Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

I don't know when my peanut butter obsession developed, but I know it has been alive and thriving for the last 3 years. In fact, there have been times when I was not allowed to keep the creamy/crunchy goodness in the pantry. It was just too tempting to dip a spoon in for a quick bite...8 times a day. There's nothing I don't love with peanut butter...whole wheat bread, a toasted tortilla with cinnamon, melted with chocolate and drizzled over popcorn, brownies, apples, pancakes, waffles, straight up from a spoon, spread on a saltine and of course, paired with jam-but have you ever wanted to cut straight to the good stuff? Cut out that pesky bread and sink your teeth into meat of it? Here we are:

If I had a jar on hand, I would have used it for the ease. Alas, I did not. Who would have thought those freezer burned strawberries would have gotten use? Boiled them down with some suga and lemon juice and ran it the ol' bullet. Yes, the Magic Bullet. Yes, it has lost its magic over the years.

Now, onto the peanut butter! Seriously, you'll need a full cup of it.
Add a cup of sugar. Then add an egg and a teaspoon of baking soda. The end.
Ok, not quite-but might as well be-it's so simple! Roll into balls, you choose the size.
Make a nice well to hug the jam. Kinda like you would with mashed potatoes and gravy. Except it's not Thanksgiving. And these aren't potatoes. And that's not gravy. Ahem, moving on.
Fill with jam. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Eat warm.

Avocado and Tomatillo Soup

When the weather is warm the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven, especially in our tiny, cramped kitchen. I don't particularly love cold soups but I do love the ease of taking fresh ingredients and simply blending (or in my case: magic bullet-ing) them. I've found the avocado adds the perfect creamy flavor while the tomatillo lends a sharper, bitter taste.

2 avocados
3/4 C milk (I used skim)
1 garlic clove
1/2 C chicken broth
2 tomatillos
Crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend, refrigerate or
warm over stove-or try both! I prefer this one cold.

We had leftover chicken which I shredded on top, but it could be topped with anything: shrimp, tofu, crab! Mmm, crab. I also added a quick cheese quesadilla for dipping...Summer's grilled cheese and tomato soup equivalent.