet, sort of fakey banana scent was intoxicating and the overall flavor was enjoyable and caramel like. We’ve been sad to miss out on Stone Harbor this year. Even worse, my family went to Cape May (the next beach town over from Stone Harbor) at the same time so we double missed out on the beach! This smoothie is my tiny tribute to those beach time coffee runs.

Messy level: Slightly more messy than a regular smoothie only because you have to make some espresso or coffee and then let it cool. Alternatively you could use store-bought canned espresso or coffee, but then you don’t have control of how much sugar is in those drinks. Still, a smoothie is always an easy clean up.

Caffeinated Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas (unfrozen is fine, but frozen gives a creamy texture)
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup espresso, cooled
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredient to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Taste. If needed, add further ingredients to suit your taste.
3. Pour into a glass and serve with a draw. Drink and feel happily full and caffeinated.

3.3.3077

 

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Back in March, before I went back to DC for my friend Mala’s wedding, I asked Mala if she would get me the largest jar of peanut butter she could find. I asked her in part because my friend Sarah had been impressed by the size of the peanut butter in my cupboard and I told her it was nothing compared to what I could get in the US. Also I asked because Ryan and I wanted some US peanut butter. You know, tastes like home and childhood. 

Mala went to Costco to get me the peanut butter, but in classic oversize American warehouse style she couldn’t just get one jar – she got a two pack. Look how big and gigantic those American jars are compared to what I bought at Tesco?! It’s astounding and overwhelming. I was worried they wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, although thankfully both made it back to London. Now it’s June and we’ve gone through one of those jars. Whether that’s impressive in a good way or a bad way I don’t know, but it’s the truth.

Since March, we’ve been generously eating peanut butter. We’ve had lots of pb&j sandwiches, we’ve put it on apples, and spread it on crepes with Nutella. Then the other day at work I had a craving for the flourless peanut butter cookies I wrote about when we first moved here. It was a controversial choice since it requires one cup of peanut butter – and since we’re on to the second jar it would put a significant dent in our inventory.

However, I kept day dreaming about those cookies. I had to make them. And then day dreaming turned to innovation. I thought, “you know what I love with peanut butter? Pretzels!” Pretzels with peanut butter. It’s probably my favorite snack to have after work. Sometimes right after work and before dinner gets started Ryan and I are famished and need a snack. Pretzels and peanut butter is perfect because it’s filling and the perfect combination of smooth and crunchy.

Then I my day dreaming got even better and I got extra snacky. What makes everything better? And what’s delicious with pretzels? Chocolate! There it was – the trifecta – peanut butter pretzel chocolate cookies. It might be my perfect sweet snack food. The pretzels had crunch and some salt, the dark chocolate is sweet and slightly bitter, and peanut butter is perfection. Most importantly, even with those addition this recipe is crazy easy because you need hardly any other ingredients. I just adapted the flourless cookie recipe to incorporate these add-ins.

I decide to use dark chocolate from a bar because I like the randomness in sizes and it melts really well. I’ve done it with chocolate chips and they work just fine. However, chocolate chips have more stabilizers in them, so even when baked the chips hold their shape. Chocolate cut roughly from the bar creates melty gooey-ness when the cookies come straight from the oven. Use whichever you like, either will be delicious.

Messy level: Everything is made in one bowl! It’s the cleanest recipe and so easy to make. Yes, peanut butter is sticky but it stays in the bowl. And flourless means that the flour doesn’t spill on the floor or fly in the air. So clean people! One tip though, grease your measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the peanut butter. Do that, and the peanut butter will slide out easily.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

13 mins

Total time

18 mins

 

Serves: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼-1/3 cup crushed hard pretzels
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl mix together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
4. Stir in the crushed pretzels and dark chocolate until mix throughout
5. Take about 1-2 tablespoons of dough and form into a ball. Put the ball on the prepared baking sheet. Then, flatten the ball slightly.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until just slightly darker on the edge.
7. Let cool. Then serve, preferably with milk.

3.3.3077

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In December, I got in the habit of stopping by Costa Coffee before work and getting a chai tea and a granola bar. It was a lovely holiday treat (they had these adorable cups that looked like reindeers and elves), but it’s not a habit I can keep. It takes up too much time in the morning so I run the risk of being late. But more importantly, it’s expensive. And on that note why are granola bars so expensive? Even when you buy a box from the grocery store there are only like six in a box! I need more! I love granola for breakfast. I could eat granola for breakfast every day. So I decided to take matter into my own hands and see if could make my own breakfast bars.

I thought this would be an easy project since there are a bajillion recipes out there. But it wasn’t! I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I decided to make my own recipe. Let me tell you, I I had many failed attempts. Bars came out dry, crumbly, and bland. I made one version when I was in Connecticut and my brother asked me what it was, and I said, “I don’t know, nothing.”  Finally, I’ve cracked it. My perfect granola bar is full of protein and fiber, with lots of crunchy bits, is chewy, and some sweetness.

While deciding what I wanted to make, I looked at all kinds of recipes. Some of them had what I consider scary ingredients like wheatgerm or chia seeds. I’m sure they aren’t actually scary ingredients, but I didn’t want these bars to be too out there. I wanted my bars to be fairly healthy and full of stuff, but stuff that is already in my pantry. For the crunchy bits, I stuck to oats, rice cereal, and quinoa. Enough ingredients for the bar to be hearty, but not so much that the bar is dry and weird.

But, the one ingredient I knew I wanted to use above all else was peanut butter. Peanut butter is filling, which is what I need in the morning. I hate having breakfast and then being hungry by 10:00am. I need breakfast that will carry me to 1:00pm.

And then what goes better with peanut butter than jelly? So now, I had my idea: peanut butter and jelly breakfast bars. Or, since I’m in the UK, it’s peanut butter and jam breakfast bars. Jelly is gelatin here. But I digress. PB&J is just a perfect combination that is so comforting and delicious, I could eat it at any time. I eat PB&J for breakfast when there’s nothing else in the fridge. I eat PB&J for lunch when there aren’t leftovers in the fridge. I eat PB&J for a snack. And I eat PB&J for dinner if Ryan and I don’t feel like cooking.

This is a good breakfast bar because it will tick all the boxes and satisfy your breakfast cravings. You can grab a bar and run out the door. It’s chewy so you don’t break your teeth. It’s crunchy so you feel like you’re eating something substantial. It’s got lots of protein and fiber so you’ll feel healthy and pleasantly full. And it’s got jam and honey, so there’s enough sweetness to make this a treat. So for me, problem solved. I’ve got my breakfast bar, now I’ve got to figure out how to make excellent chai tea and I can cut out the coffee shop all together.

Messy level: For a recipe that has a number of sticky ingredients (peanut butter, honey, and jelly) it is surprisingly clean to make. Everything is mixed between two bowls and then pressed firmly into a tray. It’s really very straightforward and you shouldn’t have too many dishes at the end.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars

 

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Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup honey
• 1½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup rice cereal
• ¼ cup quinoa
• ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts
• ⅓-1/2 cup strawberry jelly

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
3. Put the peanut butter and honey in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until combined into a thick, pourable sauce.
4. In a large bowl, add the oats, rice cereal, quinoa, and peanuts. Mix until the ingredients are evenly mixed up.
5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats. Stir until everything is coated.
6. Transfer ¾ of the oat mixture to the prepared pan. Use a silicon spatula and press the oats firmly into the pan. You want it to be as tight as possible!
7. Spread the jelly over the oat mixture. Be as even as possible, but you don't need to be a perfectionist about it.
8. Crumble the remaining ¼ of the oat mixture over the jelly. Use the silicon spatula again to press the oats into the jam. This will give you a beautiful look on the top with some jelly peaking through the granola.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
11. Remove from the pan, cut into bars, and serve.

3.2.2925

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We can finally start decorating because on Saturday, our landlord came and furnished our apartment! Yes, to answer your unspoken question, we’d been living in our apartment for a week without furniture. Now, it’s starting to feel more like a real place to live because we can put things away and actually sit and relax other places besides the air mattress.

While our landlord was furnishing our apartment, Ryan and I got the heck out of there and went to Camden Market. This place blew us away! There were so many stalls and so many ways to explore. I lusted after a hand-made black leather purse. I ooo-ed over a knit baby hat with a double-decker bus pattern, for all the many friends I have back home who are expecting. We saw antique cameras, books, board games, jewelry, scarves. It was glorious. We bought a painting of a Big Ben cityscape to decorate the bare walls of our apartment.

Our new table, chairs, and painting

While the vendor was mounting the painting, we went to have lunch. We were overwhelmed! We stood on a walkway and looked down at the food vendors. There were so many choices and we decided to do a lap before committing. We found Polish, Peruvian, Turkish, Mexican, Spanish, Jamaican, and Argentinian foods just to name a few. Everything looked amazing, nothing looked mediocre. We decided to each get something different and share. I can’t wait to go back and eat some more.

Even though Ryan and I were out an about this weekend, these cookies didn’t make it until the end of the day Sunday. We devoured them! Also, these cookies are gluten-free and tasty! I know more and more people  who are gluten-free, but I have a hard time finding a good gluten-free cookie recipe. These should fit the bill. This might ruin the gluten-free factor, but these are also great when you put a little nutella on them and make a peanut butter nutella cookie sandwich.

Adapted from pbs.org

Ingredients:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup sugar (the cookies are pretty sweet this way, I think you can go down to 3/4 cup if you want)

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg.

3. In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

4. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take about 1-2 tbsp of dough and make it into a rough circle. Place it onto a cookie sheet. Arrange cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart from each other.

5. Use the tines of the fork to make a hash mark pattern on  your cookies. You don’t have to do this, but it seems to be part of every peanut butter cookie recipe.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

7. Let cool.

8. If desired, spread nutella onto a flat side of a cookie and top with another cookie. Peanut butter nutella sandwich cookie!

Messy level: One spoon. Four ingredients and all you have to do is stir, shape cookies, and bake! What could be easier?

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We’ve been walking a lot, but for some reason we cannot stop looking the wrong way when we cross the street. It doesn’t matter what the crosswalk says, it’s so hard for us not to look right. It’s a hard habit to break! I’m also having trouble finding the crosswalks. The sounds dumb, but let me tell you about it. When there’s  median in the road, the cross walk doesn’t go all the way across, instead the two halves are staggered. Why? I don’t get it. I feel like such an idiot standing in the median, all alone, trying to figure out where to cross next. Here’s a picture. I added arrows so you can see what I’m talking about.

I’ve also gotten in to two “cooking” shows. One is Come Dine With Me. Five people host dinner parties for the other four, at the end of the night each rates the other, then at the very end the winner gets money. There’s always drunkenness and weird dancing. It’s been really funny and I’m addicted. The other is called Dinner Date, and women create a menu that they would cook on a date. A man chooses 3 out of 5 menus. The women who made those three menus have to cook for the guy and at the end they rate him, and he picks his favorite date. I was watching yesterday and one of the women liked to drink and the narrator said she likes “a tipple and a topple.” Which means, you like to drink and then fall over. I died. The is some awesome slang. So hilarious.

But, let’s get on to the main event. The myth busting! As you might remember, at our going away party we received a mountain of treats that may or may not be available in London. So, I went to grocery store to check out what I really could find.

Peanut Butter

There is definitely peanut butter in London! I’ve been told, by people who’ve studied abroad in London, that the peanut butter doesn’t taste as good as it does at home. But, I haven’t tried it yet, so I’ll reserve judgement. For now I’m happy that peanut butter is available. There aren’t the brands that we have at home, but there were at least two shelves of peanut butter. If you need jelly there’s tons, about four times as many shelves of jelly as there are shelves of peanut butter.

Marshmallows & Fluff

There is definitely marshmallow fluff. Marshmallows took me a bit to find at first (because the store was out). I’ve seen them both at coffee shops and at the grocery store. What’s interesting is that the marshmallows are always pink and white! I don’t know why, but I thought it was interesting.

Twizzlers & Hershey products

As far as I can tell, there aren’t Twizzlers. But, I did find strawberry flavored licorice. Isn’t the packaging super cute? The only Hershey product I’ve seen are Kit Kats (and in mint, cookies and cream, and dark chocolate flavors!). But Ryan says in Europe, Kits Kats are licensed and made by Nestle. Who knew? Side note: the Kit Kats are delicious, Ryan and I bought mint and they were great.

Chocolate chips

This took me forever to find because the bag is so much smaller than what I expected! How the heck am I supposed to make chocolate chip cookies with such a dinky bag?! I have no idea. Maybe chocolate chip cookies aren’t that popular here…?

Boxed macaroni and cheese

As far as I can tell, this doesn’t exist. There is pre-made food, but no equivalent of Kraft boxed mac and cheese. No worries, because I can make this at home, and they have Lincolnshire Poacher here. Update: They have microwaveable macaroni and cheese. I found this out because on Dinner Date, the women who aren’t chosen get a “ready meal” at the end and I just saw two women get mac and cheese. The woman who is chosen gets taken out to a restaurant.

Graham crackers

I don’t think this exists either. There are tons of similar, lightly sweet flat cracker-cookies, but I didn’t see anything exactly the same.

Pancakes and syrup

Remember when I made lemon ricotta pancakes because I was told there are no pancakes in London? Well, there are definitely pancakes in London, just not the way we’re used to. Here are my pieces of evidence. First, Ryan and I were watching the TV show Idiot Abroad (which stars a British guy) and he says something about “Pancake Wednesdays,” which means that must be a thing and so British people have pancakes. Second, I saw a commercial for Warburton’s pancakes; and you can watch it here. I don’t know where to find it in the grocery, but obviously it exists.  Finally, the grocery store has all the ingredients you need, including maple syrup! So, I can definitely get pancakes. Now, as far as I can tell there’s no Aunt Jemima or Bisquick, but I’m pretty sure we can get over that because making them at home isn’t that hard.

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But this recipe is awesome.

Seriously. It’s vegan and it’s awesome. And not only awesome, it’s quick and easy to make. It’s the kind of thing you can make when all you have is condiments and a few vegetables. This recipe comes from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon. She calls is “Cheater Pad Thai” because it’s so easy to make. As a warning, this recipe although delicious, doesn’t really taste like Pad Thai in a restaurant. It has Pad Thai flavors in it, but there’s something a little different about it. But, if you want a taste of Thai at home, this is a good recipe.

Also this is a recipe you can fool around with depending on what you have at home. You can alter the proportions of the sauce to your taste, and you can use whatever vegetables you think will taste best. I usually use carrots, onions, garlic, and bell pepper. I’ve also done peas, leafy greens, bean sprouts, and squash. If you need your meat, you can cook up pieces of chicken, shrimp, or beef and throw it in with the rest of the ingredients.

When it comes to stir fry, I like to use a wok. Now, prior to having a wok I thought it was something scary to use. That might be because I saw an episode of Top Chef once where the contestants had to cook Asian street food using a wok and some of them freaked out because they had never used one before. So I thought, if those professionals are scared of a wok, how can I use a wok? Ryan and I got it as a wedding present and we were really excited. I unpacked it and then did a whole lot of research. I watched YouTube videos and read a bunch of articles online.

Now I may be using the wok wrong, but I totally love it. What I learned (I think) was you’re supposed to use a wok at very high heat, which then sears the vegetables, and then because of the shape of the pan it keeps the vegetables from getting too soft – so they are cooked but crunchy. Also you’re supposed to use your “aromatics” first to give the pan flavor. That means you saute things like onions, garlic, and ginger first – and then you add the vegetables based on crunchiness (so carrots before bell peppers). Also you’re supposed to stir constantly and move the vegetables around and up the sides of the pan. This helps cook them, make them crunchy, and give them good flavor. If you have a wok, try it out! A regular pan works well too. I like the wok because it’s spacious and I can swirl the veggies around without flinging anything out of the pan.

Ingredients for 2-3 servings:

1/3 to 1/2 box of rice noodles.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp sweet red chili sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 cup (or as much or as little as you want) of chopped vegetables

Directions:

1. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

2. Stir fry vegetables until they are softened but still a bit crunchy.

3.  Mix soy sauce, peanut butter, chili sauce, garlic powder, ginger, and hot sauce. Alter ingredients to taste. I like a little more peanut butter because it makes the sauce thicker

4. Once the vegetables are almost done, add the sauce to the wok. Mix the sauce and veggies together.

5. Add the noodles to the sauce and veggies. Mix until you’re satisfied. Serve and eat!

two sp

Messy Level:
Low to Medium. The pan ends up being coated in sauce so it takes a good scrub. But, it doesn’t use that many pans, therefore dishes don’t take that long!

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