Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

Aaron really likes honey mustard, and I decided to make him some in the crock pot, because everything for me is better when it can be made in the slow cooker :).  Anyway, this is a quick, easy dinner, and we all liked it with our cheesy mashed potatoes.  Each serving was about 150 calories, and there were six servings.  This received an 8 from everyone except Noah, who gave it a 9.  Here's what I did:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1/4 c honey
2 T olive oil
2 T whole grain garlic mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 T tapioca

Spray the slow cooker with oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Mix together the honey, oil, and mustard.  Stir in the lemon juice, and then stir in the tapioca.  Pour over the chicken, and cook it on low about 4 hours, checking to make sure it doesn't over cook.  Serve.

Michael Symon's Pasta with Mushrooms and Sage (and Sausage)

So Michael Symon came out with a new 5 in 5 cookbook, so of course I bought it as soon as possible :).  This is one of the first recipes we tried out of his new cookbook, and although we made slight changes, this is pretty close to the original recipe.  We love us some 5 in 5 around here!  Obviously, we can't have a vegetarian meals around here, so we added Italian sausage to the mix, which was a huge hit.  Aaron gave this a perfect 10, Noah, Jonah and I gave it a 9, and Owen gave it an 8.  Each serving, with the sausage, was 558 for six servings.  Here's what we did:

12 oz Italian sausage, cooked and sliced and set aside

1 lb pasta
1 T olive oil
8 oz (more or less) mixed mushrooms, I used cremini, porcini and oyster
3 T unsalted butter
3 T chopped fresh sage
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Boil the pasta in well salted water until al dente, then reserve 1 c of the pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside.
Over medium high heat, heat the oil and cook the mushrooms, about 3 minutes.  Flip the mushrooms, add the butter, and cook until the butter melts.  Stir in the sage and season with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta and reserved pasta water and cook, stirring until blended.  Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese and sausage, and serve with more cheese.

Owen's Baked Mug Root Beer Donuts

So making baked donuts is similar to making muffins, you just get to use a fun pan :).  Anyway, these donuts Owen came up with were a hit with the boys, and they worked well.  I wanted my glaze to harden more, so I used the idea from Peabody for her glaze.  This will give you a nice frosting rather than the syrup we got :).  The calories are 311 per donut, and the boys gave them a perfect 10, and I gave them an 8.  We didn't have any root beer flavoring, this would be better with a root beer flavoring, but if you just like a sweet, semi-root beer donut, use vanilla extract like we did :).  Anyway, Owen loves root beer, so we made these donuts for him.  Here's what to do:

2 cans root beer, cooked to concentrate it  (it takes at least 20 minutes to cook it down to 1 1/3 cup)

2 1/4 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1 T vanilla (or vanilla and root beer extracts)
1 c concentrated root beer
2 T butter melted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 c yogurt

1/3 c concentrated root beer
8 T butter
2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a donut pan or line a muffin tin.
In one bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In another bowl, mix together the vanilla (root beer extract), concentrated root beer, melted butter, egg yolk, egg, and yogurt.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir until just coming together, then place in the greased donut pan (or place in paper muffin cups) and cook for 10-12 minutes for the donuts.  Remove from the donut pan, let cool a few minutes, the dip in the glaze.

Cook the concentrated root beer and butter until the butter is melted, then stir in the powdered sugar.  Let cool a little then dip the donuts in it and let them cool.

Cook's Illustrated's Sticky Toffee Pudding

I know that often times English cooking is said to be less than delicious, but after spending time there, I have to heartily disagree.  English pub food, and English desserts, might be some of my favorite foods ever.  I found this recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding in my Cook's Illustrated International cookbook, and it was amazing.  Noah and I gave it a perfect 10, Owen gave it a 9, and Aaron gave it an 8, saying it's one of his favorite "cake" desserts he's ever had.  Each pudding, with the creme Anglaise was 832 calories, so ouch! but worth it ;).  Although called a pudding, it isn't like our pudding, rather it is more like bread pudding, a solid, cake-like steamed pudding that is so moist and delicious.  This has dates in it, and although I don't like to eat dates by themselves, I do love them in desserts.  This seems to have a lot of steps, but it is relatively easy to put together.

Creme Anglaise:

1 c cream
1 c half and half
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
4 egg yolks
1/2 t cornstarch (this isn't required, but makes it a little thicker)
pinch of salt

Bring the cream and half and half to a simmer, and keep it at medium-low after reaching a simmer.
In a medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Slowly temper the eggs with the hot cream, then add the egg mixture to the pan and stir constantly until thickened a little and the temperature of the cream is 180 degrees.
Pour the creme anglaise through a fine mesh sieve, stir in the vanilla, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Pudding Cakes:

butter, flour and parchment for the ramekins
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
14 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 c water
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
4 T unsalted butter, melted

Toffee Sauce:

8 T unsalted butter
1 c packed brown sugar
2/3 c heavy cream
1 T rum (optional, use rum flavoring or more vanilla if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter and flour the ramekins, then cut a parchment round to fit the bottom of each ramekin.  Place a kitchen towel in a large roasting pan, place the ramekins on top, and bring some water to a boil.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
Combine the water, half the dates, and the baking soda together and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes.  Remove the dates and reserve the liquid.
Process the remaining dates in a food processor with the brown sugar until just blended.  Add in the reserved soaking liquid, the eggs, and vanilla and process until smooth.  With the food processor running, pour in the melted butter.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the rest of the dates.
Gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined, divide the batter between the ramekins, and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, with the towel there to keep things moist and securely in place.  Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, then bake about 40 minutes.

While the cakes bake, melt the butter for the toffee sauce in a pan, whisk in the brown sugar until smooth, about 3-4 minutes, then stir in the cream and rum.  When well combined, set aside and cover to keep warm.

When the cakes are done, transfer them to a rack immediately to cool for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, poke holes all over the top of the cakes, and spoon toffee sauce over them, allowing the sauce to soak in.  When ready to serve, unmold the cakes from the ramekins, invert them onto a plate with creme anglaise on it, then top the cake with more toffee sauce and serve immediately.

Picky Palate's Ultimate Queso Bean Dip

I found this fun recipe at Picky Palate's website, and although it was fun and easy, I would've liked more cheese.  I followed the recipe pretty closely, just using refried black beans rather than refried pinto beans, and milk rather than cream.  Each serving was 247 calories, and we gave this an 8.  Try it for a fun and easy dip!

Vicki's Crockpot Beef Stew

This was a really good beef stew, but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to, which was more like beef borgignon.  Oh well, it was delicious anyway, and very beefy :).  I always love making things in the crockpot, because I have way more energy in the morning, and then when dinner rolls around, I am ready to go without any extra work.  This came to about 250 calories per serving, and we all gave this an 8.  Here's what to do:

3 slices thick cut pepper bacon, diced
2 lb beef stew meat, well seasoned
2 T flour
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 T tomato paste
1 T butter
1/2 c mushrooms, chopped
thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper
1-2 c red wine
3-4 c beef broth
2 T tapioca

In a pan, crisp the bacon, then set it aside.  Toss the beef with the flour, then in the same pan as the bacon, brown the meat on all sides.  Set it aside.  In the same pan, cook the carrots and onions, season them and allow them to soften, mix in the tomato paste, allow the tomato paste to cook a little, then pour the veggies into the crock.  Place the bacon and beef on top of the veggies.  Deglaze the bacon cooking pan with the red wine, allowing the wine to reduce a little, then add in the thyme and rosemary, and pour the wine over the beef.  Add in the beef broth and tapioca, just enough broth to cover the meat completely.  In the same pan, cook the butter and mushrooms, seasoning them and allowing them to soften.  Place them in the crock, turn it to low, then cook for at least 8 hours.  About 1/2 hour before serving, turn the heat to high, and take off the lid to allow the liquid to reduce a little.  Serve.

Nacho Cheese Mac N Cheese

So this was one of Noah's ideas, he loves to think of fun foods.  We weren't sure how this would come out, but the end result was yummy and interesting.  It looks like mac n cheese, but it has a nice kick to it.  The sauce wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good, and we really liked it with chips, so that was a nice plus, because I love me some nacho cheese :).  We all gave this an 8, and each serving was 415 calories when divided into 8 servings, and that will leave some nacho cheese left over.

2 c elbow macaroni, cooked until al dente
1 T canola oil
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 t cumin
about 2 T Rotel
3 1/2 c milk
3 T cornstarch
6 c grated cheese, I used a mixture of pepper jack, cheddar, and Monterey Jack


Mix the cornstarch with the grated cheese.  Heat the oil, then add the jalapeno, tomato, cumin and onion.  Season the veggies and cook until they are tender, stirring often so they don't burn.  Add in the milk and Rotel, stir it well and make sure the milk is warm.  Remove the pan from the heat, add in the cheese, and stir well until the sauce comes together.  Use about 3 cups (more or less) of the sauce and mix it with the macaroni, then serve.

Flour, Too's Oven Baked Potato and Red Pepper Tortilla

I loved this, even though it is eggs.  The flavors and smells were so enticing, I couldn't wait to dig into this.  We found this recipe for a Spanish tortilla in Flour, Too, and as always, the recipe turned out really well.  Each serving, for a total of eight servings, was 274 calories.  Noah gave this an 8, Owen and I gave this a 9, and Aaron gave it a 7 (no meat :)).  I like that this is Spanish, a tapas, and the fried potatoes really make this a delicious breakfast meal.  Here's what to do:

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
6 eggs
3/4 c whole milk
1 c grated Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
4 scallions, minced
3 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
5 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t paprika

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, drain, and remove the peels after they have cooled a little.  Slice them into slices 1/2 inch thick.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, Parmesan, green onions, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
Heat 1 T of the oil in a large oven-proof skillet, then add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften.  Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat 3 T of the oil over high heat.  Add the sliced potatoes and reduce the heat to medium.  Sprinkle with the paprika and more salt, then let cook for about 3 minutes.  Flip the potatoes over, drizzle with the remaining 1 T olive oil, and sprinkle with salt if desired.  Cook for an additional 3 minutes or so, making sure to get some crispy potatoes in there, even if not all of them are browned or crispy.  Remove the skillet from the heat.
Spread the veggie mixture over the potatoes, then pour the egg mixture over everything.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until the middle is just set and the egg puffs and browns.  Let cool a few minutes, then serve.

This was great for breakfast the next day as well, so it holds up well in the fridge.

Yammie's Noshery's Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns

We found this cool idea at this website, and although I had to adjust the ingredients a little to make the recipe work for us, these were still a delicious, fun treat.  I always love how creative Yammie is, and I love her photography.  Anyway, this pretzel bun recipe was good, but I added way more flour to make the dough come together, like 6 cups at least rather than 4 1/2 c of flour, but other than that, this worked out well.  I would also place these on parchment paper rather than on greased sheets, but those are just my thoughts.

Follow the top link to this fun recipe, each bun is about 450 calories with the extra flour.  We gave these an 8.

Simply Recipe's Shrimp, Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad

This is a great summer salad, I loved having something easy and fresh to make for our family that was a great light dinner on a hot night.  I found this easy recipe here, but I will post the ingredients I used, which are a little different from the recipe.  Follow the link for instructions.  Each serving was 351 for six servings, Aaron and Noah gave it an 8, Jonah really liked it, I gave it a 9, and Owen gave it a 6 because he didn't like the peppery flavor.  Here are the ingredients I used:

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz tri-color rotini
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
1/4 t ground coriander (to also sprinkle on the shrimp)
salt
3 slices thick cut pepper bacon
1/2 onion, diced
1/3 c diced red bell pepper
1/3 c diced green bell pepper
1 green onion, diced
1 avocado, chopped

Dressing:
1 1/2 t whole grain garlic mustard
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T white wine vinegar
salt
2 T olive oil

Owen's Fried Vanilla Bananas

So while this wasn't a huge hit at our house, it was still a fun idea.  We tried to make fries out of this, and it didn't really work, but we used my mother-in-law's egg batter recipe for frying, and we gave this an 8, because it really is tasty.

Owen loves bananas and vanilla, so this was his choice.  This egg batter is what my mother-in-law uses to make chile rellenos, and it is easy and delicious, so I just tweaked the recipe a little to make it a sweet egg batter, and we fried ourselves up some bananas :).  Each fried banana was around 250 calories, and here's what to do:

1 banana, halved and cut into thirds, so six banana pieces

2 eggs, separated

1 T vanilla

2 T flour

2 t sugar, divided

dash of salt

oil for frying

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat.  

Beat the egg whites and 1 t sugar until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, 1 t sugar, and vanilla until well blended, then whisk in the flour and salt.  This should be quite thick, if it isn't add in some more flour.  Fold in the egg whites.

Spoon some egg batter into the hot oil, place a banana slice on the batter, then top with some more batter.  Fry for about 2 minutes, flip it, then let it fry for about a minute longer.  Keep an eye on this, it goes quickly.  Serve with whipped cream.

To make the egg batter savory, just eliminate the sugar, add a little more salt, and exchange the vanilla for water.  Top with a chili stuffed with cheese rather than the banana, and you have yourself a delicious chili relleno :).  Thanks Chris!

Chorizo Breakfast Pizzas

So we found a recipe for breakfast pizzas in our Flour, Too cookbook, but we didn't want to make them the way the recipe said :).  Instead, we made them using Flour's brioche recipe, which can be found here, or more easily here.  Anyway, I used half of this batch and made 8 pizzas out of this.  Each pizza was 530 calories, approximately, and Aaron gave this a perfect 10, Noah and I gave this a 9, and Owen gave it an 8 because he doesn't like chorizo :).  Here's what we did:

1/2 batch of Vicki's breakfast burrito meat, minus the egg (chorizo and potatoes)
2 onions, sliced very thinly
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 batch of brioche
1/4 c sour cream, divided (we used a little less)
2 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese

Toppings of choice, we used avocados and tomatoes

Follow the directions for the brioche, and after proofing it overnight, begin making the pizzas.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a pan, and caramelize the onions for about 30 minutes, seasoning well.
Cook the chorizo and potatoes with the caramelized onions and the egg.
Cut the brioche into 8 segments, then shape them into circles with a rim, like little mini pizzas.  Cook for 10 minutes on parchment covered cookie sheets.  Remove the brioche from the oven, then place around 1 T of sour cream in the bottom (or less) of the brioche, then top with the chorizo mixture.  Top with grated cheese, and cook for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't over bake.  Serve hot.

Owen's Apple Turkey Burgers

Here's the burger we had with our apples, and if you talk to Owen and Aaron, you should have those caramelized apples on top, although Noah and I just had our apples on the side.  These were easy to make, and surprisingly tasty.  I was a little uncertain about how well these would work, but Noah gave them a perfect 10, Owen and I gave them a 9, and Aaron gave them an 8.  Make sure to use the bread crumbs, because the apples and the turkey are quite wet without some help.  Owen loves apples, so he was super happy to create these with me :).  Each burger, and we made six, were 425 calories, and that included our buns.  Here's what to do:

6 slices thick cut bacon
2 oz cheese (we used colby Jack, but I would've rather had a different flavor), sliced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
2 T bread crumbs
salt
1/2 t thyme
1 t garlic salt
1 t onion powder

burger buns
arugula
whole grain mustard
mayonnaise
caramelized apples

Cook the bacon in a large pan, and then set aside, reserving the bacon fat.
Mix the turkey, apple, bread crumbs, thyme, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt to taste.  Form into six patties, and cook in the reserved bacon grease on both sides until cooked through.  Top with the cheese and bacon, let the cheese melt, then serve with the toppings, and the apples.

Caramelized Apples

So this is just a basic recipe for caramelized apples, the same as one would make for pie filling, or a side of apples, or even applesauce, but this is what I did, and each serving was 95 calories.  We gave this an 8 as a side dish, but again, it makes a great applesauce if allowed to cook down even more.  We had this with the burger featured on Friday, and it went really well with it.  Here's what I did:

1 1/2 peeled, cored and chopped Granny Smith apples
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3 T brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T unsalted butter
dash of salt

Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the apples, lemon, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.  Let cook down, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on the size of your apples, and let the sugar caramelize.  Serve.

Cheesy Baked Fish

So we have a go to fish recipe which I shared years ago, and I decided to change things up a little.  We had some cod to use, and I didn't have any Parmesan, so here's my take on fish, just a little differently.  I would still recommend a firmer fish like tilapia, as I like the texture more, but Aaron and I still gave this a 9, and the boys gave it an 8, although Jonah gobbled his up, so he may have given it more than an 8 ;).  Anyway, the calories for this recipe for five servings was 145, and here's the easy peasy recipe.

12 oz cod (more or less)
salt and pepper
cooking spray
around 1 t ancho chili powder

3 T butter at room temperature
1/2-1 t garlic salt
1/4 c Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 t cumin
2 T cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, then season the cod with salt, pepper and ancho chili powder.  Bake the fish for 10 minutes.

While the fish is baking, mix together the butter, salt, cheese and cumin.

Remove the fish from the oven, turn on the broiler, and spread the butter mixture over each piece of fish.  Broil for about 2 minutes, then top with cilantro and serve.

Aaron says this tasted like chili, and I agree, it really did, and was great.

Culinary Concoction's By Peabody's Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float Cupcakes

Here is where you can find this fun recipe, one I have been wanting to try for a while.  I hadn't been able to find Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float soda, and so I have held off making these, but when I found my store had the pop again, I made these.  They are cute, fun, easy and flavorful, but unfortunately, they didn't taste enough like a vanilla float to us :(.  Anyway, I followed Peabody's recipe exactly, so follow the link to the recipe, and for 24 cupcakes, each cupcake was 307 calories.  We all gave these an 8.

Crockpot Vegetable Lasagna

Here is my take on vegetable lasagna, made in the crockpot.  It is similar to my regular lasagna, but is meat free and is pretty good for us :).  Each serving, about 1/12 of the total, was 477 calories.  My Dad, Noah and I all gave this a 9, and my mom gave it an 8, because she liked my sausage lasagna better :).  Anyway, here's what I did:

15 oz ricotta cheese
6 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T prepared pesto
salt and pepper

1 T olive oil
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
1 t basil
1/2 t oregano
salt and pepper

1/2 c water
9 oven ready lasagna noodles
24 oz Italian cheeses, grated
1 bag baby spinach

Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, pesto, and salt and pepper.  Set aside.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil, then add in the onions and carrots.  Cook for a little while, then add in the garlic and zucchini.  Stir and let the vegetables soften a little bit.  Add in the spices and the diced tomatoes, then season to taste, and let cook for a while, allowing the flavors to meld.
When the sauce is ready, pour some of it in the bottom of the slow cooker, then layer some lasagna noodles.  Top the noodles with half of the ricotta, 1/3 of the cheese, 1/2 of the spinach, and 1/2 of the red sauce.  Pour the water in, then repeat the layers.  Top with the remaining 1/3 of the cheese, and cook on low for about 8 hours, maybe a little less.  Let cool slightly, then serve.

Owen's Hot Vanilla

My Owen doesn't like strong flavors, and he doesn't really like chocolate all that much, so he wanted to make hot vanilla.  Luckily, although it is summer, the monsoons have started here, so the weather is nice, and on a day like this one when we have rain, it actually gets cool, so this hot vanilla was a real treat.  This was an easy recipe, and a nice change from hot chocolate.  We made it a little sweet for Aaron and me, but the boys thought it  was great.  Aaron says it has a white chocolatey flavor, and I agree, but mostly it is just vanilla, which is just what Owen wanted.  Owen gave it a perfect 10, Aaron and I gave this a 9, and Noah gave it an 8.  Here's the super simple recipe and it made four servings, with each serving being 205 calories.

3 c milk (we used 1%)
5 T sugar (use more or less depending on your desired sweetness)
1/4 c marshmallow fluff
1 T vanilla

1/2 c whipped cream
1 T sugar
1 t vanilla

Heat the milk, sugar and vanilla together in a saucepan, then when warm, add in the marshmallow fluff and stir until the fluff has dissolved in the milk.   Pour into cups and top with the whipped cream.

Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Top the vanilla milk.

Noah's Honey Quesadillas

first attempt

second attempt

final product :)

Well, we tried to make this three different times, and the third time was successful :).  Noah wanted honey quesadillas, and so we played around with the recipe until everyone thought it was delicious.  We tried to first make our own corn tortillas, but they were a little thick, so we used flour instead.  Our caramel sauce was too hard at first, and by the third try we got sauce rather than caramel candy :).  Notice how the caramel gets lighter every time.  And our filling became progressively sweeter with each attempt, but by the third try it was honey-ey and delicious.  Aaron and I gave them a 9, Noah gave them a perfect 10, and Owen gave them an 8.  Here's what Noah and I came up with:

4 T cream cheese, softened
4 T honey (more or less depending on desired sweetness)
4 tortillas

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 T butter
1/2 c cream
2 T honey

Beat together the cream cheese and honey, tasting as you go.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the tortillas, and toast them on both sides.

Caramelize the sugar and water together, then when the sugar is a light amber, add in the butter and cream and honey, stirring until the sauce comes together.

Bobby Flay's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Brulee

This is another of Bobby Flay's desserts from his Mesa Grill cookbook, and although I like the other creme brulee better, this one is so different and delicious.  We all wished this were a little more chocolate and a little less peanut butter, but the texture was great, and it was fun to do something different.  This made 8 servings, and each serving was 610 calories.  We gave this an 8.  Here's what to do:

3 c heavy cream
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c peanuts, toasted
1/2 c sugar
3 1/2 oz milk chocolate, chopped small
1/4 c smooth peanut butter
7 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
1/2 c sugar for bruleeing

Bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat, remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts.  Let sit, covered, for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.  Strain the mixture, then return the cream to the heat.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Add 1/4 c of sugar to the cream, bring it to simmering again, make sure the sugar is completely dissolved, then add in the peanut butter and chocolate.
While doing this, beat the eggs and 1/4 c sugar until thick and pale in color.  Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture.  Strain the mixture, then ladle the mixture into the 8 ramekins.  Place them in a baking dish and pour water into the baking dish so it reaches halfway up the ramekins.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, then cool and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, brulee the remaining sugar over the custards, either with a torch or under the broiler.  Serve.