Life Altering Peanut Butter Muffins

Very rarely do I have a recipe that forces me to really think about what ingredients go into a dish or how a dish is prepared, but this recipe has done both, for the simple reason my little girl is allergic to peanuts and this is the recipe that help lead to her diagnosis. You see Sammie's Uncle is allergic to nuts, so we held off trying peanut butter with her until she was communicating well enough to tell us something was wrong. Upon trying these she got a rash and a persistent cough, which was quickly followed by a dose of Benadryl and a call to the doctor. We had a doctor visit and a blood draw that day, she did excellent through it all. When the results came back, she tested positive for being allergic to peanuts only, but the doctor suggested avoiding all nuts and any thing else that states it "may contain peanuts" to try and avoid the possibility of cross contamination. We have gone through our cabinets and cleared out all the items that either contain nuts or may contain nuts, it's surprising what things were discarded. We have begun looking for alternatives in preparing some of our favorite foods, like no bake cookies and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, so be on the look out for some reviews on alternative foods and recipes.

(In light of my daughters reaction no picture was taken, as the muffins were quickly quarantined and removed from the house.)

Recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree
1/2 cup banana puree
1 large egg white
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.
3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not over mix). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secret's!

Here's another fun snack for second Harry Potter movie that is sure to please. This dish draws straight from the second movie when Harry and Ron must go into the spider's den to find the truth about Hagrid's innocence. Once Harry and Ron have found out the truth about Hagrid they are forced to fight their way out of the spider's nest. So what could be more fitting then a whole plate full of spiders for your little Harry Potter fan to fight through?  I found this recipe from Sandra Lee on the Food Network website and knew instantly that I wanted to prepare these.

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) package semesweet morels
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups pretzel sticks

Directions
Place parchment paper on baking sheet; set aside
In a large glass microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Melt on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and stir until smooth. (I made two separate batches of the chocolate mixture and set one aside to use as a glue to hold the legs in place.)
Stir in pretzel sticks. With clean hands grab pretzel stick and drop on prepared baking sheet in clusters to look like spiders. (Be sure to crumble the pretzels in the chocolate mixture so their easier to eat.)
Place in freezer for 5 minutes or until chocolate is hardened. Remove and serve. (Be sure to serve them quickly as the chocolate will not set up like no bake cookies)