Hello From the Land of the Orange: Use Your Words

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using: orange ~ soup ~ sneakers ~ heirloom ~ group 
They were submitted by Minette of Southern Belle Charm.

                          
Hello from the land of milk and honey. Make that the land of the orange.

Crockpot Orange Teriyaki Turkey Tenderloins

Although I'm thoroughly enjoying gorging myself on oranges and grapefruits, I have to admit that I'm not eating dinners made in crockpots. No hearty soups and stews and heavy pasta meals for me. I'm visiting my mom. Reveling in lots of fresh fish, mostly grouper, giant prawns and snow crab. Biting into warm fresh heirloom tomatoes like apples right off the table at the farmer's market.

I'm wearing flip flops and sneakers. Going barefoot and relishing the feel of the sand between my toes, the salty gulf washing up my calves as the tide comes in. I'm walking the beach in the mornings smiling whenever a pod of dolphins swim by. I'm sitting out on the back deck watching the sun gently sink into the gulf with a glass of wine in my hand with my mom and my two boys by my side. Inhaling the scent of the gardenias each time I walk in and out the front door. Waking up each morning to the sound of the surf.

It was not easy getting my little group all to the island at the same time. It was logistical nightmare in fact. Well, Mom's already here, of course. But for us? I had to work around spring break so the travel days were not flexible. I was desperately trying to get the boys and I both to arrive and to leave not only on the same day but at the same approximate time. PurDude had an hour and a half drive to where he parks his car to take a shuttle to the airport so we couldn't leave too early in the morning. In order to work out the schedule I had to have 2 windows open on my laptop to compare the flight availability for him and the one for College Boy and I. 

It was an overwhelming process. At one point I almost booked us on different days. Good thing I caught that. After I booked both tickets I had a niggling thought bouncing around in my brain that I had put PurDude's birthday on College Boy's ticket. Chances are TSA would not look kindly on that discrepancy. Although, at the time I was booking I was conflicted. Maybe I should just let TSA hold onto him for a while. I bet by the time I swing back through the airport on the way home they'd be ready to let me have him back.

Lucky for him I pushed those thoughts aside. Unlucky for me I had to figure out how to get his ticket changed to reflect his actual birthday. But then a vacation is never appreciated more than when you're stressed to the limits, right?

Which brings me to today. Here I sit on St. Patrick's Day, just days before my youngest's birthday. And not just any birthday either, a big one. Yuuuuge, in fact. Trying desperately to enjoy the hell out of every single minute we're all spending together. And succeeding.

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Spatulas on Parade
The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver  
On the Border 
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 
 The Bergham Chronicles
Simply Shannon  
Confessions of a part time working mom
Southern Belle Charm
The Angrivated Mom  
Climaxed 
Not That Sarah Michelle

Crockpot Orange Teriyaki Turkey Tenderloins

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package (about 1 3/4#) turkey tenderloins
salt, pepper, paprika 
2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 tsp orange zest 
2 green onion, chopped
3 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into sections


Directions:
*Spray the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick spray.
*Rinse turkey tenderloins and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
*Whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, hot pepper flakes, orange zest and green onion. Pour into crockpot.
*Place the tenderloins into the crockpot and turn onto high. Cook for one hour. Turn the meat, then switch the temperature and cook for 2 hours. 
*Add the mandarin orange slices and cook for one more hour. Be sure your turkey is completely cooked (165 degrees).
*Remove the turkey from the crockpot, slice and drizzle with the sauce.