Lettuce Wraps

I love to serve lettuce wraps.  Everyone can just pick and choose what they like/want.  My inspiration for this meal is from the Cheesecake Factory.  I will list the things we usually put in the wraps but really anything works.  The best part about it...the peanut sauce.  We could drink it (or some of us could).

Lettuce wraps

Large lettuce leaves, to place desired fillings in

Diced, cooked chicken--seasoned to your likeness
Rice (I like to combine  brown and white rice)
water chestnuts, chopped
sliced cucumbers, chopped
mushrooms, chopped
carrots, chopped
peanuts, chopped
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges, squeeze on top

Once filled with desired ingredients, drizzle sauce on top.

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter (I use creamy but chunky would work great too)
1/2 cup water (start with less and add more to make it to desired consistency)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Dash of hot sauce (I use Frank's)

Bit of chopped cilantro

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan,except cilantro.  Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in cilantro and add more water if needed.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

This is one of Mattie's favorites.  It's another Blendtec recipe.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (or PB2)

1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar)

1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 banana

1 cup ice cubes

Add ingredients to jar in order listed.  Select "sauces" and let blend.  Serve

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Our favorite whole wheat pancakes.  This recipe comes from Blendtec.  It's fast, easy and yummy.  This recipe makes just enough for my family of 6.

Whole Wheat Pancakes                 printable version 

1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup wheat berries (I usually use white wheat)
2 Tablespoons oil
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Add milk and wheat to blender.  Press the "speed up" button to 9 and let it run till it shuts off.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender.  Pulse 5-7 times.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes before pouring it onto a hot griddle that has been buttered.  They cook really fast so be ready to flip when it is covered in bubbles.  Serve immediately with your favorite syrup.  We prefer homemade maple syrup or homemade butter syrup.

Astronaut

Though not healthy, this is one of my kids favorite blender treats.  Zac is sick today and this is what he asked for.

It's a recipe that comes from the original Blendtec cookbook.  It's called Astronaut Surprise but my kids just call it "Astronaut."

Astronaut:

1 cup French vanilla nondairy creamer

2 tablespoons orange drink mix

1 tablespoon vanilla pudding

3 cups ice.  

2/22/15--making Astronaut for a  Sunday after church snack

Put all ingredients in blender in listed order.  Blend on the ice cream setting.

Raspberry almond shortbread cookies

Momo made these cookies one Sunday afternoon for me to sample.  I was looking for cookies to make for a friends wedding.  Paige and Zac quickly had them devoured and labeled delicious.  I agree.

Raspberry almond shortbread cookies
(recipe via Better Homes sand Gardens with some modifications)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam

sugar for sprinkling

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 teaspoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl beat butter medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the the 2/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and egg. Beat until well combined. Beat salt and as much flour as you can with electric mixer and then using a wooden spoon stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Using your thumb, press an indentation into the center of each ball. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each indentation and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

3. For icing, in a medium bowl combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon water and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract. Add enough of the remaining water to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle cookies with icing.




Recipe via Better Homes and Gardens.

Blueberry Muffins

Isaac's Very Favorite Blueberry Muffins

I don't know who Isaac is.  I assume he is a character in a book.  I ordered this book thinking it was a culinary mystery type of book that I have been wanting to read.  When it came in the mail I discovered it was actually a compilation of the recipes from Josi S. Kilpack's series of books (none of which I have actually read but was trying to start when I ordered the previously mentioned book).  So here's the book:

I was a little disappointed because there were not any pictures of the recipes (big fan of pictures).  But I heard they were good recipes so I decided to give one a try.  I usually make heart shaped muffins for Valentines day.  After an early morning basketball game I came home to make some for the day of love.  Now my kiddo's are a huge fan of blueberry muffins from a box.  I don't like to make those because of all the ingredients I don't recognize on the package.  However I decided to give these muffins a try and see what they thought.  BIG HIT!  Everyone loved them.  "We thought they were from a box" was the comments I got.  So here's the recipe (with a couple of modifications)

Blueberry Muffin's
from "sadie's Little Black Recipe Book;
Contributed by Danyelle Ferguson, Test Kitchen Baker

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 heaping tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups blueberries' (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.
In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.  Add the dry ingredients alternately with milk (can add more milk if batter is too dry to mix well).  When well blended, use a spatula to fold in blueberries.  Bake in greased or paper-cup-lined muffin tins 15-20 minutes.
Batter will keep in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Makes 2-3 dozen muffins.