When I was growing up, my mother sometimes made us peanut butter celery sticks. I liked them. Much later, my friend Joy fixed them for lunch only she called them “Ants on a Log.” I enjoyed the juxtaposition of tastes: sweet raisins against the crunch of celery and the nutty salt of peanut butter. The label Ants on a Log, however, created images in my brain that I really didn’t wish to associate with eating, so my cousin Carmen and I decided to call it Birds on a Branch. They can be used as an appetizer, a snack, or in lieu of salad.

Ingredients

• 12 six-inch pieces of fresh celery
• Natural peanut butter, enough for about 1 tsp per piece of celery
• 72 raisins (smile)

Preparation

Wash and prepare celery.

Smooth approximately one teaspoon of peanut butter in each piece of celery.

Place raisins on top of the peanut butter, half-dozen to each piece of celery.

Serving

Place celery on a platter.

Enjoy.