Junk Food Nation, what time do you usually go to bed?  When I was in high school, I went through a stretch where I wanted to stay up late all the time…and I also distinctly remember a period of time where I wanted to sleep ALL THE TIME.   I felt like this:

You tell ’em, Ralph.

In college, I wouldn’t go to bed until after 1:00am on a consistent basis – missing my morning lecture was a common occurrence.  But in law school, my sleep patterns were all over the place – anywhere from 900pm to 300am, depending on what cases I was trying to pound into my brain or what papers I was trying to write.

Now? I find that I can stay awake as long as I need to, BUT MY BRAIN SHUTS OFF AFTER 1100pm.  It doesn’t matter if I’m tired or still going, once 1100pm hits, I can barely form words.  I can do lots of other things – drink alcohol, stare at my computer/TV/phone, eat nachos. But read a book? I end up re-reading the same paragraph several times.  Write an email?  Halfway through the composition, I’ll re-read my words and wonder who I’m even writing to.

How about YOU, Junk Food Nation?  Early bird or night owl? Get in bed the same time every day or are you also all over the place? OR, are you also like me, where it doesn’t matter WHEN you go to sleep – you are a NON-FUNCTIONING HUMAN past a certain tick of the clock?  Let me know in the comments below.

Today’s junk food and the subject of my latest contest: Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams!

Peanut Butter & Co. contacted me to help them promote the launch of 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams, a brand new cookbook written by Peanut Butter & Co. Founder & President Lee Zalben that features a month’s worth of decadent recipes using Dark Chocolate Dreams all natural peanut butter.  They sent me a copy of the cookbook and a big ol’ jar of Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams to sample and review.

This cookbook and the big ol’ jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams is the prize for today’s contest!  Let’s get to reviewin’.

I’ve reviewed lots of Peanut Butter & Co.’s products on this website before, but have yet to try or review Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams – peanut butter blended with dark chocolate.  Seems simple enough. This wasn’t a Nutella or Jif Hazelnut spread…this was pure peanut butter plus chocolate.

Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams I was sent was a biggie.  Way bigger than the jar of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl that I had around the house.  I could stick my whole fist into the jar…and trust me, I was tempted.

A co-worker of mine came into my office last week and told em that she thought bananas were disgusting.  WHAT!? *You’re* disgusting.  Oh well – no Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams for her!

I opened this jar of Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, and the surface was perfect, virtually uncracked.  It didn’t smell of chocolate; the Junk Food Gal and I could only smell peanut butter.  Tasting time!

Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams tasted good.  REAL GOOD.  And VERY RICH.

When I took my first swipe of spoon over the surface of the peanut butter and tasted, I thought the texture was smooth and easy to spread, but I wasn’t getting a lot of cocoa taste. Good peanut butter flavor, but that was expected.  I decided my sample size was too small, dug my spoon deeper, and took a BIG bite of this dark chocolate peanut butter…

….and BAM!  The cocoa flavor was THERE.  Sweet and rich and strong, there was no mistaking the presence of dark chocolate flavor in this peanut butter.  Blended perfectly, the peanut butter tasted like a dark chocolate Reese’s that had been turned into a spread.  There was no fluctuating between the dark chocolate and the peanut butter flavor – it was expertly mixed, so I was clearly tasting both at the same time.  Nice balance; neither flavor overwhelmed the other.

REALLY enjoyable.  And I can see how this could be used in LOTS of gooey recipes.  Nice job, Peanut Butter & Co.!

PURCHASED AT: via mail!  Can be bought online here.

COST: $6.00

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*** TWITTER CONTEST DETAILS ***

Ok, so how can you get your hands on a BIG OL JAR of PEANUT BUTTER & CO. DARK CHOCOLATE DREAMS and the brand new cookbook, 31 DAYS OF DARK CHOCOLATE DREAMS: A Month of Delicious Recipes:

1. Join Twitter. This is a Twitter contest, so man up and sign up. I keep telling you to do this. So do it.

2. Once you’re on Twitter, look for my tweets about Peanut Butter & Co.! To best find these tweets, follow me on Twitter here – it’s not required, but it’ll make everything a whole lot easier when you’re looking for my Peanut Butter & Co. tweets.

3. Re-Tweet the Peanut Butter & Co. Tweets that I’ll post periodically through the week. AND THAT’S IT. You’ll automatically be entered in a drawing for a jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams and the new cookbook!

4. Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, February 2, 2014. Get all your Re-Tweets in before then! I’ll announce the winner on Monday, February 3.

5. US residents are the only ones eligible to participate, and no one with PO Boxes…AND no Hawaii or Alaska. I don’t make the rules. Wait, I kind of do. But whatever – Peanut Butter & Co. will only ship within the US and to no PO Boxes, and no Hawaii or Alaska. SORRY! So keep that in mind.

6. Friends can and SHOULD enter, since I’ve become friends with so many of you over Facebook, Twitter, comments, etc. Family cannot enter, but is encouraged to re-tweet anyways and have THEIR friends enter.

7. The more times you Re-Tweet, the more times you’ll be entered! The winners of the Candy Corn Oreos DELUGED THEIR TIMELINES with Junk Food Guy tweets. You can do the same thing!

So that’s it, Junk Food Nation! Enter my Twitter Contest and win a jar of Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams & the cookbook 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams, mailed directly to your door. DO IT!

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy