Bacon Peanut Butter Truffles

I have mentioned a few times my appreciation for all things pork, I really am fond of the pig!  It is one of the things that reminds me that there must be a higher power because, well in one  package you have:
ham
chops
tenderloin
hocks
ribs
heck I have even seen their feet in a pickle jar at some of the bars that I used to go to and don't forget that yummy fatty stuff from around the belly BACON. 

Bacon is one of those things that transcends any course of any meal; there is always bacon with breakfast,  Spinach salad with bacon dressing(mmm bacon vinaigrette dressing) bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, bacon on any sandwich.  Then you can't forget beverages or dessert...  yes folks this one is about dessert.

I have talked about my friend the cookbook dealer a few times, he made another visit not to long ago and dropped off a few magazines for me, a couple of issues of Food and Wine, (from 2006 and 2008) one issue of Whole Living from 2009 and a copy of Saveur from March 2005.  Since the whole cookbook/culinary magazine thing is kind of an addiction for me I try to keep the gravity of it hidden (is there a 12 step program for that?)  I tossed these in the back of my car so nobody would find them and there they sat there with the other 30 or so cookbooks and magazines until a few days back when I took Miss Lu to dance I was looking for some reading material for the hour I was about to spend sitting in a folding metal chair.

On our way to dance class

I ran out to the car and riffled around for something to spark my interest... then there it was in the upper right hand corner "Seduced by Bacon"  I couldn't pass on that!  inside was "Peanut Butter Bacon Truffles" Ok if you have read even a few of my posts you know I had to follow up on this one!

6 strips of bacon cooked until crisp well drained
1/2 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
8 oz chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Coarsely chop bacon then put into a food processor with peanuts and sugar... pulse until  mixture is ground to medium fine texture.  Pour into a bowl then add peanut butter and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is firm.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Roll the peanut butter mixture into balls 3/4 to 1 inch in size and set them on the sheet, when it is all used lightly cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Before you take them out put the refrigerator melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler stirring often to keep it smooth, then set aside until cool enough to touch.  Then take your peanut butter balls out of of the refrigerator and drop them a few at a time in the chocolate to coat then toss in the cocoa powder.

The article said that you can set them in a sealed container with some cocoa powder and they keep for about a week in the refrigerator, just bring them to room temperature before serving.  these guys only made it overnight, yes the breakfast of champions!

OK these little peanutbuttery baconey balls of chocolate really did it!  The salty sweet chocolaty candies were as good as they sound!

Peanut Chicken

I Really wanted to make this dish to either entice or frighten the kiddos, chicken, peanut butter and daddy's weird sauce from last week! The reaction I got however was a resounding "whatever" I'm kind of getting used to it now anyway. Actually I am not really sure why I got this dish stuck in my head but sometimes that happens to me and the only way to make it stop is to cook the damn thing andbe done with it.

I started in the morning with the marinate I mixed Sesame Oil, Minced Garlic, Rice Wine Vinegar and Peanut Butter (not well measured sorry) I whisked those together and put in two Chicken Breasts to soak for most of the day.

for the sauce:
2 cloves of garlic minced
about a 1 inch cube of fresh ginger grated
1 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS corn oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup of my clementine ginger sauce (plumb sauce would work fine too)
2 TBS soy sauce
Asian noodles
1 medium carrot peeled and sliced
1 small zucchini sliced
Start by heating the oil in a saucepan then add the garlic and ginger, when the pan is good and hot add the chicken breasts and lightly brown on each side. After that add the rest of the ingredients (except noodles, carrots and zucchini) and whisk together.

As soon as this is combined put the noodles carrots and zucchini into a saucepan of simmering chicken broth for about 5 minutes until tender then drain them. Put Some of the peanut sauce into a saute pan and add the noodles... saute until the chicken is done (about 5-7 more minutes). Julianne the chicken once it is done and set it on the noodles and top it all with a little bit of the sauce. I may have let it thicken a little too much but next time I will add a little bit of chicken broth at the end to thin it out some but overall the dish is a winner