July 17, 2010

Easy Ultimate Peanut Butter Frosting

We are going on a camping trip this weekend with two other families.  Meals have been delegated to each family.  I was assigned Saturday dinner.  I purchased a marinated trip-tip from Chico Meat Locker.  I'm accompanying it with potatoes, stuffed peppers and a green salad.  Since this is our first camping trip and I don't want to have to be preoccupied with vegetable-chopping when I might need to be watching the kids, and since I am not yet brave enough to bust out the ol' campstove, I did most of the prep work this evening and planned it so all the cooking can be done on a BBQ.

All week long I've tossed around the idea of buying a ready-made potato salad instead of wrapping potatoes in foil for the BBQ.  I've never been one to purchase potato salad before, but recently I tasted Costco's premade potato salad, and I was simply embarrassed at all the time I've been spending in the kitchen making boiling eggs and potatoes to make salad, when Costco's is quite good and totally affordable. The only problem is that I don't have a Costco membership, so rather than the crap-shoot of a grocery store potato salad, I think I'll just scrub some nice Yukon Golds, coat them with oil, add kosher salt, pepper and some rosemary and cook them in foil over the coals.

But of course, that's not a very colorful dish.  So I found myself at 11:30 at night chopping parsley and packing it in a little plastic container, so that I can garnish those potatoes.

As I tucked my individually wrapped parsley and rosemary in the fridge next to the homemade granola I portioned out for Sunday breakfast, it hit me:  When did I become, as one friend said, the Naturalist Mom?  Or more accurately, the Home-made Mom?

Oh well, maybe this frosting can bring me back into balance.

I figure there are two kinds of people in the world: those who like frosting and those who like cake.  I am firmly the latter, but this frosting is one that has me licking the plate and the spatula.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking


Makes about 6 cups frosting, enough for a 9" or 10" 3-layer cake, with a little extra to spare.  Trust me, you won't mind having a little extra.

1 14 oz jar (1 1/2 cups) smooth peanut butter -don't use the natural stuff, this is a time for good ol' hydrogenated Skippy or Jif
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup (maybe a 1/4 cup more) evaporated milk  -If evaporated milk is not available, any milk will do; I just think the thickness of the evaporated milk benefits this frosting.

Combine peanut butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Add about 1/3 of the confectioners' sugar followed by 1/3 of the milk, stirring well with a whisk or electric mixer after each addition. Continue alternating confectioners' sugar and milk until mixture is thoroughly combined. Frosting should be glossy, fluffy and spreadable.  If it seems to thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency. 

1 comment:

  1. Oh my.......that is an amazing blog, and I'll definitely try the peanut butter frosting! I loved reading every word. Maria, love your dad, and I can see his gift for writing has passed on to you. It blesses us. I love to read a recipe, get the general idea, and then make it my own. So fun! Thanks for doing the blog, and thanks Uncle Dave for sharing it with us♥"

    -- Teresa

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