Antonio Becerra seals a bag of peanuts Thursday afternoon at Sunland Peanuts northeast of Portales. Peanuts are the local theme for this weekend with the 38th annual Peanut Valley Festival starting today at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.

Local residents will be going nuts for the 38th annual Peanut Valley Festival this weekend at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, which begins today at 9 a.m. With all this nuttiness in the air, Freedom New Mexico decided to ask Clovis and Portales residents to share their favorite nutty recipes:

Magic Peanut Butter Middles by Gwen Taylor of Clovis

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup cocoa

• 3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar granulated sugar

Instructions: In a mixing bowl, beat butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda and cocoa. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter and confectioner's sugar, beating until blended. With floured hands, shape mixture into 30 (1-inch) balls. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Shape about 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture around each peanut butter ball. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Dip a flat-bottomed glass into granulated sugar and flatten each ball into a 1 1/2 inch circle. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

“I look forward to trying this recipe because I have some hungry family members who love to eat,” Taylor said. “It will make them and our friends happy to eat it.”

Peanut Butter Bread by Dene White of Clovis

• 3 cups bread flour

• 1/4 to 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons melted fat

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 6 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Instructions: Cream peanut butter with sugar then add milk, egg and fat. Beat dry ingredients in, sifted together. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Spread with cream cheese or plain butter.

“I just love to please my family,” said White. “They always tell the kids, ‘let’s go see grandma ‘cause she’s got the goodies.’”

Peanut Butter Pie by Sheryl Borden of Portales

• 4 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup peanut butter

• 1/2 cup milk

• One 9 ounce Cool Whip (thawed)

• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (for top)

Instructions: Mix first 4 ingredients then fold in Cool Whip. Pour into prepared graham or Oreo crust. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and freeze. Keep frozen until served.

“I enjoy cooking with peanuts because our family has been involved in the peanut business for many years,” Borden said. “I also served as the spokesperson for the National Peanut Growers and demonstrated cooking with peanuts or discussing the nutrition of peanuts.”

Paul’s Ultimate Banana Bread by Paul M. Zion and Phyllis McDermott

• 2 sticks butter or margarine melted

• 4 eggs, beaten

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 4 cups flour

• 2 cups sugar

• 6 mashed bananas, very ripe

• Dash of salt

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Instructions: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and mix with sugar. Add to the mixture eggs and nuts. Alternate flour and bananas. Add 1/2 cup dry ingredients then a scoop of bananas. Continue until all bananas and dry ingredients are mixed into batter. Vanilla can be added during the flour/banana mixing procedure. Bake for one hour.

“He developed that himself,” McDermott said of her son, Paul. “We like making it cause it’s good.”