Hi there! Happy Thursday! Today, I'm launching yet another "feature" of this bloggy-blog, which I intend to replicate on a regular or semi-regular basis. (I know, my track record on keeping up with these features after I've launched them is not good. I have so many feature ideas! And so very little time! But this is a good one, I think).

So, my thoughts on the You Can Do It feature: There are lots and lots of things that are fun - and sometimes surprisingly easy - to make yourself. Every week or so, I want to bring you a short post on something you might be buying that you can make yourself. You might not have thought of these, or have forgotten about them, or just need something to fill a kindergartener's rainy afternoon, and a "project" like these is just the ticket.

Case in point: Do you know how easy it is to make peanut butter? It is like, so easy. In order to make it, you need some peanuts, maybe a pinch of salt, and maybe some honey. Add to food processor. Turn on. Watch (and listen! it's loud!) it turn into the world's most perfect food, right before your very eyes.

The very best thing about making your own peanut butter is that you're in charge! How creamy do you want it? Process until it reaches your peak texture. What's your taste preference? Need you some salt (a pinch goes a long way, but you can salt to taste!), sugar, or honey? Add away, once the peanuts have largely butter-ified. In this case, I realized that we had eaten all our dry roasted peanuts - which is what I would normally use - so I just went ahead and used some honey roasted peanuts we had in the pantry. It's a decidedly more sweet and decadent treat than the unsweetened version we normally eat, but that's a nice change! Slightly warmed, it makes an amazing chocolate frozen yogurt topper.

You can buy a peanut butter machine. I remember seeing one at a friend's house, long before I'd ever thought about making my own peanut butter. These may be able to create a creamier texture than your average food processor. But, in the spirit of small kitchens and multi-tasking gadgets, I recommend you give it a go with just your food processor. Store your peanut butter in clean jars in the fridge. I find that we go through it so quickly that I never have the "stir" problem of bought natural peanut butters. I personally never buy the no-stir versions, which tend to use palm oil. But if you go through it slowly or are worried about your oils separating from your butter, add a bit (a couple teaspoons) of safflower oil, which should keep everything nice and smooth.

Of course, you can use any kind of nut you like to make any kind of butter you're hankering after. If you've got a Costco membership or spy a good sale on nuts, you can save quite a bit of money over buying premade butters, though without a sale, for me, the cost is coming out to about the same. I'm making our own because it's fun, and it tastes better - fresher - and I have been able to get some nuts on sale. It's not as though I'll never buy another jar of peanut butter; it's just that, it turns out, you can make this stuff yourself! If you haven't, give it a try and let us know how it goes. If you have, give us your best tips and tricks!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more You Can Do Its! (Note: the name is lame. I may tweak). Cheers!