I prefer Jif creamy peanut butter and soft spongy store bought bread (the kind that everybody here hates; BTW, I only like it for BLT's and PBJ's) Never ever do I use grape jelly. We are not big jelly fans here. Hate grape jelly, but love Booberry's grape jam. (It is gone Boo, sob sob). I also do not use strawberry. It's my least favorite jam. We use apricot or plum or red reaspberry or orange/grapefruit marmalade or anything but strawberry. And, to be honest, I prefer the peanut butter without any jam. Then I put the PB on very thin, clean the knife on the 2nd slice of bread, and smash the bread. Just like a little kid. If I use jam, the jam is very thinly spread on the 2nd slice of bread and there is no smashing involved. Dang. Whoda thunk that making PBJ's was an "art?"

I haven't been here for quite some time so haven't read your previous posting re: economic struggles. Sounds to me like you've got it together & are doing great. The kids won't care their new cars cost a dollar OR the coats, etc came from Goodwill. They WILL remember they fun they had & they were warm & loved. A friend, now deceased, told me several times of a Christmas when their 5 were small. No funds, etc. Someone gave them a tree - the largest they ever had. Parents bought necessities .. toothbrushes, combs, gloves, etc. and wrapped each item & placed some on the tree. When the kids were grown & parents, every Christmas they got together, THAT was the Christmas they all remembered with love. The same will be true of your kids. So for those who say they don't believe in going to church or that those of who do shouldn't have problems or wish only good things for others, it's sad. Ignore them. Love those little ones, build the memories. Those are gifts money cannot buy & will last a lifetime!

Okay, for those of you having a thrilling Saturday night like me (shepherding a gaggle of giggling girls gorging on gorp and other gunk)... here is an update. CRL, the pumpkin butter is a brilliant substitute for lemon curd, merci! Easy peasy. Rococo, I am guessing you really mean mini stroopwaffel, which I did find at trader Joes. They are chewy not crisp and more sweet than buttery, but the perfect size. But, after freezing the Destrooper Waffle cookies aren't crisp anymore anyway. So the only really difference for the purposes of this recipe is that stroopwaffel are sweeter, which I think is fine, since we are used to sour with lemon, but not sour with pumpkin. I just made a half batch as a trial. The pumpkin filling is yummy, but a touch sour (since it is 3.5 oz creme fraiche - sour - and only 1/8 c of sweetened pumpkin butter, whipped up.) But the filling is delish and sophisticated and I think the caramel in the cookie may be just the perfect touch of added sweetness! When they freeze I need to experiment with a pecan garnish vs toffee. In process (TJ makes the Creme Fraiche looks so pretty, no?)

Cold grilled vegetables (bell pepper, onion, eggplant, squash, carrot--being sure that the carrot and eggplant are cooked all the way through) with soft white goat cheese spread on the bread is a favorite of mine. That would also do well in a roll up or wrap. You could do a version of tortilla pinwheels vegetarian as well with some kind of soft cheese and thinly sliced vegetables. I don't like tofu in sandwiches, but if you do want to go vegan, you could do tempeh or seitan. Really good nut cheeses are expensive...but really good. They're mostly fat, so should be paired with more nutritious foods. Most other vegetarian sandwiches I've made or had are either variations of egg or cheese sandwiches, or are lighter and more like proper tea sandwiches, such as cucumber or watercress with butter. The exception is bean spread. You can make other bean purees besides hummus. Pintos with sweet red bell peppers and seasonings is excellent, and good with a dry fresh cheese like cotija or feta and some crunchy veg.