Peanut Butter

I don't know what it is with me lately--I've been infatuated with peanut butter! I think it might have something to do with a conversation I've had recently with a group of my friends who were reminiscing about favorite childhood foods. Some were familiar favorites like ants on a log, pb&j with three slices of white bread, UNCRUSTABLES!, peanut butter and oreoes, peanut butter and condensed milk sammies...but a common theme was peanut butter. Then one of my friends excitedly exclaims "Peanut butter and apples!" and everyone all of a sudden escalates to the same caliber of excitement and says, "O my God! Yes! Peanut butter and apples! MmmM"...and I, being the food lover that I am, sheepishly sits on the couch...SILENT...as they continue to express their joy.
Then I finally interrupt, "Apples and peanut butter? What?" As if to make a joke.
To their surprise, I had never had apples with peanut butter.
"But you've had ants on a log?" (peanut butter and celery with raisins, my personal favorite childhood DIY finger food), they ask.
"Well...yeah!"
We all laugh as one of my girlfriends quickly jumps up and rushes to the kitchen bringing out a box of pre-sliced apples, a large jar of ooey-gooey peanut butter, and a butter knife and quickly assembles a "peanut butter and apple hors d'oeuvre" for me.

Man...I could not believe I've missed out on this all my life! I've been hooked ever since! And I'm reliving my peanut butter infatuation that I had had growing up.

Since then I've been trying different things to dip in peanut butter. So far, I've found that granny smith apples taste the best with the peanut butter because the tartness and crispness of the apple really balances out the sticky richness of the peanut butter. And to my surprise, which may seem a bit alarming, is that sliced mangoes that are slightly less than ripe are also delicious with peanut butter. I'm seriously working in peanut butter into every afternoon snack. YUM!