Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I've been seriously craving lettuce wraps, to be specific The Yard House's lettuce wraps...I just haven't had the funds to support my craving taste buds. So, I always get inspired to cook when my soon-to-be-in-laws are out of town and Marc and I have the house to ourselves. Marc just started back a school, so I really had the house all to myself one night last week and decided it would be a good night to try to make lettuce wraps. I knew I had thawed ground turkey, so on my way home from Dance Lessons, I googled "ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS" on my wonderful IPhone and made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some ingredients! I happened to google this great recipe site, that I will def. continue to reference - http://www.allrecipes.com/. The specific recipe called for pork, which I substituted for Ground Turkey and it also sets you up to make white rice, I did a Sandra Lee - Semi-Homemade and bought the Uncle Ben's 90 sec. Ready Rice packs, which are AMAZING! OK, so here is what you'll need:

INGREDIENTS
4 cups water
2 cups uncooked white rice (or 1-2 Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, I like Original Long Grain)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 carrots, shredded
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I picked up Hoisin - Garlic sauce - YUMMY!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or GF alternative)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I eliminated this ingredient)
1/4 teaspoon hot chile paste (I used Chile Sauce - worked just as good)
1 bunch of romaine lettuce leaves, separated (Cabbage would also work!)

HOW TO:1. In a saucepan (a wok works best) combine the water and rice. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until water is absorbed. Set aside and keep warm. (If you end up using the Ready Rice packs, I waited about a 1 minute before I was ready to serve the lettuce wraps).

2.Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook the ground turkey, green onions, and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly brown. Add the tofu, carrot, Hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring frequently until heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil and chile paste.

3. To serve: spoon a small amount of rice into each lettuce leaf, top with the stir-fry mixture, and drizzle with additional soy sauce or hoisin, if desired. I don't like rice in my lettuce wraps, so it was a side for my dish...but I did spoon the stir-fry mixture into the lettuce leaf. Also on the side I had a soy sauce and hoisin dipping dish.

The end result was sooo delish!!

FOOT NOTES:

Optional additional stir fry ingredients-
These may be used in place of or in addition to the tofu: chopped peanuts, peppers, shrimp, rice noodles, diced chicken, scrambled egg or bean sprouts.

This was very helpful to me, since i had NO idea what Hoisin sauce was! :)
Hoisin sauce, also called Peking sauce, is a thick, reddish-brown sauce that is sweet and spicy, and widely used in Chinese cooking. It's a mixture of soybeans, garlic, chile peppers and various spices. It can be found in the Asian or ethnic section at your local grocery store.

Parmesan Chicken

This recipe is great for an easy, delicious, quick meal. :)

Ingredients
6 Boneless Chix Breast
2 Tbls Melted Butter
1/2 cup Grated Parm Cheese
1/4 cup dry Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Parsely Flakes
1/4 tsp Paprika
Salt & Pepper
Lemon
Spaghetti Sauce

Serve with Spaghetti or Cous Cous

1. Heat oven to 400*. Spray Baking Pan with non stick cooking spray or cover with Foil.
2. Mix Parm Cheese, Bread Crumbs, Oregano, Parsley, Paprika, Salt and Pepper together in a bowl. Dip Chicken breasts into butter, coat with combined ingedients. Place in prepared pan.
2.Bake 20-25 minutes or until tender. Squeeze Fresh lemon. Top with Spaghetti Sauce and more parma cheese.

(...makes great leftovers!)

Maman's Spaghetti Sauce

This is my mother's recipe for homemade marinara sauce. I've been eating it all my life, as has Jess! I never get sick of it, and I love making tons of it so I have leftovers during the week. I prefer linguine over spaghetti, but do as you wish.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 box linguine (500g)
1/2 lb ground beef (don't use anything fattier than 15%, I like to use 10%)
1 chopped onion

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 can tomato paste + 2-3 cans water

1 can mushroom stems/pieces, drained (or use fresh cut)

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp oregano (my mother calls this marijuana.. lol)

1 tbsp basil

1 tbsp parsley

Salt/Pepper to taste

Parmesan/Swiss to top
Directions:
1. In a large enough saucepan, cook your ground beef and garlic. Do not add any oil. The meat will give off enough juices to cook in.
2. Start boiling your water for the pasta
3. Once the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and scoop it out with a holy serving spoon to keep the juices in the pan. Put it aside for later.
4. Turn the heat back on and brown your onion a bit in the juices. Throw in your thyme, bay leaves, oregano, and basil and let brown.
5. Add mushrooms and stir for a few minutes.
6. Add the can of tomato paste, and 2 cans of water. Wear an apron, or just don't wear white! Stir until the paste disolves in the water, and put the heat on low.

7. Add the meat and parsley. If you think the sauce is too thick, add a little more water and stir in.

8. Taste and add salt and pepper how you like it.

9. Let simmer while you wait for your pasta to finish cooking....

Then serve piping hot with parmesan and shredded swiss on top! Yes, I use both because I can never decide!

Easy Granola

I found this recipe in Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn. I was looking for a quick morning snack since I don't want to spend a lot of time on breakfast for myself. I thought this was a nice change from my plain cheerios (boring.) and coffee. Probably even better on yogurt, or frozen yogurt. Yes, I am always thinking of dessert! The recipe makes for 24 servings but quartered it for a smaller batch. It is so easy to make and will last up to 4 weeks if you do decide to make the amount the recipe yields!

Ingredients

12 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups "goodies" (nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, trail mix, coconut, dried fruit)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup honey

*I added a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to the mixture

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a very large bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar if you and whatever "goodies" you are using. Mix well.

3. Combine oil and honey in a 2-cup glass measuring cup (or glass bowl). Microwave 2-3 minutes until hot. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheets; bake until light to medium brown, 15-20 minutes. If you have a convection oven, bake all 3 pans at the same time. Otherwise it's best to bake each pan individually on the center rack of oven.

5. Let granola cool. It will break up somewhat as you transfer it to a storage container, but try to leave big chunks if you prefer.

Fudge Pie

I get more excited about desserts than making meals so I had to add this. I came across it from another blog and made it for my in-laws. It's so simple and yummy you can't not make it! If you don't have self-rising flour use the same amount of all purpose flour plus 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. baking soda.

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 C. cocoa

1/4 C. self-rising flour

1 C. sugar

1 ready to bake regular size pie shell {not deep dish}

Mix ingredients together in bowl with fork until well combined. Avoid using a mixer if possible, over beating the filling will cause the top to rise and crack after baking. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover edges with foil if they get too brown. Let sit for 10-15 or as long as you possibly can resist. Top with ice cream and enjoy!

Summer Stuffed Tomato Salad

I didn't make this but it is really good and presents really nicely! The eggs are fresh from the hens in the garden. The yolks are so yellow it looks like pollen! Delicious.
Ingredients:
-can of tuna
-can of mixed vegetables
-some tomatoes (1 per guest)
-some hardboiled eggs (1 per 2 guests)
-1 or 2 tbsp mayonaise
Directions:
1. Core the tomatoes
2. In a large salad bowl, mix the drained can of vegetables and tuna with the mayonaise (add whatever you want as well (pieces of ham, surimi, avocado.. play with it)
3. Spoon the mixture into your tomatoes. Put the rest of the mixture in your serving dish to make it look nice.
4. Cut the hardboiled eggs in 4 and arrange them nicely. With some of the yolk, sprinkle some on top.
Serve as an appetizer or a side dish to a nice bbq!

Indian Lentils REMIX!

This IS the REMIXX to Steph's Indian Lentils!! :)

It was very yummie and healthy! Everyone enjoyed them! I will use more mustard seeds next time bc Steph's were more Yellow.

Springtime Pasta

This Pasta is light and fresh.. perfect for Summertime (Or Springtime)! This one is from my "Family Circle" cookbook... (recipe collections for busy families). :)

Ingredients


1 lb Cavatappi or Corkscrew shape pasta
1 tbls EVOO
1 1/2 Chicken Breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Yellow Pepper, cut into thin strips
1 bunch (1 lb) of fresh Asparagus cut into two inch pieces
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 Packages spreadable Herb Cheese
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper

Directions
1. Bring Large pot of water to boil. Add Pasta, return to boil. Cook for 6 minutes

2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Add Chicken. Cook for 6 minutes. During last minute, add yellow pepper to skillet. Then, remove from heat.

3. Once pasta has cooked for 6 minutes, add asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes longer. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the water, set aside. Then, drain the pasta.

4. In a Large Bowl, toss together the hot pasta and asparagus, chicken and yellow pepper, tomatoes, herb cheese, reserved 1/4 cup pasta water, salt and pepper... until well blended and cheese is melted.

5. ENJOY!!


Nutritional
Makes 8 servings
Per Serving:
395 Calories, 10g total fat, 74mg cholesterol, 248mg sodium, 47g carbohydrate, 3g Fiber, 30g protein

Tips
To reshape your Pasta recipes:
1. When using tomato sauces, use brands with 50 - 80 calories per 1/2 cup serving.
2. Bulk your bowl with high fiber vegetables, such as cauliflower and broccoli. (It will help you stay full longer and will cut calories)
3. Use non-stick skillets to cook, as they can meet your needs by using half the original amount of oil.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle BBQ Sauce

I have been meaning to make this for awhile, but never really had the time. Today the electricity went out at work, or all of Rancho Mirage for that matter...so after a dip in the pool and some good "Breaking Dawn" reading, I was in the mood to cook a good meal and it was AMAZING! Now, I am not really one for spicy foods, but I am learning to like them, considering Marc LOVES all things spicy. This receipe is courtesy Guy Fieri aka The Food Guy, so making it on the BBQ will bring this meal to it's full potential of yummy! Here it goes:

INGREDIENTS

20 Strips of Bacon (about 12 ounces)
20 Medium-Large shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 1 pound) - I just used Costco's Bag of Shirmp, no tails

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice - I used fresh lemons, I just love the smell of them

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Bamboo Skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak 5 to 8 Bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill or under the broiler.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until halfway done, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool on paper towels. Wrap a piece of bacon around the middle of each shrimp; skewer with bamboo through the point where the bacon ends meets up to keep them from unraveling. Thread 3 to 5 shrimp on each bamboo skewer. (Since I used the Costco shirmp they were kind of small, so I wrapped about 3 shirmp into one piece of bacon..and continued with rest of steps).

3. Puree the barbecue sauce, oil, lemon juice, mustard, chipotles, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and fresh ground pepper in a blender. Set aside half of the sauce for dipping. CAUTION: the sauce is very spicy, so to tone it down a bit, I added more BBQ sauce.

4. Preheat the grill, grill pan or broiler. Grill or broil (on a foil-lined backing sheet, if broiling) for 5 minutes, basting with the sauce once they begin to turn pink. Flip, baste again and grill or broil until just cooked through (about 4 more minutes). Serve with extra sauce.

WAAALAA!

SIDES

I thought this meal would be really good with Corn-on-the-Cob...so I buttered up some cobs, sprinkled a little Lawry's Salt on them, wrapped them up in foil, made some fork wounds and threw them on the grill for about 20-25mins.

Red, White and Blue Dessert

I know this is a little late - considering 4th of July was...oh...almost a month ago! BUT, it is still July and you can make this desert anytime and make a different design on the top. I happened to make it for our Annual 4th of July party we had at our friends house, and it ended up being a hit!!




INGREDIENTS

2 Packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
2 quarts strawberries, halved, divided
2 quarts blueberries, divided

HOW TO MAKE

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extracts until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream (which means pour in slowly). Place a third of the mixture in a 4-qt bowl. Reserve 20 Strawberry halves and about a 1/2 of blueberries for top.
Layer half of the remaining strawberries and blueberries over cream mixture. Top with another third of the cream mixture and the remaining berries. Spread the remaining cream mixture on top. Use the reserved strawberries and blueberries to make a "insert here" on top. Makes about: 18 Servings

Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1 cup
Calories: 168
Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholestrol: 32mg
Sodium: 44mg
Carbs: 20g
Fiber: 3g
Protien: 2g