“Retro”

I am both appalled and amazed at how my children go about mastering the English language. I am ALL FOR expanding vocabulary and learning how to use new words in super cool ways. I am definitely a product of my dad’s famous phrase, “Look it up,” spouted every time he stumped us with his SAT vernacular while my siblings and I exchanged confused looks (What did he just say????). My parents had the most gigantic dictionary you have ever seen – seriously it was about a foot and a half of unabridged word craziness – and we would haul it off the end table and try to figure out just exactly what it was that our father was trying to communicate. At the time I remember being so annoyed (Gah, why can’t Dad just speak plain English???), but while my dad was undoubtably in the other room laughing on the inside, we were learning.

Well played, Dad.

Every now and then I catch myself telling my boys to “Look it up.” I also tend to misplace car keys in my purse and look for sunglasses that are on my head. It’s true. We do become our parents.

Andrew asked me the other day what the word “retro” means? So I told him. Then I wondered where he had run across that particular prefix? Here comes the appalling part… a video game.

Not an educational computer game. Not one of those Q & A games on the Wii. An actual rot-your-mind-out-shoot-em-up-xbox game. Andrew schooled me on this. I learned there are versions of characters from previously released editions of games and these characters are named “Retro Good Guy” and “Retro Bad Guy” and “Retro I’m Gonna Wash Your Mouth Out With Soap Guy”. What in the world.

So the word of the day is “retro”. And it doesn’t get much more retro than peanut butter cookies. Mmmhmm. Look it up.

Beat together butter and sugars…

…and then beat in peanut butter and egg…

… flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

Scrape it all down into a little ball of peanut buttery happiness. Cover tightly if you need to refrigerate this until later. Or pinch off about a tablespoon at a time and roll into a ball, them flatten slightly.

Use a fork to press the little retro criss-cross into the top of each cookie.

Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.

Retro… yeah.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick of butter (1/2 a cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt (optional; and leave it out if you’re using salted butter)

To Make

Preheat the oven to 375. Beat together butter and sugars. Then add peanut butter and egg. Beat until smooth and then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make a ball out of the dough. Pinch off about a tablespoon at a time, roll into a ball and flatten slightly. Use a fork to press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie and then bake for 9-11 minutes. Let them cool for a minute or two before removing from the cookie sheet.