Let me just start out saying my roommate, Hope “Hoprah” Watts, is a blessing.

We get along famously, and besides my constant bewilderment for her knack for knowing when I need my space and when I need some quality hang out time, she is pretty cool. She basically decorated our WHOLE apartment (which I do NOT have an eye for, I’ve gathered), and she constantly encourages me with my artwork (which is experiencing quite a nasty dry spell lately).

But there is something you need to know about Hope. She loves two things:

1) my homemade peanut butter

2) The Oprah Show

She doesn’t even like Oprah Winfrey, she says defensively. Isn’t it funny how the things we like commonly follow this logic? “What logic?” you ask. Simple. The Guilty Pleasure Logic. The “Oh-I-Don’t-Even-Really-Like-This” Logic. But you do. There lies the guilt. Self-denial commences. It’s this push-pull internal struggle that is delightful, yet dangerous. I never thought the words delightful, dangerous, and Oprah would be in the same paragraph..moreover, one that I wrote.

The peanut butter fetish has been a big deal the past couple of weeks.

Personally, I think Hope needs an intervention. I have made roughly 8 lbs of this peanut butter since December. I haven’t eaten too much of it. Maybe a half pound, collectively.  Hope cannot get enough. I’m worried. That’s a lot of peanut butter I know I didn’t eat. In her defense, this isn’t just any peanut butter. Ohhhh no. This peanut butter is unique because it contains pretzels and white chocolate. Yum? Yum.

But revisiting the logic of guilty pleasures: What is it about something forbidden that makes it so enticing? It’s not “cool” to like Oprah, and I agree. I can’t stand Oprah.

But I do enjoy this peanut butter. Why is it forbidden? It’s terrible for you. White chocolate is the least healthy for you of the chocolate family tree. It is basically devoid of nutrients or anti-oxidants. BUT I LOVE IT…because I shouldn’t have it. Typical female, right? NO. Typical human nature.

Admit it. We all want we can’t have. It wouldn’t be a cliche if it weren’t true. And sure, I believe we are allowed to indulge now and then. And I think that is allowed. In fact, it is in my personal food philosophy called AIM (appreciation, indulgence, and moderation). We need to find the simple pleasures in life and not be scared to treat ourselves. BUT, I do believe there is a fine line between a guilty pleasure and a closet addiction…and I’m pretty sure you know the difference, or I hope so.

So here is to hoping you indulge sometime this week, for the sake of your sanity 🙂

Hope’s Favorite Peanut Butter

-half a bag of Ghiradelli White Chocolate

-16 oz peanuts (I prefer regular, salted peanuts…try honey roasted if you have a sweet tooth)

-handful of pretzels

-2 t canola oil (possibly more)

-1/2 T cinnamon

-2 T  nutmeg

Pour peanuts into food processor and run for about 2 min. Peanuts should be forming into a good, thick butter. Add the Canola oil as needed. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg until blended.

Crumple the pretzels into pieces, or bits. Drop in the white chocolate pieces and pretzel bits. Pulse to achieve the consistency of your liking. You can add more from here, depending on how much “crunch” you like.

#food #oprah #peanutbutter #recipes

While this post involves a recipe involving food, it is a recipe for the soul.

When you are annoyed that apartment refrigerator will only spit out ice chips instead of the cubes it is obviously supposed to provide or our bank account is lower than the temperature outside and rent is due within a few short days, take a trip to Redeemer’s Church in the Yard in Knoxville. It will cure what ails you.

Church in the Yard takes place every Sunday. The congregants are the homeless. During inclement

weather, services take place in the social hall and the preacher cleverly replaces the wine, the normal occurrence in the Presbyterian church, with grape juice for obvious reasons. After services, various churches provide a meal. You don’t have to ring the dinner bell twice at my church, Judson, to round up a gaggle of cooks eager to make massive quantities of food. It’s in our genes. So a gaggle of us did show up yesterday to make giant vats of chili, pans of cornbread, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for snacking later on to take to Redeemer.

About 200 people showed up for Church in the Yard. Some of them may find solace in the service. Many are obviously there because it is cold outside and they are hungry. That’s OK. If you’re a

fisher of people there’s nothing wrong with luring them close to the boat with a bowl of chili topped with sour cream and shredded cheese. You may be surprised at the social discourse that takes place during the meal.  If you are ever around homeless people who are not asleep in a doorway or begging for money, you will find out that most of them are just like you and me. They just made a terrible misstep somewhere along the way or have been dealt an unfortunate hand. Most of them are literate and bright and conversational. They like hot sauce in their chili. Just like me. And they crumble saltines on top. Just like me. And they observed good Presbyterian rules of etiquette, thanking us profusely after a second or third bowl which, of course, just made the cooks giddy with excitement. And then they walked out, a couple of sandwiches tucked in their pockets, to the gray, cold day.

The chili was good. I would be happy to serve it at any potluck supper. But here’s the thing. What you are doing, which is a privilege, really hits home when you walk back through the door of your house. Which is warm and cozy. There is a refrigerator with food in it. You don’t really mind about the ice maker any more. And, if it’s close enough to five o’clock you will not feel guilty having some boxed white wine, which I am doing as I write. Yes, the chili warmed the soul. Mine.

and my favorite chili recipe for my favorite people…

White Bean Chicken Chili

6 cups chicken broth

3 15 oz. cans white beans, drained

4 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp. of oil

2 -4 oz. cans of chilis, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 cups grated monterey jack cheese

1 16 oz. jar of salsa

2 cups of sour cream

salt and pepper

-Saute onion and garlic in oil

-Put in crock pot

-Cook the chicken in the pot and use the juice for part of your 6 cups broth

-Mix broth, beans, shredded chicken and garlic and onions, chilies, cayenne

cheese, salsa and sour cream

-Simmer for an 1 hour.  Serve topped with sour cream and tortilla strips.

#church #food #recipe #whitechickenchili