Sauces

I love making our own jellies in the summer. From mulberry jam to sweet strawberry jam, and oh so delicious cherry jelly the possibilities are endless. What could possibly go better with homemade jams and jellies than homemade peanut butter? The local fruit market often runs some killer deals on peanuts making a batch of peanut butter cheaper than the natural stuff at the grocery store and making homemade peanut butter is so easy. For the kids, peanut butter is like liquid gold. They just can't get enough of it between classic PB and J and snacking with apples or celery. To get the best deal we start with fresh peanuts and roast them ourselves. This is where having a handful of kids comes in handy. It gives them something to do keeping them busy for a while. They love munching while they peel open the shells. If you don't have a crew to do the work you can buy roasted peanuts. This was one of those things we decided to experiment with when my husband got me a food processor last fall. I love looking for ways to do things myself and learning new cooking skills that can come in handy as things change so quickly in our economic climate. Every new skill everything I learn to make myself from homemade peanut butter to DIY buttermilk substitute can help me make the most of what we have even when things are getting harder for other families. Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe 2 cups roasted peanuts1 tablespoon honeySalt to taste How to make homemade peanut butter Place honey and peanuts into your food processor and turn it on. Run your food processor until the peanuts go from clumps to a smooth texture you recognize as peanut butter. This can take about 4-5 minutes. If you want to leave crunchy bits opt to pulse the food processor for crunchy peanut butter. Taste your homemade peanut butter to decide if you want to add salt to get the flavor you enjoy the most. A quick pinch of salt can be stirred into the peanut butter until you get the flavor you are looking for. Store your homemade peanut butter in an airtight container. As this peanut butter sits it will form a layer of oil on top just like popular natural brands. Simply stir the peanut butter to mix the oil back in between uses. If you want a thicker peanut butter let it sit overnight and drain the oil off the top instead of mixing it in.