Peanut Butter and Jamz Donuts (Guest Post)

So we are a couple of doods. We like dood things. Once in a while however, it’s good to hear from the other side of the chromosomal wagon. And while I won’t publicly admit that I have actually attempted to make these donuts whilst listening to this choice selection of songs, this here donut is damn fine. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Megan Ranegar.

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Hello! I’m Megan from The Dinner Party Association. I’m a writer and breakfast food enthusiast based in Iowa City, Iowa. I spent this past week in my hometown in Indiana for my last ever college spring break. I didn’t get a tan, but I did get a cold. I drank whiskey hot toddies in bed and rarely changed out of my pajamas. I made (and ate) a lot of donuts.

Being home really took me back to 1998, the days of Spice Girls and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Nostalgia and boredom can make you do crazy things, like fuse your childhood and current favorites to craft a PB&J donut. This is a jelly-filled situation slathered in peanut butter, and the things my eight-year-old dreams were made of.

The playlist is a mix of my 1998 favorites and my current jams, made especially to get you ready for this jelly.

Baked Peanut Butter & Jam Donuts

For the donuts:
makes 6 donuts
Adapted from Forbidden Rice blog

1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
jam, any flavor

For the glaze:
1 Tablespoon butter
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup powdered sugar

Before we get going here, we need to talk about donut making methods. Donuts, while normally fried, occasionally like to get baked. That’s where a donut pan comes in. I rant in this post about how donut pans are a game changer. I’m no donut expert…but I’m close. Just purchase the pan. Your life will feel more complete.

Preheat your oven to 425 and lightly grease your donut pan. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir together wet and dry ingredients, until combined. Fill your donut pan and bake for 7-8 minutes.

While your donuts are in the oven, get your glaze on. Heat one tablespoon of butter on the stove until brown, about 4 minutes. Pop a quarter cup of peanut butter into the microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Take a step back and breathe. You should like the smells you’re smelling.

Now mix your butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. Butter on butter. Own it.

Your oven is probably beeping at you now. Tend to those donuts! Let rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, cut three small slices into each donut. Are you ready for this jelly? Using a piping bag and your favorite jam, fill each donut. Don’t worry if this looks a little messy—peanut butter fixes everything. Dip your donuts into your peanut butter glaze. Serve warm with your signature dance move and a glass of milk.

Spicy Peanut Chicken a la Smooth Grooves

About the music: This dish is a little spicy and a little tangy, so we wanted to cool things down a bit by putting together a lush pairing of the coolest indie-electronic jams around to accompany your chicken dish. This is really one of my favorite music genres as it draws influence from a variety of sounds to provide you with a diverse listening experience. We tried to capture that essence with this playlist by stringing together a wide variety of all things light, funky, and synth-laden. You’ll start things off with the Australian trio, Theme Park, segue into Beat Connection and KZA to deepen the mood, and finally get immersed with the funk courtesy of FKJ and Psychemagik. It’s a groovy little blend and we think it accompanies this dish quite nicely.

Serves: 4
Prep/Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Sriracha
2 teaspoons rice vinegar or lime juice
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 bunch broccoli

Directions:
First things first, hit play on this juicy theme park track and loosen up a bit. This recipe is stoopid simple, so you’ll have a lot of brain-power left over to focus on these cool beats as you cook. Now that you’re ready, preheat the broiler. While it’s heating up, just like the tunes, mix together the peanut butter (after inhaling a spoonful or two, of course), water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar or lime juice…we choice lime juice and believe me it was a wise choice. Once your peanut butter concoction is finished and you’re deep in the midst of jamming out to Beat Connection, toss the chicken thighs and broccoli in the sauce , and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.

Broil everything for about ten minutes, and then turn your oven over to bake and bake it up right for another ten minutes, watching to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Well, I wish there was more for me to write, but that about does it. Snarf on your delicious dinner as you let Freight to My Soul by the Cosmic Kids cool down that spice in your mouth.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Lovekin via Martha Stewart.

Stained Pasta W/ IDM, Eggplant and Sausage

About the music: If there is one thing we over indulge at the Sfunk laboratory it’s pasta and IDM. Basically it’s the voice of our brain pie, it’s our solution to E=Mc2. Cheffing up this dish, to this mix is kin to entering the world of Tron, this delicious shiz right here is the direct current between the ear and mouth. If you don’t already talk about Nicola Tesla over dinner, you will now. Fear not, one doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to chef this dish, just maybe to be able to discuss it’s universal significance.

Considering string theory we put together eight tracks of pure intelligent dance music. The big bang for this recipe begins with Tycho’s melodic drum and bass jam, ‘Past is Prologue,’ this evolves into LA based wizkid Nosaj Thing’s ‘Light #1.’ We’ve also got, Four Tet’s, ‘Angel Echos,’ James Blake’s, ‘CMYK,’ and to wrap it up, Brain Feeder Records’ (think Flying Lotus) TOKIMONSTA, into Star Sling vs Teams. Get smart with these badass chunes, prepare for lift-off, and to quote the famous physicist Richard Feynman who loved to play bongos at strip clubs in Pasadena, “blaze freely.”

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 lb gemelli pasta
1 eggplant
1 clove garlic, minced
2 links, spicy italian sausage, uncased
1/4 fresh italian parsley, chopped
750 ml, cheap red wine (1 bottle)
1 1/2 cups, tomato sauce
1 tsp olive oil
pinch red pepper flakes
Romano or Parmesan cheese to top

Directions:
Hit play and let Tycho set the mood. This playlist is bass(ed) deep in quantum beats, so try and keep up. Hopefully you bought yourself an extra bottle of red wine and large bag of weed because you’re about to learn some shit.

Chop your eggplant into about 1/2 inch cubes (this Tycho song is basically made for eggplant chopping). While you’re at it, mince the garlic and chop up the parsley, just to get it out of the way.

Then take your uncased sausage and start sphereing them into little mini meatballs. Throw some olive oil in a non stick pan and turn on high heat. Stick your spicy sausage balls in the pan and brown on all sides. At this point you and the pan may be reacting to the interconnected web of the multiverse thanks to the incredible Nosaj Thing track. Break free from your eternally occurring awareness and take those browned meatballs out of the pan and put them on a paper towel.

Now, in spite of the ethereal beauty of this Pantha du Prince song, fight it’s gravitational sway and throw the eggplant and garlic into the pan with all the sausage juice. Cook until caramelized, about 7 minutes.

Fill a medium pot with 2 cups red wine and 2 cups water. Bring to boil. Will boil @ roughly 100 degrees centigrade.

Then add a half cup of red wine and cook that ish ‘til it’s reduced by half.

Add the pasta to the watery wine concoction you got boiling and note the time.

Add the meatballs back into the pan. Then add the tomato sauce, stir and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer until the pasta is done (which is going to be just before the pasta package directions say it should be). When the pasta is done, the beginning of this beautiful TOKiMONSTA song should be kicking in, spoon a little water/wine into the sauce and stir around. Drain the pasta (now an awesome purple color). Add it back into the sauce and toss with the fresh parsley.

Star Slinger and Teams should bring you home with this cheerfully upbeat song that makes it feel like the sun is shining even if you live like Dexter in an underground laboratory. Finally, top with cheese, and serve those with the highest music IQ first.