Appetizing Muse

When my Mum was growing up in Timmins, Ontario, Canada she used to have a treat at birthday parties that, for lack of a better word, closely resembles "Peanut Butter-Banana Pinwheels." She described the delicacy to me on the telephone the other day, so I set about trying to recreate it in my kitchen. It's actually nothing more than slices of bread with the crusts cut off, then filled and rolled-up with peanut butter and banana inside. I wasn't sure if the bananas had to be sliced or mashed, so I mashed two bananas in a bowl until the mixture almost resembled bread dough. Then I added about a half-cup of creamy peanut butter and blended it with the banana mix.

The bread was another matter. Packaged and pre-sliced bread tends to become dry rather fast. My first attempt to create a "pinwheel" resulted in the bread splitting and breaking apart. Then I decided to soften each slice of bread by microwaving them for fifteen seconds after the crusts were cut off. It worked splendidly. I was able to spread the banana-peanut butter mixture on a bread slice, and then roll it up. Cutting the roll is not easy unless all are chilled. I attempted to do so, but Wilbert grabbed most of them before I could. Chilling the rolls definitely makes for an easier cut. The little "pinwheels" were marvelous.

When Mum was growing up in Timmins, she would often refuse to go birthday parties or other gatherings unless the little pinwheel treats were on offer. They are simple to make and are probably called by other names in various regions of the world, but sometimes sheer simplicity makes for the best foodstuff.