Wow. This weekend was absolutely crazy! It started off with a trip to the DMV to renew my driver’s license, which has been expired since my birthday last month. And like most other people, my experience was excruciating. Slow, disorganized, rude. But I felt much better getting on the road up to Minneapolis knowing I was driving with a legal license, and my new photo turned out pretty good, too.
After four hours of driving I made it up to Minneapolis and was greeted by absolute, wonderful craziness. Seven kiddos (Joey’s cousins) under the age of 11 immediately whisked us down to the hotel pool for a few hours of fun and games. I also may or may not have eaten an entire tub of hummus for dinner at around 10 p.m. Friday night. Bad things happen when Jimmy John’s is closed!
Saturday was all about football and watching Joey’s brother, Jason, play. I’m pretty sure we win the award for most enthusiastic fans, seeing as that we were the only ones tailgating in the parking lot before it started. And after the game and dinner we were back on the road to Des Moines.
Today was exactly what Joey and I needed. We got plenty of sleep, worked out together at my gym, watched the Vikings win (!!!) and then J indulged my foodie desires with a trip to the newly-opened Trader Joe’s in Wes Des Moines! The store was absolutely packed. It was beautiful, the employees were super friendly and I was ooohing and ahhing over practically everything.
Now Joey’s back on the road and I’m eating a sandwich for dinner. Not just any sandwich of course. A cashew and pumpkin butter sandwich on whole wheat bread from Trader Joe’s. Delish! For anyone with a serious love for nut butters, this recipe is a must. It’s smooth and creamy, slightly salty and has a buttery flavor that is brought out even more by the addition of brown sugar and cinnamon. I may have found a new favorite sandwich spread, though I wouldn’t count peanut butter out just yet.
Cashew Butter
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
*24 oz. lightly salted cashews
*3 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
*1 tsp. brown sugar or honey
*1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
*Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor and process for 1 minute to break up the nuts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necesary.
*Add in the olive oil, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Continue to process for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Happy Cooking!
Madison