Spiced Peanut Butter Dip

One of my favorite snacks as a kid was ants on a log.  Three simple ingredients, yet so good.  My strategy was to get an 'ant' in every bite.  I remember my mom packing these in my lunch as a kid and being so excited for lunchtime to pull them out of the Ziploc, or 'baggie' as everyone in my family calls them.  Sure they ended up a bit mangled with peanut butter smeared on the inside of the baggie and the ants were all mashed down into the peanut butter but still very much worth looking forward to.

Ants on a log... you must have had one at some point as a kid.  It's like having a PB&J or Peanut Butter & Banana sandwich.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  Celery with smeared peanut butter and raisins on top?  I thought I should force a reminder in case of the small possibility that my mom made up the name herself.  Like how I thought all kids knew that new shoes could make you run faster then realized later that the only other kids that 'knew' this were my siblings.

Regardless of what you call it, everyone's had one... Unless you were one of those kids I feel bad for that were allergic to peanuts and missed out on all good things that come with that.  Like Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs at Easter or Reese's Pieces at the Movie Theatre (that was always my choice), peanut butter cookies or those totally awesome Little Debbie peanut butter wafer things.  The cool kids (obviously including me) would always eat it layer by layer.  Yeah I feel pretty sorry for the kids who couldn't have peanut butter and you should just stop reading now because you're missing out on something even better...

I found this recipe in a cookbook I received as a wedding present.  Which when I was roaming around Crate & Barrel registering for wedding gifts a few years ago with the little gun thing and saw the title "Delicious Dips" I knew it belonged in my collection.  Anything that I can dip or dunk into I am a fan of, and this dip I am definitely a fan of.  It has peanut butter (of course) and is great served with celery, but that's where the differences to ant on a log end.  There is no 'ant' here and instead is ginger, sugar, garlic, soy sauce all blended up with the peanut butter and then you use the celery to dip in it.  So dip, peanut butter and Asian, three great reasons why I am in love with this dip.

Most of my family is huge peanut butter fans.  My dad's favorite snack is a scoop of peanut butter on a spoon.  And of course his favorite cookie is peanut butter.  Johnny's not much different, if I ask him to make me a piece of toast I am always alarmed at the inch thick layer of peanut butter, the same as he does for his own, so needless to say he loves peanut butter as well and is a HUGE fan of this dip.

In my mind this is the 'adult' version of an ants on a log.  But go ahead and throw yours in a baggie anyway... for old times sake.

Trish's Tips:  This keeps very well in the fridge for a few days.

Spiced Peanut Butter Dip
Adapted from Delicious Dips by Diane Morgan

Ingredients:
2 TBL fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1 green onion, including green tops, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chunky peanut butter (I used all-natural)
2 TBL low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBL Asian sesame oil

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the ginger, green onions, garlic, sugar and red pepper flakes until minced.  Add the peanut butter, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Process until all the ingredients are well combined.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Cover and set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.  Serve with celery sticks.