Pork Pops with peanut dipping sauce

Spring Fling continues with this fun dinner!

Everyone loves food on a stick!

These pork pops are sure to have your kids begging for more!

dinner   Pork Pops with peanut dipping sauce

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 T toasted sesame oil

2 T honey

1/4 cup orange juice

2 T dijon mustard

1 t grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t lemon pepper

3 scallions, chopped

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/2 cup peanut butter

WHAT TO DO:

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a bowl and mix well to incorporate the marinade.  Place half the mixture in a large ziploc bag.  Reserve other half of marinade.

Place the pork tenderloin in the ziploc bag and let the meat marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 and heat up a grill pan on your stove top.  After the pork is marinated, place on a hot grill pan and sear each side of the tenderloin.  Transfer the pork to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 155 degrees.

Remove pork and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make your dipping sauce by using the marinade you set aside and mixing it with the peanut butter.  Mix until smooth.

Slice pork into 1 inch slices, then thread onto a kabob skewer.

Serve with peanut sauce, rice and grilled asparagus.

Tasty Tidbit – Peanut Butter

We are a peanut butter family.

I know there are so many people out there with allergies.

I don’t know what I would do.

We eat tons and tons of the stuff around here.

cooking tips   Tasty Tidbit   Peanut Butter

But sometimes, the peanut butter is a little thick.

Want to make it easier to spread?

Add a bit of OJ to what you’re spreading on your toast.

Thins it right out and makes it easier to spread!

Peanut Butter Cup Waffles

Well if you’ve been following along than you KNOW that we are a pancake family.

A chocolate chip pancake family to be exact.

But not today, oh no, this weekend when I had all my guys cuddled up nice and cozy on this particular Sunday morning we had a special request.

Keegan asked for waffles this Sunday.

Dad chimed in with the chocolate chip part, but I of course had to go one step further…

What’s better than chocolate?

Peanut butter and chocolate!

Peanut butter cup waffles anyone?

Oh yeah, they’re good…

breakfasts   Peanut Butter Cup Waffles

Serves 6  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook time:  10 minutes

2 cups bisquick baking mix

1 1/3 cup milk

2 T vegetable oil

1 egg

1 T vanilla extract

2 T sugar

1 t salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter chips

breakfasts   Peanut Butter Cup WafflesCombine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine.  Allow to sit for 5 -10 minutes before adding to your waffle maker, this helps ensure puffy light waffles (and pancakes FYI).  Add one ladle at a time to the center of your waffle maker.  Cook until well browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.  Remove carefully and serve with butter and syrup, or whip cream and berries.  YUMMY!!!

Chicken Skewers with spicy peanut sauce

appetizers   Chicken Skewers with spicy peanut sauce

Big thanks to my girl Anne over at Annie Bakes who inspired this recipe for me.  She got it from Kaitlin at Kaitlin in the Kitchen .  Both of their dishes looked great so I based this on theirs and added a little zing…  Please swing by and check out their amazing blogs!

Serves:  10  Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes

Marinated Chicken Skewers

6 T olive oil

2 T soy sauce

1 T minced ginger root

2 garlic cloves minced

1 T dijon mustard

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 lb boneless, chicken breasts sliced into strips to skewer

wooden skewers, soaked in water for an hour

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade, add the chicken strips, mix well and refrigerate for at least one hour.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, put the chicken on bamboo skewers, place the chicken skewers on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15 -20 minutes.  You could also toss these on an indoor (or outdoor) grill.

Peanut sauce

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

1 t fish sauce

3 drops chili oil

1 t sesame oil

2 T orange juice

While your chicken is marinating combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  (You can heat the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds if it’s too thick to work with.)  Serve with skewers.  I served mine up on some wild rice pilaf and tossed on some cilantro to garnish.  You could serve these at a party in a large glass and let people grab them off the table and mingle with them.  Who doesn’t love food on a stick???

I’m a Hungry Caterpillar

crafts   I’m a Hungry Caterpillar

Serves: 4                        Prep time: 5 minutes                        Cook time: 0 minutes

1 sleeve Ritz Crackers

1                                   banana

½ c                                    peanut butter

½ c                                    strawberry jelly

8 raisins

Slice the bananas into ½ inch slices. Place the Ritz crackers on a plate winding them in the shape of a caterpillar.  Spread every other slice with peanut butter. crafts   I’m a Hungry Caterpillar Spread the remaining slices with jelly.  Top with banana as desired. Use 2 raisins at the front of each caterpillar for eyes.  Grab the book and it’s snack time!

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