Peanut Butter Bread

Paula Deen, we love you.

Not only do you cook with lots of butter, you give us new ways to do so. You have successfully branded the Southern Cooking experience in a way that doesn't involve a bucket of thighs and drumsticks.

I have a Paula Deen cookbook given as a gift by a Southern colleague called "The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook." I can gare-on-tee you that anything delicious you've ever tasted at a true church potluck, and more, is in this handy little guide.

Paula Deen ruled the Food Network, has a restaurant in Savannah called "The Lady and Sons," and has multiple cookbooks out - all done after she was divorced and broke. But she did what she knew, which was cook, and turns out, she knows that pretty well.

I tried this simple recipe Sunday. It's fabulous.

"Peanut Butter Bread"

[yields 1 loaf]

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and peanut butter. Pour into a greased loaf pan (or brownie pan if you lost all your loaf pans). Bake approximately 50 minutes. Great with homemade jam.

The great thing about peanut butter bread is that it's like a peanut butter version of banana bread: not quite bread, not quite dessert, but good for anything and everything in between. I didn't try chunky peanut butter, but you can. I didn't put jam on mine, but you can. I didn't try gourmet flavored peanut butter, but you can. Or, dress it in milk and banana slices...or put a chunk in a bowl and swirl chocolate syrup over the top...or swirl dark chocolate syrup over banana slices over the top...or slather it in jam and give it to your sweaty child who's headed back outdoors after a potty break...mmm, the many possibilities of peanut butter bread.

Thank you, Paula Deen. Thank you.