From Our Kitchens: PB&J (with mayo), don’t knock it until you try it

Once upon a time, when I used to sit at the fifth-grade table in the school cafeteria, my mother packed a Hostess Twinkie and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my Flintstones lunch box every day.

There might have been an apple and some celery sticks in there, too, but Twinkies and PB&Js were considered two of the five major food groups.

Mama made PB&Js with love and out of necessity. She was once a home economics teacher. She also had to feed five kids for the day, so she was always in a hurry-up offense.

When I was old enough to make them myself, it was like learning a life skill. They provided sustenance in college, especially when the cupboard was bare at my apartment. They have always been a staple in the pantry for our children and grandchildren. 

You don’t have to go to culinary school to know how to make a PB&J sandwich: three ingredients, two minutes prep time … one satisfying meal.

Although white is the bread of choice, you can substitute honey wheat or sourdough, if you wish. Peter Pan or Skippy? Smooth or crunchy? It’s up to you. Welch’s Grape or Smucker’s Strawberry? Your call.

I realize I am tampering with a time-honored tradition, but may I suggest one other ingredient?

Mayonnaise – on the side.

Yeah, I know. Sounds repulsive. You must think I’m one of those weirdos who puts ketchup on his eggs and sugar on his grits.

My life changed at halftime of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30, 2021, in Charlotte. (You may remember that after South Carolina upset North Carolina, winning coach Shane Beamer had a vat of mayonnaise dumped on his head.)

Sponsors spend big money to promote their brand at bowl games. So, naturally, Duke’s was touting its mayo. Throughout the game, different dishes prepared with Duke’s were being sampled.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with tablespoons of mayo on the plates, made the rounds in the press box during halftime. ESPN sideline reporter Taylor McGregor instructed broadcasters Anish Shroff and Mike Golic Jr. to lightly dip the PB&J in the mayo … and bon appetit.

The taste buds of the guys in the booth were noncommittal. But, down on the field, McGregor dug in.

“Actually, it’s pretty good,’’ she said as she swooped the crust across the spread.

Hmmmmm. I was intrigued … and in the mood for a snack. Before the second-half kickoff, I was in the kitchen creating one.

We already had the ingredients. And, of course, we had Duke’s. At our house, it is considered sacrilegious to eat anything else.  

(There is a Duke’s cookbook published in 2020. It was written by Ashley Strickland Freeman, with the foreword by Nathalie Dupree, so that’s worth at least three helpings of credibility. The sandwich recipe is not in it. But it could be … and maybe it should be.)

My first bite was delicious. The second bite was better. I won’t say I loved it, but I have been telling folks about PBJ&Ms ever since. 

 When they turn up their noses, I tell them not to be judgmental. Don’t knock it until they’ve tried it.

And, even if they don’t, I love telling the story.

PBJ&M

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of white bread
• Peanut butter (smooth)
• Grape jelly
• Duke’s Mayo 

Directions

Remove bread from bag. Carefully place on plate. Open jar of peanut butter. Slap on with a knife. (It’s all in the wrist.) Open jar of jelly. Smooth with spoon. Slice sandwich into diagonal or horizontal halves. Dip with Duke’s. Don’t be bashful. Write me a thank-you note.