Monday, August 2, 2010

Family Dinner


We have a tradition, as many families do, of getting together for dinner once a week. Right now, we're having family dinners on Sunday. Over the years, we've tried almost every night of the week except Fridays and Saturdays, depending on our schedules.

My friends all know not to invite me to do anything on Family Dinner night; missing it is not an option.

Most often Mom cooks. This week she asked me to make pork with peanut sauce, so I did, plus rice pilaf and a spinach salad. I have several peanut sauce recipes, but this one is hands down my favorite. (I have one for pasta which is pretty good, too.)

This sauce is great on pork tenderloin or chicken. It's even good on grilled shrimp. It doesn't do much for beef, though.

Marinate the meat in a little bit of the sauce for a couple hours ahead. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. It's extra good if you heat it up before serving.

This recipe makes enough for 8 people or about 2 pounds of meat.

2/3 c smooth peanut butter
2/3 c teriyaki sauce
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c vegetable oil (canola or something mild - not olive)
1 Tblsp ground ginger
1 Tblsp dried basil
1 Tblsp garlic powder
1 Tblsp onion powder (the recipe calls for this but I don't use it)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine ingredients by hand or in blender. Make it several hours ahead to give the spices time to rehydrate. Adjust any seasonings to your taste.

What's your family dinner tradition?

2 comments:

  1. oh Im totally trying that sauce - yum!! When I was growing up, we used to go to out favorite mexican restaurant every friday night. I guess that was kind of our tradition.

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  2. Very cool, Nicole! Are you creating new traditions with your kids?

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