Peanut butter.
The patron saint of don't-know-what-to-eat-for-lunch and desperate-for-a-quick-afternoon-snack. Chocolate's perfect mate, jelly's no-fail dance partner. The smooth glob of velvet in your mouth that your tongue runs over and over in an attempt to make sense of the thick taste. Equally at home in the embrace of a fat spoon or a breakfast smoothie, smeared on apples or poured into soup.
Peanut butter.
It is the soothing memory of childhood PB&J lunches--the butter kissing grape jelly, smooshed between two slices of whole wheat bread. It's ants on a log, the flavor of raisins and the crunch of celery.
Peanut butter.
You stand in front of your refrigerator door, pondering these facts, these memories, as you root through your fridge, past the mustard and pickles, searching for your jar of peanut butter. You want something--not quite a meal, nor a real snack, just something to hold you over for the stretch between lunch and dinner, something indulgent, but healthy--the satisfying alternative to the chocolate that calls your name.
You unscrew the lid and inhale the warm, buttery scent of creamy nuts and memories of peanut butter cookies after a long summer day of mosaic-making. In goes your spoon to scoop out some of this edible gold from the jar. It sticks a little--the spread hard from weeks of sitting in the cool confines of the fridge--but you finally get your spoonful of heaven. You wrap your lips around the spoon and lick off the peanut butter, letting it slowly warm then melt in your mouth, filling you all the way down to your belly.
There is only one expression for that warm gooey feeling, that comforting taste of nourishing food--it is, simply, peanut butter.
Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!