January 24: Lobster Thermidor Day & Peanut Butter Day

National Lobster Thermidor Day

By the time I finish this year-long experiment, I'll probably have a huge list of new foods I'll need to try, either homemade or bought. 

And that list will include lobster thermidor.

Another dish I had never heard of until today, lobster thermidor sounds like a truly indulgent meal and I want one now.  When I try lobster thermidor, I'll probably first try it in a restaurant and then attempt it at home if I really like the dish.  (My main reason for trying it in a restaurant first?  I don't want to deal with live lobsters - those claws look so intimidating!)  Oprah.com has Julia Child's Lobster Thermidor recipe and just look at those ingredients!  Cream, cognac, tarragon, mustard....That looks like a recipe for deliciousness.


National Peanut Butter Day

Peanut butter is one of those foods that works great as a topping (on apples, celery, bread, etc), pairs well with other spreads (jellies, jams, honey), can be an  ingredient (as in peanut butter cookies or pasta) or can be scooped out of the jar with the spoon and just eaten by itself.  I think everyone is familiar with peanut butter and has their favorite brand of peanut butter.  I'm not particularly brand-loyal to peanut butter, I just like to buy the simplest peanut butter.  When was the last time you looked at the ingredient list on a jar of peanut butter?  You'd be surprised what goes into most peanut butter.  I try to buy brands that are simple (some brands out there only have 2 ingredients - peanuts and salt!) and have no ingredients I'd work with in a lab setting.  If the peanut butter separates, that's fine by me.  It's not that hard to mix it all back together.  The only downside to buying more "real" peanut butter is I have to keep it in the fridge where it gets really cold and hard to spread.  To combat this, I scoop some out into a bowl and microwave it for about 30 seconds.

To celebrate Peanut Butter Day, I opted for a quick snack during the State of the Union speech because I wasn't hungry enough yet for a full dinner.  I topped a toasted slice of homemade bread with crunchy peanut butter.  Since it was looking a little plain (but still delicious as-is) and I had some rhubarb pie (see yesterday's post) that needed salvaging, I put a couple of spoonfuls of cooked rhubarb on top.  This ended up being a very nice snack, but I wish I had apples or bananas.  Apple slices just seem perfect for dipping into peanut butter and I love peanut butter banana sandwiches.

So whether you like crunchy, creamy, super loaded with unpronounceable ingredients, or you make  your own, enjoy a scoop of peanut butter and think of new ways to use peanut butter.