Pork Satay

So it's only November, but the polar vortex has swept across the country, and it is freakin' cold outside here! Much to my dismay, I realized about 5 minutes before it was time to start dinner that the meal on my menu was meant to be cooked on the grill--outside. Yikes.

Fortunately, because the pork is sliced so thin, the cook time on these awesome pork skewers is a whopping 6 minutes, short enough I could stay out there the whole time without turning into a popsicle. Thin slices and short cook times also mean super tender meat, and the peanut sauce is to die for! In fact, I might start making batches of this sauce to keep in the fridge for multi-purpose dipping. Since I was grilling, I also skewered up some green peppers and onions and tossed those on the barbie. They took a few more minutes than the pork, but not long at all. The dipping sauce was great on them, too.

Pork Satay
Prep time:15 min  Cook time:6 min
Serves 4

1 lb pork tenderloin, partially frozen

Sauce:
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 Tbs canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In a small saucepan, bring all sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Set aside 1/2 cup mixture for sauce.

Cut pork in half widthwise; cut each half into thin strips (cutting the tenderloin into thin strips is easiest when meat is partially frozen). Thread pork strips loosely onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink, basting occasionally with remaining mixture. Serve with reserved sauce.

296 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Pumpkin Roll

A few years ago, I was asked to help coordinate the women's ministry at my church along with several of my closest friends. I'd like to think it was because we were revered for our unique and enviable feminine talents, but it's a lot more likely that we were just the only ladies who were actually willing to do it! Either way, we managed to organize some truly fabulous events for the lucky ladies of Word of Life Family Church.

Needing a break from some of my responsibilities and wanting to devote more time to some new projects, I resigned from the committee a few months ago. However, the group is headed by a tireless recruiter who does not take no for an answer, so during an innocent chat one Sunday morning I ended up agreeing to teach the ladies of the church how to make pumpkin rolls at the next ladies' event.  I'm still not sure how that sneaky bit of sorcery occurred, but here I am on a Thursday night prepping half a dozen pumpkin rolls during the commercials breaks of my favorite shows.

We chose this recipe to teach the ladies because it looks special and elegant but it seems complicated and time-consuming, so many wouldn't even consider trying it. In reality, though, it comes together fairly quickly and with a few handy tips it's not that hard to execute.

If you aren't afraid to try new things you can definitely make this on your own, but if you want some guidance, feel free to stop by Word of Life Family Church this Saturday and I'll walk you through it!

Pumpkin Roll

Prep time: 25 min Bake time: 15 min
Total time including chilling: 3 hrs
Serves 10

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

FILLING:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 Tbs butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Generously sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl.

Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. 

341 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!