Hurricane Ike and some homemade peanut butter
My brother Jacob was married in Portland, Oregon last weekend. A joyous occasion, definitely, but there was a hint of anxiousness as Hurricane Ike barged into our hometown of Houston, Texas. We were relieved that Mom and Jacob’s best man had flown out to Portland before they closed the airports on Friday, but it didn’t mitigate the sadness we felt as we watched the destruction on TV.
I’ve only been in one hurricane in my life—Hurricane Alicia back in 1983. That was the last big one to hit Houston and much of the news coverage referenced the parallels in the two storms’ aftermaths. Beyond flooded streets, there were also piles of glass, stacks of tree limbs and wrecked buildings. But even if you’re spared all of that destruction, no one is spared the loss of electricity.
Besides riding my bike around the neighborhood during the eye of Alicia, having no power for a few days (in the hot, humid summer no less) is my biggest recollection of that storm, and that meant lots of card games and nap times. But what did we eat? I couldn’t remember, so I asked my dad. He said peanut butter.
I’ve been looking at Hurricane Ike relief sites, and indeed if they are soliciting food donations, peanut butter is at the top of their list. Peanut butter for me is one of those perfect foods: it’s a little sweet; it’s a little salty; it needs no adornment (though certain things such as bananas, chocolate chips, or jam are very welcome); it can be eaten any time of day; it can be a snack or a main dish; and it only takes a couple of tablespoons to fill you up and give you energy.
But what I also recently learned is that it is very easy to make your own peanut butter. You just throw a bunch of peanuts into your food processor with a bit of oil and in no time you have the freshest, healthiest peanut butter you’ve ever tasted. And if you want to doll it up with spices, cayenne powder or even chocolate, no problem.
My family and friends are OK and I pray yours are, too. My heart goes out to all of those who are suffering through the wake of Hurricane Ike and hopefully, their lives will soon return to normal. I wish I could be there to help with the clean up, but in the meantime I’ll show my solidarity by eating peanut butter.
Homemade peanut butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted, salted peanuts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
Instructions
- Place the ingredients in your food processor, and blend until it turns creamy—about a minute or so. (First it will turn into powder but keep blending, it will get there soon!)
Notes
Chunky: If you want chunky peanut butter, set aside a quarter cup of peanuts, and stir them into the peanut butter after it’s blended in the processor.
Sweeter: Add 1/2 tablespoon of honey to ingredients. Spicy: Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to ingredients.
Chocolate: Add an extra 1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut oil, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. You’ll have to blend it a bit longer than regular peanut butter.
As soon as we get our electricity back, I’m making this! I made walnut butter earlier this summer (walnuts, oil, brown sugar, salt) and it was killer.
You’re preaching to the preacher here! Peanut butter is the perfect food and homemade peanut butter is wonderful. I would do it more often but it amazes me how it’s still cheaper to buy it in a jar. Depends on your source of course, but I buy it from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, only $1.69 a jar. It’s near impossible to find peanuts for $1.69 a pound.
If you’re interested, I’ve got some great recipes on my site for flavors that I always keep on hand (using peanuts from scratch or simply mix-in to the jar) like cinnamon currant, maple and apple pie flavored. But I wonder if instead of adding peanut oil you used palm oil like the no-stir brands use to get a homemade no-stir peanut butter?
Page–I think it would be fantastic with honey roasted nuts.
Rene–Hasn’t it? We watched the storm in Oregon and it felt the same way seeing places you know underwater on TV.
Kalyn–Yes, you should probably wait!
Lydia–I love it in sauces, too!
Melissa–Thanks for reminding us about the SPCA–the poor pets.
Rosa–I guess y’all don’t have an equivalent there, do you. It’s pretty awful.
Jana–Thanks for the link.
Deb–I love almond butter, too!
Talida–Wow! What a story! I don’t think you ever have to fear a hurricane being named Talida–that would be a ton of hurricanes in one year if it did happen. And I haven’t tried almond butter, but I need, too.
Dayna–Yeah, I fear the tornadoes the most.
Tracy–It’s great with chocolate chips and bananas for breakfast.
Direct Deposit–Yes, they’re shelled. It would be pretty crunchy if they weren’t!
Anon–You just have to keep stirring it, though if you don’t make as large a batch you find that you can eat it all before this happens.
Gregg–Raisins? What a clever idea!
Esmeralda–That’s what my mom said–the cold front that came through after Ike made it having no power all the more bearable.
Elizabeth–Glad you’re OK, and hope you get your power back soon.
Kristin–How cool you’re moving back to Texas–I love San Antonio–it’s so beautiful there.
KnittingReader–Good to hear you have your power again. And that’s what everyone is saying–Ike is far worse than Alicia.
Sweet Pea–It’s great to eat when you have no power–and it keeps you full for a long time, too.
Phaedra–Oh Nutella! Tha’s another one of my faves–ever had a Nutella, PB and cream cheese sandwich? Pure, unadulterated decadence!
Working Girl–Welcome–I’m so pleased to hear that you enjoy stopping by! That makes my day!
Ginny–Wow–I had no idea the power was off all the way to Nacogdoches. Hope they get power again soon.
Two Party Planners–Glad you’re OK but sorry to hear you had damage. And that’s what everyone keeps saying–this was a lot worse than Alicia.
Anne–That’s why I love the chocolate peanut butter–each bite is like a Reece’s cup but because it’s not candy it somehow feels healthier, more virtuous. Ha!
AT–Yep, love the banana with the PB! I could eat that every day!
Texasann–I’m happy to hear you’re OK. And I pray that things get back to normal soon.
Little Warrior’s Mom–I have a bag of walnuts that I can’t wait to try your recipe with–sounds like it would be a great spread on banana or zucchini bread!
Nick–That’s an interesting thought–I’ll have to try that!
Love your blog! My husband was a college freshman during Alecia. He went home to help his parents secure their old Galveston Victorian. At one point his mom tied a rope to him so he could go out and nail more shutters closed. I asked her why they stayed and she says… no one knew it was going to be that bad. The house survived the 1910 storm and Alecia. We don’t know about this one yet.
I’m a misplaced Texan in Virginia.. we had some hurricanes here and I went through my drill when the power goes..
1. Eat the ice cream.
2. Crank up the smoker/bbq and cook the frozen meat as it thaws..
3. Have the chain saw, Coleman stove/lanterns ready..
The local Vuginyuns were amazed that I could be so calm without “powah”. Hell, I had my smoker stoked with apple and pecan and was having a great time.. I told the neighbors to bring their thawing meay over and I cook it.. thay appreciated that.