A Good Excuse

I find that I am constantly seeking out occasions to make and eat more food... and of course, the Superbowl is no exception. This time we were treated to an evening of delicious food and great company, thanks to Drew and Amanda.

During the first half (jump-started by Drew screaming that the Bears had just run the kick-off back for a touchdown - first time in Super Bowl history), we started with a delicious, creamy cheeseball and an assortment of crackers. Amanda then brought down a plate of little toasts with a dollop of homemade guacamole, topped with marinated shrimp and a garnish of fresh cilantro - so beautiful and tasty! The food just kept rolling in... crackers with creamy goat cheese and pepper jelly, and meatballs in an incredible sauce. As Peyton and the Colts finished the Bears off, we wrapped up our evening with an assortment of cookies and hazelnut coffee.

My contribution to the evening, Peanut Butter Cookies, was meager but ended up a great complement to Amanda's sour cream cookies! Plus, they are easy enough to whip up for any occasion...

Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
white sugar for rolling

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat in eggs.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour (I refrigerated over-night which worked well).
3. Roll into 1-inch balls and roll lightly in the white sugar. Put on ungreased baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart as cookies will spread. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until tops of cookies have developed a pretty crust and are a light golden color.

*A special thanks to Amanda for sharing my obsession with Kirs Royales - a fruity, bubbly drink that I learned to love during my semester in Dijon, France. For those who sadly have never had a Kir Royale, it's quite simple:

Start with about 1/2 a shot of Creme de Cassis and fill your champagne flute the rest of the way with any champage of your choice... enjoy!

While Amanda and I refrained from embarrassing the boys in Pictionary like we did New Year's Eve, I have no doubt that a re-match is in order.