Hi Janetski, I make peanut butter regularly (DS gets through it at a rate of knots). I just dump a 500gm bag of roasted salted peanuts into the bowl and grind at speed 8 until it all starts to come together. Then I drop to speed 4 and keep grinding until I get the consistency he likes (probably about 2 minutes). I don't add any extra oil or anything else and it's great.
You can vary the flavour by adding different nuts in different quantities to the mix (hazel nuts are delicious).
Just keep experimenting and find the method that suits you/your nuts best.
I've also found that if you chop up the pith and skins of one or two lemons/oranges, tie them in a bit of muslin and then add them to your mix, it will help improve the set - increases the amount of pectin.
Also, get your temperature up to the setting temperature of 104oC/105oC to be more assured of a good set. I saw a tip elsewhere in a forum post that a chappie drilled a hole in the flange of the spatula through which he inserted the probe from a digital thermometer to constantly monitor the temperature of the mix in the bowl - great idea, which I now use.
Had a surreal moment on Sunday. DW was helping me in the kitchen to make some rusks while i made these fantastic nuts. For the rusks you roll pieces of dough into balls with oiled hands before popping them into a pan. Well DW took a call from a friend and I overheard the conversation...
Friend: "Hi there, what're you two up to?" DW: "Rob's roasting his nuts and i'm oiling his balls" Surreal or what!!
I've found a shotgun really does the business - blasts the little beggars to kingdom come .
However, failing that, a chemical option is to get a spray that contains DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide if you must know). There are lots of these varying in concentrations from 25% up to 100% - choose the strength that best suits you. DD used it on a school expedition to Peru and it worked a treat.
Another good option is to fire up one of those ultra-violet bug electrocution gadgets - I love the bzzzt accompanied by a little spark heralding another mozzie's departure to the fields of Elysium.
Just flipped through the notebook again. Here are a couple more crackers:
* DW had just had her legs waxed - DD "Mama had her legs skinned today" * DD coming off a slide at a water park "you'll have the time of your life Mama, but hang onto your boobs!" * DS (aged about 5) "I've got a pouch between my legs to keep my nuts in" * DS "I wish I only had half a sister - the kissy half" * GrannyMO: "Zoe's got a very good vocabulary"; Zoe: "what does that mean?"!! * DS "the best bit of Christmas is when you wake up and your sack is full" (seems he has a thing about that )
and on it goes. Have fun making your own memories notebook.
The time DS's pet rat departed for a celestial destination. He was only 4 so found an insightful way to express his sorrow: "I'm so sad my heart has got a tummy ache" - still makes me choke up!
DS watching DW putting on makeup - "what you doing Mom?" DW-"making myself beautiful" DS-"well it hasn't" (needless to say he wasn't too popular.
DD - the Titanic was sunk by a burger
Many years ago when the kids were tiny, a friend said to keep a notebook handy to write down all these wierd and wonderful things they say because memory soon fades with time. Now the kids are almost grown up (well they think they are) we still enjoy flipping through the pages for a giggle or "aaah".
So now's your chance to do likewise and capture all those moments for posterity in your own memories notebook.
Quite easily done! Hence the best way to resolve most of these types of problems is to turn everything off, have a cuppa (or a glass) and then get back to business. Have fun.
Chop into small chunks, add to sauted onion, garlic + mushrooms with LOTS of cracked black pepper and a splash of cream and a few drops of tamari then into the pies - exquisite!
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Yet another way to deter the pesky critters.
Does a great job and volume is no problem.
(needless to say he wasn't too popular.