lettuce wraps

These were also very good, I made them Sunday night. They are similar to the lettuce wraps served at PF Changs.
The recipe:
1 head lettuce
1 lb ground pork or beef (I used pork)
1 T. cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce (found on the oriental food aisle at the store)
2 t. ginger
1 T rice vinegar
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 t. soy sauce
Rinse lettuce and seperate leaves, pat dry being careful not to tear
In a medium skillet, brown meat in oil, stirring often. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, 2 T. soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, and vinegar to the onions and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onion, meat, and remaining soy sauce and cook until green onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito.

breakfast-the most important meal of the day

This was a good meal, eggs cooked on hash browns, toast, bacon, and orange juice.

enchiladas...

I made enchiladas this week, and they made history in the Fisher house. How, you ask? This is the first meal in 3 years that we have had leftovers left, and actually eaten them...all of them. and they were delish. This recipe differs from mom's a little bit, not that mom's isn't already good enough, but I kind of felt like venturing into the wild side of the red sauce enchilada rather than the white sauce. I think they turned out really good. the recipe:
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pint of sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
(cook above ingredients in large saucepan until cheese melts)
add:
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can sliced black olives
1 clove garlic, minced
Simmer about 10 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken.
Divide chicken mixture among 8 (10 inch) flour tortillas, roll, and arrange in a 9x13" pan.
Pour 1 (12 oz) jar taco sauce over the top and sprinkle
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
They are a little spicy, but super good.

"5K" Granola

I made this easy granola for the 5K walk, but we were too busy walking to eat any of it. It's out of my new Betty Crocker Cookbook (yes, I retired the 40-year-old one that I got from our wedding reception). Preparation time is 10 minutes unless you count the time it takes in the store to round all the ingredients up.

Granola (healthy stuff)

2 c. regular rolled oats
1 c. coarsely chopped sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut (optional)
1/2 c. shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
1/4 c. flax seed (I left this out because I couldn't find any)
1/2 c. honey or maple-flavored syrup (honey is healthier)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. dried fruit (cherries, dates, raisins or craisins)

Combine first six ingredients. In a bowl, mix honey and oil. Add honey mixture to the dry mixture, and spread evenly onto a greased (Pam) cookie sheet. Bake @ 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until light brown, stirring after 20 minutes. Stir in dried fruit. Cool. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week or in freezer bags for up to 2 months.

crepes!

I made crepes for breakfast on Sunday...looking back, I think we took the more "dessert" approach, but they were way good. i folded one, rolled another. they have bananas in them, nutella, brown sugar, whipped cream on top, and a little bit of caramel sauce for garnish. the crepes themselves were pretty easy to make. it's just 1 c. flour, 1/2 t. sugar, 1/2 t. vanilla, 1/4 t. salt, 1 c. milk, and 1 egg. mix it all together and then you pour about 1/4 c of batter into a large frying pan at a time, turn the pan so the batter gets really thin, and cook like a pancake. (**use pam or it will definitely stick) also, you have to be careful not to have it on too high of heat or the batter will cook before you can get it thin enough. next time i'm going to try the heartier approach, i'm going to use wheat flour instead of white and maybe try eggs inside, cheese, maybe some ham, more like an omelette.

Golden Squash Soup

OK, all you squash lovers, this is your rainy day "comfort" food for when your spoke breaks and you don't get to participate in the mtn bike race that you've been looking forward to for over a month. Plus it's healthy, especially when you're trying to bulk up with, er . . . cream. Curtis likes it. He ate a big bowl of it, and I don't remember him being a big squash fan.

2 apples (peel, cut and core)
2 1/2 lbs. banana or spaghetti squash (cut in half)
1 c. chicken broth
2 T. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. mild curry powder
1 c. apple juice
1 c. cream
Salt to taste (check before adding more)

Place apples and squash face-down on baking sheet. Tent with foil and bake @ 350 for one hour. Let cool. Scoop out squash. Place squash, apples, chicken broth and apple juice in blender (the broth and juice will help the blender moosh it all up). In lg pot, melt butter, then add onions. Saute until onions are barely translucent, not limp. Add salt, pepper, and curry powder. Add squash mixture and cream. Heat through, but avoid boiling. Salt to taste. Serve hot. Makes about 8 cups.

Moongate

I ate lunch today at the Moongate Asian Bistro on Pearl STreet in Boulder. I had Tonkatsu - fillet of pork pressed in seasoning and Japanese panko batter, then fried to golden. As pictured, it came with fried rice and an egg roll. I'd give the rice and roll a 5 out of 10 and the pork a 7 - mostly simple flavors with slightly sweetened asian sauces. Just what I wanted. It was a nice place for lunch but I doubt I'd go there for dinner.

My fortune - The luck that is ordained for you will be coveted by others.