one more week till school starts!

kinda like a countdown.

a little sad, a little happy. I love routine of the school, the tutors, the sports, the games. eating meals somewhat with more precision and planning.

However, I will miss the lazy days at the pool or bouncy houses, putt n bounce or at the lake. Oh this is a long list of what I will miss. We really packed in the fun this year. A lot of fabulous times. Great trips too. Our adventure to BC was rockin. Our weekends at the lake...fabulous!

This summer I read more books than I have ever read. Some good, some bad, some  OPENED MY EYES. lol

 

My perfect newfound desire (one that I actually really made time for-to try and learn) was  Pinterest. Ei yi yi. a soap opera that I can follow. Wowsa, some GREAT tips and ideas. But I found the recipes I made were just outstanding. I was a hit with the meal planning and parties we went to.

I laugh because this has actually been fabulous ways to hide vegetables my "family" aka Jim does not like to eat. (In this recipe Jim doesn't like mushrooms or water chestnuts- I chopped them so finally you couldn't even tell. he loved it. ) I LOVED it!

 

For example: this recipe was a HUGE HIT.

Wanna-be PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients for pouring sauce:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons gluten free tamari (or regular soy sauce if you’re not concerned about gluten)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Ingredients for stir-fry sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Ingredients for chicken stir-fry:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″
• 1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, minced to the size of corn kernals
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage

To make the pouring sauce:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
2. Just before serving, combine 1 teaspoons hot water with dijon mustard and garlic and mix in small bowl. Add to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.

To make the stir-fry sauce:

1. Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

To make the chicken stir-fry:

1. Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn the heat under the wok down to medium-high. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked through, about 4 minutes, and remove to a serving dish.
3. Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage leaf wraps and top with pouring sauce.

Variation: you can do the same thing with ground beef, if you like.

okay, off to do a little back to school shopping at Calgary this week. Cannot wait!!!!

Leica