P.F. CHANGS COPYCAT LETTUCE WRAPS

I saw this recipe online while looking around.  I have always enjoyed these wraps when eating at P.F. Changs.  I have to say this recipe is spot on for what I've had there.  

P.F. CHANGS COPYCAT LETTUCE WRAPS

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion diced 

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon sriracha (optional)  I used chili paste

1 8 oz. can water chestnuts drained and diced

2 green onions, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Head of butter lettuce

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Add ground chicken and cook until browned, making sure to crumble as it cooks. Drain excess fat.

Stir in garlic, onion, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha if using until onions are translucent.

Stir in water chestnuts and green onions.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with butter lettuce, spooning mixture into lettuce leaf taco style.

Chuy's Salsa Fresca

I'm making Tex-Mex for Father's Day lunch for my son and his family.  King Ranch Casserole, Guacamole, Rice and Beans.  A local Tex-Mex chain, Chuy's makes great salsa.  I've also made their Jalapeno Ranch Sauce too before.  I think the red sauce will go well with today's meal.

CHUY'S SALSA FRESCA

10-12 Roma tomatoes
1 to 1-1/2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, deveined, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2-3 tablespoons cilantro chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon
Juice of 1 lime

In a food processor, blend onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.  Cut ends off tomatoes and rough chop.  Add to food processor.  Blend well.  Add lime juice, garlic powder, and salt.  Chill.  Serve with chips.

CHUY'S JALAPENO RANCH SAUCE

I'm having a birthday dinner this evening.  I am doing a 'taco bar'.  Taco shells, meat and all the fixin's, rice and beans.  We have a Tex-Mex chain here called Chuy's.  They serve a jalapeno/ranch sauce when they bring out their chips and salsa.  It's really good.  I went in search of a copycat recipe and I think this one is pretty close. I'll serve this with some chips along with some regular salsa.

CHUY'S JALAPENO RANCH SAUCE

1 whole jalapeno, chopped, deveined and seeded (less if you don't like a lot of heat)
3-4 tablespoons cilantro without stems
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup tomatillo sauce (salsa verde)
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix

In a mini food processor put mayonnaise, buttermilk, jalapeno, cilantro, and salsa verde.  Blend well until smooth.  Remove from processor and place in a bowl.  Add Hidden Valley Ranch mix and stir well.  Chill several hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.  Serve with chips or even as a dressing for salads.

Sausage and Cheese Mini-Muffins

This recipe is all over the Internet in different places.  It is a different twist on sausage cheese balls which is a popular item to take to parties.  The plate was cleaned so I think they were a hit.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE MINI-MUFFINS

3 cups Bisquick
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound bulk sausage (spicy if you like it)
3/4 cup water or milk (I used buttermilk)
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup

Cook sausage until it is crumbled and no longer pink.  Drain on paper towels.  Mix together Bisquick, cheese, and sausage.  Combine cheese with buttermilk.  Make a well in the middle and pour wet mixture.  Stir just until combined.  Put in mini-muffin pans that have been sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Baked Toasted Ravioli

I had my son, his girlfriend and his 2 boys over for dinner. I served this as an appetizer with my homemade pizza and salad. I've had these in a restaurant when they were fried which are delicious but baking them wasn't too bad either.

BAKED TOASTED RAVIOLI

1 package frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and place racks on cookie sheet. Dip thawed ravioli in egg and then bread crumbs. Spray with Pam Olive oil spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with jarred or homemade marinara sauce.

Toasted Pita Chips

This is another recipe I have had in my files forever and never got around to trying. I recently found some really healthy pita bread made with oat bran and lot of other healthy things so I thought it would be a good time to try this out. Served with some roasted garlic hummus and it was pretty good.

TOASTED PITA CHIPS

4 pita bread rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sesame seeds
Parsley
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Pepper

Cut pitas in quarters. Split each quarter in half. Brush outside with cooking oil; sprinkle with sesame seeds, parsley, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Place on 15x10x1 inch foil lined baking sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Check often to make sure they are not getting too brown.

Pumpkin Roll

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My son and daughter-in-law hosted this year. The tables were absolutely beautiful. My son did his usual amazing job of a brined, roasted turkey and also this year there was fried turkey. Everyone brought side dishes and desserts. It was a veritable feast and then some. In addition to my usual traditional dishes I made a pumpkin roll and also an appetizer of cranberry sauce with a little 'twist' poured over cream cheese and served with crackers.

PUMPKIN ROLL

CAKE:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin


FILLING:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, line with wax paper. Grease paper. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly onto prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto a dish towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in small mixer bowl until smooth. Add nuts. Carefully unroll cake. Remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour, overnight is best. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. I saved just a little of the cream cheese filling for decoration.

The ingredients in this might sound a bit odd, but trust me, this stuff is good. The horseradish gives it a little 'kick' and the onion is not overpowering. I kind of reminds me of jalapeno jelly.

CRANBERRY SAUCE OVER CREAM CHEESE

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons horseradish (not the sauce)
1/4 cup sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Let sit until cool. Pour over cream cheese brick and serve with crackers.

BIRTHDAY FOOD

We celebrated my grandson's 3rd birthday today at his house. His happiness came from the Iron Man birthday cake, ice cream, and candles.....oh, and balloons of course. For the adults I made a few things to take to the party.

TORTELLINI BITES

1 bag fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
4 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 fresh lemon juice
4-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook tortellini according to package. Drain. Mix all of the ingredients above together in a bowl. Let the pasta marinate in the mixture for a few hours, then thread 4 inch skewers with 3 tortellini each.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD

This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman blog. It is an incredible blog and you see her recipes all over the place. Everything she makes is great and she shows each recipe in great detail. Here is a link to her recipe for Olive Cheese Bread.