A day late and a dollar short ...

Grocery shopping yesterday took forever! I had to stop twice to feed Clara. I bought Meredith some ice cream at Costco because she was being so good. But then when I went to Meijer, she was as whiny as she’s ever been. (Note to self: Maybe the ice cream did it and I’m causing my own problems.) To top it off, Clara started crying for no apparent reason. So, I spent the whole time at Meijer with TWO whiny kids.

As I drove home, the whining/crying continued. I felt I was losing ten years off my life listening to this. Solution? I went through the Starbucks drive-thru, feeling like I really deserved a mocha, and that it would help add some of the years back to my life that I had just lost. I think it worked, although Kevin disputes my logic.

Here’s my plan for this week …

1) Asian Lettuce Wraps—this is something I created, by taking three different recipes and merging them together, to get a P.F. Changish-version. It’s a refreshing meal for summer but, maybe because of the nicer weather, I’ve been craving it! I’ll paste the recipe below.

2) Panini with Caramelized Onion, Pear and Fontina and tomato soup (the soup is a new recipe that we love)

3) Barbecue Chicken Pizza (I make mine with cilantro, red onion, chicken, mozzarella, parmesan, and barbecue sauce), Caesar salad

4) White Chicken Chili, cornbread

5) Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, strawberry and pineapple

6) Blueberry Pie

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You should try this ... it really does taste reminicent of P.F. Chang's.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

4 cups water
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped peanuts
2 carrots, shredded
3-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil (opt.)
1/4 teaspoon hot chile paste
1 head iceberg lettuce leaves, separated

In a saucepan 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. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook the turkey, green onions, and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly brown. Add the peanuts, carrot, Hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring frequently until heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil and chile paste. 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. Wrap the lettuce leaf to enclose the filling. Serves 3-4.